Looking for a good point and shoot

[zen_man]

Yes,

I think most of the A series have an U/W mode if you want that. Canon makes U/W housings. Just as an example, I looked up the A 570 IS housing on amazon:
Amazon.com: Canon WP-DC12 Waterproof Case for Canon A570IS Digital Camera: Camera & Photo

they are selling both, together for $305.26

The housing is rated to 130 feet.
A strobe is something to consider if you are diving in dark or murky water. But you could always try it out and go from there.

 

[zen_man]

I use a Sony Cyber shot with a used housing. Got about $150 bucks into it takes good pics etc... My buddy has a Sealife that has spent more time on UPS trucks than with him.

The CyberShot is a pretty good option too.

I have a friend that went through the same thing with his SeaLife. It flooded twice and it was a total nightmare for him. After the second time, he sold it. He ended up selling it and getting a Canon. I think it was an SD series, can't remember, and never had a problem with it and couldn't believe the quality of pics he was getting.
He also said that SeaLife was good about the flooding issues and they had very good customer service. He just thought it wasn't worth it since he had hardly used it. I know many people are very happy with their SeaLife and I don't want to knock them. I just think you can get a better camera and better pictures for equal to less $$$.

 

[jodomonk]

I see what you mean. Do they make a model with an underwater mode?

Where do I get the housings? How do I know what depth they are rated for?

I did all my camera shopping and research on Amazon.com. I went to some other more sophisticated sites like dpreview, but I find for a beginning UW photographer such as myself, I can identify with the Amazon reviews pretty well (there are also a TON of reviews on Amazon). For the camera, make sure you get one with image stabilization; it is essential for UW photography. I would say about half of the A series have this.

Amazon has all the Canon UW housings as well. You could get one by Ikelite, but Canon housings are supposed to be very high quality and are way more cost effective if you are looking for something basic. Once you find the specific A series you want just search for that model + "Underwater Housing" in the Amazon search bar. Most of the models read WP-DC#, where the # is some number based off your camera model. Most of the Canon housings are about the same cost or slightly less than the camera itself. Ikelite housings usually end up being about an additional 50%.

Most of the housings are rated 130 to 200 feet. I think most of the Canon housings are 130 feet.

 

[shakespear]

Another question:

Does the camera act like a ballon underwater? Since it has air in the case?

 

[eckybay]

I have a basic camera/housing set up just to play around with. I went with the canon A620...great little camera. It does have the U/W mode or you can manually set the whit balance at depth using a white slate to correct the colors. Picked up a used housing for $75. There are weights that can be added to the housing to make it neutrally buoyant, but I haven't bothered to get them. Just slip the supplied cord around my wrist and let it trail along after me when I'm not taking a pic.

 

[wjefferis]

I have a DC500 Maxx set. It is a great camera. You don't have to get the entire set, but I would recommend getting one strobe and the wide angle lens. Here are a few pics I took this year with my camera. And by the way this was the first year I had the camera and I am already getting some nice shots.

 

[hammerhead man]

I have been using Sea&Sea cameras for a few years and have been very happy with them. The latest ones allow you to use the camera as a point and shoot or give you manual control if you want. I would also agree that you may want to rent one to see if you like UW photography. Then invest your money. After I rented one I was sold and bought a Sea&Sea DX-3000G and was very happy. However, be warned once you get hooked you will always want a better rig (sigh, I need a second job just to feed my UW camera desires )!!!!! So you may want to get a camera that will allow you to grow as your skills improve. I now own the Sea&Sea DX-1G and am very happy with it. You can check out my pics in my gallery to see the type of photos you can get with a Sea&Sea camera.

Regards,

Bill

 

[UncleJoes]

The Sealife Reefmaster Mini sounds like what you are looking for. the camera and housing are one in the same. 6.1 megapixels, 130ft rated, MSRP $279.95

PM me for my price.

 

[Scuba.com]

Sealife Reefmaster Mini 6.0 Megapixel Digital Camera
Shutter Delay - Less than 1 second
Large 2" LCD for easy viewing and aiming
Non-slip, rubber armored housing
Use it for all your topside photos
Easy to operate full function controls
8 Modes - Night and Day from Portrait to Landscape
Sea Mode - "Color Booster"Richer colors at deeper depths
Instant Focus - from 2ft to Infinity
Spy Mode - Takes continuous pictures at set time intervals
Video mode with audio feature
14MB built in memory - holds up to an average of 56 pictures
SD Card Expandable Memory
DEPTH: 130 feet
Buy Sealife Reefmaster Mini 6.0 Megapixel Digital Camera SL320 and other scuba diving gear at scuba.com

 

[zen_man]

I'll stick to what I said earlier and recommend a P&S camera with a housing.

Either way you go, I second the strobe thought. The additional light really brings the colors back into the subject you're shooting underwater.