Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

Deviance · Contributing Member Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 150

At the moment I have a Sony Cybershot P200 7.2mp with a 1-1.18 censor.

I am going on a dream trip to Palau, Micronesia for 2 weeks scuba diving in December and as I want some good memories of this trip I am thinking of buying a new camera and underwater housing.

Obviously due to being 30-40m deep, light is the main problem as is white balance when diving.

So I was wondering if Stuart or anyone else can offer any recommendations?
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RonW · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:23 pm Post subject:

There is just too much choice, you can put just about any camera in underwater housing.
You'll be using the flash a lot (almost always), both to get correct colors at depth and to have enough light to actually make a good picture. The problem with many compact systems is that you depend on the flash on the camera. Because that flash is too close to the lens you'll have a lots of problems with back scatter, especially if your subject is not very close. I'd advise a housing with an external strobe if you are serious about underwater photography.
As for the camera, anything from a good point and shoot to an expensive SLR can give you good pictures. Its all a matter of how much you want to spend. If you google around a bit you'll find lots of sites and reviews to see what suits you. I bought a Sea&Sea many years ago, didn't even have an autofocus then AND used film Laughing

Still, I made quite a few pics I'm still happy with, even on my first dive.

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Deviance · Contributing Member Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 150

Cheers Ron.

I have read loads of reviews and people's recommendations but still I am unsure lol I am yet to find a good roundup of cameras with example pics for comparison. Laughing

I know I want a camera with manual settings including white balance.

www.divewithmike.co.uk/7.html - good article about settings including not using a flash or strobe to achieve natural colors Smile

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RonW · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:21 pm Post subject:

Try simple elimination:
Do you want an SLR? yes/no
how much do you want to spend? maximum amount
Look at camera's for which there is underwater housing
That way you can make a short list and make a choice eventually.
There are too many things to consider for a general answer. Do you want to use the camera on land? For what kind of photography? Do you want to use the same storage cards as your Sony or not?
All good compacts can make nice pics under water if you know what you are doing. Personally I'd go for a good SLR, but that's a lot more expensive.
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Stuart · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:45 pm Post subject:

Probably not of much help here but these are decent sites..I looked around them a while back.. http://www.underwaterphotography.com/
http://www.edgeunderwaterphotography.com/
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jon_g · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:22 pm Post subject:

make sure you hit pohnpei, they drink kava there in a very unique style(made with hibiscus gew) they also have stone money!!
great place and the best place to drink kava in the world (Bali is just as good now...)
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Deviance · Contributing Member Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 150

I went to see Paul at Cameras Underwater in Embankment on Friday evening for some information and advice; they are known for their expertise when it comes to underwater equipment and photography. Smile

Anyways I have now decided on a Canon IXUS 960is, Inon Wide Angle lens and a strobe.

The Digital SLR route is not something I could entertain as a sport diver; the cost was £2.5k+ Shocked

I also can not warrant the extra box needed to carry it all in and the extra weight! When diving as we have equipment as it is to try and cram into the allotted 20kg you get when flying! Rolling Eyes

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DrAdam · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:12 pm Post subject:

meh Palau, boring ...... NOT Laughing

Heres me thinking i was doing quite well by going to dive the Zen this year Crying or Very sad

... Palau is a place i've always wanted to go.
As for cameras... I have an old olympus C4000z in a Pt-010 housing and it ok, not great but it does the job when I'm abroad... The main problem is all the colour starts to disappear after about 5m so I beleive you need a filter to help with that. I would have thought if you were doing 30-40m then your in the wreck range as the reefs tend to end at about 30m therefore i would think that a WAL is a must to try and get any meaningful perspective.

Anyway I've added absolutely nothing to the thread but I couldnt let a dive related one pass me by.... come to think of it if there are a few divers on here we should organise a captivebred dive trip!
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Deviance · Contributing Member Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 150

I can't wait to go...16 days of lush paradise and 10 days of the 'best' diving in the world! Razz

Hopefully booking my flights next week once I have worked how much weight I have to take with me as this will decide who I fly with due to only emirates offering an extra 10kg of baggage for dive equipment. Cathay and Singapore do not allow any extra... Bar Stewards Rolling Eyes

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