Buying a 5 mpixel instead of 8 to save

[Larry C]

Don't pinch the pennies. In the long run, it will be cheaper to have the camera and housing you really want. Even with pns cameras, you'll quickly be in the $1000+ range with strobes, accessories, etc. If you're worrying about a $75 difference between a 5mp and 8mp camera or a $150 difference between two housings, it will soon disappear in a sea of memory, lenses, strobes and arms, etc.
Just admit that you're going to spend way more than you want to, but realize that you're going to have this thing for years and most of your spare time will now be spent playing with little pictures on a computer screen. If you love your Sony and it takes great pictures, get the housing. You've used the camera, you know the settings and you can change things around quickly without thinking about it. Otherwise, pick the combo that really suits your needs. Housing size, viewer size and strength, focus time, raw or JPEG, memory type, battery type, hotshoe or slave......
The question isn't really what camera do I want, but what am I going to do with it and which camera will suit that use best?

 

[Footslogger]

The question isn't really what camera do I want, but what am I going to do with it and which camera will suit that use best?

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Best advice yet ....

I dove in Belize last month with several people who were sporting Oly 8080's and weren't very sure why they bought them and couldn't operate them very well.

Nothing against the Oly 8080 mind you ...just that it seemed like some folks are all about the mpixels and less about the funtion and use of the camera/housing/strobe.

'Slogger

 

[divebrasil]

I just think that $500 for a housing is way too much. I don't want to pinch pennies, just make a good value choice.

 

[RockyHeap]

There are many reasons to not shoot at the highest resolution.

File size is one, not everyone likes emailing 1.5 - 2 meg files. And I'm not one to go in and edit down each and every file to resize.

5 meg pixel Nikon also worked FINE for some 20" x 30" poster sized prints, no pixelation at all.

I guess I'm different, but no, you don't "have" to always shoot at huge resolution and file sizes just to list something on Ebay or send a pic to grandma.

 

[tedtim]

I guess I'm different, but no, you don't "have" to always shoot at huge resolution and file sizes just to list something on Ebay or send a pic to grandma.

I have to agree, although I use the highest resolution with a bigger capacity card. IMHO you have to really examine what you intend to do with your photos. If they are destined for viewing on a computer screen only, then your requirements are much different than if you plan on printing poster size photos.

I use a Canon A70 and have a number of 8 x 10 photos on my wall at home. Are they good enough to print in a magazine? First is the question of the photo itself. As for resolution, I know that they are not destined for publication. This camera is what I need for underwater photos now.

There will always be the types who believe that more is always better. It is not the tool, it is the craftsperson who uses the tool that makes the difference. A high end camera, or a good pns is not much use to someone who does not understand how to use it.

OTOH, I did get a Nikon D70s with a couple of lenses. My requirements for shooting photos on land are different.........for now.

 

[Gilligan]

I dove in Belize last month with several people who were sporting Oly 8080's and weren't very sure why they bought them and couldn't operate them very well.

'Slogger

A major truth.

It doesn't matter what camera you buy if you can't use it properly and efficiently.

It takes time and practice to learn a cameras functions and capabilities. That time and practice translates to many dives.

There is a lot you can learn about your cameras functions by practicing with it on land. However, the final and most important practice is underwater as that is where you want to see the best results.

If you can't operate the cameras controls underwater quickly and efficiently then you won't get the best results the camera is capable of producing. That translates to using manual controls for things like F stops, shutter speeds and white balance settings.

IMHO putting a camera on "Auto" settings in the underwater environment will yield mediocre results at best. If that's all you want, that's your right. You may want to factor that into how much to spend on a camera and housing.

 

[sidwise]

Don't pinch the pennies. In the long run, it will be cheaper to have the camera and housing you really want. ...

Larry's right. The cost of the camera itself is just a nit compared to the overall cost of your U/W setup. Spend the few extra bucks on the camera and it will just barely nudge up the total spend. An inexpensive way to boost the value of your investment.

 

[Davichin]

There are many reasons to not shoot at the highest resolution.

The only reason to NOT shoot at the highest resolution (specially RAW) is recording time and not being able to take the next shot while the camera is recording.

RockyHeap: you can always easily downsize your files with PS or the like...

 

[Enigmatic]

I'm using the Canon A620 (7.1mp) with Canon housing-- love it! For years, with all my digital cameras in and out of the water, I set the camera to the highest resolution and quality. I simply use different size memory cards depending on how many shots I need between offloading to computer.

The reason for using the highest resolution and quality the camera will support is that I always save the original images as "archives" which can be organized and cataloged to DVD, CD, tape, or whatever. This gives you a permanent base set of photos to work from and the most flexibility to do whatever you need to do with them in the future... cropping, emailing, print enlargements, etc.

 

[Jamdiver]

A major truth.

It doesn't matter what camera you buy if you can't use it properly and efficiently.

It takes time and practice to learn a cameras functions and capabilities. That time and practice translates to many dives.

There is a lot you can learn about your cameras functions by practicing with it on land. However, the final and most important practice is underwater as that is where you want to see the best results.

If you can't operate the cameras controls underwater quickly and efficiently then you won't get the best results the camera is capable of producing. That translates to using manual controls for things like F stops, shutter speeds and white balance settings.

IMHO putting a camera on "Auto" settings in the underwater environment will yield mediocre results at best. If that's all you want, that's your right. You may want to factor that into how much to spend on a camera and housing.

Very, very true..
I think one must be willing to invest time in learning and practicing the art of taking photos and being acquainted with all the ins and outs of their camera before taking it u/w..

Practice makes perfect as they say.