Since everyone new seems to ask this (if they don't ask, they are afraid to ask because they'll be told to do some research first. ), I'm creating a new topic and pinning it to the top. Please post opinions that might benefit a digital diving newbie.

I'll retire this thread every few months and create a new pinned thread as new equipment comes out.

I don't know if this is the correct forrum, but here is my opinion on some vendors:

Adorama (very good prices, no customer service, not helpful when I sent e-mails, didn't let me know that an item was out of stock that I had ordered)

BHphoto (very good prices, not especially helpful by e-mail, helpful by phone with purchase and questions)

underwaterdigital (good prices, responsive by e-mail, very helpful)

www.underwatercamerapros.com (good prices, very helpful by e-mail and phone; Ryan went the extra mile to get me what I needed prior to a dive trip; he was also up front when he couldn't get me something in time, great guy)

I'll post again when I've tried out my stuff in Bonaire

Cheers,

Sean

My 2c:

I have owned two underwater cameras previously (two point-and-shoot minoltas). I do not dive, however have many thousands of hours snorkelling, and enjoy (very) amateur underwater photography (as well as collecting old bottles while snorkelling . This time I saved all my pennies for a few years, and bought an Olympus 4000 with an Olympus PT-010 housing. I can't remember the exact prices; I think the combination was around USD$800 all up, delivered (perhaps less).

I bought the camera from "www.buyright.com" and the housing from "www.underwaterdigital.com".

Buyright were cheap and fast and I'd recommend them. Prior to purchasing my camera I rang a number of the other NY based "ultra cheap" places that advertise so much on the 'net. After a number of calls I was very annoyed and totally disgusted with them all, and I'm since convinced they are mostly thieves and liars. Avoid the ultra-cheap places unless you have money to burn!

After having a few problems getting my housing I contacted Allan at Underwaterdigital. At this point I'd wasted three weeks mucking around with the NY rip-off stores and had other problems with getting the setup. Underwaterdigital came to the rescue and with only three days left before my plane was leaving for The Barrier Reef the purchase was initiated, completed and delivered to NY. Saved my holiday from near-disaster!!

This was December. Since then I've been enjoying the Australian summer and have taken perhaps a thousand pictures. In fact I've been having such a good time taking the pictures that I haven't spent any time yet working out how to 'touch them up' to make them look better (so I haven't displayed any yet).

The camera setup I've just purchased is fantastic for my purposes, it takes fantastic images and it's internal flash is quite suitable while diving in clear waters to about 10M depth, for objects within 5M range. It's optical magnification and focus are both excellent and I believe it's an excellent option for a person with a limited budget, or who only snorkels. Of course I'd now buy the Oly5050 and a PT-015... Perhaps I'll convince the wife I need to upgrade already... (about the time that pigs start flying about).


regards
Dave

After two terrible (but fun) rolls of film with a disposable camera in Cozumel last year, I've been looking around recently for my first "proper" underwater camera (to take pictures with more colors than blue in them!). The one that I really like is the Canon Powershot S400 with additional housing, but I can't tell if this is compatible with an external flash.

Has anyone tried the Canon Powershot series? Are they any good? .. and is an external flash absolutely necessary? If not Canon, what would you recommend in the same price / compact category?

I'll check out the Olympus 4000 / 5050 now - thanks Dave!

Regards

Sean.

I should have searched the rest of this site first! - Excellent job guys! Fantastic resource!

I'll definitely be checking out the Olypus 5050 in more detail and maybe the Canon G2/3. Ikelite housing seems to be the way forward, and a stobe, for sure. ..........

Dear Bank Manager .......

-------------------------

Thanks to everyone for answering my questions in advance.

Sean.

Hmmm, I looked at the Olympus 5050 and G3. Both seem great. I think the 5050 above the G3. Here's my dilemma: I only get to dive for about 2 weeks of the year. With the other 50 weeks I'd like a decent, compact, point and shoot, that I can put in my pocket and take anywhere. I'm a complete beginner and would only be taking underwater shots for fun (for now). Would I be wasting money with the Powershot S400, housing and strobe set-up?

Does anyone / has anyone used a similar set up? - and how are / were the results?

Grateful for any advice / past experiences...

Sean

I'm quite happy with my Canon Powershot G2 + Aquamir housing. The camera seems to be still availlable here and there, the housing definitely is (I got it from digitalEyes - quick replies, fast delivery).

I like the G2 better than the G3, because you see half of the zoom-optics through the viewfinder of the G3 and I find the G2 more ergonomic.

The Aquamir housing is teriffic. Unlike the orignial Canon housings, it's safe for 180 feet (10bar!) and you have buttons for really all camera functions. Compared to other housings, it's rather inexpensive (I paid ~700 US$).

Next thing I definitely need is an external strobe - any recommendations?

I am currently shooting a Sealife Reefmaster 35mm. I wondered if anyone is using their digital DC200. I have also seen advertised the DC310, but not from sealife yet. Any word on when that will be released?

The Camera inside the housing is not very state of art, and I won't recommend to do the investion.

You get nice Consumer Cameras with affordabe hoiusings from Canon/Olympus/Sony et.al.

They may be a bit more expensive but you get a better value for your money.

I don't see any sense to spend a lot of money on a cheap camera in a cheap housing.

Simon

I'm about half way completed with my underwater camera. (Yes it took a lot of research.) All that is left is the strobe. I purchased a Canon Powershot Sxx series with Canon underwater casing and am looking at the Ikelite and Sea and Sea strobes now leaning towards the Sea & Sea.

My goal was to find a great camera that could be made into an underwater camera that was relatively inexpensively and that would last for many years and not become technologically obsolete. I wanted a great digital camera to use above water as we only dive a few times a year.

The Canon Powershot S45 is 4mp and S50 is 5mp. Find a local camera store and work the prices down. They have room to play. Most of the canon cameras have housings made by Canon and can be bought for under $200 doing the same (bargain the price down). I got it for $175 listed on Canon's website for $240.

The downfall to the canon housings are they are only good to 100/130ft depending on which camera series you buy. For me as a recreational diver, that is fine. I will sacrafice going belolw 100ft or not photograph that dive. Although I have heard many people take it lower. My local dive shop liked it but thought there were too many buttons on the case (more chances for leakes). But hey, for the price, I will never complain! It sure beats paying $500-1500 for a custom housing!

The Canon Powershots take incredible pictures above water even in low light! It has exceeded all of my expectations and I don't know of any consumer cameras that do a better job!!

One final recommendation, get insurance! (DEPP Flood Insurance) Just in case!

Hope this helps!

Hi all - I am a bit confused so here goes. I started looking big but got killed by price (Cool Pix 5000, Light and Motion housing and strobes)(Recommended by my dive shop owner)(Probably should have the new roof on the house before a $5000 camera setup). Then started looking at consumer products. Does anyone have a comparison opinion on the Canon S50, the Sony DSC-p10, and the Olympus 5050? They all have housings available from the manufacturer. Is one better for strobing than the others? Is there a place to learn about this? I am off at the end of July for a dive trip. Thanks.

I would also like to hear some views from people who have used various digital systems. I have a canon s30 with the canon housing. It's ok but to be honest, I have some real problems getting the darn thing to focus properly (especially macro shots). I read the stuff on the canon Japan site which helped a lot. But, it still seems to be very problematic. Last week I was in sipidan/mabul and finally had that perfect opportunity to get a good madarin fish shot. Unfortunately it was out of focus. For me at least this is not an easy camera to use. I would love to hear from more of the rest of you. I am seriously thinking about a change to the Olympus 5050.

Ray

A stupid question (I did the mistake my self): Did you use the Macro Mode?

Simon

Not stupid at all. The answer is yes, I did use the macro mode. I am sure that there are cases where that was my problem (got in a hurry), but not this time.

Ray

I get pretty good Focus with the Macro Mode. Then try the Manual Focus. Its not very confy but it works.

Simon

Hello all,
I am hoping that you could maybe help a complete beginner to get started.
I am off to micronesia for a couple of weeks. I would like to take some digital photos.
I have $700.00 to spend on a set up.
Can I get anything for $700.00 that is worthwhile? If so what should I buy?
Should I just buy the slides, or video that I am sure the dive op will offer me?
I have access to Photoshop and have a god laptop with burner to take already.
Just need to find a camera, housing, (and lights?).
Thanks in advance for all advice.

Patrick

I just got an Olympus C5050 with the Olympus Underwater Housing #PT-014.
Have to save a few more pennies to get an external strobe because I understand the images come out much better with a strobe. My bifocal lenses were fogging up so I was just pointing and shooting. Better luck next time. Anyway, click on the link to see the first pictures out of this setup.
http://www.pbase.com/krishnadas/diving

I hope you meant that you got the PT-015 housing which is the one that matches the C-5050z. If not you need to exchange the PT-014.
TedJ

I have a Canon 1D but I can't afford a good case. So I got the Oly c5050 and the PT-015 case. No Flash yet. This link point to my first time out.
http://www.pbase.com/krishnadas/diving
I realise I have a lot to learn but at least I got some pictures out the first time. Need to save my pennies and get a good external flash such as Ikelite Substrobe DS-50 Package for other brand Housings (Canon, Olympus, Sony) $450.

You're right - PT-015 is the one I got.

I bought a S40 last year with the Canon underwaterhouse. Makes very decent pictures without strobes if you manually adjust the whitebalance every 15 feet of depth or so. You can check some of the shots at Rud-gr.com, look for the portfolio>scuba.
However, adjusting the WB makes you feel like playing a Nintendo underwater and focussing is somewhat stressfull when you're, like me, used to handling professional camera's.
Having a good buddy with a decent diving lamp makes shooting twice as fun and deliveres some amazing shots now and then.

Nice pictures - all two of them. Do you have any more?
Please explain how do you manually adjust the whitebalance. You definitely got some nice colors.
Thanks in advance.

Hi!

I currently have a Canon S400 with a bonica slave strobe. I had a flood (MY FAULT) in a recent dive (it is at the repair shop right now).
It takes great pictures, but now that I have more experience I would buy something else.

The S400 is very compact, great during the dive. The macro is excellent. The casing includes a flash diffuser. You can access all the function while underwater.

Disadvantage: Cannot add telephoto or wide angle on land. Cannot easily add converstion lens on the housing. Can't remove the preflash.

I use my slave strobe using the FEL mode (flash exposure lock). You first shoot to set the FEL mode than wait for the strobe to recharge and than shoot the real picture. Long process but it works well. I even replace the flash diffuser on the housing with a mirror to make sure the strobe will detect the light from the camera internal flash.

Now I'm looking for a digital camera that I can shoot RAw with and that will work automaticly with my strobe. Any suggestions? :?:

Hugues

If you dont want the stress: Shoot RAW and adjust the WB later on the computer (Best is PS Camera RAW / Or PS CS because you can also adjust the Exposure what you cant do with any other RAW Converter with Canon S-Series RAWs)

Simon

Does anyone have any thing to say about the 5050 vs. the 5060? This will be quite the splurge for me so any info at this point would be greatly appreciated. Other models/ set ups I should be considering at this point? (05/04).

Thanks.

I am looking for a great above water camera which I will be able to find proper undrewater housings for. So I started with looking for a good camera and with a friend came up with these seven: Canon G5, Fujifilms7000, Nikon coolpix S700, Canon PowershotS1 IS,OlymupsC-750 ultra zoom, Kodax Easyshare DX6490,Fujifilmfinepix5000, Dimage DZ2. So tell me what you think about these diff. cameras and give me advice about which one has the best features for above/undre water water photogaphy. And of course which has the best housing at the most reasonable price.

Personally i like Olympuses for underwater use.
The 5050 or whatever the newest one in that range is is probably best.
Olympus seems to have the best manual control features of any product, full manual very important for underwater use.
Light and Motion makes a great housing for Olympuses with a real hot shoe strobe connection as opposed to the crappy slave functions found with other housings. Little more expensive but if you want results is best to pay the diff. But if you are just doing one or two dive trips a year and just looking for some photos to show your friends and a camera that is easy to use and carry around then one of the cheaper models with less functionality is fine.

Ikelite housings for Olympus cameras provide true camera to strobe automatic TTL control using an Ikelite sync cord. This is a bit more affordable of a setup and one that will provide hours of fun and plenty of room to grow.

Cheers
James

Great to hear Ikelite has adopted a proper connection. I have an ikelite housing for one of my film SLR cameras and never had any real problems that weren't user error.
So i will change my tune, for a first time housing, or anytime really, go Ikelite, affordable and reliable.

hie...i'm pretty interested with underwater photography. So planning to get a camera that will be good for both land and water usage.

I've looked into canon s70..however i found that the underwater casing for canon's camera are pretty limited. It can't go more than 30ft?

Any recommendation for me?
thanks

Hi Ying,

I'm not sure about the housing for the S70 but the housings for the S30-S50 was rated to 30 meters (and i took it to 40m without problems) are you sure you don't mix up ft and meters?

Simon

i've got mixed up...
s70 case could support up to 40m / 130 ft max

How's the S series camara performance underwater?

Hi Ying,
I used the S30 and the S50 U/W (and also a little bit on land)
In general the S series have a good optic and they give you all the options with the parameters of the photography, almost as DSLR another advance is the size of them.
Two problems with thus cameras I was notice:
1. Very poor battery, it enough for less then two dives so you have to open the housing after each dive.
2. The macro is not so good.

Can someone explain the forward compatibility of the Inon 180 strobe, if I buy it now for a P&S? Will this strobe work with a DSLR (even if only using optical trigger through a clear housing like Ikelite's)?

I like the price, size and simplicity of this strobe, although I realize Ikelite strobes will be TTLable with Ikelite housings.

Edit: I figured it out with a better search.
link

I have an Olympus C5060 and PT020 and must say I am disappointed.

I have sent the camera back to Olympus twice and the PT020 housing once.

Right out of the box the PT020 was bad. Putting the camera in the housing resulted in the camera zooming out without me touching the zoom lever plus some other related probs. Returned it to Smile Photo for a replacement and they sent me the same PT020 back. (Serial numbers don't lie I know where I won't buy from again) Talked to Olympus and they wanted BOTH the camera and the housing. Sent them both back. Olympus adjusted the zoom lever on the housing and did the standard clean and inspect.

Spent a month in Hawaii and was only able to use the camera and housing on 1 dive. The second time out, in 1 ft of water, the camera went nuts. When I turned it on it was in display mode and when I switched to P mode it lost focus and would not work under any conditions or modes either in or out of the housing.
The lens would slide out and stick. And when I tried to turn the camera off the lens would stay out and I never got a shutdown sound. If I went through the modes eventually I could get the lens to retract so I could put a lens cover on it. I talked to Oly tech support 2X. First they said "install the firmware upgrade. That'll fix it." The second time they talked me through a super secret reset button sequence. When that didn't work they said "send it in." When I got home, I procrastinated for a month before I wrote the detailed (4 page) letter describing the problem. And when I was writing the letter I brought the camera out to double check what I was telling them and the camera spontaneously started working again.

I don't know what caused the problem, but a wild idea is saying altitude (camera broke at sea level, after a month at 7K feet it starts working again) After reading another post I am wondering if the problem was PT020 related. Or at least created by the PT020.

But anyway, its a real shame because I had more fun with the 5060 on dry land than any other camera ever, except maybe my first Yashica SLR back in the '70s. And on the one dive I did make with it, I loved it! I must have taken 200 shots.

I just wish it was reliable.

Sorry
Tom

Is there anywhere I can find a list off cameras that can provide RAW data. I am about to upgrade my old cannon powershot A40 for somehting else and have been told a camera with RAW capabilities is the way to go.
I am not a super serious photographer (ie don't want to cart around tonnes of camera kit) ideally I'm after someting small enough to clip off on the jacket but good enough to produce decent shots. I like the look of the Sony T1 size and Mpixels wise but it doesn't include RAW capability, any comments.

Check out http://www.imaging-resource.com/ and http://dpreview.com/
Lots of good info on all the cameras.

The other thing you want, besides raw, is good manual modes, (full manual or Aperature Priority), which most of the lower end digis do not have.

Focus speed in low light, and shutter lag are also critical to a happy uw-photo experience.

So, I'd look at the sony V3, nikon 8400, or canon G6. Unclear how the G6 AF is in low light.

Don

Hi
Would REALLY REALLY appreciate some buying advice! Want to get the other half a new digital camera for Xmas, which she can use on land and when diving...want to spend around £500 ($950) in total (camera and housing).... Have tried doing lots of reading, but am getting quite confused!
What seems to stand out at the moment is the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z40, with the EWC-40 housing.... anybody have any thoughts, or make a better recommendation??

Thanks so much!
J

Although I am shooting a dSLR, I am getting MY better half a digital camera for the holidays as well.

After much discussion and research on various websites, I have decided on the Fuji 810. I think this is a remarkable camera for the money (under $500 USD), and although she does not dive, the housing is very affordable making this a great "second" camera for me!

The camera has all of the functions a diver would want and need, has a 6.4 megapixel sensor, and seems to have an excellent lens.

The ONLY drawback I can see is that it only uses xD cards, but with memory as cheap as it is lately, even this expense is not out of line.

My humble $.02(US). Enjoy the hunt!

Hello everyone,

It's been a very entertaining, informative and unfortunately frustrating time for me over the last 3 weeks as I've been busy researching digital UW cameras and reading posts here and at digitaldiver and reviews whereever I could find them... Having started off with the Canon S60 in mind (as recommended by a local camera shop), I have now changed my mind more times than I have eaten this week and spent countless late nights cross-eyed at my computer trying to get a more definitive answer. So I am now doing what I should have done 2 weeks ago - signing on and asking...

I seem to have narrowed my selections down to the Canon S70, the Fuji F810 or the Sea&Sea Dx5000g. Let me explain my situation and needs... I am currently working as a dive instructor in Indonesia, but would like to supplement my income by offering a tag-along-for-the-day photo service to students and fun divers alike.

So my main concerns for a camera would be portability (hence a compact model), picture quality (do I even need to say that?), fast response times to catch those one-off moments both UW and on land and the ability to take a day's worth of shots preferably without opening the housing 3 times to change batteries/cards. I would also like it to be compact enough to take out of an evening with groups and not have to have it hanging around my neck.

As far as my photo skills go: on land I use a Nikon F65 (35mm) SLR which I am slowly becoming adept with, and UW I have been using a S&S mx5 film P+S and again starting to get consistently better results (great results when using a friends dx3100!)

All the cameras have some ability to function in manual mode, which I would like to be able to develop my abilities, all are quite compact and all are 5MP+ (enough for my needs, I feel?). However, here are my concerns:

S70 - chosen over the s60 due to improved reviews re: focus and shutter lag times, but still slow in that respect, also more expensive... However, picture quality seems best of bunch.

F810 - mixed reviews on pic quality, poor battery life, expensive xd cards, but cheap option and many comments around touting it as possible oly 5050 replacement...

dx5000g - not many reviews to go by, but mixed re pic quality again! super fast focus/shutter time and good battery life. Made by specifically UW company, with 55m housing...

As it goes, I'm leaning in the direction of the S&S 5000g, as a stable package that would easily take a strobe later in life, built by a reputable UW housing company. But the lack of feedback and reviews from current users worries me...

Along with any recommendations or advice you may have, can anyone tell me of a decent dealer in Vancouver, Canada where I am this week, or of one in or near to Bali, Indonesia, where I am based?

Sorry for the long post, gang. Thanks for reading it though. Hope to hear from someone soon!

James.

Hi James,

Looks like you have narrowed it down to some excellent choices.

Given that you are planning on shooting divers, a wide-angle (WA) lens is going to be critical. The lenses on the camera just aren't really wide enough (even the S70). Currently only the F810 and S&S have the option of an external lens. Advice from Inon is that the UWL100 28AD (designed for the S70) will not be released until May 2005. I'm not sure whether that will sway your decision. There is a thread here on wetpixel where someone describes using the standard UWL105AD on the S70, but they were facing issues of internal light reflections - so I'm not sure that is a great solution.

Now regarding the F810/SS... I've just purchased the F810 for friend - mainly for its RAW capability and low-light focus speed (which is something the S70 struggles with according to dpreview). I realise the battery is a bit of an issue and I've heard from users that they can only just fill one 512MB card with RAW or JPG before the battery dies (and that is not using flash for every shot). The person I bought the camera for will not be a very prolific shooter, but it may be worth it for you to have the extra capacity. Another thing to note is the F810 does not do STTL with the Inon D2000 (unlike the Canon S70). It will work well in "auto" or manual modes. The auto mode is independent of the camera and relies on light reflecting back at the strobe. For WA work tho, you're probably better off learning manual anyway. Although on the other hand - Alex Mustard had some great WA shots recently from a Oly 5060 and an Inon D2000 on STTL.

As far as the SS camera goes - I've heard very little about it and can't tell you whether it will have better battery life or low-light focus. Someone else might have to chip in there. FWIW it does seem like a relatively expensive option, but then if it performs better than the others - it ought to be. HTH

Hi James
I bought an Oly c8080 because of good reviews on pic quality. I have now come to the conclusion that underwater focus speed and shortest shutter lag time will be more important than the marginal increase in quality between different camera of same mpeg size. The ability to add strobes and TTL strobe control also important and Ikelites TTL solution for the Oly was the final reason I chose it.

Just wanted to thank you guys for your comments - although I would have hoped a few more folks might reply too... (must remember to cross post next time!)

Just to let you know that I ended up going for the sea&sea dx5000g, which I managed to get for a steal from a local supplier. Will be getting in the water with it in the coming weeks and I'll let folks here and in other groups know how it performs. Hopefully, I'll be able to post a few of the photos, too! (local net connections allowing..)

James.

Hello, I am very very very new on Underwater Digital Photograpy. I've just bought an Ikelite Housing for my Sony V3. Since my camera has a hot shoe for an external flash I am trying to discover what is the best choice for an External Underwater Substrobe counting on Cost x Benefit, mainly cost, because here in Brazil this things usualy are expensive and I usually bring them from eBay.

I don't understand if other brands like S&S are copatible with my Ikelite Housing, or just Ikelite Substrobes are compatible with an Ikete Housing? Does the native TTL function from my camera will ever work? Because on Ikelite website says "NO".

I am looking for a new DS-51 Substrobe from ikelite, but it is a little bit expensive and I want something not so expensive that I can start shooting underwater with more quality.

Just to sare my crazy experiences, I am trying to adapt an Infrared Flashlite with 14 IR leds on my Ikelite Housing to be able to shot with Nightshot underwater, never tryied wet. Did anybody here has ever made such a thing? Do you think it should work like exploring holes and dark places?

Well for now that's all, I hope that we can share experiences here.

Best Regards,

Sergio

As usual, the Ikelite website is correct.

If you use a wired connection, from hot shoe to strobe, then you will have to shoot manual strobe power.

Many folks swear by manual over TTL.

So, going wired, you can get a synch cord that goes from the ikelite housing to almost any strobe, including ikelite, sea&sea, inon, & nikonos.

All of them will operate manual. Some of them offer more manual power levels for manual use.

For using TTL, you must use an optical slave, to trigger the strobe, in synch with the little pre-flashes, and so on, of the camera's flash. You can do this with the heinrich's DA2, attached to almost any compatible flash. Or you can use an inon strobe that has the optical slave built in, and connects with a fiber optical cable.

Some of the sea & sea strobes are supposed to be preflash compatible, and have optical slave systems, but I tried the ys-110, and could not get it to work, with the V3.

The DA2, and DS-51 is working very well for me.

HTH
Don

Food for thought: I'm an avid photographer, but my diving is usually one significant trip a year. I started underwater photography years ago with Nikonos gear, and decided to graduate to an underwater housing for my DSLR before a major dive trip to Indonesia in 2007. I'm now going to sell my "fancy" Subal 5D housing (and all the paraphernalia) and move to a smaller, lighter underwater camera/housing set-up. So think before jumping in. Are you going to sell photographs? Are you diving several times a year? Do you want good photos for personal display? How much gear do you want to "lug" through airports, etc.? Lots of questions to answer.

I guess this thread is pretty old now but reckon you can't go far wrong with Olympus