crunch time. Dx2g or housing for the d90

[scuba e]

Our next trip is around the corner and I am still without camera. I keep bouncing back and forth. Do i go for broke (and I mean broke) with a housing and ports for my D90 or do I go the reponsible route and get another point and shoot?
I had been using a DX8000G. With dual strobes set to manual and making adjustments with shutter speed (and maxed out "fstop") I was able to get nice dark blue to black backgrounds with clean color and no subject halos. I was very impressed with what the little cam could do. So much so that I just figured I would get the next generation when my rig died.
Well, my rig died. I rented a 1g. Not impressed at all. Higher meg count but still a small sensor. only had a week with it. Shot mostly TTL. Lots of soft blue backgrounds, subject halos, etc. Could have been operator error. Also , the 2g is supposed to be a better cam.
My problem is I have seen alot of posts with the same image quality as my experience. No deep, dark backgrounds. Subjects are not very sharp. Has anyone really got their 2g working to its limits or are we seeing it?
I dont want to go drop $1400 (with the newer wide angle as mine wont fit the new cam) if it wont give me the images of the older rig. I am looking at about $2500 for housing and ports for the d90. I have seen great results with this system but it is over $1000 more! If I get the 2g and cant get it to perform then I will be getting the d90 housing on top of that expence.
Please, if you have been able to get good (very good results) with the 2g let me know.

ps; no offense to those who have posted their 2g images. i have seen some great composition and subject matter. It seems to be the hardware that falls flat.

Thanks,
Erik

 

[hammerhead man]

I think that the DX-1G takes great pictures scuba e. Take a look at Eskasi's photos taken with this camera: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/un...sea-dx-1g-sipadan-mabul-kapalai-malaysia.html. The DX-2G is an improvement over the 1G. That said, what you should buy depends on how much your willing to spend. DSLR's can give you superior pics over a point and shoot (but for the average enthusiast I'm not sure it is worth the money given the quality of point and shoot cameras these days). The DX-2g will give you great prints at or above 8.5X11 and the system is a whole lot cheaper. I just bought a fisheye lens for my DX-1G so I now have a close-up lens, a wide angle lens, and a fisheye lens. That gives me all the options that I want in a camera. I also like the option of changing lenses underwater, a capability that DSLR's don't allow. If you check my pics out you will see ones taken with the DX-1G that I thought were good. I admit, I am not a great photographer but I think that my system will allow me to grow and become a good photographer.

Just my thoughts.

Regards,

Bill

 

[scuba e]

Thanks hammerhead.
Well, after much thought and comparing image quality I made the leap. My new AD90 Aquatica housing and ports will be arriving this coming week. I am spending roughly double the cost of the 2g but will now be travling with just one rig (my wife always took the D90 for topside work). I will post shots as they come.

 

[hammerhead man]

I hope you enjoy your new housing. Post some pics from your next trip.

Regards,

Bill