Sea&Sea DX-1G w. YS-110

Hi,

I am looking to buy my first U/W camera system, and having looked around at the various compact digital systems available it looks like the dx-1g is the best bet for me, and the ys-110 looks to be a common companion. This system would be within my price bracket, but would a cheaper strobe (Eg ys27dx) suffice?

I dive in Northern Ireland, so a strobe will be essential, and a system which can take a wide angle adaptor lens may be helpful in the future.

I am looking for a system which I can take diving with me to photograph subjects of opportunity, and to record marine life and habitats for later ID rather than for artistic purposes. (Much of my diving is Seasearch surveys + similar). I would also like the possibilty for future growth eg manual control, RAW image editing etc to prevent me from rapidly growing out of the system.

I do not want a housed SLR as I find them far too bulky and they have a tendency to take over the dive.

Any comments would be gratefully recieved,

Many thanks,

TDD

Hi

If you are looking to fit a wide angle lens in the future then I would go with the YS-110

The YS-27 has 105x85 degrees of coverage, it has a rectangular light output. This means that if you get your strobe at the wrong angle, maybe all of your wide angle photo will not be lit evenly. The YS-110 has 105x105 circular output, so it doesn't matter which way up it is, it will still cover all of your picture.

I agree with you that the DX-1G looks like a good camera for your needs, see why here

Cheers

Hal

Hal

Thanks for the reassurance, I have decided to take the plunge and ordered one with the ys110 strobe, I think I'll need the extra power even if I don't get a wide adaptor at some point. Hopefully it'll be here in the next couple of weeks, I'll post up some results when I get it, though I doubt they'll be as colourful as all the lovely tropical pics I've seen browsing around.

TDD

Hal

Thanks for the reassurance, I have decided to take the plunge and ordered one with the ys110 strobe, I think I'll need the extra power even if I don't get a wide adaptor at some point. Hopefully it'll be here in the next couple of weeks, I'll post up some results when I get it, though I doubt they'll be as colourful as all the lovely tropical pics I've seen browsing around.

TDD

You may be surprised.... shoot in RAW and use a program like Adobe Lightroom to adjust white balance and bring the true colors out. You have a fine camera and strobe. I used it before moving to DSLR. Have fun with your new toy!

I shoot the YS-110, 1g camera, DX-1g housing and optical sync cord. I have been having an issue with the strobe properly firing on the manual1 setting. If you look at the face of the housing there are two ports for the optical cable. The port on the right is slightly offset from the center of the camera flash. If I use this port the strobe fires every other time and I seem to lose control of the power setting. If I use the left port the strobe functions correctly.

I understand there are at least two optical sync cables. One has a large optical port opening and this is the cable you want to use with the YS-110. I have been using the cable that originally came with my package YS-27 strobe.

Please spend some time verifying your system is firing the strobe correctly.

Hal

Thanks for the reassurance, I have decided to take the plunge and ordered one with the ys110 strobe, I think I'll need the extra power even if I don't get a wide adaptor at some point. Hopefully it'll be here in the next couple of weeks, I'll post up some results when I get it, though I doubt they'll be as colourful as all the lovely tropical pics I've seen browsing around.

TDD

Hi

I have also been mulling over whether to buy a DX-1G with wide angle and a YS110 strobe to take with me to Thailand in december.I also have a sony digital with a sony marine housing which is way past its sell by date.However i took the relatively blue pictures and corrected it in photoshop and results were amazing.I thought maybe i should get a sony with about 10.2 megapixels and a small strobe and photoshop it.I know the DX-1G is a very good camera but is it that far apart from top range Sony's in terms of colour reproduction and pixels?As a video shooter stills is really an every other holiday dive thing for me so would it be wise to spend double the money on a DX-1G?I would like to see you pics posted you took with the DX-1G?

Travy

Hi

I have also been mulling over whether to buy a DX-1G with wide angle and a YS110 strobe to take with me to Thailand in december.I also have a sony digital with a sony marine housing which is way past its sell by date.However i took the relatively blue pictures and corrected it in photoshop and results were amazing.I thought maybe i should get a sony with about 10.2 megapixels and a small strobe and photoshop it.I know the DX-1G is a very good camera but is it that far apart from top range Sony's in terms of colour reproduction and pixels?As a video shooter stills is really an every other holiday dive thing for me so would it be wise to spend double the money on a DX-1G?I would like to see you pics posted you took with the DX-1G?

Travy

Here are some of my pics I took with the DX1G. I have since moved on to DSLR use.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1061...mp;id=582259232

The main issue here is manual controls. The DX-1G allows you to manually adjust aperture and shutter speed very easily. It is a great way to understand the basics of photography and allows for creative possibilities that would not be possible with a standard point and shoot. If you have no intention of learning or using manual controls...or simply do not want to get bogged down by technicals, then just buy the camera you are happy with on land and see if you can take it underwater.

Next thing to consider is RAW format. Makes a huge difference if you are willing to take the time to edit in Lightroom (or Photoshop) later. Color reproduction for underwater use is subjective. Due to loss of light/colors at depth, you will still need to use color correcting software if shooting with Auto white balance or constantly white balance at depth. With RAW, you can make all your adjustments with very little loss or degredation in picture quality.

Next thing to consider would be the strobe. A bigger strobe allows you to throw out more light and bring out more colors farther away. Of course, if you are only keen on Macro shots, then a small strobe should be plenty. The pictures I took were with a single YS-110 strobe. Mind you, this strobe will need to be manually adjusted for correct exposure.

Within the point and shoot prosumer category, either the DX-1G or Canon G9 are good choices. Some people prefer the quality of the G9 to the Sea & Sea (Essentially a Ricoh GX100- which has also won many awards). However, I went with the Sea & Sea because the camera itself without the housing was much smaller, more pocketable and very much more photographer friendly than the G9. Your mileage may vary of course.

Travy,

Haven't been able to get the camera wet yet, have been messing about topside. Can't really comment on quality as I have been shooting to internal memory and therefore limited to the lowest setting (VGA quality!). Have now sorted a card and hope to get in the water one evening next week.

In terms of grab time (As mentioned in the other thread) it seems pretty much instantaneous, not sure how much effect focusing u/w will have. Write time seems quite long (about 7 sec) on full quality, but the card I currently have is an old school SD 1gb, I imagine a new sdhc should be quicker? We'll see.

I guess it depends what you want the images for, I think to publish at full quality nothing less than a housed SLR will do, but if you are achieving the sort of quality you need with a video setup in still mode (And you mostly want video) then my gut instinct would be to go for a video setup and put all your budget towards that. If you're talking about a Sony stills camera the ability to take RAW shots allows for a lot more correction afterwards.

I think the DX-1G is probably the setup that suits my needs (A bit more controllable than most other compacts and not as bulky as a DSLR), and I'll post up any results I get that I'm not totally mortified by. (I also have Photoshop so should be able to get something I hope!).

Hope this is of help,

TDD

Travy,

Haven't been able to get the camera wet yet, have been messing about topside. Can't really comment on quality as I have been shooting to internal memory and therefore limited to the lowest setting (VGA quality!). Have now sorted a card and hope to get in the water one evening next week.

In terms of grab time (As mentioned in the other thread) it seems pretty much instantaneous, not sure how much effect focusing u/w will have. Write time seems quite long (about 7 sec) on full quality, but the card I currently have is an old school SD 1gb, I imagine a new sdhc should be quicker? We'll see.

I guess it depends what you want the images for, I think to publish at full quality nothing less than a housed SLR will do, but if you are achieving the sort of quality you need with a video setup in still mode (And you mostly want video) then my gut instinct would be to go for a video setup and put all your budget towards that. If you're talking about a Sony stills camera the ability to take RAW shots allows for a lot more correction afterwards.

I think the DX-1G is probably the setup that suits my needs (A bit more controllable than most other compacts and not as bulky as a DSLR), and I'll post up any results I get that I'm not totally mortified by. (I also have Photoshop so should be able to get something I hope!).

Hope this is of help,

TDD

Yip,it seems the DX-1G is a very good intermediate between a compact and DSLR camera.Contralibility of DSLR and size of compact with a good picture.I stand to be corrected but i have'nt really heard anything bad about this camera.Of course if you want DSLR quality you have to actually buy a DSLR and house it.As a video shooter my primary concern really is my video quality and this will really be a camera i would take on holiday.So i really think this would suite me.I think im gonna take the plunge!

Good luck with getting it wet,im sure you cant wait for the results.

Travy

Here are some of my pics I took with the DX1G. I have since moved on to DSLR use.

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1061...mp;id=582259232

 

The main issue here is manual controls. The DX-1G allows you to manually adjust aperture and shutter speed very easily. It is a great way to understand the basics of photography and allows for creative possibilities that would not be possible with a standard point and shoot. If you have no intention of learning or using manual controls...or simply do not want to get bogged down by technicals, then just buy the camera you are happy with on land and see if you can take it underwater.

 

Next thing to consider is RAW format. Makes a huge difference if you are willing to take the time to edit in Lightroom (or Photoshop) later. Color reproduction for underwater use is subjective. Due to loss of light/colors at depth, you will still need to use color correcting software if shooting with Auto white balance or constantly white balance at depth. With RAW, you can make all your adjustments with very little loss or degredation in picture quality.

 

Next thing to consider would be the strobe. A bigger strobe allows you to throw out more light and bring out more colors farther away. Of course, if you are only keen on Macro shots, then a small strobe should be plenty. The pictures I took were with a single YS-110 strobe. Mind you, this strobe will need to be manually adjusted for correct exposure.

 

Within the point and shoot prosumer category, either the DX-1G or Canon G9 are good choices. Some people prefer the quality of the G9 to the Sea & Sea (Essentially a Ricoh GX100- which has also won many awards). However, I went with the Sea & Sea because the camera itself without the housing was much smaller, more pocketable and very much more photographer friendly than the G9. Your mileage may vary of course.

The pictures are fantastic,really good quality there.Nice one.I also happened to come accross the website Flickr.com.Check out Cyberminnies Lembeh Straits pictures taken with the DX-1G.Just amazing!