DC1400 vs. MicroHD on Land?

[jlevine]

I asked this on the manufacturer's forum but thought I'd ask it here. I am looking at the DC1400 and the MicroHD. I am wondering about how well these cameras work on land. The DC1400 comes out of its housing so it would appear to be a decent land camera. I am a little concerned the MicroHD won't work well on land due to the fisheye lens. All of the photos I have seen are underwater. Does anyone know how well both cameras work on land?

 

[Pillpusher]

If you're planning on using it on land, I'd suggest the DC1400. It is essentially a land camera with some underwater settings programmed into it (it has 27 different land mode settings), whereas the Micro HD seems to be programmed primarily for water (with only 1 land mode setting). Also, the Micro HD does not have a flash.

 

[dmaziuk]

Topside we get better point'n'shoot pix from a cellphone than from the sealife. It's mostly the shutter lag and I'm not entirely sure about their auto-focus (probably shutter lag + shaking hands rather than auto-focus itself). So if you want a good land camera you might look into something like canon s100 series with underwater housing instead -- it will cost more of course.

PS. I see they have a firmware update that claims improved shutter response. Gotta give that a try soon...

 

[Coop42]

Wish they'd do something about the shutter lag on the 1200.

 

[rob1967]

Wish they'd do something about the shutter lag on the 1200.

The "shutter lag" is more likely focus lag. Try half-pressing the shutter to lock focus, then full-press to take the shot. I bet you will notice a significant improvement!

 

[SeaLife Cameras]

Both the DC1400 and Micro HD can easily be set to Land Mode using the onscreen Easy Setup Guide, instantly removing any color correction adjustments for underwater. We've seen great topside shots with both cameras - we'll be sure to get some above water shots in our Micro HD photo gallery soon.

Here are a few DC1400 above water examples:
https://flic.kr/p/mjW1Ca https://flic.kr/p/ppoBiD https://flic.kr/p/eayTRJ

Regarding shutter lag on the DC1400 and DC1200, Rob makes a good point - half-pressing the shutter button to lock the focus (which will occur the fastest when the right amount of light is present), then taking the shot will increase the speed significantly. On the DC1400, be sure to download the latest firmware from our website as well.

 

[Coop42]

Yeah, I'm familiar with the half press to focus then shoot operation. It's still slower than I like. It did help a bit when I added a SD1200 as a focus light - it does like a lot of light to focus. It's still a lot slower than I like - I seem to spend a lot of time thinking 'focus, focus, focus!" as I half press and wait for the magic green square to appear.


;-) So yes, focus lag, not shutter lag.


It's just an inexpensive PS camera, with some neat firmwear that allows you to quickly set it up for land/shallow water/deep water/flash/no flash, so I shouldn't expect the same speed as the DSLR I use on land!

---------- Post added January 24th, 2015 at 03:28 PM ----------

That being said... the Sealife would give you a compact land and water combination that's hard to beat.

 

[jlevine]

Here are a few DC1400 above water examples:
https://flic.kr/p/mjW1Ca https://flic.kr/p/ppoBiD https://flic.kr/p/eayTRJ

Thanks for these photos. This was very helpful.

 

[dmaziuk]

On the DC1400, be sure to download the latest firmware from our website as well.

Done, but probably won't try it out until Bonaire trip in April.

I've a few nice topside photos too, I also have a few bad ones taken in perfect conditions where a matchbox with a pinhole in the side would take a flawless shot. As a long-time canon user I find the 1400 noticeably lacking. Above water, that is -- I think it's pretty much the best underwater compact out there.

 

[jlevine]

Thanks for these photos. This was very helpful.

Does anyone by chance have some land photos taken from a MicroHD?