Downgrading from Nikon D200

Probably don't see this alot. I bought the Nikon D200 last year with assorted lens and an Aquatica Housing, viewfinder, Ikelite D125 strobes. I was not a photographer before, and did not understand the photography process, so it has been a steep learning curve. I use the pictures a lot for my blogs, websites and sell some to guests in my business. They work well for that! I find the controls difficult underwater, I never really have the patience to "set up" a shot, and I find the system very bulky. I usually have my husband set up my housing etc for me, as I don't really have the patience for that and he loves it. So, in some ways, I just have to step into the water with it which is easy. I have the opportunity to use it quite a bit, if I like, living on a boat, but I have found myself going back and forth since the day I bought it whether I would have been happier with a point and shoot set up with strobes, something much smaller and lighter, that would still give me pretty good quality, without me needing control of everything. I have learnt how to shoot manual, but it is a struggle and I do a lot of post editing on lighting control etc. I know I will never be a professional photographer! I still prefer to use the focus on automatic and probably if I kept this system definitely get the new TTL cords that are coming out for it.

I had originally bought it as I had a Nikon Coolpix 4800 with a housing and it had no strobes and the lag time for taking pictures drove me crazy.

I have decided to look and see if there are other underwater camera systems that would maybe fit my needs better. Can anyone offer any opinions on a high end point and shoot for underwater that I may be happy with after the Nikon D200?

My other thought was that since I keep on going back and forth on whether to keep this or not, that if I was going to change, I should do it before it loses any resale value.

hi chuckaloopa,

It sounds like a housed dslr is not for you. They are a TON of work, both in and out of the water! Unfortunately they are a necessity if you want high-end professional results - primarily from shutter response, full exposure control and dedicated quality optics.

Otherwise, you seem to be on the right track moving towards a high end digicam. I hear good things about olympus digicams, and olympus themselves make wonderfully compact housings even with strobe connections i believe.

Shutter lag is always been the bane of P&S digicams but I believe they're getting better, but not like a dslr. I have no experience wtih recent models. Its always gonna be a trade-off but digicams can still take excellent pics UW, within the limits of the camera system.

I would suggest a digicam with a form fitting housing (like olympus), wide angle add on lens option, strobe ports and a good macro feature. These can be much more compact than your D200. Check the P&S forum for more info.

Never let camera gear get in the way of taking pictures and having fun!! Cheers,

Chris

a Point-and-shoot with strobes will be smaller, but not easier to control, imho... you still have to set iso, aperture, shutter speed, and strobe power... manual is still manual, whether its a dSLR or P&S, you can't avoid that with strobes

having TTL makes that easier, and so does shooting at a similar distance throughout your entire dive. maybe you can add TTL to your housing and strobes, or get an ikelite housing with built-in TTL, and then you can pretty much point-and-shoot for a large range of shots.

I find the controls on my dSLR easier to use that my P&S because the controls are larger, but YMMV

well anyways, good luck with your decision! my friend uses an OLY 8080 with 2 ikelite 125 strobes, and he gets good macro and wide-angle shots...but again, you'll have the same issues with strobe placement, and ISO/aperture/shutter speed setting as you do with your D200, except the rig will be smaller.

you'll still have to charge batteries and change o-rings

hope this helps

Scott

I have had both and recommend keeping the d20 setup and possibly adding a point and shoot for those times you don't want to lug the beast around. Then you have the best of both worlds. Point and shots are relatively inexpensive.

Hey Chucka,

Yep! that's the first time I've ever heard of that. However Octo's suggestion above is a good one. I'm not certain of your location but there are several places/people who might rent you a later model P&S to try out. I've seen some really good work done by some folks with the Canon G7. I own the older Olympus SP-350 and like it. However, I'm on the opposite path...I'm contemplating DSLR. I'm on the cusp of purchasing an Olympus E-410 (BTW a guy with the handle of Tropical has done an excellent review of this camera and housing....its much smaller than typical housed DSLRs http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...mp;hl=tropical).

Anyway, I thought it would be a great next step from a P&S.

Now why did I not think of buying a second one that is smaller? Probably because I believe my husband may shoot me when I say "well, I could be happier with the tens of thousands of dollars of expensive camera gear I have, but I think I will just get another small inexpensive set up for when i don't feel like using the big one" I already have the small olympus waterproof camera that I use for snorkeling.

In my world, that is making sense! Then I could compare the two before I decide to sell the big one.

I live in the British Virgin Islands, so I have lots of opportuity to use them.

Thanks for the thoughts, it gives me more to ponder over.

I have both a P&S and DSLR and my intention this season working on the liveaborad is to take my DSLR on dives where I know I can get some quality shots as I know where the cool stuff lives. As for other dives where I am not sure or the conditions are not so good I will bring my P&S.