Dx-1g?

[jon m]

hey all-
now that it has been out for a while, how is the dx holding up? any issues? (is the viewport still dim?) any thoughts would help. i'm looking to finally step up from the point and shoot relm. this should make a good transition, yes? i'm looking to buy the "pro=pack" with the 110 strobe, wide angle lens and the works.
what are the drawbacks? all the reviews i have found seem older... can't seem to get the search function working here,either. any help would be wonderful....
thanks!

 

[gustele]

Nothing has changed with respect to this camera since it came out. So the older reviews are still valid. The LCD-panel is still dim and that is the main drawback of this camera. The only real way around this at the moment is a focussing light with sufficient power. What I am doing is just point the camera in the right direction and take the shot relying on the auto focus. Autofocus does a good job.
I am using this camera since the beginning of November last year in the setup you are considering. I have taken about 2000 pictures with it (living in a tropical paradise has its advantages). I have one other remark and that is that the number of pixels in a point and shoot camera is not comparable with the same number of DSLR-cameras. A DSLR is using a large ship which gives a better picture quality than a point and shoot with the same or higher number of pixels. In shots with a dimly lit background this translates in noise, very fine, but visible grain in the picture unless you shoot at the lowest ISO that the circumstances allow.
Where the camera is great, apart from macro, is in wide angle shots with visible light in RAW-mode even under low-light conditions. RAW-mode allows you to correct the white balance easily and also allows you to correct for (limited) underexposure.
Would I buy the camera again: no; I would go for a DSLR in an underwater house. That doesn't sove the dark LCD-panel, because with most DSLR's you can use the LCD only after the shot, but I expect a better quality. Let me be clear, I am not unhappy with this camera! The package is smaller than a housed DSLR and the price is certainly lower. I consider this a good camera for the future transition to the DSLR in an underwater house.
You can see lots of pictures taken with this camera at my picasa website at Picasa Web Albums - John. The most recent ones (Daaibooi) were shot at ISO 80 and I am very pleased with these. The noise is considerably less than in the others. Normally I work at ISO 200 except for the pictures at the Mediator; these are shot at ISO 800 max.

 

[jon m]

thanks!
very nice pics....
what kind of strobe are you using?

 

[gustele]

I am using the Sea&Sea YS-110; good strobe; very fast recycle time. It is connected with a fiber optics cable and never misses a flash.

 

[hammerhead man]

I am very happy with the DX-1g and am not sorry that I bought it. Would I rather have a DSLR?????? Maybe, but to move in that direction requires a HUGE investment. The camera meets my needs and takes great pictures. It is compact, easy to use, works very well, and allows great flexibility in taking wide angle as well as macro pictures.

Regards,

Bill

 

[Air One]

I'm very happy also, the results are better than expected. I knew before I bought it that I had to avoid the iso over 200 ( except in B&W of course).
DSLR is something else.
I use an Inon D 2000 and an aditionnal WAL 16 mm
Few pics :

 

[hammerhead man]

Excellent pics Erwan!!!!!! Enjoyed all of them. I am really impressed with the DX-1G.

Regards,

Bill

 

[Air One]

Thanks

I am really impressed with the DX-1G.

Me too, the worst thing with that camera is that bloody strobe that you have to pull up before you put the camera into the housing...I missed few dives because of it.

 

[jon m]

wow , very nice...
one thing on positioning of the strobe for macro...lds told me to aim the strode to the rear of the subject (makes sense to me) is this the way you do it? also any other strobe positioning tips?
i know i'm gonna need to experiment, but i'd like to start as close as possible to doing it correctly!


thanks!!!!

 

[Air One]

lds told me to aim the strode to the rear of the subject (makes sense to me) is this the way you do it? also any other strobe positioning tips?

I don't do like that. I don't really understand what you mean when you say " to the rear of the subject".
The Inon D2000 is a S-TTL strobe, I try to aim the subject itself (I use a guide lamp). If the subject is dark on white sand, I use the strobe on manual mode. I also use the manual mode when the subject is in the blue, especialy the silver fishes.
Anyway, I'm not an expert...thank's to the digital cameras : I can immediately check the result and change the way of doing.