Which 3-4Mp camera for land & sea, on a budget?

Hey guys, basically I am looking for a decent camera that will also do OK video. I know that still cameras are not all that good at video but which one should I get that will do 1/2 decent job?

I have been looking at the Kodak CX7430 & Kodak LS443. Are these good cameras? Basically I would like to use the camera mainly for dry land but be able to take in into the water (max 20 metres) from time to time.

I guess I need a camera that will take a housing of some kind, any help would be great.

I live in Australia & need to know where to buy a housing for cameras, & which camera will work best for me on a budget. Basically I don't want to spend any more than $350 Australian for the camera & yeah I don't really know how much housings cost but don't really have very much money.

Inpedendent of how much the housings cost, if you plan on taking the camera into the water someday then at least make sure there is a housing available. I don't know of any for the Kodak cameras you've listed but you might check www.digideep.com. You might look into the Canon A-series. Canon made/makes housings for them and they are relatively inexpensive . . . I've seen the A95 for $249US here in the states and it is a 5MP camera that takes very nice pictures above water. I am assuming that you didn't mean $350 *including* the housing . . .

Mike

Where to buy a housing and camera pretty much depends on where you live. You will often find that cameras are much cheaper at computer stores, but the staff there won't have any idea (ni general) what they are selling so if you are likely to need some help, it is worth paying the extra. Regarding the housing, you may find that the computer store can order it for you (most can't be bothered), so that may be another reason to go to your local camera store.

If you are not near one of the bigger cities, you may find some of the online stores like dirtcheapcameras.com.au to be a viable alternative. I haven't used them myself though, so can't necessarily recommend them.

I'd have to say that you are dreaming () if you think you might be able to get a camera and housing for less than $350 aussie. You might get some lame olympus mju with their crappy 3 m deep housing for around that price, but it would really only be any use in a swimming pool. Certainly not a diving camera.

I'd definately consider the Canon recommended above. Great camera topside, good camera UW and not a bad one to grow with (can use external strobes and external lenses from INON if you get really keen).

Thanks guys.

I have decided to increase the budget to $800 AU. I am now looking at the Canon Ixus 30, which is called the SD200 in the states. I like the fact that it has a nice video mode & also has optical zoom. The only problem with the A95 is that it has no optical zoom (bad).

I can't seem to find a housing for the Ixus 30, it seems the camera is too new & no one has made one yet. Apart from Canon's 3M waterproof case which is no good to me.

Excellent news on the budget.

I think there might be a bit of specification confusion going on though. The A95 has a 3x optical zoom as described on the Canon website and it has a housing available now. Another option might be the Canon A520 which is only a 4MP, but might leave you some money left over for a housing.

As discussed in detail in this thread, the IXUS is a poor choice for UW photography. It has no control over manual settings which is pretty much essential for decent UW shots - particularly if you ever decide to get an external flash unit.

Granted the video mode isn't as good on the A95 as on the IXUS, but you really need to decide what is more important to you. Good UW pictures or mediocre UW video. If you really want video maybe you should consider a dedicated video camera or at least something like the Fuji F810, a little more expensive, but a good choice for UW video and still.

Personally, I'd go with one of the Canon A series and a generic Canon housing. Later on you might decide to add a strobe and some lenses, depending on what you like to shoot.

Yes, the IXUS series are not very good for use underwater. Plus, the SD200 only has an all-weather case available, not an underwater one. Also, I just don't think you'll be happy with a 3MP camera. It is easy to get seduced by the small size but the camera is simply not very good underwater and if I were buying today, I would want at least 4MP. The A520 (4MP) is larger but has manual modes you can use underwater and has a 4x optical zoom for above water. The A520 also has an underwater case that Canon isadvertising (WP-DC60, I think). Yes, the SD200 has a one movie mode with a higher frame rate (60fps), but it is still only at 320x240 resolution and will only do a max of one minute of continuous video. Let's face it, if you want decent video these days, you still really need a camcorder. The A95 is 5MP, has an underwatew case available now and I saw it advertised for US$249 at www.buy.com today (probably because an A530 is in the offing to replace it)! The case (WP-DC50) is available at B&H for US$170. Also, don't forget to factor a larger memory card and extra batteries into whatever purchase decision you make . . . Unfortunately I don't have any insight into Australian prices. Of course, the Fuji F810 is an order of magnitude better than the A95 and, as far as I can tell, doesn't limit the length of your 640x480 30fps movies; but, it will cost you a bit more.

Mike is right about F810 - great camera and movie length not limited (except by card size).

A95 is probably the best choice for you right now, although you can save around $100 aussie by getting the A520 and sacrificing 1 MP. Both have a dedicated "underwater" scene mode which might be useful for getting that blue out of your pics (without an external strobe).

One thing for Aussies to consider is the lack of warranty support for any digital camera (all brands) purchased outside Australia. It is definately cheaper to ship a camera from the US, but if you are unlucky enough to get a DOA or another warranty fault within a year, you will need to ship it back to the US and need to factor in that cost. Still, with the price @ B&H you could pay for shipping around 5 times and still be in front.

Only thing with buy.com is that the store is not rated that well, particularly for returns...I'd be more inclined to get the whole package from B&H. They have a kit with a 512MB card which seems like a good deal.

Just did the maths...

If you ship with Global Express Mail from B&H (which will assist in avoiding customs and GST duties in Aus because they have a $1000 threshold for post and only $250 for couriered goods - don't ask me why??) the total cost for housing, camera and 512MB card is US$543.15 - a little over AUD$700. You might be unlucky and still get slugged customs/GST, but you'll still be better off than buying locally.

That should still leave you with some money to buy a NiMH battery charger locally (so you get the right plug).

Hope this helps.

Local cost for same setup is over AUD$1000

Mike is right about F810 - great camera and movie length not limited (except by card size).

 

Only thing with buy.com is that the store is not rated that well, particularly for returns...I'd be more inclined to get the whole package from B&H. They have a kit with a 512MB card which seems like a good deal.

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Wow, I've had such good luck with buy.com that it never occurred to me to check their ratings. Guess I really have been lucky. I've never had to deal with their customer service, however . . . Given that B&H is only $10 more for the camera, you're probably right that they're a better bet. Again, I have no experience working this stuff internationally, though.

Mike

Looks like you might have been pretty lucky Mike.

I have ordered from B&H to Australia many times and have been nothing but satisfied. They are an excellent company.

Thanks for the help guys & you probably right but I really do need the 640X480 @30fps. You see the camera will be used most on dry land & its basically for family video & stills (mainly video). However I do want to be able to take video & stills underwater but to be honest I am no photographer & really I am just a point n shooter so I would not use manual options. If down the track I do become pic savy I can always trade up & get manual everything (if you know what I mean).

Most of you are probably saying "get one of each" beleive me I have explored this avenue. Problem is MONEY! A video housing for a camcorder is around the $1200 - 1500 mark AU. This is way out of my budget as I would have to spend maybe $700 on a camcorder, $300 on a decent 3mp still camera & $1500 on housing for video alone which would set me back $2,500 AU & that doesn't include stills in the water!

I know my video quality isn't up to camcorder status but hey it's not bad @ 30fps 640X480 look here at the canon ixus 30 video: Canon Ixus 30 - 640X480 @ 30fps - approx 18mb download in .avi format

As it stands I can probably pick up the ixus 30 for around $400. But yeah maybe have to wait until someone decides to make a housing.

Your thoughts?

ARGHHH Don't do it!

IXUS 30 is a great camera, but as several of us have been trying to say - it is complete crap for underwater use - despite the fact that it doesn't have a housing available.

Now, you might think that you won't use manual modes, but if you ever get into this game, you will want to - so why not give yourself the option?

If you really need the 640x480/30fps and are stuck with your budget, why not consider the Sony P100 and housing. You could get that package for under AUD$800 and have a video mode and decent stills. See here for another wetpixellers view on this package.

BTW, you could house a Canon 730i video (roughly $700) in an Ikelite 6043 (<1K even in Aus) - so your calculations above might be a bit on the high side.

Had a bit more of a look around.

Scubapix in Cairns which is run by a wetpixel member (pmooney), rent out the Sony P100s as one of their kits and have a few example pictures on their website. That gives you some indication that it isn't a bad setup.

They are pretty cheap now too. I've seen them for under AUD$500 and the MPK-PHB housings are around $350. Might just stretch your budget, but would at least do what you want it to (unlike the IXUS).

I hear you

Money is not letting me have that camera due mainly to the way expensive 1Gb of memory stick pro card that I will need to take decent video.

Tell me is the SONY Cybershot DSC-P93 OK? I can get it over here for a lot less & would only set me a little over budget...

Hello,

I'm using a dsc-p100 for a few month and I'm very pleased with this camera.

The internal strobe is ok for very close subject but you can use the camera from 0 to 90 feets without strobe (using manual exposure + p.shop for level adjust.)

here is a link to my uw photo gallery :

Tahiti uw

The videos are really good too. it's true you need a memory stick pro to get a good quality but the 256 Mo is enough for me (3.06 min in 640 high res.)

Manu

What about the PENTAX OPTIO MX4? It is selling cheap at the moment on ebay ($400 AU).

Given your needs (must have the video, local price considerations, etc.), the Sony may be the best choice. You'll be limited with what it can do underwater in the future (haven't seen any add-on lenses, etc., for the Sony housings), but the DSC-P93 did receive positive reviews, has manual control should you want to add a strobe, and has a housing available. If you wait on a housing for the IXUS300/SD-200, you'll be waiting a long time. If Canon doesn't have one available now, they're not going to make one.

Mike

I vote for P93. No reason why you need a 1GB stick right now is there? Could you just get a 512 and save for another one later??

I vote for P93. No reason why you need a 1GB stick right now is there? Could you just get a 512 and save for another one later??

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Since the camera only does .jpg files (no option for uncompressed files), you should be able to get a bunch onto a 512MB card. If the desire is to do many minutes of video (extrapolating Manu's data tells us that you will get about 6 minutes on a 512MB card if you don't take any pictures), a 1GB card might be in order. Again, in order to do the high-rate video you must be sure to get MemoryStick Pro . . .

Mike