Help with new setup

I just got back from the Philipinnes and did some photo with a borrowed G11 and a canon housing. I got hooked, now what setup should I get. The G11-12 is very popular and inexpensive if you start with the Canon housing. Unfortunately i don't own a G11, but I do have three other cams that i could outfit.

Canon SD4000. I see Ikelite makes an inexpensive case for this cam about $250. No raw but does custom white balance. Nice fast lens, 28mm, 720p video. This seems like a good starter cam for the price. Cost with decent lighting around $1,000

Pana LX5. Im a noobie here but the LX5 seems like a dream uw point and shoot. fast f2 24mm lens, raw, 18mm possible with uwa lens. Only problem is $660 for a housing. Actually its doesn't sound that expensive the 10bar housing appears to be a big step up from the Canon, you tell me. So this set will cost me about $1,410.

Canon 7d. I already own a 100mm macro and the 10-22mm. This one will cost $2,215 with the same flash but with ports and dome its comes to $2,920.

The LX5 sounds good for the price range. The LX5 is pretty good at macro wide so a macro lens maybe not be needed, I don't know. I suspect with additional, ports wide and macro adapter lenses it may cost another $1,000 so the cost between the 7d and LX5 maybe only be $500. But of course not really in the same league.

Its a hard choice, the LX5 would make for a nice small package, 720p video and I think enough cam to take some great photos and videos. I could certain get in the water with it for $1,400 +- and upgrade later. While the 7d is 3 thousand cash outlay right away. The SD4000 im sure in the right hands could take some stunning photos too but not something i would want to add to.

Im leaning towards the LX5, i haven't read about it being used much for underwater work. I'm a total noobie underwater so i would appreciate some assistance from some of you experts.

thanks

Ken

I'd say the LX5 would be great! And if you can wait a bit, Ikelite says it is 'under consideration'.

Are you saying you already have a canon 7d? If so, an ikelite housing would be $1425 plus ports.

I'd say the LX5 would be great! And if you can wait a bit, Ikelite says it is 'under consideration'.

 

Are you saying you already have a canon 7d? If so, an ikelite housing would be $1425 plus ports.

yep i have both cameras and i also have the 10-22 and the 100 macro. I know i just need the housing, two ports and a strobe for 3 thousand or so. Am I foolish going with an LX5 setup?

It all depends on what you want, and what your priorities are.

If you travel mostly, on airlines, to dive and do uw photo, then perhaps weight is at a premium.

Otherwise, the speed and IQ of the 7d will dominate the equation.

If you are happy with the speed, AF accuracy, and lag of the lx5, then why not go that way?

Do you like composing on the LCD versus through the viewfinder?

I'd do some experiments on land, in dimmish light, and simulating moving diver and moving subject, and see if the lx5 focus performance and lag is acceptable TO YOU, compared to the 7D. My guess is, it will not hold up.

Please tell us your findings too!

Thanks

I've seen incredible photos from the LX3 + 10bar housing + macro / wide-angle lenses, so I'm confident the LX5 setup can do a great job also, I don't think you will be disappointed for the price point.

Hi Scott,

I sent you an email about your Phil trip, we will talk soon. I'm leaning towards the LX5 setup, but im not sure. I think most of my pics will be macro and the LX5 should do just fine. I really like the 7d topside. Either way I'm going to get something soon.

Ken

Im leaning towards the LX5, i haven't read about it being used much for underwater work. I'm a total noobie underwater so i would appreciate some assistance from some of you experts.

If I were buying a compact UW camera right now, I would look very closely at the Olympus XZ-1. It has an f/1.8 lens, RAW support, ISO6400, the ability to control most camera functions with two dials (in aperture priority mode, one dial controls F-stop, the other dial controls exposure compensation, which seems like a nice system). It also has an underwater housing that looks like it has the quality of Olympus' dSLR housings, as opposed to most compact housings.

The only drawback I see to the XZ-1 underwater is that the lens only goes to 28mm wide, not 24mm.

yea the Olympus XZ-1 looks like a nice cam. Maybe Panasonic will wake up and offer a housing for the LX5. It maybe a toss up between the XZ-1 and the LX5, give up 4mm of wide angle for that 1.8mm lens. One of the nice things about the LX5 its has almost no shutter lag, at least topside.

You may well see a housing for the LX5 from Nauticam - watch this space...

LX5 seems like a dream uw point and shoot. fast f2 24mm lens, raw, 18mm possible with uwa lens. Only problem is $660 for a housing. Actually its doesn't sound that expensive the 10bar housing appears to be a big step up from the Canon, you tell me. So this set will cost me about $1,410.

Between the $1,400 - LX5 + UWA lens + housing vs. $1800 - EPL-1 (EPL-2 should cost similar) + 9-18 lens + OEM housing, I'd go with the Olympus - much better high-ISO performance.

For a little over $2,000 - NEX5 + 16mm + fisheye + Nauticam will be even better - APS-C sensor, better high-ISO performance, 1080 HD (30p recorded in 60i AVCHD), small and lightweight but well-made housing!

You may well see a housing for the LX5 from Nauticam - watch this space...

Hopefully very soon. My next dive trip will be in April.

Don't forget oly p&s contrast detect autofocus is slow as heck. They always manage to disappoint. Class lagging!

Maybe the xz-1 will break the mold - but even their top DSLRs have slow AF in live view mode.

The more I read about the pany gf1 and gh1 and gh2, the more I want one. Did you know the gf1 and gh1 can be firmware hacked to produce better video than a 7D, up to 50 Mbps.

http://www.43rumors.com/a-little-bit-of-ev...nvenient-truth/

Wow!

Sony will announce an advanced compact early February that has 24mm WA, fast autofocus, and 1080 60p HD - HX9V! January to March is when most new cameras are announced!

Let's see how big the sensor is on the HX9V. I have yet to see any samples taken with the newer WX10 and other 16MP CMOS cameras. I did shoot some video with a WX5. While the video looked good, image quality was average.

Presuming we want the newer cameras, now we have to get a housing. That lag is an issue if you plan on traveling soon. I'm not planning a trip until summer so I'm comfortable waiting to see what becomes available. I will probably end up with an Olympus E-PL2, housing, 14-42 and dome port. I am hoping that their wide angle converters for the 14-42 are of high quality and work with the Zen port.

If I were going P&S now, I'd really consider the Canon S95.