Which compact (and housing) for macro?

A friend asked me today which non-DSLR camera she should buy for underwater macro as she wants to upgrade after flooding her camera (my old Powershot S50 system), but I'm not really up to date on the compacts so I need some help from the knowledgeable folk on this forum.

She still has the two Inon Z240 type 2 strobes and two of the 67mm thread Inon macro lenses so ideally it would be a camera and housing that will accommodate these. She mainly shoots macro although she does still have the Inon wide angle lens (UWL 165?) as well.

Any suggestions would be appreciated as she is without internet access at the moment.

Does everyone hate their compact systems that much that nobody can recommend one?

As your friend has and wishes to continue to use a UWL-165, that narrows the field somewhat. To use this lens she will have to use an older generation compact with a 35mm lens, not the new generation which has 28mm lenses. I'm assuming she won't want the expense of a aluminium housing, so an Ikelite would do the job very well or an OEM housing with INON 67mm adapter. Cameras from the Fuji or Canon IXUS range are highly regarded. Check out this link which has heaps of excellent information http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk/oceanopticsdigit.html

HTH, Tim

I'd take a look at the new Ikelite compact housing for the Canon S90, once it ships later this month. It takes threaded M67 add-on lenses.

However... it will NOT take the wide angle lens. I should say, actually, that it will connect, but the camera is 28mm so it will not work well with that WA lens... you'd have to zoom too far into avoid vignetting, which eliminated the point of WA. We're not sure what the best WA options will be at this point, for this system. At a minimum there is a Fantasea BigEye option that will restore it's true 28mm shots. But it should produce great macro shots, no worries there. It's the same sensor as the Canon G11, with a faster lens. Full manual controls.

If she insists on using the Inon wide angle lens also I'm not sure what to recommend. Perhaps one of the Canon A series cameras, if an adapter for the 67mm threaded lenses can be found.

Many thanks for the replies so far. As she mainly shoots macro I don't think that not being able to use the wide angle is such a problem - macro is her big thing.

Hi RedSeaDiver

I would recommend a IXUS890, thats what I have and I have been very happy with.

Stacking my two INON UCL165 AD lenses gives me a kick a** macro, thou the DOF is very limited

You can see some of my pictures here http://www.frogkick.dk/gallery/

The IXUS980 can use the CHDK firmware if she wants to use RAW.

Yours

DryDuck!