Buying in 2021 a housing for a 2009 Camera

Hi guys, i am looking forward to start with underwater photography since I spend more time in water that outside all year around.

I plan on using my old d3100 as my undewater camera as it is in mint condition and I have always been very careful with the amount of picture I took (12000 as of today, barely 10% of the camera life).

I am planning on buying from a local housing maker (Nimar) and I could get the housing and all the accessory to get started with my d3100 and its tokina 11-16 2.8 dx II for about 1750 euros.

Hope to get some feedback from someone on this forum.

M

Hi Mirko

Welcome to Wetpixel!

It's always very tempting to use the camera you already have and then pursue the housing etc.

I think a few of us though would offer a word of caution. €1750 is an awful lot of money to spend on a housing (and lens) and bits for a camera as old as the D3100. The housing and camera will have almost no resale value if, when, you decide you might want to upgrade it.

In terms of technology and key underwater elements such as autofocus, the D3100 is really old. You may well be able to put together a much better system for less money by taking a look at the Wetpixel Classified s and see what more modern systems are on offer and the price. This will give you an idea whether it's worth putting €1750 into what is, sorry, an effectively obsolete system.

Bear in mind too, that a housing a lens (and its port) are only the start. If you are going to go down the DSLR route, you'll need a strobe (maybe two) and arms etc. These are long-term investments in your system which yo make have already planned.

As I say, I can certainly understand you wanting to use the camera you have especially if its in good condition. But I'd be very wary of spending that sort of money without seeing what else you might be able to buy first.

As I'm sure you will see my moderator colleague, Chris, has written many times, when you start on a DSLR system you are looking at a total package of expensive gear. You need to see it in terms of a total package from the outset - not just buying a housing.

Hi TimG,

Thanks for your message, it was illuminating for me. I had a look at Classified and, actually, there are some very interesting things.

I will take an in depth look at the used market and then will make my decision!

23 minutes ago, Mr Wir said:

Hi TimG,

Thanks for your message, it was illuminating for me. I had a look at Classified and, actually, there are some very interesting things.

I will take an in depth look at the used market and then will make my decision!

 

My pleasure, Mirko

Yeah, definitely worth taking a look around before you decide.

Housings and the associated ports are expensive items and can be, sadly, rather disposable as you change equipment and systems.

A new housing probably drops 60%+ of its value almost immediately.  I'd figure that a D3100 housing would now have almost no value. Indeed it might be worth you advertising on the Classifieds that you could be interested in buying one. You might find you could get one for a couple of hundred dollars that you could then play around with before deciding next steps.

As I wrote, a strobe and the associated arms are much longer investments and, chosen well, will grow with you. So think carefully about them, I'd suggest, and buy well!

You'll see a number of posts from my moderator colleague, Chris Ross, about seeing a DSLR system as a total package rather than just buying a "housing". It's wise to give it quite some thought and planning otherwise you can end up spending a lot more money than you expected - and disappointed at the same time. Not a great mix!

I'm with Tim on this. In many ways, the camera body is the least expensive part of an UW DSLR system, yet it is the bit that may limit the quality of your images. I went through this very thought process myself many years ago. I had an older EOS, and was going to house it. So basically I was going to spend thousands of dollars to house a camera that was worth about $1.49.

Ultimately, I bought a used system, added to it and that turned out to be a much better solution. I've since upgraded twice but I'm still using the same glass, strobes, ports and arms.

4 hours ago, Stoo said:

I'm with Tim on this. In many ways, the camera body is the least expensive part of an UW DSLR system, yet it is the bit that may limit the quality of your images. I went through this very thought process myself many years ago. I had an older EOS, and was going to house it. So basically I was going to spend thousands of dollars to house a camera that was worth about $1.49.

Ultimately, I bought a used system, added to it and that turned out to be a much better solution. I've since upgraded twice but I'm still using the same glass, strobes, ports and arms.

Stoo, thanks. Upgrading to a newer used camera sounds like a great idea. I actually found nice people in Classified!

5 hours ago, Mr Wir said:

Stoo, thanks. Upgrading to a newer used camera sounds like a great idea. I actually found nice people in Classified!

Haha... Ya, that's where I found my first DSLR system. FWIW, I sold it two years later and the guy who bought it nailed a gorgeous tadpole image that ended up in National Geographic, and subsequently in their limited edition print stores!

I'm still waiting for my share of the royalties. ;-)

Hi all.

Please can we keep for sale adverts (as opposed to equipment advice) on the Classifieds forum?

Thank you!

Adam

On 9/15/2021 at 12:54 PM, adamhanlon said:

Hi all.

Please can we keep for sale adverts (as opposed to equipment advice) on the Classifieds forum?

Thank you!

Adam

 

my bad, sorry