Tell me about Sealife cameras..
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My wife has one and loves it. They aren't THE best in quality if you want professional type pictures for publication, but they are great to the naked eye for recreational vacation use. And they are reasonably inexpensive compared to other cameras with a full compliment of strobes and lenses. I will say it will take a little practice to learn how and when to adjust the lighting, but it is a very easy camera to use and maintain, and for our purposes I'm glad we have it.
diver 85
Contributor
I would have stated 'Show me some Sealife vs Tell me '......I think you can do better with some of the Canon A Series or Olympus lines.....For $303, you can now buy the camera & housing I used for my sig pictures(A 570IS)......OR for about $500, you can get the new G 9 with UW case........There are alot of options out there, be sure & do what you're doing, ask questions & LOOK @ their results(pictures)....................GEAUX TIGERS.........
We have the 500 with one 960D (digital) strobe.
I have a DC600. Over all it is a good camera & for the price a good starter camera. The camera I have is the sport package, that comes with the camera, housing & single strobe.
The good: Where I wouldn't say it takes National Geographic quality pictures, they are still quite good. The camera, hosing & strobe are quite tough (believe me, I've dropped it a few times). It is a relatively easy camera to use; meaning it has enough bells & whistles, but not too many, so as to make it difficult to use. The last thing is the price, which for a digital camera, can't really be beat. For a digital camera it is very reasonably priced, user friendly, durable & easy to take care of, thus making it a good choice for the beginner photographer.
The bad: There are a few things that I would say that I'm not crazy about this camera. Most of it I've learned to anticipate & prepare for. The batteries do not seem to last very long. With the camera set at "constant on", the battery only lasts about 15- 20 min. Now, it's quite possible that I may not have done the initial charge correctly, but I certainly tried to. Because of this I have it set to shut down after 1min. of no activity to save the battery. The downside to doing this is that when you start it back up, you have to set the flash/ strobe back to auto flash or flash at every picture (it defaults to no flash when it shuts down). Also the camera seems to have a slow shutter response time. I will hit the shutter button & it can take 1- 1 1/2 seconds for the camera to actually take the picture. I have many fish "butt" shots because of this. I have since learned to set up my shot carefully &/or learn to swim quickly to get the shot.
I am not ever going to be a professional underwater photographer, but I do like to take decent vacation photos, so the camera, even with all it's little quirks,is adequate for me.
The good: Where I wouldn't say it takes National Geographic quality pictures, they are still quite good. The camera, hosing & strobe are quite tough (believe me, I've dropped it a few times). It is a relatively easy camera to use; meaning it has enough bells & whistles, but not too many, so as to make it difficult to use. The last thing is the price, which for a digital camera, can't really be beat. For a digital camera it is very reasonably priced, user friendly, durable & easy to take care of, thus making it a good choice for the beginner photographer.
The bad: There are a few things that I would say that I'm not crazy about this camera. Most of it I've learned to anticipate & prepare for. The batteries do not seem to last very long. With the camera set at "constant on", the battery only lasts about 15- 20 min. Now, it's quite possible that I may not have done the initial charge correctly, but I certainly tried to. Because of this I have it set to shut down after 1min. of no activity to save the battery. The downside to doing this is that when you start it back up, you have to set the flash/ strobe back to auto flash or flash at every picture (it defaults to no flash when it shuts down). Also the camera seems to have a slow shutter response time. I will hit the shutter button & it can take 1- 1 1/2 seconds for the camera to actually take the picture. I have many fish "butt" shots because of this. I have since learned to set up my shot carefully &/or learn to swim quickly to get the shot.
I am not ever going to be a professional underwater photographer, but I do like to take decent vacation photos, so the camera, even with all it's little quirks,is adequate for me.
BHB ScubaTroll
Contributor
Recent photos taken with the DC600 Pro Series (Standard lens)
This was 2' from the surface while waiting for the boat to pickup
Inside a wreck
The original...
The zoom...
This was 2' from the surface while waiting for the boat to pickup
Inside a wreck
The original...
The zoom...
BHB ScubaTroll
Contributor
Change your settings to external flash... you will like the results
As others have said, and just do a search on them, they're cheaply made cameras for people who don't want manual modes, crisp macro, or good lighting. You'd be much Much MUCH better getting a nikon, olympus, cannon, Fuji in a Ikelite housing. The Sealife route is not that much cheaper than a rig that will last you a long time, and also take great photos on the surface.
The sealifes used to be made by Vivatar, don't know if that is still true.
The sealifes used to be made by Vivatar, don't know if that is still true.
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