looking to buy digital camera/housing under $1K

[wetbehindtheear]

Both the Canon S400 and the Olympus C5050 have been recommended, with the manufacturers' housings.

I like that the Olympus takes AAs, but the S400 seems much more compact and is a fair bit cheaper.

What do you guys recommend & why?

 

[ReyeR]

Have a look at this thread.

 

[scuubaadoo]

Sea life and Sea and Sea have 3.3 mp camera and housings for under 1k. Sealife known mostly for less expensive cameras is starting to move up and the new 3.3 mp looks very nice. Both of these companies also have strobes that can be added later. Service at Sealife may be a bit better which will make all the difference 2 weeks before a trip when you find a problem. Good luck with your shooting

 

[wetbehindtheear]

The prices on the CF cards keep coming down. Is the Olympus limited to the SD cards?

I read that to use the panorama stitching feature you need to use an Olympus brand card - is this true?

 

[oversea]

Oly 5050 and ikelite. Cost about 1k, great setup. I love mine. Yes only panaoramic W/ oly card. Uses cf, smartmedia, sandisk, microdrive, etc. Will hold two disks at a time. Mid range settings take film like pictures@ 8.5" x 11" with no grain, its great. I'm sure there are other opinions but you would not be dissatisfied.

 

[AquaBob]

Olympus C5050, PT-015

Great camera. Great housing for a great price.


Review from Steve's

BTW, the 5050 will take both the new Olympus XD cards as well as the ubiquitous Compact Flash cards and let you switch cards 'on the fly'.

Housing Press release


I have only used my new housing a couple of times in the pool, but it seems very well made. I'm not a deep diver, and only expect to take this to about 100' so I'm not worried about the case. The great thing is, you can pick it up for around $150!

 

[wetbehindtheear]

is the Ikelite worth the cost? What are the pros/cons?

 

[wetbehindtheear]

is the Ikelite worth the cost? What are the pros/cons?

 

[Finesse]

Ikelite Pros and Cons

Cons .... a bit larger than the PT and it is more money BUT you get a tray included with the housing vs having to buy one


Pros .....
1. Very well built utilizing a thicker polycarbonate housing
2. Greater depth rating as a result of above (More resistance to pressure changes)
3. Bulkhead for greater strobe adaptability
4. Knobs on controls allowing better cold water / gloved hand use
5. "Stay" depressed features allowing one hand control of some camera functions.
6. Customer service way beyond most ... and if you have trouble you can speak directly to the manufacturer ..... Others you have to go through a dealer


I currently have two Ikelites ..... They are great housings !!!

just my .02

 

[Grajan]

Canon S45 / 50

Canon housing

Spare battery

256Meg card

Under $1k - great pictures (inc videos) and a great land camera to boot