CheddarChick
Contributor
Love my E-PL2....Hate the fact I live in Wisconsin...Except for the Packers....
Please help with final camera decision- Have researched for 2 weeks prior to posting
- Thread starter Neuroll
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Mark Derail
Contributor
#1 Deciding Factor Is The Strobe - without one, forget about the deeps.
What's commonly called the flash. Without one, stick to macro photos. For macro, any Point & Shoot w/housing will do the job. Any of the P & S's - normal pics (not macro mode) will take decent pics at the safety stop if there's plenty of sun in warm tropical waters. Perfect for vistas, group photos, etc.
Perfect for snorkeling too, where you can take pics from above in shallow waters.
IOW, if you're spending over 500$ total, you might be over-spending. I bought here on this board a "kit" P&S Olympus that was a few years old, for 400$ + shipping. It has an Olypus Flash in an independent housing. Think "tiny" strobe.
Can't take any decent pics at depth of anything over five feet away.
This is perfectly normal. At least at the beach I can take 8MP pics & 640p videos at the beach, snorkeling, and not have to worry about my expensive Nikon gear.
As a "pro" land shark photographer (quotes because it's not my #1 revenue stream) I've been through two different types of P & S (Panasonic & Olympus). Without and with housing, and I can tell you with housing is better, though bulkier when traveling.
I do get to have interesting conversations with TSA folks (not one negative yet!!!) about my carry-on, as it includes all my camera gear, computer, regs, dive comps.
What's commonly called the flash. Without one, stick to macro photos. For macro, any Point & Shoot w/housing will do the job. Any of the P & S's - normal pics (not macro mode) will take decent pics at the safety stop if there's plenty of sun in warm tropical waters. Perfect for vistas, group photos, etc.
Perfect for snorkeling too, where you can take pics from above in shallow waters.
IOW, if you're spending over 500$ total, you might be over-spending. I bought here on this board a "kit" P&S Olympus that was a few years old, for 400$ + shipping. It has an Olypus Flash in an independent housing. Think "tiny" strobe.
Can't take any decent pics at depth of anything over five feet away.
This is perfectly normal. At least at the beach I can take 8MP pics & 640p videos at the beach, snorkeling, and not have to worry about my expensive Nikon gear.
As a "pro" land shark photographer (quotes because it's not my #1 revenue stream) I've been through two different types of P & S (Panasonic & Olympus). Without and with housing, and I can tell you with housing is better, though bulkier when traveling.
I do get to have interesting conversations with TSA folks (not one negative yet!!!) about my carry-on, as it includes all my camera gear, computer, regs, dive comps.
I'm definitely gonna be shooting more video and wide angle than macro shots. It really seems the more i read the harder it is to decide considering all the options of the cameras let alone the housings. And when I find a camera with the options I want at a reasonable price the housing is crazy expensive! I guess good things don't come easy. Thanks for all the advice I will definitely be checking the classified section here and see if I can find something nice. I am really on the fence about the Nikon P7100 due to affordability and the Fantasea Attachements or the Olympus E-pl2 for versatility in lenses. Which brings me to my next ? Do the 4/3's lenses dictate the quality of the pictures? If they do does that mean I could buy a lens that is great for video?
Long term the E-PL2 is the way to go. Yes it is the most costly but you get what you pay for. This is a camera even DSLR users are moving to as they want to "downsize". This is the best camera of group and there will be new lenses coming out for it all the time. If you go with the Oly housing but enjoy shooting wide angle you will want to add a Zen Pen Dome. As others have mentioned Wide Angle photo or video is going to require light. Lighting is a huge factor in taking your photos from ho-hum to artistic. Tons of options for lighting. The 9-18mm lens is the current best for WA.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Great info on the E-pl2- Thanks. I now know what features are necessary for UW still photos so its now the video specs that I am hung up on. I have read many opinions regarding video resolution. Most say 720@60fps is the way to go but most of these cameras shoot at 30fps is there going to be a noticeable difference considering I will be playing the videos on a 50" plasma at home? And is it worth spending more to get 1080p?
Mark Derail
Contributor
Same could be said of the Sony NEX5, which I find is a superior product. Might be less lens choices, but there are adapters, and it is sexier.
Not to mention, same outstanding sensor as the Nikon D7000 in the newer NEX5 model. (799$ price tag though)
I tried all of them in-store, and found the older Sony NEX5 to be superior, and the newer one to be even better.
Here's a thought - bring a bunch of SD cards, and try each camera, all in auto-mode, pics of the same 3 things (far, near, close-macro). Notice little things like focus time. Compare the JPGs on a computer zoomed all-the-way in for a 1-to-1 pixel.
Look at the edges of things.
Not to mention, same outstanding sensor as the Nikon D7000 in the newer NEX5 model. (799$ price tag though)
I tried all of them in-store, and found the older Sony NEX5 to be superior, and the newer one to be even better.
Here's a thought - bring a bunch of SD cards, and try each camera, all in auto-mode, pics of the same 3 things (far, near, close-macro). Notice little things like focus time. Compare the JPGs on a computer zoomed all-the-way in for a 1-to-1 pixel.
Look at the edges of things.
Okay so I believe I have decided on the panasonic gf2. Due to price and better video quality than the e-pl2. With 10bar housing and camera it comes to about $1200. I am honestly still tempted with just getting the nikon p7100 and fantasea housing/accessories which I can't get as a pkg for $650. For the same amount as camera/housing for panasonic I can get their fish eye and smart lenses. What does everybody think about that option? Have you seen the fantasea videos on YouTube with the p7100? They look great! Thanks for the help
Mark Derail
Contributor
I'd go with a cheaper camera + housing, and buy a strobe + UW light (to help focus & for video). Two strobes even better.
The strobes you'll keep forever, they'll migrate with you if you switch to another housing (most strobes).
Remember, built-in flash == illuminated bubbles, since it faces forwards. The strobe you put on an arm so it lights up your subject on an angle, even if your strobe is facing forwards. No big deal for macro, big deal for wide angle.
The strobes you'll keep forever, they'll migrate with you if you switch to another housing (most strobes).
Remember, built-in flash == illuminated bubbles, since it faces forwards. The strobe you put on an arm so it lights up your subject on an angle, even if your strobe is facing forwards. No big deal for macro, big deal for wide angle.
Similar threads
