New UW Camera System

Greetings all,

First of all, I'll tell you why I need an UW camera. I will be spending 90 days sailing around the Med and the Caribbean this Fall, with frequent scuba diving and snorkeling excursions. I am not yet scuba certified but will be PADI certified within the next few weeks.

I want to be able to photograph the marine life I encounter so that I can document it all in a photojournal type thing. This includes both land and water species.

I am familiar with the typical point and shoot cameras.

Previous research led me to look for the Olympus SP-350 but I think I want a camera that is still in production.

Can you all lend me a hand in figuring out specifics for what I need?

My budget is around $750 for camera, housing, filters(magic look neat), etc.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Keep it simple!

Learning to dive and underwater photography DO NOT MIX.

The underwater world is much, much more fragile than you think, and you HAVE to get close to it to get a worthwhile image. This means that your diving gear needs to be streamlined and your bouyancy control better than average. I've been diving for over twentyfive years, and I still get too close, sometimes.

I suggest looking at Cameras Underwater online if you are in the UK, and taking their advice on a camera. Alan James and Ocean Optics are alternatives, but they are best visited live, as it were. Get a Magic Filter for a compact, and, if you can, a wide-angle capacity. Ignore the flash, and shoot photographs in the top 10m on sunny days with the sun behind you.

Do twenty dives before you take the camera in...

... and be prepared to spend a LOT of money next year when you want to upgrade to a D-SLR!!

Tim

B)