Hi, I have been a lurker but have decided to take the plunge.
I vacation in Hawaii for 2 to three weeks each summer and am a reasonable good 60 year old amateur photographer. For the last few years I have enjoyed snorkeling and taking pictures of fish at depths up to about 30 feet. I have used disposable film cameras, but the quality is not good. I would like to start using a good digital camera. I do not Scuba nor do I intend to learn. I would not be using the setup except on vacation.
I have a Nikon D70 camera which I have used for land shots. On eBay right now there are a Fantasea FD70 housing and a Sea & Sea G5000 camera with strobe.
Would the D70 with housing be too unwieldy for snorkeling? Would the Fantasea housing be ok? I see most of you use Ikelite or better. I could afford the Ike. Would I be better off getting the G5000 for underwater? Is see recommendations to wait because of people moving up to the D200. I am in no hurry because I won't be using it until next summer, but if I were to get something from eBay I should get it when it's available.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Great site!

Hi and welcome to Wetpixel.

If you're going to be using a camera for snorkelling only, you will probably be happier with the smaller Sea and Sea setup. I used a very similar setup (GX8000) while snorkelling in Bali and I liked it a lot. I could just tuck it into my rashguard when I wasn't using it.

The Fantasea housing for your D70 would be nice also. It's not that big, and has two nice handles.

You'll be happy with either. Whatever you purchase, you should make sure to try using the Magic Filter as it will improve your shallow water shots when not using a strobe.

Cheers
James