I want a G10 but...

[SeaSoulSelf]

Hi all,

I currently have an A620 with Canon housing, but have been wanting to upgrade (and hubby is tired of me hogging the camera for the past 3 years).

The G10 has caught my eye, but I also want to be able to quickly switch from photo to video mode very quickly - for example, when dolphins appear out of nowhere. The A620 requires me to spin the mode wheel quickly, and from the photos of the G10 controls, it appears I would have the same issue.

Appreciate any opinions or alternative camera setups that would give me good amount of manual controls + ability to quickly move to video.

I do have a D60, but not brave enough yet to take it u/w.

TIA!

 

[hammerhead man]

I think you will find that all the cameras require that you "spin the dial" to get to video mode. Regarding the D60, it will cost big bucks to get the housing and accessories to take it underwater. Depending on how much you want to spend, you may want to consider a camera like the G10 rather than going the DSLR route. I currently have the Sea&Sea DX-1G and am very happy with that camera but it also reqires changing the setting to get it in video mode.

Regards,

Bill

 

[Backscatter]

leoconor, I'm in the same boat (have an A620, thinking about a G10, not ready to jump in just yet with the D80 - mentally or financially).

I've been looking for something like the Canon S2IS I had. It had a dedicated video button that allowed you to instantly switch from still mode. However, I was not able to find a housing for it and sold it to get the A620.

To make matters worse, the Canon case I have makes the top of the dial very difficult to read.

 

[vondo]

The nice thing about the G10 is that the C1, C2, and movie settings are all right next to eachother and you will probably set up the camera so you use C1/C2 all the time.

Unfortunately, I always turn the dial the wrong way first.

 

[SeaSoulSelf]

Thanks Vondo, good point about the custom settings, I had forgotten that.

I have a long way to go with u/w photography and haven't had the D60 long enough to feel comfortable forking out the cash for the housing.

i felt like a big asking this question anyway because really the video selector is easier to see on G10 than the dial on the A620. But when I'm excited or distracted by keeping an eye on the critter, I end up playing "wheel of fortune" with the dial & lose track of how many clicks I made. On a dive last week, I ended up missing a mother and baby dolphin -- well, I got a few frames of them swimming away. :bonk:

One of my UK dive buddies has a Canon IXUS 990s with the OEM housing and she just has to flick a selector to the far right and keeps on trucking. Some of the newer Canons have the ability to shoot HD and that just further complicates matters!

My hubby says I'm probably thinking too much!

 

[promocop]

Has anyone used the Canon U/W housing for the G10? Likes/dislikes?

 

[vondo]

Has anyone used the Canon U/W housing for the G10? Likes/dislikes?

Yeah, it's what I have. In general, I like it. Would help to know what you're looking for.

 

[michael71]

Vondo~

Do you have an external strobe, or are you using the internal on the camera? How is the G10 w/o the external strobe?

I’ve been using an old Powershot S500 for years. Gets me some decent pic’s here in SoCal and in the tropic / south pacific.

I’m going back to Fiji for 3 weeks this fall to get married and dive. I’m thinking of upgrading to a camera w/wider lens, and at least some control over shutter speed, F-stop, and processing time (what I always called “film speed) and of course a few more mega-pixels

As you can see I’m happy w/something not overly complicated; I’m shooting to put pics on my wall, not in National Geographic so I prefer not needing an external strobe ;-) The G10 caught my eye, but I read some on-line reviews that it wasn’t great in low-light situations. I’d love any additional feedback from someone who’s actually had it underwater!

-Michael

 

[Gilligan]

I have the G10 in the Canon WP-DC28 housing and have no complaints with it. It is especially nice if you want a compact setup at a lower price than other brand housings. I use a Sea & Sea YS-27DX strobe with it which is a budget model for Sea & Sea but has been satisfactory.

I procrastinated getting the Canon housing because it does not have the dial on the back to quickly change F stops and/or Shutter speeds when shooting in the "M', "Av" or "Tv" modes. I shoot all my underwater pics in the "M" mode.

I finally got the Canon housing. As told to me here on the board I found it was very easy to change F stops and shutter speeds in the "M" mode without the dial on the back. First you press button #5 to select F stops, shutter speeds or focus choices. You then press and hold button #1 and push button #7 and #9 to change the F stops or shutter speeds in conjunction with the selection you made with button #5.

As for the movie mode you turn dial #15 or you program the movie mode in Custom 1 or Custom 2 settings as previously stated. I use Custom 1 for my macro strobe shots with cloudy white balance and Custom 2 for my non strobe distant shots with custom white balance.

You can't have everything in a camera but the G10 comes close. I only wish you could save the ISO settings in the Custom settings when using the "M" mode but you can't. You have to remember to turn dial #14 to change ISO settings.

All in all I love the camera and the quality of its photos. IHMO a slave strobe is needed with the Canon housing as the lens tunnel blocks the internal strobe if you get too close to a subject.

As for low-light conditions I haven't encountered any issues with that. If the area is that dark I wonder how many cameras will be able to focus? That's where a focus/target light comes into play. The YS-27DX does not have one but costs $250. on eBay. The YS-110 alpha has a built-in target/focus light and costs $400. on eBay. Another alternative is the Fisheye focus light for $50. It is an LED light that automatically goes off when the strobe fires.

 

[promocop]

What about moving upto the Ikeltite ?