Recommendations? New camera/old user

It has been YEARS since I have been to this forum so excuse me if I am asking for old information to be re-hashed. First, my history. I started out with an Oly 4040 in an Ikelite housing. I moved up to a 5050 in an Ikelite housing. I have 2 DS-125 strobes. I eventually purchased an Oly 330 DSLR and then an E-3 DSLR. I never housed either of the DSLRs. I have now moved away from photography a bit and am liquidating my Olympus DSLR equipment. The equipment is just sitting there and I can't justify keeping it.

I am still interested in having a nice P & S that allows me creative control and I am still interested in housing the camera. Since I have the Ikelite strobes and TTL cables, my initial impression is to stay with a camera/housing that I can use those strobes via hard-wired TTL. I also have a WAL lens that I could still use with many of the Ikelite housings.

So, if you were buying a P & S camera today that you were going to house (preferably in an Ikelite housing), what would you buy? I've read the June report by Reef Photo but since technology changes quickly, I thought I would seek some updated opinions.

Thank you in advance.

Well, since you've put the requirment of P&S, ikelite and using DS125s hardwired, then really looks like your only options are the Olympus XZ1 or the Canon G12. Given those parameters, I'd probably go with the XZ1. You better make sure those 125s are compatible though. They might require an update.

Another option would be to sell the DS125s and start from scratch. My bro-in-law has those on Nikon D300 rig and they're very nice, but very big and heavy.

If starting from scratch, I'd think the oly XZ1 in the oly housing (which is a nice housing, much better than canon housings) paired with some Inon S2000s would be very nice and compact. I have the D2000 and that's a great strobe also, just larger and more expensive with a few more extras.

You could also look into the olympus epl1/2/3. I have the epl2 paired with the D2000 and it's great. Just for reference, I started with C3000, then C4000 both in the same oly housing. then a fuji F30, now the epl2.

If you do sell the DS125s and open things up completely, I'd think you'd also want to look at the canon S100 or S95.

But sounds like the XZ1 is going to be the right fit.

I noticed you left out the Panasonic DMC-LX5 which was rated highly by Reef Photo? Any reason?

the lx5 rocks. It is the most responsive camera on the list, supported by ike. As a surface camera, it is not so good, due to lack of a view finder. Also it lacks auto ISO in M Mode. The panasonic jpgs are not so pretty, and you pretty much have to shoot raw, but since you want raw underwater anyway, this is not a problem.

The g12 is not very good. the worst auto focus of the group, and it does not allow ttl flash in M exposure mode!

The better choice is the nikon p7100, which has ttl in M mode. It does not have a useful macro focus mode, since it only works at wide angle, which is too close working distance for underwater. It also lacks auto iso in M mode!

The oly xz1 does have ttl in M mode, and auto iso in M mode, so it is a bit more user friendly for underwater photo with flash. My big complaint is the lack of any horizontal thumb wheel on this camera. You end up using menu buttons to adjust fstop and shutter speed, and that is tedious..

I have played with all these cameras, and not that thrilled. The new fuji x10 looks to be a killer camera that beats the heck out of the g12 of p7100, and ikelite is interested in supporting it. I've got one on the way to try out. It has a sensor that is twice the size of any of the other high end cams, and a brilliant f2.0 - f2.8 MANUAL zoom lens.

If you want to use the camera on land too, then having a view finder is crucial. The ones for the lx5 and xz1 are too expensive, and not good enough. The OVF on the x10 is miles better than the ovf on the g12 or p7100.

Enjoy!

yes, you are right, the LX5 would also be a very good option, big oversight on my part.

The nikon P7100 is also a possibility.

I think the X10 is also a potential camera, but no housing yet.

I wanted something like the X10 for years and it never came along from any manufacturer until now.

I stopped waiting and went with the olympus micro 4/3 system and I don't regret it all. It's been fantastic.

I played with the epl2 for a month. It is a great tool in many ways. It has a customizable slowest shutter speed in A mode, when the flash is on, and auto iso in M mode. The things that really turned me off are using the menu buttons, rather than thumb wheels, for adjusting settings. And the useless burst mode, which shows you the shots you have taken, and gives up on live view. And of course the evf shows the same thing.

The ep3 has a much better UI with a real thumb wheel, and the same useless burst mode. The price, with an EVF is near to a D7000! And the sensor is 5 year old technology.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I've checked my Ikelite strobes. Although the circuitry needs to be updated, they can be used with the new cameras. Given the investment I have in strobes and wanting to house my camera on a budget, I am inclined to stay with Ikelite. Besides, I've always had good luck with their equipment. I am leaning towards the Olympus at this point but will wait to see how things go. I have to finish liquidating my Olympus DSLR equipment before I can justify buying anything new.