Dig. Camera opinions

[scubagrrl]

Any opinions on this deal at Amazon?



I'm sick of paying to get my crappy underwater shots developed.   Anyone know how well this camera performs?

[Swimjim]

Well, you can go down to your local Wally world and buy a Cannon A540 for about $180.00 and then buy a fully functionable Cannon housing for about the same money.  You will have great picture quality and can do three minute video clips that you can baste together on your home computer.  For another three hundred samolians you can look up B+H photo and get a external flash, a spot light that doubles as an emergency flasher and a tray.  Then your in business.  You will have macro capabilities and the whole nine yards.  You can do all this for less money and have better quality then the Sea & Sea.  The Sea & Sea stuff is good quality, don't get me wrong. But the cannon will have more bells and whistles whether your on the dock or cruising at 130 fow.

Jim

[ethanb]

That's what I was thinking as well.  The Canon housings are all about $150-200 and they've got decent cameras from $120-400.  So you're in for about $270-$600, depending on which setup you get.  The Sea and Sea is more or less an auto-only camera, while the Canons A-series offer a full complement of manual modes (which will help immensely underwater).  If you'd rather not have manual modes (i.e. just planning to shoot shallow natural light stuff in the carribean), the Canon SD-series cameras would be another option (but that's what I'm moving away from).

The Sea and Sea does offer a wide-angle mount, which isn't available for the newer Canon housings with rectangular ports, but there are some aftermarket vendors which sell them for the Canons.  All the accessories they're tossing in at Amazon are only worth another $50-75 or so.

I'm looking at buying an A710 with the housing for about $325 + $150 = $475, plus another ~$30 for batteries and a charger and $30 for memory, so it'll come to about $535.  I guarantee that it's a way better camera than the DX750G unit you posted. 

Ethan

[Swimjim]

Hey Ethan, just out of curiousity, do you know if there is some sort of wide angle adapter available for the Cannon WP-DC60 housing? 

Thanks

Jim

[ethanb]

The WP-DC60 (for the A510/A520, another camera I considered) has a circular lens ring, so there is some hope of having wide-angle lenses for it.  Inon and Epoque both make adaptors to fit 67mm and wide-angle lenses onto Canon housings.




It looks like Inon supports the:
  DC1, DC2, DC3, DC4, DC5,
  DC20, DC30, DC40, DC50, DC70, DC80,
  DC100, DC200, DC300, DC500, DC700, DC800, DC900
and Epoque supports:
  DC-50

It looks like you and I are the only ones who are out of luck!  However, I'd encourage you to call Inon and see if there is one that might fit or could be adapted to fit.  It's probably a matter of drilling a few holes in the adaptor - I've seen people on wetpixel and digideep who do this.

This posting, with exactly the same question you have, suggests contacting "Underwater Phototech" or "Ryan at Reef Photo and Video"





You'll be in for a shock when you see the price of a lens!

Please tell me what you find,

Ethan

[Swimjim]

Thanks for the info Ethan, I'll look into that.

Jim

[Bubbles]

Hey Scuba Gal!   I was at underwater connection in the Falls,   Menomonee Falls that is and they have got some used camera gear down there; one is the sea and sea with the arm and the flash for around five if my memory serves me correctly.   Leisure Pro has a case for a digital Olympus for $49 good to 120'.  That is the one I just bought, seeing as my son had the point and shoot Oly.  Good luck and I hope this helps.. :   Bubbles ;D