First DSLR, What's the best one to buy and housing???

thinking about taking the step, but don't want to have to upgrade in two years, what's the best now...thanks, Scott

First you have to decide Nikon or Canon. Next forget about the idea of not upgrading if you want the best available. Cameras are evolving so rapidly that your newest and best may be out-dated by the time you use it. Rather then worry about having the absolute best find one that is good for your needs and abilities and go out and shoot,shoot,shoot. For example the Nikon D3 is there newest pro camera(seeAlex's review for info) but there are rumors that the D3X will be out soon. Should you wait or take the plunge now? Tough questions and it gets more difficult when you consider all the D2Xs that are now available for a much more reasonable price.

As for housings the best may be easier to pick. Look at Subal and Seacam. I know you have dealt with Ryan before. He is a Subal dealer. Steve Frink is the Seacam dealer. Next time you are in Florida stop at both their shops and handle the housings. Whichever one feels best and fits your hands is the way to go.

I hope you're not thinking of switching before Wakatobi. There is too much new IMO to do that. Go with your present setup which you are already getting good shots from.

First you have to decide Nikon or Canon. Next forget about the idea of not upgrading if you want the best available. Cameras are evolving so rapidly that your newest and best may be out-dated by the time you use it. Rather then worry about having the absolute best find one that is good for your needs and abilities and go out and shoot,shoot,shoot. For example the Nikon D3 is there newest pro camera(seeAlex's review for info) but there are rumors that the D3X will be out soon. Should you wait or take the plunge now? Tough questions and it gets more difficult when you consider all the D2Xs that are now available for a much more reasonable price.

As for housings the best may be easier to pick. Look at Subal and Seacam. I know you have dealt with Ryan before. He is a Subal dealer. Steve Frink is the Seacam dealer. Next time you are in Florida stop at both their shops and handle the housings. Whichever one feels best and fits your hands is the way to go.

I hope you're not thinking of switching before Wakatobi. There is too much new IMO to do that. Go with your present setup which you are already getting good shots from.

thanks, not before wakatobi, but am just thinking that this will be soon. I love my oly 350 but I think I would get much better shots with a dslr. Anyway, any info and and all is appreciated.... is the new Olympus completely out? thanks Scott

d300, ikelite ds125 x2, tokina 10-17 fish, 105vr with a 6t. my two cence i dont know what port/ports are best with the tokina, i've asked but no one has answered.

Scott,

I went from an Olympus 350 to a Nikon D200, then to a D2Xs two years ago and have never looked back. The difference between a point and shoot to a DSLR is night and day, you lose many shots with the 350’s shutter lag as the fish swims out of your frame. Also there is such a big difference in photo quality with the DSLR, better lens with better sensors and more pixels give better pics. With the D200 I went with a Sea & Sea housing, did not like it and upgraded to a Subal with the D2Xs. The Subal is definitely top quality as is the Seacam. I would suggest you up grade before your Indonesia trip, there is just too much to record in the ocean at Wakatobi. Call Ryan and he will fix you up.

Elmer

The new Olympus E520 and their PT-E05 uw housing is looking like a real contender for someone wanting to make a step up. Live view and great glass, with lots of features. Optical sync for two strobes.

The housing is simply amazing for the price, very nicely laid out and designed. Much improved over older models.

All at a price point that's not too bad, probably half of others.

Jack

5Dmk2... with 21 mp, as well as a 3 year model cycle, I think you're good for at least 4 years. Plus you get 1080p video as well .

Housings, I'm not going to touch that.

I don't know when you're leaving for Wakatobi, but FWIW I moved from an Oly 5050 to a used D200 with Aquatica housing immediately before an August trip to Lembeh and Komodo. I read a guidebook to the camera and Martin Edge's book before leaving and practiced with the camera on land. The first day or so of photos were sketchy but from then on, I got many very good shots, mostly superior to what I could have gotten with my Oly. Especially with macro, it's possible to get up to speed fairly quickly. I found wide angle much more difficult.

Incidentally, I chose the D200 because there are good deals on them from people upgrading and because the Oly 520 housing wasn't yet available.

There is a lot of merit in going for an obsolete model like the D200. Firstly, would you be able to tell the difference between that and something 'better'? I for one still use a Fuji S2 Pro alongside more modern cameras and no-one complains that the quality is not good enough. If you want to know the reason for using it - that's another whole thread!

Secondly, you'll save a lot of money which will take the pressure off when you jump into the water with it (in its housing). I use Sea & Sea housings as my favourite because I've never managed to flood one. I wish I could say the same of other posher makes!

Well, since you didn't say how much you want to spend this one's easy :-) Get a Canon 1DsmkIII with a Seacam housing. That should only run you about $15,000 or so ;-)

There are basically three levels of cameras out now. The base prosumer SLR (Canon 450D, Nikon D90, Oly E520, Sony A700), the Mid-Range (Canon 40D, Nikon D300, Oly ??), and the upper range (Canon 1Dx, Canon 5Dx, Nikon D3, Sony A900)

The first level cameras start at $600 or so. The second level starts at around $1,250. The top level just starts at $2,500 or so.

Housings pretty much follow that trend.

Cheers

James

John, I think it fair to say that all housing brands have had their wet inside moments. Majority of the time, it's just bad preparation. Some of it is attributable to handling issues like accidental turning of the port while in rinse tank etc.

The problem with buying 2nd hand is the issue of upgrading later. Buying 2 generations back would mean missing out of the advances of the newer cameras. Of course I'm a firm believer in buying 2nd hand as well, but going too far back isn't a good idea if one can afford better. For example, one of the ads in the classifieds for a 2nd hand system is selling for about 60-70% of it's actual value because of the announcement of a new camera. Yet that camera performs probably as well as what the new cameras can do, just not as fast or with more work. Obviously 2nd hand is a good and viable alternative to save some money and get some awesome gear.

But Scott did say the best.

Frink has a 2nd hand Seacam 1Ds2 at a pretty interesting price.

C'mon Craig, show me some love! I have one for sale too :-)

James

Do I have to warn BOTH of you for going off-topic and commercial posts?

John, I think it fair to say that all housing brands have had their wet inside moments. Majority of the time, it's just bad preparation. Some of it is attributable to handling issues like accidental turning of the port while in rinse tank etc.

Sea & Sea has an internal port lock!

On the subject of upgrading - I need to make a profit from my pictures so I have to have a good reason to make my pictures more expensive. I don't get a big Christmas bonus from Merrill Lynch or Lehman Bros. (Oh, oops!)

the Nikon D-60 is nice, i just bought me one of those last week. It all depends on how much you want to spend, there isnt much point going for the newest and most fancy one on the market though. Better off looking for something that suits your needs

I bought mine before i looked at housings, now im in the middle of trying to find a decent housing for my d60. Best of luck and let us know what you get!

thinking about taking the step, but don't want to have to upgrade in two years, what's the best now...thanks, Scott

I think the Light and Motion is by far the best on the market...but the problem is that they are out of the DSLR market now. I just spent a fortune on thier latest housing and they discontinued it.