#76898 - 10/05/08 12:46 PM
underwater cameras
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tambir9
Member
Registered: 12/18/06
Posts: 210
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Knowing there are many divers on the board, I thought his would be a good place to get opinions. My hubby had a Bonica Snapper camera with housing. It was 'okay'. But he has decided to upgrade after a recent trip to Palau, where the pictures just weren't great at all. So I am wondering what kind of underwater cameras, or to be more specific camera's and housings people are using. Ideally he would like something with about 10-12 megapixels, with a high ISO 2400+. The option of video is also something he is looking at.
Apparently Nikon has a new D90 out that does all of that but it is pretty new so we are hoping someone out there has tried it, or has a suggestion for another brand. He is looking for something for scuba, not just snorkelling, so it has to have an available housing for real depth, not just 20' sort of thing.
As always, thanks for the help.
Fran
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#76907 - 10/05/08 08:28 PM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: tambir9]
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islandboyatheart
Expert Advisor
Registered: 07/19/05
Posts: 1368
Loc: Florida
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Hi Tambir, Ikelite makes underwater housings for most of the entry and mid-rangle DSLR's that are currently out on the market. I have a Canon 40D that I am very happy with but I don't take it on my tropical vacations and I am too afraid to ever stick it in a housing. The housings will often cost as much, if not more, than the camera itself. The Ikelite housings are rated to 200 feet, so those should be perfect for him. If you go to B+H photo and type in "underwater housing", you will get 29 pages of items to look at. I have ordered from that company before including the purchase of my 40D and they are trustworthy. Good luck.
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#76919 - 10/06/08 07:30 AM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: islandboyatheart]
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tambir9
Member
Registered: 12/18/06
Posts: 210
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Thanks Islandboyatheart, we have found the Ikelite housing and are aware of the variety of housings available. In fact we have been told that if you are willing to pay for it, Ikelite will custom build a housing for any camera. But now we are looking for a camera that performs well underwater. Most of the photos we have from the Bonica are really blue, with very little detail in them, so we are looking at better cameras. We have also found that Sea & Sea have some decent cameras, but just looking to get opinions from people who use underwater cameras.
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#76926 - 10/06/08 09:23 AM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: tambir9]
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islandboyatheart
Expert Advisor
Registered: 07/19/05
Posts: 1368
Loc: Florida
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Hi Fran,
I think the blue is more related to the transmitted light at depth rather than related to the camera being good or bad. He would need a good strobe no matter which camera he chooses and will have to bring a white card to custom white balance when he gets down.
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#76927 - 10/06/08 11:13 AM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: islandboyatheart]
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tambir9
Member
Registered: 12/18/06
Posts: 210
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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We have been told that the ISO on the camera will also affect the quality - his old camera had and ISO of only 200. The Nikon he is considering goes up to ISO 3200.
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#76931 - 10/06/08 01:34 PM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: tambir9]
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islandboyatheart
Expert Advisor
Registered: 07/19/05
Posts: 1368
Loc: Florida
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At the surface, higher ISO will allow you to shoot in dimmer light and still obtain decent exposures and allows you to shoot with a faster shutter speed to prevent blur. At depth, higher iso allows a faster shutter speed which is better to prevent motion blur and can allow for headroom for a brighter exposure all other factors being equal but won't improve the blue color.
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#76948 - 10/07/08 09:08 AM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: islandboyatheart]
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Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2302
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
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Something else to keep in mind is your photo application. We use Adobe Photoshop to adjust the colour & light levels and the difference between the "raw" photo and the adjusted one is huge. All the blue disappears and the real colours of the fish and coral just pops out at you!
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#77152 - 10/17/08 12:12 PM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: Old Wife]
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tambir9
Member
Registered: 12/18/06
Posts: 210
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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I realize that there are lots of things you can do after the photo is taken, but I was hoping that someone here would have a camera that they use underwater in diving conditions that they may be able to recommend. The Bonica wasn't a great camera for many reasons including low ISO, which doesn't perform well in low-light situations (underwater), so any recommendations for camera's that people are pleased with underwater would be appreciated.
Thanks
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#77153 - 10/17/08 01:42 PM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: tambir9]
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YosemiteGirl2
Member
Registered: 09/17/07
Posts: 335
Loc: California
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I'll ask my husband when he gets home from work. He does lots of research on stuff like this but so far has not given in to camera lust (but this last trip to Fiji we had an awful time with blue balancing, so I think a purchase may be in the offing...). I also have a small section in a PADI book on photography, I'll see if they have any helpful specification info.
Would you mind telling me how you found Palau? We are considering going (and going to Truk and Yap on the same trip). What is the culture/accomodation/food like? How did your husband rate the diving? If you want to start a different thread or just email let me know. You can email me at yosemitegirl2@gmail.com.
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#77185 - 10/19/08 04:02 PM
Re: underwater cameras
[Re: YosemiteGirl2]
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tambir9
Member
Registered: 12/18/06
Posts: 210
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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We'll email you separately to try to keep Yves forum true to Tahiti.
The camera we are looking at most seriously right now is the Sea and Sea DX-1G. Comments are welcome.....
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