I am a newbie and need your help :-)

[Yannis76]

Hi,

This is my 1st post here after someone from Dpreview suggested this forum. Needless to say I am really impressed by the quality of shots here and honestly I am bit ashamed of posting here. Anyway, I am not diving but only snorkeling (<5m) and I really like shooting underwater.

So far I have tried both a TG4 and a Fuji XQ2+Housing with results you can see here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127079204@N06/albums/72157685746793653

Although TG4 was quite convenient due to its size and IQ was good at day light, I didn't like its IQ while underwater, and especially the lack of DR and the lack of detail while cropping. The Fuji was better in terms of DR but still lacked the detail while cropping.

So, now I am torn to the solutions below:

1) get a new TG5. I doubt IQ will be any better, but maybe it was my fault also for the bad IQ. Cost = 400-450€

2) use my Panasonic GM1 plus the Meikon housing. I am expecting IQ to be much better (based also on a digapac case I used last year), but I really don't like the size of the housing which I find quite big for snorkeling. Cost = 0 (already have them)

3) get a used GF6 and combine it with another Meikon (14-42) housing which is supposed to be smaller than the GM1 one. Cost = 300 - 350€

4) get a used Nikon 1 AW1. Although I like the idea, the form factor and the brand, I am really scared of all the fogging and leaking stories I read.

5) the Sealife DC2000 could also be a solution, but it would be very hard and probably expensive to buy it in Greece. Also I understand the RAW shooting speed is very slow...

The question is should I give a 2nd chance to the TG5 or IQ is indeed bad underwater? I also like the idea of the wide lens converter in the TG5... and I would also try the new Panasonic FT7, but it doesn't have RAW so no way to adjust WB afterwards.

Thank you!

Yannis

 

[tursiops]

Hi,

This is my 1st post here after someone from Dpreview suggested this forum. Needless to say I am really impressed by the quality of shots here and honestly I am bit ashamed of posting here. Anyway, I am not diving but only snorkeling (<5m) and I really like shooting underwater.

So far I have tried both a TG4 and a Fuji XQ2+Housing with results you can see here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127079204@N06/albums/72157685746793653

Although TG4 was quite convenient due to its size and IQ was good at day light, I didn't like its IQ while underwater, and especially the lack of DR and the lack of detail while cropping. The Fuji was better in terms of DR but still lacked the detail while cropping.

So, now I am torn to the solutions below:

1) get a new TG5. I doubt IQ will be any better, but maybe it was my fault also for the bad IQ. Cost = 400-450€

2) use my Panasonic GM1 plus the Meikon housing. I am expecting IQ to be much better (based also on a digapac case I used last year), but I really don't like the size of the housing which I find quite big for snorkeling. Cost = 0 (already have them)

3) get a used GF6 and combine it with another Meikon (14-42) housing which is supposed to be smaller than the GM1 one. Cost = 300 - 350€

4) get a used Nikon 1 AW1. Although I like the idea, the form factor and the brand, I am really scared of all the fogging and leaking stories I read.

5) the Sealife DC2000 could also be a solution, but it would be very hard and probably expensive to buy it in Greece. Also I understand the RAW shooting speed is very slow...

The question is should I give a 2nd chance to the TG5 or IQ is indeed bad underwater? I also like the idea of the wide lens converter in the TG5... and I would also try the new Panasonic FT7, but it doesn't have RAW so no way to adjust WB afterwards.

Thank you!

Yannis

I don't quite understand your problem. The Flickr album has some very nice pictures in it. What do you want to do better? Saying IQ and DR is too nebulous; can you be more specific? Give some examples?

 

[Gdog]

I agree also. Some really nice shots!

 

[Chris Ross]

I really can't see anything much you could improve upon by getting a "better" camera, the deep shadows and bright highlights are a fact of life in photos of that sort, which is to say shooting a rock shelf with overhangs from above, the shadows do go dark, the only solution is to add strobes and that would add a lot of bulk. If you shoot the images in Raw there is the possibility of processing in photoshop to even out the highlights and shadows.

 

[Yannis76]

I don't quite understand your problem. The Flickr album has some very nice pictures in it. What do you want to do better? Saying IQ and DR is too nebulous; can you be more specific? Give some examples?

My main problem was that there was not much to resolve from shadows especially with the TG4 and that there was also not much space to crop. However, I am still not sure whether it was my fault or the TG4 limitations. IQ above water was quite good at day light. Last summer I tried only for a few shots a GF7 with a body cap lens (15mm/f8) and found the level of processing space to be much higher and also the detail when cropping or zooming to be better.

 

[tursiops]

Seriously, you may want to do a bit more research or rethink your priorities and problems. The TG-x have a smaller sensor than the GF7, and TG-5 has fewer megapixels than the TG-4, Exposure and post-processing are your best tools for shadows, and I still don't know exactly what YOU mean by IQ. If you want everything to be better, you'll need a bigger sensor/newer processing, so size (and cost) may overwhelm you. What are you willing to compromise on?