Hi everyone. I'm back from my trip to Roatan. I bought the Canon 570 IS about 2 days before the trip. I also got the magic filter, but couldn 't find it when I was packing. Hopefully, it will show up when I clean up.
I had a few hours on the plane to learn how to use the camera - I didn't learn it all, but I certainly picked up a lot of useful stuff in a short amount of time. We used a 2 gig card, set the camera on fine (maximum resolution), and always had enough card memory, even with a few short videos.
My personal background - I've used the Nikonos V previously and really liked it. I do a lot of land photography and think I'm pretty good. Not an expert, but I've won several awards at our local photography club. I was looking for something easy, but with quality results.
Anyway, I want to thank everyone for recommending this camera - it was terrific! I also got the Canon DC-12 case. I got shots that I didn't think would work - we took a video of a moray eel in a dark crevice with no extra lights, and it turned out great. The flash that came with the camera was pretty good, as long as there was adequate light and we weren't too far away from the subject. Got some excellent color. I don't think it did great macro, but I didn't do too much macro - in the future, I may get a special macro lens. Also, we used it on our night dive with just a flashlight to illuminate the subject (and the flash that came with the camera) - fantastic. You just need a helpful buddy to shine the flashlight on the subject. Got a great picture of a fast-moving octopus at night. Also night pictures of lobster, crab, and shrimp without an external strobe - and with nice color.
Only problem is that I got sloppy one day and didn't put the o-ring back correctly. I didn't look at the o-ring until after we were underwater - Yes, the camera flooded. I just sent it back to Canon, and they told me it might not be worth saving. But, they will give me a free estimate and I'll decide if it's worth fixing.
The bottom line is this - having shot more than 700 pictures both above the water and underwater, I will absolutely buy another 570 IS in case this one can't be repaired. Although I felt bad about flooding it, the camera was only about $150 - and I think the pictures are at least as good as my other, much more expensive, digital camera.
It was fun to do the videos also, especially for fish that move too quickly for still photos.
We also took pictures of a sting ray that was at least 50 feet away (we were about 50 foot underwater, and the sting ray was about 100 feet down) - the pictures are not colorful, but we certainly got a good photo and video. I didn't get a chance to assemble a weight system, but I never found the camera buoyancy to be a problem. Our first dive, I did take the case down empty to make sure it wouldn't flood.
Lessons I've learned from this experience:
1.I plan to order extra 0-rings and will always carry at least 2 with me.
2. I will always look at the 0-ring to be sure it isn't pinched or misaligned after I close the case. If it does get pinched, don't use it. I will just put in my spare o-ring and be more careful when I close the case.
3.Fortunately, we brought a computer with us on vacation and downloaded our pictures each evening onto the computer. This gave us a chance to review our pictures and figure out how to take better pictures. Also, we didn't lose the pictures when the camera flooded.
I brought something called "PacSafe" - it was like a flexible metal mesh cage that you can lock to a bed. I think it was designed to protect a day pack, but I put my computer inside a black bag and kept it in the PacSafe when we were out. Someone would need a wire cutter to get at the computer. If someone is really determined, they would get the computer. It might not have been necessary, but I felt better about leaving my laptop in the room while we were out.
4.Teach your buddy how to use the camera, so they can take pictures of you!
Surprisingly, the camera card still worked (in another camera) after it was flooded. But, I won't trust it for important shots in the future.
5.I used Powerex Maha 2700 AA rechargeable batteries and charged them each evening. We had plenty of battery power to do 2 dives and more than 100 pictures without the batteries getting weak.
Thank you to everyone who helped with this decision. I would definitely recommend the Canon 570 IS and Canon case. (I considered the more expensive Ikelite case, but I thought it was overkill. With the money I saved on the case, I'll buy another camera. I don't plan to take the camera beyond 130'. And, others have stated that you can add lenses to the Canon case with good results. I haven't tried this yet, though.) Linda
