Reefmaster Mini - Anyone used the macro lenses?

[DiverBizz]

RoyN that is not what info. I was looking for. I wanted you to tell me how great it was and how happy I will be when diving. Not how much stock I have to buy in FEDEX. Oh well, live and learn I guess. Thanks, I think

 

[alcina]

I have practiced above water and was not super happy with those photos but this is the camera I could afford. .

You've really hit on an important note here and it's not limited to discussion on this particular camera. There are many things beyond the obvious to consider when it comes to being able to "afford" something:

One, is the monetary cost in the immediate now. This is obviously a concern and something that each person needs to decide on an individual basis.

Two, is the monetary cost in the mid to longer term. There are systems out there that are going to simply frustrate the user more often than they are going to provide happy results and these users will then move to a different system. So now you're two systems out of pocket. For me, this is different than starting with a system that allows me to grow for a chunk of time and then I move...this point refers to simply wanting to change because I'm really not happy with the current setup.

Three, is the not exactly monetary cost. How much are messed up shots worth to you? Missed shots on a dive holiday? Frustration when you can't make the camera do what you want it to do? Nailing a shot while on holiday? Getting images you are happy with right away? Having to do research again to buy a replacement system when the one you started with isn't what you are happy with?

For me, I'd live without gear before I'd subject myself to the frustration and disappointment of something that simply wasn't adequate. I'd continue to save and/or sacrifice other spending until I could buy something that I thought would actually meet my needs.

There's a member who has found out the hard way that things aren't always what they seem - the salesman sold her a camera, extolling its virtues the whole way and it just wasn't up to scratch. She was very disappointed during her holiday, which not only decreased the value of the rig she had, but also decreased her enjoyment of the holiday, decreased the amount of actual time she had to enjoy this new rig (trying to troubleshoot and find solutions instead of being able to enjoy the day's efforts) and increased the frustration she felt - which is why we GO on holidays, to get away from the frustrations of life!

The moral...cost is not only about what's in your bank account!

 

[ScubaSteve772]

Diver Biz - The best recomendations I can give you on this camera is to not expect amazing shots. I have the mini and it works for an easy, shove in a BC pocket, recreational point and shoot. I have had issues with it focusing on many shots, the color is hit and miss in different lighting conditions, and I have never had a shot with anything spotted (coral, fish, etc) work out right (it will not focus on a spotted subject at all).

That said I have had many shots turn out very nice and many that with a tweak in photoshop to remove the excess red tinge have been great. Black and Whites come out nice (as they should) and medium range "snapshot" pictures work great. Also be sure to adjust the whitebalance as you decend/acend so you get the best results.

The nice part of this camera is that it I never wory about a housing, scratches, leackage etc since it is cheep and pretty sturdy. Just dont expect the world out of a cheep camera and you will be happy.