buying my first underwater video camera

[steinrus]

hey there,

im diving for a year or three now and consider investing in a video camera. since im a poor studentuppy: i do not have much money to spend on one.
so i looked at used ones for sale and came up with three cameras.

- the sony camcorder hdr cx6 full hd Sony HDR-CX6 Reviews - alaTest.com (i can buy it for about €350)
- one unknown camera still working on the specific serie this camera comes from (will come soon)
- the jvc everio hd-320[FONT=Calibri, sans-serif] [/FONT]JVC Everio GZ-HD320 Reviews - alaTest.com (i can buy it for €300)

if i should choose between these (third one cames later but its also an jvc) which one should i choose to dive? (im not really good at these things)

i also looked at an gopro 3 white with some accesoires but i dislike the fact that you cant really tune it or see what your pointing at so i dropped that one.


ty in advance

 

[Tigerman]

When buying underwater photo/video equipment, you have to have a look at the complete package. Youll need a uw housing that fits and its probably going to cost you more than the camera, so start with what camera housing you want and what cameras that manufactuer actually has housings for..

 

[steinrus]

ey tigerman,

ty for your reply
all those are cameras included with a housing that fits

 

[diversteve]

What housing are they offering for each camera?

Quick take - I like the Sony better since it uses flash memory - not a HDD for primary storage. Much quicker to move files for editing than first copying them off the HDD in the JVC.

The downside of that particular model is that it uses Sony's proprietary Memory Stick media - they tend to be more expensive and often require either a separate reader or an adapter. I have an old Sony camera that uses it, it came with a PCMCIA card adapter. No big deal just something to know.

Also some of the older JVC's - not sure if this is one of them - used software interpolation to scale video up to 1080. I'm not familiar with that model.

 

[ronscuba]

Sony CX6 is a 2008 camcorder. You buying this used ? With what housing ?

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Don't forget to check the For Sale section here. I got a great deal on a Sanyo Xacti/Epoque Housing/WA lens from Jill Heinerth through this site.

 

[steinrus]

Sony CX6 is a 2008 camcorder. You buying this used ? With what housing ?

everyone ty for your reply, makes me happy



- im trying to figure out as well what housing comes with this camera (the seller says only that there is an housing avaiable but hes not very specifick in the way that he has one for sale or that they exist. already mailed him but those guys are sooooo slow)
the only housing that is used for diving is Equinox HD6 Underwater Video Housing. (Equinox HD 6 Underwater Video Housing for Sony Cameras) however i dont think thats the case because that would be to good to be true (or im pretty lucky wich in most cases im not)

- yup im buying used because i cant really spend about 1000 bucks (more 300-500) but i still want something with a bit of quality. (hey im dutch, we are famous for being very frugal)

ty for the advice to look here i will (arent there much seller of the UK? i prefer somoene that lives in a 25 km radius because if i get set up i would not like to make a airtravel only to reach this person (i know a set up is not that common but it can happen right?)

update:

the sony goes down since the seller already sold it.

i also got a pic of the unknown camera (thought i still cant figure out what model camera this is)

 

[diversteve]

It's pretty hard to tell but based on the 20GB sticker - it could be this one: Everio G series - GZ-MG20 - Introduction

Notice that it's a SD - Standard Definition - model not HD. So a few years older at least.

Downside with buying into that system is there's no upgrade path. That housing was made for that model only - or others in that series that have all the controls in the exact same locations. Since it's drilled for all the controls, Ikelite can't retrofit it. Nor do they offer that service.

It is their standard sized box so o-rings should still be found easily - either thru a local hydraulic/pneumatic supplier in your area - or online. Anyone who sells Ikelite probably has them also.

As far as price - Amazon is selling the camera used for $80. http://www.amazon.com/JVC-Everio-GZ-MG20-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B000A13YDY

That housing new was probably $600. Assuming I'm right on the camera - it's this one: JVC MG70 Underwater Housing Notice the other 4 cameras listed, those are the only cameras it will ever work with.

What are they asking? In this HD world, I'd offer $100 - maybe. Because the GoPro will shoot much better video. As will this: Intova Sport Pro HD Waterproof Video Digital Camera - $149.

If I'm wrong about the model # and it is an early HD camera - might be worth a hundred? more. At least that's all it would be to me.

 

[steinrus]

mmmm... in that case i should go for the jvc everio hd-320JVC Everio GZ-HD320 Reviews - alaTest.com (i can buy it for €300) right?
since the sony is sold, the cameras sold here are almost all in USA (looked at it and), and the last camera is a bit old.

i contacted the seller of the jvc and he was so kind to send a sample:

<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);">[video=youtube;r6oSgvLkTLM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?client=mv-google&amp;hl=nl&amp;gl=NL&amp;v=r6oSgvLkTLM&amp;nomobile=1[/video]

not that bad right? for 300 bucks

 

[sharksdelight]

The GoPro is a great little cam but is not meant to be used for an entire film production of even 5 minutes. It does shoot a fisheye image due to its wide sensor but there are plug ins that can adjust that, albeit, with some distortion. The real issue is that the GoPro and its like are simply too small to be hand held very steadily and no one wants to get dizzy watching shaky video. Do not buy a Standard Def camera but you might want to consider even a tape based HDV cam that will produce quality footage and have the weight that allows for stability in the water. I just sold my tape based HDV cam and it produced better footage than many of those AVCHD cams that use a card. Cards are really convenient but you still have to go through the log and transfer process and, card or tape, once it is digitalized the files can be backed up on most any drive. I would also avoid acrylic housings as they tend to fog up real easy from all reports.