Hello all,
I've been reading up here and on different forums, and still can't quite make up my mind on what to get for my massive camera upgrade, massive as in jumping from a Panasonic Lumix TZ10 (ZS7 in the US) to a more recent compact model.
I've been diving mostly in Indonesia, and next trip is my 3rd to Central Raja Ampat. I'm not into UW macro that much, I've shot pigmy seahorses and ornate ghostpipefish but clearly found out what really turns me on now is UW video, and wide angle photography.
I love schools of fish, big and small, and could stay hours with a school of jacks or fusiliers, and also love watching the footage afterwards.
With this in mind, I've been looking into compact camera options, and still can't make a choice. It's all very confusing.
I got some pretty good results with the TZ10, which has surprinsingly good white balance for a model this old, compared to some very blue/green unprocessed footage I've seen with more recent and much more advanced compacts. But overall image quality is clearly not the same.
So far, reading up, I've narrowed it down to:
Canon G16:
I've got a G12 (but no housing, and they still sell at $1000 or so and the canon/ meikon tend to leak, so gave up on that, never used it underwater)- I love this series, and getting a G16 with a fantasea housing was my initial choice, but apparently it's not ideal for UW video, more for macro. Or is it? Is the RX 100 series much better for UW video and wide angle photography?
Sony RX 100 mark II or III: they seem great, not sure which is better for video and UW wide angle, and the mark II's price tag is way more attractive thant the III's. The IV is too expensive for me.
Others options i've been considering:
Sony G7X: haven't read much on the subject. Not sure it's ideal for UW video, and not sure if many housings are available? Apparently it's presented as a competitor to the RX 100 M3.
GoPro: not really what I'd been looking for, but some people have recommended it (recent models) for video. Others have told me to forget it. Not really convinced, but the price is attractive as well.
And lastly: I've found a Patima housing for the G12, at 400 euros... Does the G12 stand a chance for underwater video?
I'm a little lost, as you can see. It's all very confusing for me, new models here and there, and not so much info on UW video and white balance. Some of the footage I've seen is nice and crisp, but the colors are really not that great and would need serious post-production.
I would like to get good looking colors in natural lighting, say filming a school of jacks at 15-20 meters max, without getting all strobed up (which is I'm getting with the TZ10 and a little white balance tweaking).
I'd also love to add a fisheye wet lense to the case in the near future (but won't be able for this coming trip).
Price, especially available housing price, also comes into play, as I don't intend to spend $1000 on a housing, which also adds to my confusion. Maybe I'm just getting old, but things are really going fast, aren't they...
thanks for your help
ben
I've been reading up here and on different forums, and still can't quite make up my mind on what to get for my massive camera upgrade, massive as in jumping from a Panasonic Lumix TZ10 (ZS7 in the US) to a more recent compact model.
I've been diving mostly in Indonesia, and next trip is my 3rd to Central Raja Ampat. I'm not into UW macro that much, I've shot pigmy seahorses and ornate ghostpipefish but clearly found out what really turns me on now is UW video, and wide angle photography.
I love schools of fish, big and small, and could stay hours with a school of jacks or fusiliers, and also love watching the footage afterwards.
With this in mind, I've been looking into compact camera options, and still can't make a choice. It's all very confusing.
I got some pretty good results with the TZ10, which has surprinsingly good white balance for a model this old, compared to some very blue/green unprocessed footage I've seen with more recent and much more advanced compacts. But overall image quality is clearly not the same.
So far, reading up, I've narrowed it down to:
Canon G16:
I've got a G12 (but no housing, and they still sell at $1000 or so and the canon/ meikon tend to leak, so gave up on that, never used it underwater)- I love this series, and getting a G16 with a fantasea housing was my initial choice, but apparently it's not ideal for UW video, more for macro. Or is it? Is the RX 100 series much better for UW video and wide angle photography?
Sony RX 100 mark II or III: they seem great, not sure which is better for video and UW wide angle, and the mark II's price tag is way more attractive thant the III's. The IV is too expensive for me.
Others options i've been considering:
Sony G7X: haven't read much on the subject. Not sure it's ideal for UW video, and not sure if many housings are available? Apparently it's presented as a competitor to the RX 100 M3.
GoPro: not really what I'd been looking for, but some people have recommended it (recent models) for video. Others have told me to forget it. Not really convinced, but the price is attractive as well.
And lastly: I've found a Patima housing for the G12, at 400 euros... Does the G12 stand a chance for underwater video?
I'm a little lost, as you can see. It's all very confusing for me, new models here and there, and not so much info on UW video and white balance. Some of the footage I've seen is nice and crisp, but the colors are really not that great and would need serious post-production.
I would like to get good looking colors in natural lighting, say filming a school of jacks at 15-20 meters max, without getting all strobed up (which is I'm getting with the TZ10 and a little white balance tweaking).
I'd also love to add a fisheye wet lense to the case in the near future (but won't be able for this coming trip).
Price, especially available housing price, also comes into play, as I don't intend to spend $1000 on a housing, which also adds to my confusion. Maybe I'm just getting old, but things are really going fast, aren't they...
thanks for your help
ben
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