Sealife Micro HD 32--good for a newbie?

[wildbill9]

I want to pull the trigger and get a dive camera. SO many choices and options. I am an experienced diver and mostly dive Carribean sites. I had a Sealife but it flooded a few years ago. I want a decent system that hopefully will last a few years if at that time I find I really love taking photos I can upgrade. I don't want a highly technical system that demands lots of attention (yes I will admit I am a lazy diver)

My local dive shop suggested a SeaLife Micro HD+ Pro Set 32 GB Wifi Camera, Sea Dragon 2000, Micro Tray, Grip and Case (just under $900). I like the ease of use. I am concerned about 12 inch min from subject, no controls, I have read about it freezing up and some difficulty downloading to a PC.

Please give me your opinion of this system or if you like something else better please let me know (and why)

Thanks for your help and advice!!!

Bill

 

[rob1967]

I started with a SeaLife and in hindsight it was not a very good choice. Lots of reliability issues, mediocre image quality, and not very easy to use in manual mode. My next camera was a Canon S100 which was way better.

I highly recommend you get a compact Canon, like the G16 or S120 (or even the G7X if you can afford it). With an external strobe, it is something you can really grow with and you will get some amazing shots, especially if you can learn to shoot in manual mode with a strobe (which is not as hard as you might think!).

cheers and happy diving!

 

[fozzy]

The sealife has a BIG advantage, no worries about flooding, that's a lot.

I've been to Sharm with mine, without lights, and (even with the problems listed below) am VERY satisfied.

Nonetheless: It looks like i'm the only one having had this problem but the memory bank inside the camera moved and the camera refused to take pictures/videos until serviced, luckily it didn't need to make the whole trip to the US but still a pain when you are halfway through your diving holiday.
I did have problems on my nexus 5 and on an Iphone 5 to see the pictures on the Action Cam App, it worked on an android tablet. No problems via USB connector or wifi to the PC (this one is quite slow, i recommend the cable).
The original pouch is basically useless if you put the wrist holder on... so get yourself something to keep the lens safe.

Again the "nonflooding" gives it in my view an advantage which can't be beaten as long as you don't have a particular reason to choose something different

Hope it helps.

 

[wildbill9]

I decided to go with the Olympus TD-3 with a Sea & Sea strobe. TD-3 helps take the worry out of minor flooding

Thanks!

Bill