Canon a60/70/80

[MyKO]

Hey. How do the Canon A60/a70/a80 rate for underwater photopgraphy? Also, can an external strobe be added to the underwater housing?

Thanks

-MyKO

 

[Scubatooth]

the canons are pretty good cameras the A60/70 have been around for a year now but the A80 has just been released.

all three of these cameras are point and shoots and have some manuel controls but are very good for underwater use, along with the standard stuff i do know they have a movie mode but im unsure what the specs on that mode are (if you need information and reviews on the canons A60/70 go to www.dpreview.com, but at this time there isnt a A80 review yet on this site but it should be out any day now. The A80 is a little more advanced in that the CCD it has inside was the same CCD that the Canon G3 had in it(IE much better CCD, cleaner , w/ less noise) which will help in making the image much better (the A60/70 are still very good choices but i would reccomend to readin the reviews nad then if you can go handle the cameras to see want would be the best for you.


as for strobes yes external strobe can be used but they need to have a optical flash cord (sea & sea strobes) or a manuel controller for ike strobes. i will defer to Dee for strobe recommendations since she has used the Sea & Sea DX90 (there are otehrs but it seems the that canons work better with the sea & sea strobes)

one thing to note that the A60/70 housings are only good to 100 feet were the A80 is good to 130 (but the housing hasnt been seen for sale yet , but B&H has it in stock right now for just under 400, will probably be around mid to low 300 by christmas

Dan

 

[tnk120184]

MyKo
By no means am I a expert on the matter but do have the Cannon A70. We use it soley for recreational purpose and enjoy the quality of pics we get while diving. Several of them we've had enlarged to 8x10 size to hang in the house and they look great. As far as the housing, we purchased ours from wal-mart.com and it is the Cannon WP-DC700 and is rated for up to 130ft. Attached a few of our pics so you can judge for yourself.
All were taken without a external strobe. Have fun!


http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A856F027D47&cb=PA

http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A7AEAC27251&cb=PA

http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=A0850F27267&cb=PA

 

[Former FLL Now MSP Diver]

I have the A70 and find it takes great pictures underwater. I compared it to a number of other cameras and the features I bougth it for weren't available on other cameras at the price point. The newly released A80 moves you up to 4mp.

For a MSRP of $299 (cheaper if you shop the price) you get:
- 3.2 mp
- longer focal length has a 3X optical zoom versus 2X on others
- more creative control with aperature and shutter priority modes
- full manual mode
- faster shutter speed
- faster shooting speed
- ability to shot short video clips with sound
- more metering options
- uses cheaper CompactFlash memory
- the A70 takes additional lenses - telephoto, wide angle, macro
- the A70 accepts easily obtainable NiMH rechargable AA baterries - this gives the camera a little more bulk with the battery enclosure, but I think this allows a better grip and steadier shots

Check out the Canon site for additional info and comparison between the different Canon models.

The Canon WP-DC700 housing I bought has 40m/130 ft printed on the case, though I have read reports of some taking it deeper without a problem. The best place to buy the housing right now is Walmart.com. They are selling this housing for $184 including tax and shipping.

Check this link and this link for pictures I've taken with the camera. Some are better than others, but I put that down to the users artistic ability, not the cameras.

Marc

 

[MyKO]

Hey. Thanks for the info, everyone!