The Ongoing "Which Camera for a Newbie?" Question

[f3nikon]

New guy here. What is a Hotshoe?

This is a hotshoe (center) the BEST way of firing an external strobe via a sync cord mano e mano. But if you are never ever going to use an U/W external strobe...get a hot shoe anyway for land shots! The on camera flash is mostly underpowered. On land you will be shooting at greater distances, you will need more light, you will be glad you did.

And for U/W, the less zoom on the lens, the better.

 

[granitedive]

Way back when I had one of those Ikelite disposable camera housings. Worked pretty good, except for the on-board flash causing back-scatter. A remote flash is supposed to solve that.

 

[Monkey Knife-fight]

I love my new Fuji F810 and my very new Ikelite housing for it. I have yet to take it underwater but am leaving tomorrow for 2 weeks on Kona!!!!!!! So i'll have lots more experience in two weeks. I have been very happy with it above-water. It's small and takes very sharp pics. chrissyt.smugmug.com are some examples of pics i've taken with it...lots of macro pics too.

www.digitaldiver.net
www.wetpixel.com

Those are both specific underwater-photography sites if you are looking for more info.


EDIT: BTW it probably cost me at least $800 after camera, housing, batteries, and memory cards

 

[KrisB]

I have an A80 and have looked at the A85... the A80 is a *far* better camera. It's solid (metal housing instead of plastic) and has a fold-out screen (useful for on land).

It's missing the SCN mode, but you don't really need that, as you'll likely spend your time in 'M' mode, setting the aperture and exposure time yourself.

The nice thing about the A series (at least the A60-95) is the ability to go full manual... I don't think the S series offers that.

I, too, would avoid the following: A60, A70, A75, A85 -- they just aren't made to the same quality level as the A80 and A95.

BTW: just so you're not as confused as I was, the A75 is the successor to the A60; the A85 is the successor to the A70 and the A95 is the successor to the A80. It seems Canon has used the 'tens' digit to refer to the number of megapixels instead of an actual model line... the A7x is 3.2mp; the A8x is 4.0mp; the A9x is 5.0mp.

 

[alcina]

could be, could be.

Having had the A70 for a couple of years and using it in our hire system, I'd have to say I found no problems with the quality. The A75 is also working well. Guess it depends on how you care for your gear, but I don't think any of the cameras, from any of the big manufacturers, have had a problem with this issue...although some are sure to be sturdier than others, I am not sure it's an issue that I would put on my top ten needs list. FWIW

 

[haha49]

Well my advise would be a simple camera no strobe or lights. For surface stuff the waves will make you move so go under to take the shot you will be allot more stable. For camera I say look at your budget add 2 handles to hold it steady or 1 and hold the camera case and the handle. You could also go with a gopro on a monopod if you want some close up shots and take a picture from the video that's another option.

 

[underwaterbuddy]

I love my new Fuji F810 and my very new Ikelite housing for it. I have yet to take it underwater but am leaving tomorrow for 2 weeks on Kona!!!!!!! So i'll have lots more experience in two weeks. I have been very happy with it above-water. It's small and takes very sharp pics. chrissyt.smugmug.com are some examples of pics i've taken with it...lots of macro pics too.

www.digitaldiver.net
www.wetpixel.com

Those are both specific underwater-photography sites if you are looking for more info.


EDIT: BTW it probably cost me at least $800 after camera, housing, batteries, and memory cards

Mind posting some of your pics? Sounds like a quality camera.

 

[jboneng]

Mind posting some of your pics? Sounds like a quality camera.

Monkey Knife-fight haven't posted anything on this board since 2006, so I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[daz88]

" I am not a scuba diver, only a vacation-type snorkler" ....you don't need a dive camera. A lot of the camera companies make underwater cameras for snorklers and beach goers. Some are rated to 30 feet. These cameras would suit your needs and be much cheaper than getting a "dive" camera setup.