Beginner Help

[jmmcintyre]

I have been thinking about purchasing an underwater camera or housing. Currently I own a Canon PowerShot A710 in which I know they sell housings for; however with something like this can you use a strobe with it?

Any good recommendations on anything produces good pictures, potential growth, and won’t break the bank?

I am totally lost with this stuff but figured when my wife and I make our annual trip to Cayman it would be nice to take some pictures

 

[Larry C]

A710 should work fine. Yes, there's a housing. Yes, you can use any strobe designed for digital (preflash type) cameras that are fired through a fibre optic cable attached to the front of the camera housing in front of the flash. You'll also need a tray and strobe arm. Some strobes come as a kit with tray and arm.
The camera works in manual or auto, so there's no reason you shouldn't be able to use it for quite a while. It isn't the widest angle (35mm) has a bit more zoom (6x optical) than you usually want, because that puts the lens a bit far from the port, but it should take very nice pictures and grow with you until if and when you want something fancier and more expensive.

 

[diver 85]

Should work well-----& I'd try it a little bit using just the internal flash...If I remember correctly, it's not too much different than the A570......

 

[jmmcintyre]

Would it be better to look into a newer camera and buy a housing for that? Maybe something with a better angle?

 

[bvanant]

A lot depends on what you want to shoot. In most cases, the built in lens for the camera will be OK for fish portraits and so on, but for really small or really big stuff you will need to use an add on lens. Strobes are essential to good pics, but how big and how much $ will depend on what you want to illuminate. If you are really into shooting wrecks in deep dark water you need a lot bigger strobes than if you are shooting nudibranchs at 20 feet in Indonesia.

Bill

 

[Puffer Fish]

Would it be better to look into a newer camera and buy a housing for that? Maybe something with a better angle?

All depends on:

1. How big is the bank?

2. Where you plan to take most of your pictures

3. What type of pictures you like taking.

Your 710 would do a reasonable job with fish pictures....in clear water..not so clear water and a strobe would be needed.

Wide angle....general reef pictures... the 710 would suck.. most newer cameras have 28mm and the Panasonics are now at 25.

Once you go to a more expensive housing... the cost will go way up, but if you want really wide angle.. you would need to do that.

Like doing Video? Several new P&S cameras are now coming out with fairly good HD video.....at a price point much lower than an HD camera.

To start with, would recommend a strobe w/tray and arm and the UW housing for your current camera. it can take good object pictures in almost any vis.. it can do macro...and it gets the learning process going.

Strobes are actually the expensive part ... if you get a good one. They do have one advantage though... the good ones have the battery area sealed.. so a leak does not destroy the unit. And, they can be moved from camera to camera. I am on my 4th camera with the same strobes.

Right now, the tiny Inon is very nice:

Inon S-2000 S-TTL Strobe [ino.456212143211] - $469.00 : Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros