New dslr kit

Hello,

I am a new member of wetpixel.

At this moment i take pictures with a pen-pl1 and the olympus housing.

My flash is a s-2000.

I want to make the step to a dslr kit because the pen has a few disadventages, like the shutter lag and not viewing directly to optics.

At this moment I am flooded with new dslr cameras and housings.

I dont know anymore what to choose.

I would like to have some advice from dslr users.

What dslr kit do you advice me ? housing, lenses, camera, flash,....

I have a budget of 4000 euro.

If it isn't enough i would split it up in parts.

Like buy a good lesn for both WA and Macro, and later buy a speciefied lens.

I want a set that lasts more then 5 years :-)

Bring on your advices....

I want a set that lasts more then 5 years :-)

In a digital SLR? If you find one, do let us all know...

I'd guess that you want something like a mid-range Nikon in an Ikelite housing with a Tokina 10-17mm zoom and a 60mm macro lens, along with a dome port, a flat port and a strobe. You might just about make it with e4000, but only just! I'm afraid that it will cost more for a more robust housing, easily adding e1500 for an alloy housing with the manufacturer's ports. A system that uses optical triggers may let you work with your s-2000, but that limits your choice of manufacturer. Or you could trawl eBay and UwP classified ads for a used set-up...

Tim

Blind diver? I'm impressed by your attitude. Good luck. I would caution however not to use the F word too much here. Bad karma you know.

A used setup, Nikon or Canon may be the way to go. Absolutely nothing wrong with using last years gear. We were all frothing at the mouth for it not long ago.

Five years is a very long time in camera years.

Cheers,

Steve

I've a complete canon eos 50D with sea&sea housing for sell

Send me a PM for more informations.

I would be looking at the following:

Nikon D7000 or Canon 7D

Aqutica or Nauticam housing

60mm Macro or 100/105mm Macro and required Flatport

Tokina 10-17mm and dome (8inch and maybe a 4 inch)

ULCS bouyancy arms/clamps

Inon z240 strobes or Ikelite ds160/161 strrobe (which ever suits you and your style)

This might be close to your budget.

Extras worth considering: good focusing light like the L&M Sloa600 or maybe the Aqutica LED800

Nauticam viewfinder

These are just some of my suggestions.

Regards Mark

Im with Mark 'Aussiebyron' with that setup, i bought the 7d and nauticam with 100mm macro and tokina 10-17 and inon 240 strobes and bouyancy arms and i can safely say that it is unfortunately NOT in the 4000euro budget. The nauticam viewfinder will add another 1k ontop of that.

Im with Steve in that a used setup like a 50D or the nikon equivalent will be a good way to go. Yeah you may lose in a few features like HD video but save a bunch of E's on the side for the trip that makes having a setup like that all the more worth while! As all of these new cameras come out you gotta remember that it replaces an 'old' model (a year or 2 out of date at most) and some people will want to replace these as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for a pro.

For the strobes, buying new maybe be worthwhile. You never know how many times those bulbs have fired and could be close to the end of their lifes. My first strobe i bought at the cheaper end and had nothing but problems and frustrations. If you go for the inon z240 you know u have a great strobe that will go with the best camera even if u choose to update down the line. But again a pair of these is knocking off almost half the budget at uk prices.

To keep it a bit cheaper maybe a 'do everything lens' like a 17-70 may help you out, rather than a definate WA plus a definate macro setup, which would both require different ports.

Olly

I want a set that lasts more then 5 years :-)

 

In a digital SLR? If you find one, do let us all know...

 

Finding a dSLR that lasts 5+ years is really not that hard. Image quality is absolutely amazing in all mid to pro range dSLRs these days, and it's not an issue anymore. For example, I've had my D2x for more than 5 years now, and I am still perfectly happy with image quality. I am itching to upgrade now, not because I want better image quality, but because I want a smaller package to travel around with as the D2x in a housing is a monster...

Finding a dSLR that lasts 5+ years is really not that hard.

That's impressive sang-froid, bearing in mind most of the comments in "Gear Lust"! It's not so much the absolute performance of the camera, but its relative performance, that seems to drive the upgrade-mania that's so common. I thought that I was doing well to hang onto my D200, but the lure of Nauticam's siren-song got me in the end. I wanted a replacement housing and so, of course, changed my camera at the same time...

Tim

At the end of the day its comes down to simply doing your homework and seeing which setup fits your requirements and more importantly your budget.

for example you might come across something second hand which fits the bill or you might think a cheaper body (for example Canon 550D) might be enough for you. Maybe a single strobe and one dedicated macro lens if your doing mainly macro work.

I often compare underwater setups to cars.

You pay more for a better made car the same as you do with a housing/camera.

Buying brand new is always expensive but you get a warranty

Buy something which is practical for your needs and your environment. (if only they make a underwater setup like a Toyota 4x4......lol)

Buy something with you can get spare parts easierly and dont have to wait until they are custom made from a far away country and cost you your first born.

Look at resale value. Might be expensive to buy brand new but it might also be worth more when you sell it at a later date.

On another note the Sigma 17-70mm macro is an ok lens. I personally get frustrated whenever I use it as I wished I had either put on the Tokina 10-17mm or the 60mm macro. It is good at filling the gap between macro and wide angle but it doesnt do a good job at either end of its focal range.

Cheers Mark