What's a good first camera?

[Austin]

Hi, I'm looking to get my first camera, I'm not sure how much to spend or what model. I want something pretty nice with the possibility of doing nice macros. Any ideas on some good brands/models, or at least some suggestions on what to stay away from, even though it might look like a good value first camera?

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I'm digging my Olympus 5060 It can take decent macros and you can pick the camera and case up for about $600.

 

[jakubson]

Hi, I'm looking to get my first camera, I'm not sure how much to spend or what model. I want something pretty nice with the possibility of doing nice macros. Any ideas on some good brands/models, or at least some suggestions on what to stay away from, even though it might look like a good value first camera?

Courtesy of alcina on another thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=96164
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=95997
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=46508
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=94669

 

[Uncle Pug]

Well... there is *U/W photography* and then there is picture takin'. If you want to do snapshots of stuff you see while diving then a simple point and shoot camera will suffice.

 

[ScubaJW]

My first camera is SeaLife Reefmaster DC310 Digital and I love it. I got it few months ago and I have took some pictures in Key Largo. Great pictures and reasonable price for new divers.

 

[Austin]

Thanks everyone, I definitly want a "good" camera, something that will stay with me for a number of years. I'm trying to figure out what not to get as much as what I should get. Are there any brands/models that do one thing better than another? How much money is reasonable to spend? I'm a bit of a gadgety person so I would like something kinda spiffy, but userfriendly, because I'm new to UW photography, but I'm planning on getting very involved in it in the future.

 

[hdtran]

Thanks everyone, I definitly want a "good" camera, something that will stay with me for a number of years. I'm trying to figure out what not to get as much as what I should get. Are there any brands/models that do one thing better than another? How much money is reasonable to spend? I'm a bit of a gadgety person so I would like something kinda spiffy, but userfriendly, because I'm new to UW photography, but I'm planning on getting very involved in it in the future.

An external strobe will be your most expensive item; could run more than the camera + housing together :11:

You will be told that this is a necessity.

Next, I would say go digital, not 35mm film. The reason is instantaneous (or nearly instantaneous) feedback + relatively low cost. To become a better photographer, one must take lots of pictures. Digital helps you do that. (That said, a DSLR is $$$ compared to a 35 mm SLR).

Lastly, I'll recommend that you shop for the housing before you shop for the camera. Casio, for example, makes some really cute credit-card-sized-but-matchbox-thickness cameras that take pretty decent pictures. Good if you're planning on becoming a spy or papparrazzi (sp?), but no UW housing available...

Was I vague enough ?

 

[TheNitroxinator]

You'll see it from almost everyone - go with a manual mode when shooting underwater. Whatever you get, make sure its got a manual mode so you can set the aperture, shutterspeed, or both. If its got a manual mode, my guess is it will also have a manual white balance setting. Depending on where and what you shoot, that can eliminate the need for the strobe.

I started with a Canon S50. Small size with the case, lots of resolution, and it did have manual modes - that's pretty good. These days maybe you'd have to go with an S70 or A70 I guess, or you might be able to pick up a used S50. If you're just starting out, you will probably appreciate having a camera that doesn't take up a lot of space. My S50 flooded - I'm not sure if that was a case problem due to my taking it below the rated depth in Truk, or if I screwed up and didn't set one of the o-rings properly; a user error at any rate. I now have an olympus right now, the 5060 with the Olympus housing would be pretty good from what I've seen, but I'm still considering getting a replacement S50 to use in my WP-DC300 case, just because of the size issue for certain locations and situations (I have an external strobe and an aluminum housing for my 5050, its heavy and bulky but I do like the results and the ability to attach external lenses).

 

[Austin]

Hi, it turns out I have an old Canon EOS D30. It was about $3,000 in its day, it was released 5 years ago. It's a bit behind the curve, being that it is 3.3 megapixel. The housing for it would be about $2000 and the strobes would add to around $1200. I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to get all that equipment for such an old camera with a low megapixel, what are your thoughts?

 

[ChrisA]

Hi, it turns out I have an old Canon EOS D30. It was about $3,000 in its day, it was released 5 years ago. It's a bit behind the curve, being that it is 3.3 megapixel. The housing for it would be about $2000 and the strobes would add to around $1200. I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to get all that equipment for such an old camera with a low megapixel, what are your thoughts?

OK so you spend $3,200 on a housing and strobes for your old camera or
$3,900 for a housing and strobes and a new camera. A 20% difference.

Actually it is worse than that because I doubt you could get a housing for $2k. After you get a few different lens ports for it the cost goes up and your $1,200 budgget left out the tray, arms and ync cords. Buying a new Rebel is not a big deal.