Advice on what to buy next

[Nomihodai]

I'm looking to upgrade my dive photo gear and am looking for advice what to get next. Currently I have a Canon S100 with Canon housing. Since I'm looking to upgrade the camera in 2015 to the next Sony RX100 model or GoPro, I'm looking for something future-proof and useable with the new gear with minimal fuss and expense but still useable for my current setup for a dive trip in March.

I've mostly encountered divers quite happy with their Sola photo lights so initially I was leaning towards an 800P or two. Works for lighting up stills and video and the red light has night dives covered as well. Some combination of their new Gobe lights would work as well, perhaps getting at least a wide, spot and red focus.

Underwater photography websites suggest strobes instead. The Intova ISS 4000 is appealing price-wise (a pair with arms for 400USD on Amazon) and doesn't require cables. What other options are there for strobes that don't require cables? I'd need something else for night dives, though.

Any suggestions on what future-proof user-friendly upgrades I should consider? Hoping to keep it under $1000USD.

 

[mjh]

There is no "Future-Proof" system, there is always something "newer, better" on the horizon. Nikon, Canon use to roll out new cameras about every 2yrs (DSLRs). Now with excellent compacts and 4/3s entering the mix it seems like every 6mths something "amazing" is coming out. Your Canon is a very good camera, with good lighting and wet lenses you can get great results. We had a group go to Lembeh recently and the gentleman who took 3rd & 4th in the photo contests was shooting a S95, against people shooting +$6000 DSLR rigs.

GoPros are great at what the do but they are sort of a one trick pony; wide angle video. The RX100/II is a great still camera that can take good video. Shooting video vs. stills are different mindsets, tech, and require different lighting. There is still no one light that can do great wide angle still photography and video. A 20 Guide number strobe (entry level) is still radically more powerful than even a 4000 lumen video light.

While $1000 is a lot of money is just does not go far in our hobby. The problem with Canon housings is they do not accept most wet lenses which make the most out of a compact camera. You might be best served by keeping your S100 and upgrading your housing and lighting to something like this: System Packages :: Compact Systems :: Optical Ocean Ikelite/Sea & Sea Canon s110 Value Package - Then eventually add a diopter or WA lens.

If you want to start fresh you may need to double your budget. Most of the cameras are +$500, strives +400, housing….Here is a fully loaded system that I shoot, enjoy and believe can produce results that will make all but the most demanding happy: System Packages :: Compact Systems :: Optical Ocean Nauticam RX100 & YS-D1 Ultimate Package -

A humble example of images taken with said system: Aquablue Dreams

 

[Nomihodai]

Thank you for your reply! By future-proof I mean that I'm looking for something that'll improve the photos I take with what I currently have but won't go obsolete when I move to a new setup. Since I can't buckle down and choose between stills and video, I'll probably have separate camera setups for each, maybe using my current S100 with Canon housing for video and buying a newer camera with housing that can accommodate wet lenses. At this point I'd rather get a new camera than upgrade my S100 housing since I'm looking to using the camera quite a bit on land as well. I'm pretty sure I'm sticking with a point-and-shoot camera with manual control for my next setup instead of a DSLR so maybe that narrows my choices down a bit. So I guess I'm looking for strobes and/or lights for my current S100 that'll work with my planned upgrade to my next P&S camera.

Also, when using a camera for night dives, should I shop for a strobe with a red laser spotting beam like the Inon Z-220 (no longer on the inon.jp website though) or will I be OK with a regular strobe but a dive light with red light?

So far I'm leaning towards a single strobe (Sea & Sea YS-D1) with a light setup (I-Torch Video Pro Light instead of Solas), or should I go with double strobes (YS-01 or Inon S2000)?

 

[bvanant]

I think for most people early in their underwater photo career (or with relatively simple systems) shouldn't worry about red focus lights, get a good strobe and a simple focus light and your pics will improve. The GOPRO is a neat video camera but to me at least is not an upgrade from an S100. There are a ton of good cameras out there now including new P&S as well as the micro 4/3 systems. The new OMD-EM10 is quite interesting but maybe a bit over budget. In any case, most new systems will let you do anything you really want, the trick is to take lots more pics.
Bill

 

[rob1967]

The Canon S100 is a great little camera and also takes excellent video. As others have said, you may want to look at getting a better housing if you want play around with accessory wet lenses. The Sola 800 photo light is great, because it is a very good focus light, dive light for night dives, has the red stealth mode, and can even work as a decent video light (although for video, more light is always better). As I just mentioned in another thread here, you should definitely invest in a strobe or 2 for stills. You will need a focus light (i.e., Sola 800) if you are diving in conditions with little ambient light. The quality of your shots will go way up if you get strobes (and shoot manual).

 

[Anilaodiver]

Hi, I have used the Canon S95 with a Recsea housing and was very happy with it. The housing allowed me to use a wet lens for macro, an Inon 165M67, which is a very nice wet lens. I now shoot a Nikon D7000 with a Anthis Nexus housing and it works great. I still use the Inon wet lens with it, using an external flip mount.
For lights then and now I use a Light&MotionSola 1200 light and two Inon S240 strokes with fiber optic cables, both great. My past strobe experience was with Ikelite and Sea&Sea, both troublesome, so I sold them.
I used Intova torches, but the on-off switches are flaky Inon and they require CR123 batts, expensive and short lived. The Inon strobe and torch and the L&M Sola are trouble free, powerful and easy to maintain. My dive buddy uses one Inon and one Sea&Sea strobes together, the Inon works 100%, the S&S about 70% of the time. As others have said, UW photo is expensive, no two ways. I buy used equipment whenever I can, but stick to top brands. Still very expensive, but a great hobby.
They way I look at it, the equipment cost is about the half to the same as the cost of one 10 day dive trip, so it makes sense to get goog equipment.