Ready to buy first underwater digital camera, need help

[jclausen]

I am ready to make my first major purchase and need some advice. Do I go with the Sea and Sea DX-1G with the YS-110 strobe or go with the Canon G10 and an Ikolite housing and strobe. I do not want something too big and heavy. I also hope to keep this to $2000 or less. Any suggestions or comments?

 

[ScubaSteve]

Buying the G10 and Ike housing strobe will put you very close to the $2000 depending what else you buy (lenses etc.). You would only get one strobe for sure but you can take some good pictures with one strobe. Another thing to take into account. The Ike housing and the camera alone are almost 6 pounds (on land) and when you add in a strobe you will likely put that up to 8 or so pounds. So light is not what I would personally call an Ikelite system. I, however, am very happy with mine. I have a Nikon P5000 and Ike housing and Ds-125 strobe. It is heavy but I like it. With camera and stobe and housing and WA lens and spare parts I think I was pretty much at $2000. I personally have not been impressed with the Sea & Sea units I have seen but that is just my preference....I know lots of people that have them and love them.


Edit
Sorry I also have to remember what exchange rate I bought my equipment at because most of it came from B&H and shipped to Canada.....as I recall it was not too far from par.....maybe 15% which does make a big difference. So I guess you will be more successful at keeping it to $2000 than I was. Sorry for the ramble.

 

[jclausen]

Hey ScubaSteve,
Thanks for your quick reply. Yes the weight of Ikolite is up there but if the quality is better then that might be the way to go. The Ike also does away with the need for the fiber optic cable which could get caught on things. The wide angle option on the S &S is also worth considering. I have been reading some other posts here and there seems to be some concern with "noise" with the Sea and Sea. I wonder how the Canon and the Sea and Sea compare on the level?

 

[ScubaSteve]

I have been participating (a little) in that thread as well and I believe they are only commenting on the camera used in the 8000G. The other Sea&Sea may very well be better and would be worthy of asking about. My Ike and my Nikon make a pretty good combination but I always wish I had bigger and better. I do like the TTL however nothing is foolproof (I prove that all the time). My opinion may be different from others on here, but I would go Nikon and Ikelite again if I were to do it all over. B&H Photo Video has pretty good pricing on the Ike stuff (at least for me in Canada) so they would be worthy of looking at. It also all depends on what you want to get. As I indicated in the other thread, I want to be able to blow up the pictures that I take if I feel it is worthy. Like this one (thumbnail below) - I blew it up to 20" x 30" and have it hanging on my wall. Unfortunately I am an amateur photographer so I do not get many that I consider "worthy" but the set up is capable when I do get them. You need to know what you want from the system....makes a big difference.

Hey ScubaSteve,
Thanks for your quick reply. Yes the weight of Ikolite is up there but if the quality is better then that might be the way to go. The Ike also does away with the need for the fiber optic cable which could get caught on things. The wide angle option on the S &S is also worth considering. I have been reading some other posts here and there seems to be some concern with "noise" with the Sea and Sea. I wonder how the Canon and the Sea and Sea compare on the level?

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

I would take a close look at the new Sea & Sea DX-1200HD camera set. compact, high quality, pairs well with S&S strobes, and shoots HD video!

 

[Jim Ernst]

I second the G-10 and Ikelite!

 

[kadleck]

Whilst I concur that the G10 (OK, mine is actually G9!) and Ikelite is heavy on land (especially with strobe attached), making it a little awkward to pass back to the boat, it is no problem under water. In fact it almost floats without the strobe (though I mostly do take the strobe down, even if I am not going to use it). It is a little bulky, but very easy to handle. I clip it to my BCD for descent/ascent, and have a wrist lanyard when photographing.

Whatever you get, look for something that can shoot RAW. This really helps with underwater photography. I use TTL flash mostly (requires a sync cable). G10 will let you do that too (in an Ikelite housing with Ikelite strobes). Manual flash is OK - TTL just gives you one less thing to worry about.

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

Good point! One feature many of the Point & shoot cameras lack is the ability to shoot RAW, and the G9 & G10 cameras allow that. One of the big reasons they are so popular. The new Nikon P6000 also shoots RAW. The P5100, its predecessor has been very popular as well for underwater shooters.

 

[jclausen]

Thank you all for your thoughtful input. The SS DX-1200HD? That I did not know about. Interesting but now I am more confused. I believe in Canon and Ike quality, I guess I am trying to see on this forum if others find the DX-1G or the DX-1200HD has similar quality and photo results.

 

[jclausen]

Oh, the Sea and Sea says it shoots RAW as well.