looking for camera housing

hi all
I'm new to underwater photography, so I'm looking to get started using a simple point and shoot I already have - a Nikon Coolpix 3700. I'm not ready to jump in with gearing up my Nikon D80 yet.
Since this is an old model, Nikon and Fantasea no longer sell the housings they used to sell for it. Does anyone out there have a used Fantasea (CP-3.7) or other housing that would let me use the Nikon cp3700 down to about 30-40m ?

here's hoping; happy diving

Fraser

heard back from Fantasea, and this housing was not commercially available.
So if, like me, you were hoping to get started underwater with your cp3700, I'm afraid we'll have to take the plunge and shop for something new.
Any tips out there for good compact starting setups (not dslr yet; advise to have strobe possibilities if diving to about 100ft, zoom or fixed etc ?)

thanks
Fraser

It's kind of hard to recomend anything without more info on your needs. for example how serious you hope to get with the system and what your budget is. Check out the sticky by Alcina (if you haven't already) for some great tips on what to look for in a UW camera system -> LINK.

If you're interested in stiking with Nikon, the P5100 looks like a great starter for somebody coming from a couple of Nikon's (so the menus will be familiar). The camera has manual controls and a hotshoe which will get you on your way to getting ready to stick the D80 into a housing down the line. Housings are available for it from Fantasea (~$200), Ikelite (~$450) and Fisheye (~$700).

A very popular system right now is the Canon 570IS w/ canon houisng. Last I saw for about $300 (maybe $350) you could get the set. It also has the complete selection of manual controls. Arguably this could be the best "bang for the buck" system out right now (IMHO).

Since you're just getting started, whatever you buy now will probably be upgraded or replaced later.
Nikon, Canon, & Olympus offer nice point & shoots with matching housings available at reasonable prices. keep it simple, picking only the features you need, for example big zoom capability is virtually useless since most of your shots will be under 1-10 foot. Look for a large screen, since it's hard to see well in the water. About the only other must have feature is the ability to record in the raw format, which will pay off with much better editing options.
Don't overspend now, save money for strobes, photo courses & of course diving itself.

many thanks for the input and the links.
RAW format sounds like a good option to have - I use it a lot topside with the D80. Also narrows down the choice of compacts quite a bit.

cheers
Fraser

Try e-bay or amazon. I've had good luck with finding both my camera and housings for my cameras there (my Olympus C7070 went off the market before I decided I wanted one, and both housings - for it and the C4000Z were only available overseas and/or had been discontinued).

Just make sure you water test it before taking your camera down in it.

I have a housing for a Canon S200 or S230 that I don't need anymore if you end up finding one of those for cheap. I also have the manuals a couple batteries, bag and all the cables that came with the S230 new. Canon replaced my S230 instead of repairing it.