Sea & Sea DX8000G

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adamsh

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I was looking for a new Underwater setup, im currently using the oly stylus 400.

I did shortlist a few cameras but then today I read a review on the new Sea & Sea DX8000G. I imagine this is just an updated version of the Sea & Sea DX5000G.

Here is my Shortlist

Olympus 8080
Fuji F810
Sea & Sea DX8000G

The thing that has attracted me to the Sea and Sea camera is the fast shutter speed. Does anyone have any comments on the choices above?.

Cheers
Adam
 
Shuter speed is one thing, but what about focus time, and apature/ shutter speed calculations? those items all add uo to what you and I consider "shutter speed" You can't do much about those items as it takes time for the computer to calculate thos numbers, So I would really like to see some solid "real life" timed events to see what all this fast shutter speed is really all about. As for the F810, I recently bought one, though It has yet to arrive. I had a problem buying it in the US for any decent price. I ended up getting it through Hong Kong. Seems it is not readily available in the US for some reason.
 
I have a DX-3000G and just upgraded to the 5000G. Both the 3000 and 5000 have very fast shutter lag times that include pressing the button to picture taken. It can be even shorter using the pre-focus/pre-exposure feature (half press of the shutter release). All the reviews I had read indicated that Sea & Seas/Ricohs claims are accurate. The short shutter lag, the macro mode and the compact size is what attracted me to the 3000 to start with and I've been happy with both the 3000 and the 5000. However, I haven't used anything else in any meaningful way to compare and I've only used the 5000 on one trip so far.

The 8000G is the 8 megapixle version (Ricoh Caplio GX8), the 5000 is 5MP (Ricoh Caplio GX) and is physically the same as the 8000. Each camera can go into each housing.

Overall I've been happy with each and like that I now have an upgrade path to 8MP and another camera that could go into the housing should I have one be exposed to moisture!

I have some shots from the 3000 and 5000 online if you would like to look. Pictures from the 5000 are at Tobermory Pics . I can post full sized images if needed (these are downsized to save space).
 
adamsh:
I was looking for a new Underwater setup, im currently using the oly stylus 400.

I did shortlist a few cameras but then today I read a review on the new Sea & Sea DX8000G. I imagine this is just an updated version of the Sea & Sea DX5000G.

Here is my Shortlist

Olympus 8080
Fuji F810
Sea & Sea DX8000G

The thing that has attracted me to the Sea and Sea camera is the fast shutter speed. Does anyone have any comments on the choices above?.

Cheers
Adam

The 8080 I own, the other two I can only go on the specs.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc8080wz/page2.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf810/

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05042601ricoh_gx8.asp

The 8080 is in a different league at 8mp, wide Hi res. SLR type lens, very fast focusing, largest CCD chip of the PS, uses CF or XD cards. ISO 50, Made in Japan

The Ricoh I like at 8mp but a smaller CCD chip than the 8080. Has a hotshoe which is a plus. ISO 64 (like the 5060)

The F810 is at 6.5mp, no hotshoe, smaller CCD chip, nice and wide LCD, uses only XD cards. ISO 80 (lowest resolution of the three)


The shutter lag on the 8080 is about 1/2 second : "Shutter Lag and Cycle Time: Very good shutter response, average cycle times. Thanks to its hybrid phase-detect/contrast-detect autofocus system, the C-8080 Wide Zoom is very responsive to the shutter button. Its shutter lag of 0.55-0.58 seconds is faster than that of the Canon Pro1, roughly equal to that of the Nikon Coolpix 8700, within the slower end of the 0.25-0.69 second range of the Sony DSC-F828, and slower than the 0.39-0.45 second range of the Minolta A2. Its cycle times are average for its class, faster than those of the Nikon Coolpix 8700, but slower than those of the Canon Pro1, Sony DSC-F828 and Minolta A2. Like all its 8-megapixel competition except the Pro1, the 8080 doesn't buffer its RAW shots, so is rather slow in that mode."

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/C8080/C88A12.HTM

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/print.asp?review=olympusc8080wz&page=15

Dive Safe
 
I can't comment on any of the specific cameras, but I do own a DX 3000G which recently flooded. I'm not sure what happened. The housing looks okay; the latch failed for some reason (I'm very anal about checking those things before splashing). My problem with it is not the flooding; that can happen to any camera.

The problem is I may not be able to get the camera (Ricoh Caplio) replaced. Ricoh doesn't make cameras for sale in the US. They only make copiers here. I've sent the camera and housing in to be looked at. The camera may be repairable. (I let it air dry and got it somewhat functional.) If it's not repairable, though, then I need a new or refurb. And guess what? I'm on the waiting list. The auth repair place said they're trying to get some from Japan.

So what happens if they can't fix the camera or get a replacement? I guess I'm stuck with a small, very expensive dry case.

My new primary criteria for buying cameras is whether I can replace it. I just bought a new camera and housing - separately.

In the short time I've had the new camera, I like the functions it has a lot better than the Ricoh. It provides a lot more flexibility. Adjustable shutter and apertures, etc, which the Ricoh doesn't have.

The Ricoh was a good camera and served its purpose. I bought it when it was introduced to the market and took 1000s of photos with it. I would consider it an entry level camera, which was good for me since I was(am) an entry level photographer(picture taker).
 
I have not tried either the S&S or the Fuji, but I have used the Oly 8080 and like it a lot. Excelent optics. I used the Olympus housing for it, which has the advantage of being a lot less pricey than Ike or other housings.
 
I have the Sea&Sea 5000G. Like others, I will state that the shutter speed from focus to picture is fast, at least in very clear water. I've used this camera in Cozumel where it was at least as fast as my Canon Digital Rebel and defintely faster than any other digital underwater camera I tried before I bought it. I've also used this camera in my local quarries and due to visibility I find the focus time takes a bit longer, especially if I'm further away than I should be. I love the wide angle lens that you can get for this camera - it's easy to mount underwater and really makes all the difference. I have the YS25 strobe on this camera and if I had to do anything over again I would have gotten the YS90 strobe. The 25 was great for Cozumel, I'm not sure it's powerful enough for the quarries, so that will be my next investment, once I become a better photographer.
Advertisement: here are my pictures from Cozumel, all shot with the wide angle lens and the YS25 strobe: http://www.britusa.com/PhotoAlbum/Cozumel/index.htm
 
Dive Aholic,

Cheers. Check out E-Bay. I have the Sea & Sea DX 5000G also. I found out on my last trip to Japan that the 8000 is out and fits in the same housing. I fly to Japan often and will check out the price next trip. But I also looked online and found both the Ricoh Caplio GX (5000 G) and the Ricoh Caplio GX8 (8000) both for sale with english manual. Seems to be from Hong Kong. They were priced at $365 and $439-$490 respectively. Just do a search at their digital camera section for Ricoh Caplio. Good luck.

Pacificflyer
 

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