Upgrade my current (old) Canon G9 setup or replace it completely?

Hi all,

Fairly new to this forum (lurking for some time now, but just joined to get more "active"). I have a Canon G9 with standard WP-DC21 UW housing. I have it for 7 years more or less now. I am happy with some of the photos it took, but honestly failed to use it as much as I wanted as the results here (Zeeland in The Netherlands) were often dissappointing, usually due to the amount of dust/sand... In the end, i didn't take it underwater anymore (except on diving trips abroad). And because someone I consider an expert told me you better buy "a full set" rather than upgrades afterwards, I never invested in a seperate strobe. So theoretically I am probably not a newbie, but I feel like one.

Topside, I also have a Canon 550D, but I don't think the next best thing for me to do is to go shooting DSLR under water (I have the money, but not ready to spend it).

But now I am struggling. My first idea was to buy a new camera with housing (considering something in the range of the G7X, RX100, LX100 or maybe a PEN EPL7 m4/3) and add a strobe. However, the more I read about it, the more I wonder if I shouldn't just go with a strobe first. I won't become a better photographer with a newer camera. Also looking at the pictures I take, I am not sure I have already decided which kind of photographer I want to be. I've tried a lot and failed almost just as often.

I wished it was faster, and I think newer (larger?) sensors would improve IQ, although that is also related to my struggle with lighting. Video could be improved too, but I am not too worried about that at the moment.

What would be your opinion: would it be stupid to just buy a strobe (I was looking at the Inon D2000 or Z240)? Although I am really careful with my stuff, I am sure one day my G9 will die, and i don't want to end up limiting my choices later by taking the wrong decision now. Or would you recommend something completely different?

Really happy with all your thoughts!

I don't understand the advice to "buy a whole set". I would absolutely invest in a strobe first and save getting a new camera for some time later. Neither one of the strobes you mention (I have one of each) will really limit you down the road. The Z-240 has the option of working with cameras without an onboard flash. That's the reason I bought it, but I've since decided I too am never going to take an SLR underwater and really the Z-240 is superfluous to me. I *have* decided I am more of a macro photographer than wide angle :-)

I've used the same set of strobes for a G10, G12, G15, E-PL5, and expect to use them on my next camera or two as well.

Hi,
the G9 is a nice camera.
My girl friend was using it in an Ikelite housing, with Ikelite strobe and used it TTL and manuel.
After some time, she wanted something better, because i used a Dslr and her pics looked to colourless, flat.....
So she got a Sony RX100 in a recsea housing and is happy again. Now she uses her Ikelite 160 only manuel and its fine.
Her G9 was a bit strange with red / green shadows, so that was realy not fine....

But first, buy a extern strobe, try around, and then you can upgrade if you like.
A strobe makes it not easier in bad visibility ;-))

Have you been using wetlenses for wide angle or macro? As well a wide field of possibilities....

Regards,
Wolfgang

Hi both, thanks for the quick feedback! Seems like you are confirming my feeling about the expert's advice (although I don't blame him, it was his opinion, my decision).

I haven't considered wetlenses, honestly. I'll dig into that as well (unless there is anything you can simply advice?). At first sight, I see that the shop nearby still has a Dyron 67mm adapter for my UW housing. I'll need to search around to see what I can do with that.

Hi,
what is your main target?
Wideangle or macro?
Or the possibility to do both, what is in my eyes the best of compact cameras....
You can get a whale shark, switch the wetlens and do a macro of a shrimp.....
If i decided before for macro, i can do one of the eye of the whaleshark ;-))
Or wont find the shrimp on the picture, if i have my fisheye lens mounted...

Regards,
Wolfgang

I don't know for sure, I suppose macro makes the most sense when diving at home: we usually see shrimps, lobster, crabs, fish portraits, nudibranch and all sorts of things attached to the ground (not too many whalesharks around here in Belgium and the Netherlands)

On diving trips, yes, I would like to capture the occasional shark as well (admittedly, given the shore dives we do usually, we don't see them very often) or if my wife wants a portrait with a tortoise or a gorgone. My gut feeling says lower priority (although I really admire those fisheye/swa pictures), for sure as long as I stick with my G9.

And as far as I can see while quickly searching the internet, a wide angle wet lens for my UW housing is not really an option anyway. It exists, but you need to zoom in too much to avoid vignetting that the view angle becomes the same as without the lens (or buy a specific G9 one, but I don't want to do that for such an old camera). Unless you have different information (I see that for the ikelite housing it is possible with a different port)?

For macro, with the dyron 67mm I have some options (but I haven't got the time yet to better understand the difference between brands and types + what would be generic & good value for money).