Not such a beginner anymore - intermediate camera question

I will try to keep this brief:

Have been diving for around 5 years
Mostly UK but warm water when possible

99% of the time dive with non-photographers

Taking photo & film for about 4 years

Photos on Fuji FX80 with&w/out Remora Strobe

Film on Fuji & GoPro

Have a Canon 600D for 2 years for dry photography

Fuji:
WB Control only

Only JPEG

Poor low light performance

Poor shutter speed

First started shooting when freediving and then when felt comfortable enough started shooting with first gopro then fuji and then fuji with strobe. For the last two years have had a Canon 600D for dry photography.

On a recent liveaboard trip to the red sea the strobe flooded and died after the first day (still unsure where), the housing has taken some abuse over the years and has a fair share of cracks, taking this as a sign its time to upgrade.

As I dont dive with photographers there does not tend to be time to play with settings/strobes etc on a dive so not looking to get a DSLR housing but want an upgrade from my current setup. Looking for more control than just WB.

Looking for something more towards the top end of the "point&shoot" market, have heard good things about the Canon S110 & G12. Housing needs to be around the 60m mark and would be looking for two strobes as well.

Any feedback & advice is very welcome.

As I dont dive with photographers there does not tend to be time to play with settings/strobes etc on a dive...

That's the problem: the cause of more "ho hum" pictures than any technical deficiencies in the equipment. Try a photographers' trip...

... it might change your life, but if you want a housing that will cope with serious diving, look at Nauticam, and see what cameras they support.

Have you thought about one of the micro 4/3 setups? Inbetween the two. Tim is spot on with the Nauticam, I dont own one but have seen enough of them to know what I will be getting when I upgrade soon.

I have been diving since 2007 with very similar situation like yours diving with non photographers. My fellow divers do hate taking photos underwater because of various issues. So I took this chance to dive with photographers and that is another story.

If you want an intermediate solution...it is a very simple. Buy a cheap mirrorless or an RX100, add a strobe and shoot in RAW. This will temporarily solve your WB solution. The whole setup can be very compact. There are dozens of rX100 housings available from the professional Nauticam to the inexpensive Meikon.

Your first step is to shoot in RAW so you need a camera that Photoshop RAW recognizes. (Actually, go back and open your jpeg's in RAW and learn to manipulate them)

The mirrorless 4/3cameras are an excellent first step but I'd look for a used 40D/50D/60D or 5D setup first since you have experience with a 60D. If you find a used housing in classified you can always find a used camera on ebay rather cheaply. (I saw a 60D Ikelite housing in classifieds)

Thanks for all the feedback, a proper 'photography' trip is something that I have considered, its only now I have graduated and started working it is something that I can afford !

While I will go on a 'photography' trip I enjoy diving with friends, and even if they seem frustrated underwater if I am taking a photo, they never moan afterwards about having photos of them or proof that we saw some sort of wildlife ! So we have a balance that I take can spend a minute or two taking a photo but wont 'hold up' the dive plan for it.

A mirrrorless or 4/3rds setup is something that sounds more appealing, I would prefer to spend sometime first getting used to editing RAW and with a proper strobe (the last was an OEM one), the other part to this thinking is my parents live in Cornwall so I often travel down at the weekends and I quite often freedive sometimes in remote locations so a large full DSLR rig at the moment does seem daunting for that sort of work.

Is there a 4/3 that anyone would reccomend ?

Olympus do quite a range of cameras with their own housings that is a cheaper option to begin with, they also have a good range of lenses. There are some good bundle prices to be had if you hunt around a bit.

I have seen some very good shots from the Sony NEX series although their lens selection is not brilliant but should cater for underwater needs.

I went for the Olympus because of the cost at the start buying all the stuff, going for the Olympus housing made it cheaper. I am happy with what I have got.

Having had a number of compacts, my husband and I both upgraded to Olympus EPL3 4/3rds. Would definitely recommend. A good compromise, not too pricey and more versatile. I note there are a couple of rigs being sold in the classifieds...

Hello,

I am a new member here and I am a bit confused.

I have Olympus E-PL2 and PT-EP03 housing. I want to buy Dome Port for my panasonic 20mm pancake lens.

But I am not sure what to buy, any suggestions?

Thank you

Can

I have used the Canon G9 & G12/canon housing, Olympus E-PM1/Olympus housing, Olympus E-PL3/Olympus housing and Olympus E-M5 and Nauticam housing.

I like the Olympus cameras better than the Canon - to me they focus much faster. The Olympus housing is very durable but very difficult to change ports and not as ergonomic as the Nauticam. I am using the Olympus E-M5/Nauticam housing love it - the housing is smaller, better ergonomics and port changes are so easy.

Here in the states there is a special on the E-PM1 & Olympus housing for $500 USD. This is a great starting system - you can always add lens/ports. The nice thing is if you decide to upgrade (down the road) to a newer Olympus micro 4/3s camera the lens will still fit any of the micro 4/3s. I have several lens from my E-PM1 that I now use with my E-M5.

I shoot in manual mode taking RAW photos which all of the cameras above accommodate.

Good luck!

Olympus EPL3 for me. I use additional wet lenses and my hubby has the Zen port and Panasonic 8mm fisheye. Great kit and not too bulky or expensive.

Contact a good underwater camera shop for advice. A number on the internet.

Definitely go on a day workshop or photo holiday if you can. Lots of people spend a fortune on kit and never learn how to use it so are disappointed with results...