Need to buy first Camera, where do I start?

Hi, I live in central florida around the orlando area and Have been diving for about 2 years now and I went on my last dive with one of those cheap 30 dollar underwater cameras that didn't even make it past 5 ft. until it was full of sea water. I don't know much about underwater cameras. I want to find a camera that is at least 10 mega pixles and can be used for everyday shots that can fit in my cargo pants pocket.

and when i want to go diving can be put in a case to use for that. my budget for the camera and case is about 700 dollars unless there is a camera that is a little more money but gets me alot more quality then i would spend 800 on the setup.

so does anyone have any suggestions on what models to look at. everytime I go into a store I get confused on what to buy

Your budget is the most limiting factor here. But don't worry, as soon as you lick blood it will become more generous

Given your $700 limit, a dSLR is out of the picture. You might want to look into e.g. a Canon G10 with a Canon UW housing ($655 on BHphoto). You can later add a strobe with a fiber optic cord to it or upgrade to an Ikelite housing and add a strobe with TTL metering. You can go cheaper and smaller with e.g. a Canon SD780 IS and a Canon UW housing (~$400), but you will lose the ability to shot in RAW mode, which is a good thing to have under water and you can only add a strobe with a fibe optic link.

The G10 will give you very good quality and a lot of people use that under water with amazing results. And it will fit in a large pocket.

Your budget is the most limiting factor here. But don't worry, as soon as you lick blood it will become more generous

 

Given your $700 limit, a dSLR is out of the picture. You might want to look into e.g. a Canon G10 with a Canon UW housing ($655 on BHphoto). You can later add a strobe with a fiber optic cord to it or upgrade to an Ikelite housing and add a strobe with TTL metering. You can go cheaper and smaller with e.g. a Canon SD780 IS and a Canon UW housing (~$400), but you will lose the ability to shot in RAW mode, which is a good thing to have under water and you can only add a strobe with a fibe optic link.

 

The G10 will give you very good quality and a lot of people use that under water with amazing results. And it will fit in a large pocket.

thanks for the input, I was looking at the g10 a while back, that is a great price on the uw case. If you don't mind me asking what is the ttl metering, and what would be a step up from this, ie. if i had a bigger budget.

thanks alot dunadin

thanks for the input, I was looking at the g10 a while back, that is a great price on the uw case. If you don't mind me asking what is the ttl metering, and what would be a step up from this, ie. if i had a bigger budget.

thanks alot dunadin

Hi there, TTL metering is a feature allowing the camera to evaluate how much light the strobe has to deliver to reach a good exposure, and cuts the strobe light when it's done. TTL meaning Through The Lens which means that the camera evaluate the amount of light coming from there to make the image on the sensor, and not on an external cell which would make the metering less accurate.

Not such an interesting topic when just starting ; however it quickly becomes kye when progressing and adding an external strobe to your camera.

I have a fiber optic strobe I no longer use along with the arm to hold it in place. It works great with the canon housings. Been meaning to get it up on ebay but not gotten there yet. I think it would be in your budget and would definitely improve your images. It has everything you would need for running the strobe - arm assembly, strobe, cable, cable connector, instructions. Not trying to push it on you but its a good entry level strobe for a tight budget. If you are intersted, send me a PM.

thanks for the input, I was looking at the g10 a while back, that is a great price on the uw case. If you don't mind me asking what is the ttl metering, and what would be a step up from this, ie. if i had a bigger budget.

thanks alot dunadin

There are many good options, but here is my idea. The next step up from a G10 in a Canon housing is to get an Ikelite housing and a good strobe (or two) such as the DS-160 (or DS-125). The alternative to the Ikelite housing for the G10 is to stay with the Canon housing and get an Inon strobe. Up from that is a dSLR (Digial Rebel or Nikon equivalent) in an Ikelite housing and strobes, but that now runs around $4k.

You might want to check the used equipment list here or on some of the major photo outlets like BHphoto or Adorama.

Hi, I live in central florida around the orlando area and Have been diving for about 2 years now and I went on my last dive with one of those cheap 30 dollar underwater cameras that didn't even make it past 5 ft. until it was full of sea water. I don't know much about underwater cameras. I want to find a camera that is at least 10 mega pixles and can be used for everyday shots that can fit in my cargo pants pocket.

and when i want to go diving can be put in a case to use for that. my budget for the camera and case is about 700 dollars unless there is a camera that is a little more money but gets me alot more quality then i would spend 800 on the setup.

 

so does anyone have any suggestions on what models to look at. everytime I go into a store I get confused on what to buy

Check out reefphoto.com.Can't go wrong there. They have a pretty extensive used and closeout section where you might find something within your budget. They are located in Florida also, I think Ft. Lauderale. Maybe you could make a day trip and find what you want.

I've made many purchases from them and have been comletely satisfied with every aspect of the transactions. Good luck.

Bob

fishburn,

If you want a camera that can fit in your pocket, then you probably want something like a Canon SD970 IS, which runs around $370. Plenty of megapixels, plus HD video mode. Very compact and elegant little camera. Ikelite makes a housing for it that runs around $250, and Canon offers one for about $80 less.

Hi, I live in central florida around the orlando area and Have been diving for about 2 years now and I went on my last dive with one of those cheap 30 dollar underwater cameras that didn't even make it past 5 ft. until it was full of sea water. I don't know much about underwater cameras. I want to find a camera that is at least 10 mega pixles and can be used for everyday shots that can fit in my cargo pants pocket.

and when i want to go diving can be put in a case to use for that. my budget for the camera and case is about 700 dollars unless there is a camera that is a little more money but gets me alot more quality then i would spend 800 on the setup.

 

so does anyone have any suggestions on what models to look at. everytime I go into a store I get confused on what to buy

if you go used, i have a g7, sea and sea ys15 strobe w/ fiber optic, underwater canon case, many batteries, on land telephoto lens. PM me to talk about it. I want to upgrade to a g11

Hi, I have a canon powershot A620 with a Canon housing. I have owned it for nearly 5 years now and love it to bits. I have gone the next step and now also own a Canon 450D DSLR with an iklite housing and a DS125 strobe.

Any way. I do not have an external strobe for the little A620 and never will. It is only 7.2 mega pixels but the quality is great. I have blown the pics up to 20"x30" with great results but most of the time there just used for the internet and just small pics for friends and family. It has Manuel control and i play with these alot to get the great pics. Doing this also helped for when i did finally upgrade to a DSLR but that did not happen for nearly 5 years.

What i am trying to say here is "just easy in and take ya time". Have fun and you don't need to go mad with your first underwater camera and housing. Point and shoot cameras are so advanced these days and take some fantastic pics. I just helped a friend choose a camera set up. it was a Canon ixsus 110 is with an iklite housing. Takes great great pics, is compact and easy to use. Why the iklite housing. This was to allow for easy expansion eg removable wide and macro lenses and strobe(s) if you want. Above that is the Canon powershot range witch is a step closer to DSLR. Also check out the Fuji range. At the moment they have some fantastic point and shoot cameras out at the moment getting some rave reviews.

So, take it slow and enjoy your new found adventure. you got plenty of time to learn and progress. Plenty more i could say from my experiences but hope this and all other replies help.

if you are looking to start..

in my opinion - you'd want to start with a good camera and a strobe

the setup i found and which was recommended to me by many pros was the

canon a570 - with the canon casing

an underwater strobe and a fish eye lens (on the admount)

i believe u get this set for about $700

and there are lots of people still selling the camera for very cheap on ebay

or here in the classified ads.. i found mine here ! it's great! your camera will definitely need a strobe

pictures are kind of very poor without the strobe.. so at least consider a strobe in your budget

just my opinion.. might not be useful

you can also check out the What NOT to buy forum for other pointers and things to consider while getting setup........not that I want to detract from this forum at all, there is just good info on there as well for beginners

Hi, I live in central florida around the orlando area and Have been diving for about 2 years now and I went on my last dive with one of those cheap 30 dollar underwater cameras that didn't even make it past 5 ft. until it was full of sea water. I don't know much about underwater cameras. I want to find a camera that is at least 10 mega pixles and can be used for everyday shots that can fit in my cargo pants pocket.

and when i want to go diving can be put in a case to use for that. my budget for the camera and case is about 700 dollars unless there is a camera that is a little more money but gets me alot more quality then i would spend 800 on the setup.

 

so does anyone have any suggestions on what models to look at. everytime I go into a store I get confused on what to buy

You are kinda entering the danger area by asking the "if i had a bigger budget" question as then the next question in reply would be "well, how much bigger?" Personally i would say if you stick to your original budget your best bet is the canon G10 or maybe even the G11 that is just coming out though i dont know what that is like. I have used the G10 for a while and you get some really great images from it and importantly you are able to shoot in RAW so you get all of those benefits for post processing.

Like most of the other posts say, i would also think your next step after that would to get yourself a strobe or even two. It is worth paying more and getting better strobes as they can be taken with you as/when you choose to upgrade to a dSLR system.

In terms of what camera should you go for if you want slightly better than the G10/11. Well, thats a debate that can go on for ever and i am sure that soon there will be people shouting for Canon and others for Nikon (and maybe even a few others!) but one thing just to point out is that as you go up the line of cameras the cost of the housings also go up too. For example, with Aquatica which personally i think are making some great housings at the moment, a lot better the ikelite and also depth rated to 90m (i tech dive so for me this makes a big difference as you can get a spring upgrade to extend the depth rating for them to 130m) the housing for the Nikon D90 is around $1800 but for the top end nikons the housings are up to $4000, and the same for the canon sides and then after this you have to add the costs of the ports etc.etc. So just remember that if you decide to up the cost on one end it can very very rapidly bring the over all cost shooting skywards.

I would say the 450 is a good all rounder, but so too is the Nikon D90, after that, perhaps the Canon 50D then the 7D looks great and personally i have the 5D MkII which i think is an amazing camera (but i would).

Unless you wanna make a big commitment i would say the G10/11 is your best bet then say opt for getting a strobe or two first. If you wanna go further, well, thats a whole other debate... and a big and never ending one which is always only ever decided by personal preference.

Anyways, best of luck and let us know what you decide!

I'm kind of running into the same problem. I have no clue where to begin.

I already own a Canon Rebel XTi -- bought when I was deployed and I still consider it one of my biggest investments. I like my dSLR and I'm paranoid about flooding, so I don't plan on using it. It'd be a different story if I could afford to replace it.

My husband and I are going to Hawaii for his R&R leave from Iraq/our belated honeymoon. We plan on doing some snorkeling and might get scuba certified while we're out there. This will be my third trip in my entire life to the ocean where I'm actually getting into the water, so I really don't know what to expect.

I honestly don't know if I need a strobe or not, and if it's needed I'd prefer to rent one -- if possible -- rather than buy one and end up using it only while we're in Hawaii. I wouldn't have a problem buying a housing, and yes, I'd consider it for my dSLR. (I'd still be paranoid about flooding.)

I was actually considering buying a point-and-shoot with a housing. Fantasea sells a Nikon Coolpix L19 with a housing as a set that I've been looking at.

Any thoughts? Suggestions?