What would you do? Help please...

My family is headed to Atlantis for vacation this weekend. I am having a tough time deciding what photo gear to take. I plan on doing the stuart cove shark dive one afternoon (maybe one other day too) but otherwise no diving. I can't decide whether to take my Canon 5D mk2 housing set up for just those 2 dive, or just buy a housing for mu s95 point and shoot. It would be a lot of trouble to lug all that gear for just 2 dives. BUT that's why I bought the gear in the first place. On the other hand, I could take the s95 and custom white balance or color correct in editing since it shoots RAW. I still think the images will be inferior. What would you do?

I have seen some mighty fine images out of those little cameras, you may wonder why you have the 5D after you get back.

Thank you for your input. I'm leaning towards getting a housing for the s95. I don't think I'm up for lugging that huge pelican case around for a couple of dives. and you may be right, this camera is pretty amazing, high def video too...

I vote for the 5D. Yes, it is big and you have to lug it around, but you aren't moving that much (it can just sit in the hotel closet for most of the time right?). You already bought it, you might as well use it. The images are guaranteed to be better than the s95. I think the shutter lag on those things would frustrate me too much.

But this is what I would do. I carried my 7D and nauticam housing through 7 countries just to dive in 2 of them... and I would have done it again! .... In fact... I wanna do it again... hehe

Take the big gun. How many chances do you get to dive with sharks?

Steve

You should take you DSLR rig. For the shark dive, you do two dives. The first you swim around the reef and are follows by reef sharks. On the second you are stationed at 35 ft in a circle and the sharks are fed. A wide lens is needed as they bring the bait box close to you with your strobes up high for lighting so you don't burn out the whites of their underside. Stuart Coves picks you up in a van at Atlantis and drops you off at their front door so it should be no big deal to take your rig and dive gear.

Just back from Kona diving on Hawaii. Spent one week at Kona, one at Kauai. I lugged my D90 housing, strobes, etc. for 2 dives over a 2 week vacation. The manta and black water dives at Kona. Glad I took it all.

Long after the trip is over and the weight/hassle of taking things is long forgotten, I will have the photo's with the best gear I own. For the shark diving, I would be constantly frustrated by the shutter lag of the P/S, knowing full well that I could have avoided it if I had been more driven. The same would have been true for the Manta dives. Shutter lag, inability to shoot my 10-17 would have made me upset with myself for much longer than the hassle of carrying the gear.

Many of us could offer you photo's from our P/S's that show the back half of a shark after they swam by and we suffered from shutter lag. But then, you could take the P/S and have some of your own.

Just a thought...

ok now i may be changing my mind. dang.

Don't take the Pelican box!

It's heavy and screams "expensive camera gear."

There are lighter solutions for carrying your gear. If you do a search on this site, you will see many threads re: how to travel light.

Don't take the Pelican box!

 

It's heavy and screams "expensive camera gear."

 

There are lighter solutions for carrying your gear. If you do a search on this site, you will see many threads re: how to travel light.

all the gear is usually on the plane with me in my carry on. clothes are in the pelican, then transfer once i reach my destination.

all the gear is usually on the plane with me in my carry on. clothes are in the pelican, then transfer once i reach my destination.

Then why take the Pelican box at all? Stuff your clothes into a duffle.

I carry on just enough camera gear so that I can take pictures u/w should the checked bags not arrive with me. My extra stuff (spare battery pack, additional ports, etc.) goes in the checked bag.

Take the better camera!