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Requesting advice on choice of underwater camera equipment
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Hi,
Planning a diving trip to Sipadan at the end of this year, and naturally if possible I'd love to get off some shots down in Davy Jone's locker. So I started looking out for a suitable underwater housing. I own an Olympus e510 currently while my girlfriend uses an Olympus u720SW P&S.
Olympus doesn't seem to have a housing for the 510 and the only one I could find is an Ikelite, which lists at US$1.4 grand (not counting strobes etc). So I guess it's safe to say that this little baby's gonna cost more than the camera that it's protecting.
Unlike lenses, this purchase is pretty much tied to the camera I own, i.e. I can't pacify myself by thinking I can still use it if/when I upgrade a body. So it's pretty much a sunk cost and I'd better use the 510 for a blinkin' long time after spending that money on it.
Cost-wise, I've got a cheaper option as well. My girlfriend owns a u720SW, for which the underwater housing costs US$300 list. I really don't know how practical it can be taking pictures with it so any feedback is welcome. I've seen some really sweet dive pictures taken by people using other P&S cameras such as the Canon A-series so I'm harboring a little hope.
So, peeps, appreciate any advice on this. I used to dive pretty often 3-4 years back so I don't think it'd be a white elephant. If anything, the ability to take pictures underwater would renew my enthusiasm. That, and "poison" articles such as this.
Thanks,
Wong
Posted at 6:19PM, 18 March 2008 PDT
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The budget way would be a compact with a strobe. Housing for dslrs often cost more than the camera. The main problem with decent pictures underwater is the lack of light, which a strobe, not a dslr, can help correct.
Posted 3 months ago.
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I have done a little underwater photography with both a SeaLife DC300 P&S and an Olympus E-500 with an Ikelite housing.
I started with the SeaLife and a package that included a strobe and a macro lens/filter. It was a great camera to get started with. Once I had satisfied myself that underwater photography was something I would stick with, I got myself the Ikelite housing and a strobe for my E-500.
A compact camera is much easier to travel with. The Ikelite housing requires its own case which can complicate traveling with dive gear.
Also, if/when you decide to go with your more expensive option be sure to insure your equipment against the eventual flood.
Just my $0.02
Posted 3 months ago.
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A couple of things to think about here. Can you rent a camera from the dive shop? If so can you use it for awhile to get used to the camera and it's metering systems.
If it's a point and shoot can you manually set your ISO? Turn off the the internal flash, it will only light up the water column between you and the subject. Set your white balance to cloudy (shoot RAW). Your going to be limited in depth here you will loose your reds in the first 7-10 feet of water. You could add a color replacement filter but you will loose f-stops. Center weight the metering system. Your going to have 3-6 f-stops in a frame. So meter off the primary subject. But the most Important thing is get physically close to your subject. Optical zooms don't work here.
At this point ask yourself what you want out of the photo. Are you just tooling around and taking snapshots, recording the trip, showing your friends what the other 80% of the world looks like, or trying to publish in Fathom.
If your just after simple shots I would house the P&S Like Alex C said it will be small and easy to handle. $300. for a housing is cheap and you already know the camera.
Once you start adding light sources lens kits etc... you open a whole realm of problems. lighting is an issue like Simen S said but you will introduce unwanted backscatter in your photo and add weight to the trip. I bet if you look at the thread they don't use a flash either.
The Reef Master and SeaLife are Ok options. I don't know much about them only that they used to have fixed apertures and limited shutter speeds.
I could keep going but you have probably stopped reading this already.
Any specific question Ask.
e
Posted 3 months ago.
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