PutWittyNameHere Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I do a good bit of scuba diving in my spare time (logged almost 20 dives last summer, along), and I've convinced myself that I'm using my tax refund on a new underwater camera. Anyone have any suggestions? One option I was thinking about was to buy an underwater housing for my Canon Powershot SD780 IS. I initially thought this would be a horrible idea on the assumption that a point and click would never give quality shots in water with less than 10' of visibility, but the reviews of the housing seem to indicate that it'd probably be an OK investment for $250. I still feel like that'd be somewhat of a risk, though. So my question is, does anyone know of any underwater cameras that are a good buy at less then $500? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Tall order. We only use ours for swimming pools. For anything camera related, I go to dpreview.com. They're the people I trust implicitly for digital photography. In fact, they had a group review of underwater compacts over the summer... Um... Here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q311waterproofcompactgrouptest/ Looks like none of it is good for going deep, but might fit the bill for shallow dives. I'm a Pentax guy, so I like the wg-1... I'd either go with housing for your current camera, or try one of the waterproof compacts to start. With either option, you'll still have a camera worth using in or out of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 For underwater and otherwise indestructible point and shoot, you have to go [url="http://www.pentaximaging.com/waterproof-camera"]Pentax[/url] I'm a Canon guy and that's what I would get if I was going underwater... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bengal Migration| Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 [quote name='PutWittyNameHere' timestamp='1326078063' post='1087561'] I do a good bit of scuba diving in my spare time (logged almost 20 dives last summer, along), and I've convinced myself that I'm using my tax refund on a new underwater camera. Anyone have any suggestions? One option I was thinking about was to buy an underwater housing for my Canon Powershot SD780 IS. I initially thought this would be a horrible idea on the assumption that a point and click would never give quality shots in water with less than 10' of visibility, but the reviews of the housing seem to indicate that it'd probably be an OK investment for $250. I still feel like that'd be somewhat of a risk, though. So my question is, does anyone know of any underwater cameras that are a good buy at less then $500? [/quote] If you can get a housing for what you own, it's probably a fine place to start. I took some pics with a generic digital camera + housing in Oz last year, and they turned out much better than I might have expected. Nothing worthy of National Geographic, mind you, but worth looking at after the fact. I'd be hesitant to get a "waterproof camera" as most of them are only good for 10 meter dives. Great for snorkeling, but useless for just about anything else. If you want to drop a bit more coin, my local camera shop recommended a Canon G12 + housing as a terrific setup. Near DSLR quality, without the bulk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PutWittyNameHere Posted January 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Guess I probably should have been a bit more specific with the parameters, here. Whatever I get has to be able to withstand depths of up to 130 feet, which is the deepest depth allowed for someone with an Advanced Open Water Certification, which I hope to have by the end of the summer. As far as scuba diving is concerned, there's generally two options with cameras. Either buy one that is built from the ground up to be used at that depth, or buy a housing for a camera that wasn't meant for going underwater. If I had an unlimited budget, the choice would be pretty easy. I'd buy an SLR built to be used underwater, complete with strobe lights. Unfortunately, my budget is probably closer to the $400-$500 range. One option is this underwater housing for a camera I currently own: [img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417BoASvNdL._SL500_AA300_.jpg[/img] It's $230 and has gotten very good reviews. The problem with scuba diving reviews, however, is that they're normally given by people who live in the Caribbean and dive in waters with 40-60 feet of visibility. It's pretty easy to take a good picture when there's plenty of lighting around you. My dives, on the other hand, are predominately here in the Northeast in waters with less than 15 feet of visibility. My cousin recently bought a housing for a cheaper camera he had already owned and the quality turned out to be terrible. On the other hand, I can spend a little more and get a camera that was built from the ground up to shoot underwater, which should be less risky for picture taking at depth. I was hoping someone had a little more insight on what would be the better choice, and if there are any recommendations on cameras themselves. I've gone on some scuba diving boards and posed the same questions. But again, it's hard to advice from people who don't have any experience in the waters in this part of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 [quote name='PutWittyNameHere' timestamp='1326139519' post='1087781'] Guess I probably should have been a bit more specific with the parameters, here. Whatever I get has to be able to withstand depths of [b]up to 130 feet[/b], which is the deepest depth allowed for someone with an Advanced Open Water Certification, which I hope to have by the end of the summer. [/quote] Ah yeah, my recommendation was crap then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Bengal Migration| Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 I doubt the difference in visibility with be that much of a factor. From my limited experience, you need to get up close and personal to get decent underwater pics, anyway. Especially at depth where the light is so limited. I got a chance to handle (not acutally use) a full underwater DSLR rig over the holidays. Not much of a chance in hell that I will ever go that route. Just an amazing amount of weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 [quote name='Bengal Migration' timestamp='1326155293' post='1087932'] I doubt the difference in visibility with be that much of a factor. From my limited experience, you need to get up close and personal to get decent underwater pics, anyway. Especially at depth where the light is so limited. I got a chance to handle (not acutally use) a full underwater DSLR rig over the holidays. Not much of a chance in hell that I will ever go that route. Just an amazing amount of weight. [/quote] Buying a housing just makes the most sense, in my opinion. I think if he lived in the Keys, and could dive 365, buying something pure underwater might be the right move. We just don't live in areas that make for good year round diving. If it was me buying for this, I'd look for a housing for your Powershot, and a compatible strobe that will sync with your camera. For under that $500 budget, I think you'll be taking better pictures with that setup. Your camera make lack some of the underwater presets that make life easier, but you'll get great exposure, and good image sizes. At worst, you'll do a bit of color correction in post. edit: Witty probably already know this, but I'll add it anyway. B&H Photo is pretty much the best place to buy photo equipment. Here's a [url="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Underwater-Equipment/ci/11585/N/4294551294"]link[/url] to their underwater photography section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PutWittyNameHere Posted January 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 [quote name='mongo' timestamp='1326208419' post='1088109'] Buying a housing just makes the most sense, in my opinion. I think if he lived in the Keys, and could dive 365, buying something pure underwater might be the right move. We just don't live in areas that make for good year round diving. If it was me buying for this, I'd look for a housing for your Powershot, and a compatible strobe that will sync with your camera. For under that $500 budget, I think you'll be taking better pictures with that setup. Your camera make lack some of the underwater presets that make life easier, but you'll get great exposure, and good image sizes. At worst, you'll do a bit of color correction in post. edit: Witty probably already know this, but I'll add it anyway. B&H Photo is pretty much the best place to buy photo equipment. Here's a [url="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Underwater-Equipment/ci/11585/N/4294551294"]link[/url] to their underwater photography section. [/quote] That's pretty much what I'm thinking, but was looking for some verification. And I haven't actually seen that photo site. I'm not actually that big into photography, mostly due to price. Scuba diving is an expensive habit as it. Stacking higher end photography equipment on top of that is a bit much to ask for my budget. I'm basically just looking for a camera to record the memories and be able to have a visual log of my dives. I'm not going to be too worried about getting the absolute, 100% quality. If I get some photos that are good enough to possibly frame and hang in my house, then that's a nice bonus. Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted January 11, 2012 Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 B&H is pretty cool. I'd actually like to go there the next time I'm in New York. It started as this tiny little shop, and has grown. It now the size of a Target, with a massive underground stock room, help counters everywhere, and, I'm told, basket systems that race products from the basement all over the store... It's funny if you ever call them. They're all still these cranky New York Jews who aren't mean, but definitely a thick on New York 'hospitality.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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