Want to start taking pictures...

[Rich805Howell]

Never really been into it, but would like to start taking photos for friends and family of what I see under the water. I dont know what to really start with, but i was looking at the SeaLife DC1200 Digital Underwater Camera Elite Kit. Is that a good choice?

 

[JohnAC]

Hi Rich, that is probably a good beginning set up for your first rig that will likely last you a long time. I know of people who use that camera with great results.

DC1200 (Comments by Devildiver)
Is it good camera ?
YES, it is fully capable of taking some great U/W photos. The camera itself is average compared to what is available on the market but that is not a bad thing, most digital compacts on the market are very good compared to just a year or two ago.

Does it take good picture ?
Yes, compared to other compact cameras in it's range.

Is the UW housing & strobe good ? (at least worth the money)
The Sealife Strobes are OK for the Sealife cameras that they are designed for. I would not recommend them for a more advanced camera though.

Plus:
Cost, easy to use, simple controls, if you are beginning you can get good results right from the start without a full understanding of how it is done.

Minus:
Limited Manual controls, photo quality of enlarged or cropped photos, strobe recycle time, battery life and beam angle.

My first camera was an Olympus 3010 with OEM housing. Okay camera but limited in its functions.

I now have the Canon S95 with the OEM WP-DC38 housing. It is a camera that u can grow into. It is an advanced point and shoot with auto to full manual controls. It has a sensor equal of larger cameras, a big plus for uw pix.

Outside of the camera itself, having a good strobe with 90 degree flash is a must.


watchmanjc aka JohnC

 

[Mochosla]

Buy the Canon S95 with housing. A bit more expensive but it is a great setup to start with.

 

[FrankPro1]

I would also recommend the Canon S95 combo. The SeaLife system is an auto only system and while it can provide some nice results, you'd be better off investing in something you can grow with. The S95 has full manual controls, RAW shooting capability and can accept a wide range of wet lenses. The DC1200 Elite cost around 800 bucks while the S95 camera/housing combo from B&H Camera is 579.99. You won't get a strobe and wide angle lens for the 579.99 but you'll have a system which has greater performance, control and expandability.

 

[merxlin]

So Cal water really does require strobes to get good color in your pix. Hard to beat the price of the DC1200

 

[WetBoy101]

If you aren't looking to spend a bunch of money and grow into something you might look at the Intova IC12 with a slave strobe. You can find the camera and housing for about $200. bucks and the strobe for about $150.

 

[FrankPro1]

So Cal water really does require strobes to get good color in your pix.

Agreed. In the long run you will need a strobe "or two ". Using the internal flash with a diffuser is an option until you can afford a strobe but the type of shots you can take will be limited. It might be even better to start without a strobe so you can focus solely on learning the camera's settings and basic composition.

These pics were taken before I purchased my DS-51 Strobes.
"G10/Ikelite housing using only the internal flash with diffuser"

 

[Ben_ca]

Check out Backscatter's article... they have some good recommendations



Best Underwater Point & Shoot Cameras for 2010

 

[Rich805Howell]

cool, thanks for all the input. Yeah I'm saving money right now but looking to buy a camara in the next month or two. So looks like I might go the canon S95 combo then if its something better to grow with over time. And as for strobes, I wouldnt want to get one till I fully learned the camara anyways, I was only looking at the combo cause I thought wasnt a bad deal for camara/housing/strobe. Again, thanks everyone!

 

[SoCalRich]

I've been using a couple of old Canon point & Shoot cameras for a few years. They have full function UW. But can not add lenses & Macro is not as clear as I would like. Other than that, they take great photos.

Diving was getting a little boring until I started taking pictures. Regaurdless of which camera you choose, I think you will find a whole new level of enjoyment on your dives.

49 days/ 2hrs./ 23min until warm water diving in Kona