Which direction?

[KatieMac]

Hi everyone, I need some guidance.

I have a 5D Mark II but given the cost of housing for it I have no interest in going in that direction. I was hoping to get a decent setup for less than the cost of the housing for my camera.

I'm looking for something that can take decent pictures (raw format) and decent video. And because I'm a pretty new diver (although I'm great on air and good on bouyancy) I'm not looking for something that will completely distract me from the basic skills I need to keep working on. But also something that will give me more flexibility as I get more confident in my diving skills and want to do more with UW photography.

There is so much information and so many options I don't know where to start. The GoPro and equivalent seem like a no-brainer (and may be useful for things outside of the water as well) but there are so many other options. I'd like to stick under $1000 but would like to get feedback from those of you who have used lots of different setups on the pros and cons of each.

 

[bvanant]

Well a GoPro is nice for wide angle video but not so nice for photos (in any way) so I would not recommend that approach. If you are a serious photographer (and it seems so from your choice of the 5DII) then you will ultimately end up with something with multiple interchangeable lenses and ports and strobes and .....
You might as well just go that way if you can afford it, I know dozens of UW photographers that all have "intermediate" systems sitting unused in their closets. That being said, for $1K I would look at things like the Sealife DC2000 and the Olympus Tough TG4 ($900 with a strobe) and more simply there are tons of used systems near that price.
Bill

 

[jmartel]

I would try and find a used system. $1k could get you a decent used setup, minus strobes. Unfortunately strobes are $450-700 each, so even adding one is going to make a huge dent in your budget.

Check the classifieds here and over on Wetpixel. Something might come up in your price range.

 

[Hoag]

Keep an eye on Kijiji. As they say, timing is everything, and I just sold a package that would have been ideal for you a couple months ago on Kijiji (Olympus E-PL1, kit lens, 20mm f1.7 pancake lens, 8mm fisheye lens, Oly housing and Zen 4in dome port) for $700. I sold the strobes separately, but keep an eye out for people upgrading and looking to sell their current equipment.

Also, drop by all of the dive shops in Ottawa & Hull and put out some feelers that you are in the market for some camera gear and your target price. You might also consider stopping by Henry's and/or Vistek to see if they have any used cameras at a reasonable price (look seriously at Micro 4/3) but if you go down this path be very careful. Do not buy a used camera (or any camera for that matter) unless and until you have confirmed first that you can get a housing for it.

(FWIW, I haven't shot my new system underwater yet, but I went with a Sony A6000 and the 10-18mm f4 lens in a Nauticam housing & dome port. I plan to also pick up the Sony/Zeiss 16-70mm f4 lens for close-up work since my dome port is designed to accommodate both it and the 10-18mm.)

Good luck in your search. I hope you are able to find just what you need.

 

[joe10540]

I just recently purchased off Amazon a knock off gopro for $25 it shoots 4K video and decent pictures. It comes with all the mounting hardware and I mounted it to a light so that no matter what I'm shooting the light is always pointed at it. Not professional grade by any means but for $25 it's disposable enough that I don't mind if it floods or goes missing.