Which camera to buy????

Hello to all! I am looking to get a nice underwater camera here in the next month(b4 my trip to Playa de Carmen). I am currently looking at the Sealife dc1200 or the ikelite with the nikon coolpix camera. I am planning on getting the strobe as well. If yall could please give me pros and cons to both, and your recomendation I would appreciate it. If there is another brand that is comparable in price that you would recomend I'd like to hear about that too! Thanks you!

Hello and welcome to Wetpixel. Honestly that's a very big general question that's hard to respond to. Do some more research first, particularly in the Consumer Digicams/Housings and Dedicated U/W Digicams forums. See what the most popular combinations are. Then perhaps ask some more specific clarifying questions.

First off, what do you want to shoot? Wide angle, macro? Macro (fish shots & smaller) is easiest, and achievable with 1 small strobe or even the on camera flash (though you'll likely have problems with backscatter). Flash lit wide angle is much, much harder, and will usually require 2 powerful strobes, a super wide angle conversion lens (native p&s lenses are not wide enough) and a good understanding of strobe & ambient light balancing. Ambient light wide angle with filters is a much easier start. Look up Magic Filters.

Personally I don't know anything about the cameras you mentioned but i did do some research on housed point & shoots for a friend and told her to get the Canon S90 with Ikelite housing, wet mount wide angle lens & magic filters to start (for a whale shark trip to the Philippines). Look through the Consumer Digicams forum and you'll see a lot of posts relating to this camera. Its a very small & light camera with the functionality of the Canon G11, raw capture, manual exposure, large sensor etc. But unlike the G11, the S90 housings have no trouble taking wide angle conversion lenses due to the shorter physical lens length when zoomed in. With a G11, you need a $1000+ FIX brand housing with a removable port to get wide angle ability, where on the S90 the $300 ikelite can do it with a standard 67mm screw in wet mount lens.

That's the best I can help, read through the forums theres tons of valuable info there. Check the Lights/Strobes forum for strobe recommendations. Cheers,

Chris

- if you look through the forums and are still not clear on the options, what even to ask, and just wanna talk to someone, I'd suggest giving the guys at Reef Photo a call, they're a specialty UW photo/video store in florida and they're very helpful. They could set you up with a solid rig.

Hello and welcome to Wetpixel. Honestly that's a very big general question that's hard to respond to. Do some more research first, particularly in the Consumer Digicams/Housings and Dedicated U/W Digicams forums. See what the most popular combinations are. Then perhaps ask some more specific clarifying questions.

 

First off, what do you want to shoot? Wide angle, macro? Macro (fish shots & smaller) is easiest, and achievable with 1 small strobe or even the on camera flash (though you'll likely have problems with backscatter). Flash lit wide angle is much, much harder, and will usually require 2 powerful strobes, a super wide angle conversion lens (native p&s lenses are not wide enough) and a good understanding of strobe & ambient light balancing. Ambient light wide angle with filters is a much easier start. Look up Magic Filters.

 

Personally I don't know anything about the cameras you mentioned but i did do some research on housed point & shoots for a friend and told her to get the Canon S90 with Ikelite housing, wet mount wide angle lens & magic filters to start (for a whale shark trip to the Philippines). Look through the Consumer Digicams forum and you'll see a lot of posts relating to this camera. Its a very small & light camera with the functionality of the Canon G11, raw capture, manual exposure, large sensor etc. But unlike the G11, the S90 housings have no trouble taking wide angle conversion lenses due to the shorter physical lens length when zoomed in. With a G11, you need a $1000+ FIX brand housing with a removable port to get wide angle ability, where on the S90 the $300 ikelite can do it with a standard 67mm screw in wet mount lens.

 

That's the best I can help, read through the forums theres tons of valuable info there. Check the Lights/Strobes forum for strobe recommendations. Cheers,

 

Chris

 

- if you look through the forums and are still not clear on the options, what even to ask, and just wanna talk to someone, I'd suggest giving the guys at Reef Photo a call, they're a specialty UW photo/video store in florida and they're very helpful. They could set you up with a solid rig.

thanks for the reply! I really have no idea on where to start. I will take your post to heart and research all that you have said. I am completely new to underwater photography. My diving has consited of work and lobster and spearing fish up till this point. Last year I bought an old sealife film camera and took some pretty horrible pictures with it, (I am proud of them, but friends tend to make fun of them). I am just looking to take it to the next level, so thanks for the reply and I hope to make a good decision and take some good pics, maybe yall will even like em! Thanks again! Brett

The beginning is a great place to be Brett. You haven't made a bunch of mistakes. Try this on, go give a look at http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/ There is a very good beginners section and tons of information. When you have a question try a search of all the posts here. When you get to the point where you know kind of what you want to shoot give one of our great sponsors a call. They love to help. If you get stuck be sure and post your question here. Everyone here started just like you, at the beginning. I look forward to seeing your images.

I must warn you though, it can be very addicting this passion of ours.

Have blast in Mexico!

Steve

I must warn you though, it can be very addicting this passion of ours.

And expensive....

And expensive....

Thabks again guys for the help!

Ill let you know what I end up getting.

And expensive.... /uploads/ogzalu.gif" />

... very expensive...

Tim

Yer...

You still not using that old D200 are you Tim ?

Paul C

I'd concur that the Canon S90 with the Ikelite housing would be a very nice entry-level setup. See the threads on the camera in the Compact forum for example.

Mike

Another nice camera to consider is the Sea&Sea DX1-G. I've used it on two trips recently with good success, and it has plenty of room to grow.

Whatever you end up purchasing, be sure you take it for a spin on land first a few times before your trip so you aren't wasting valuable dive time trying to figure it out!