which is better for U/W photography?

[dust_to_debris]

want to upgrade my current canon a95 to a better camera. olympus is much more expensive and highly recommended by fellow divers but sony's w7 got a better colour contrast and got their own supporters who'll swear by its quality.. decided to snoop around first..

[reefer guy]

bro, c8080 has stopped production, so most probably support n parts would be hard. also, have u seen the underwatercasing? i find it rather too bulky. i bought the lower range, olympus c7070, and its pretty impressive although my skills suck

[kelstorm]

bro, c8080 has stopped production, so most probably support n parts would be hard. also, have u seen the underwatercasing? i find it rather too bulky. i bought the lower range, olympus c7070, and its pretty impressive although my skills suck

The reason why the casing is so bulky is coz u can attach wide angle lens to it... so, good to decide wat u like to take...

Personally, me using C770 Olympus.. and loved the super macro mode that it offers.

[dradttg]

Go to digitaldiver.net and snoop around.

The general opinion I see is that a lot of them are using C-5050 or C5060 now. Since 5050 is out of production. However, most of them do not use Olympus casing because it tends to leak.

I am not sure about C-8080 but I heard that most of the high end ones has noise problem.

Personally, I am a dummy and prefer a camera that is easy to use. Hence, C5060 is out, there is no automatic mode that you can use. I am using the A95 and I am very happy with it. The casing is also very well made.

Why dont you go for D350?

[reefer guy]

However, most of them do not use Olympus casing because it tends to leak.

now u r scaring me

kel, are u using original olympus u/w casing? how long have u been diving w it? need to learn from u

[kelstorm]

now u r scaring me

kel, are u using original olympus u/w casing? how long have u been diving w it? need to learn from u

i probably log 10+ dives with it so far.. using original Olympus housing.. no prob with leaking so far.. must take good care of it.. do proper maintenance.. should not be an issue...

I prefer to take macro than wide angle.. thus the preference of super macro mode.

of course, D350 is better but the housing aint any cheaper.. both camera + housing is probably gonna set u back by more than 2K i presume.. exluding strobes and arms...

bring camera down is quite a hassle.. i prefer to dive without anything having to worry abt the camera and free my hands and be streamlined but when the pics comes out nice.. u get the shoik feeling.. urgh.. paradox of diving.. maybe hire someone to hold my camera for me while i dive... hahaha

[reefer guy]

guess i have to take lessons from u, im so ignorant of my camera

using any strobes? can recommend necessities that comes along to make a pic perfect shot?

[nleong]

do not fly without learning how to walk.... taming a SLR with the heavy housing is not easy underwater... I have tried the D70 with ikelite housing underwater.. and boy.. decided not to get any DSLR for the time being and gone with the 7070....

suggest you practise more with the 7070.... its a very decent camera...

as for the strobes, if u ask me, its a must for balancing the light and bringing out the colors, but you will have to know how to use it, and how to place the light....

think before you goes off and burn 1K on a strobe, y dun u read more about underwater photography and learn more about your 7070 first ?

anyway... 8 more hrs to the dive of the year manado here i come!!!!

[dust_to_debris]

do not fly without learning how to walk.... taming a SLR with the heavy housing is not easy underwater... I have tried the D70 with ikelite housing underwater.. and boy.. decided not to get any DSLR for the time being and gone with the 7070....

suggest you practise more with the 7070.... its a very decent camera...

as for the strobes, if u ask me, its a must for balancing the light and bringing out the colors, but you will have to know how to use it, and how to place the light....

think before you goes off and burn 1K on a strobe, y dun u read more about underwater photography and learn more about your 7070 first ?

anyway... 8 more hrs to the dive of the year manado here i come!!!!

wow manado!! need to save up first.. been using the canon a95 housing for almost 30 dives and still doing very well but heard that olympus got a double o ring so should be safer. SLRs are quite a handful when you dunno which button for which function but i belive that with practice it'll do alot more than norm DCs.. just dun wanna waste $ on a norm cam so won't lose out if i decides to upgrade.the weight factor does not affect me much as i'm used to carrying weights for students doing absolute bouyancy.

[dust_to_debris]

Go to digitaldiver.net and snoop around.

The general opinion I see is that a lot of them are using C-5050 or C5060 now. Since 5050 is out of production. However, most of them do not use Olympus casing because it tends to leak.

I am not sure about C-8080 but I heard that most of the high end ones has noise problem.

Personally, I am a dummy and prefer a camera that is easy to use. Hence, C5060 is out, there is no automatic mode that you can use. I am using the A95 and I am very happy with it. The casing is also very well made.

Why dont you go for D350?

thanks for the info.. the olympus c 5060 is indeed a very good DC and with a perset manual setting for white balance so taking photos under depth should'nt be a prob. as for the a95 you're using, be reminded that its a single o ring so yearly replacements are needed cos i saw a few canons with leakage problems and i dun wanna take a chance with mine. my a95 does not produce images sharp enough for my liking altough is a great value for money..

[Goondoo]

thanks for the info.. the olympus c 5060 is indeed a very good DC and with a perset manual setting for white balance so taking photos under depth should'nt be a prob. as for the a95 you're using, be reminded that its a single o ring so yearly replacements are needed cos i saw a few canons with leakage problems and i dun wanna take a chance with mine. my a95 does not produce images sharp enough for my liking altough is a great value for money..

99% of the flood incidents are caused by human error regardless what housing were used,

One example is not doing predive checks and leaving the housing under the sun is another. All O-rings need to be replace yearly (as recommended)

Few main consideration selecting a camera for UW is

1) the possibility of opening the housing as little as possible though out the day, example: replacing batteries, change memory cards etc.

2) Cameras using AA rechargable batteries tends to fog up a housing more (due to off gasing of the batteries) than one using lithium. I forgot my silicon packs during my Sipadan trip and I am surprise that there are no fogging at all. When fixing the camera into the housing, try to do it in a very dry area, like aircon room.

3) Shuttle lags - All consumer/prosumer cameras have shuttle lags, it just a matter of how much.

4) Not all blur pictures are caused by shuttle lags, most of the time, its due to off focus or insuffient light when using higher shuttle speed, as the light resistance underwater is many times more than air, keep your current camera and get a external strobe if possible.

5) Remember to always half focus before you press fully. Try to master Manual mode, push your Aperture as low as possible (F8) for macro pictures and mid level (F5-F5.6) for Wide angle pictures. Always remember to half focus on the eye first, then pull the focus compose your picture while half pressed.

6) Upgradablility- no doubt many cameras today comes with housing, the more popular upgrades are the ones with 67mm thread. Inon, epoque makes macro and wide angle lenses for 67mm.

7) Many recommended manual white balancing. However, remember not to use flash else your picture will turn all red.

8) Experience- just keep shooting......

PS: DSLR is not that friendly underwater, imagine you jump down with a macro lense and a manta swim pass with a whale shark.....

A95 is a very decent camera for UW. I had seen a friend taking videos with it with a red filter and it really rocks!

Hope these helps. PM me if you need more information.

[Goondoo]

my a95 does not produce images sharp enough for my liking altough is a great value for money..

Sorry I missed this point.

If you are using Autofocus underwater, most of the time, you can forget about sharpness. Most Consumer/Prosumer camera will 1st set to the biggest aperture (example: F2.8) then select a suitable shutter speed based ambient light. The internal flash are more of a compensation light.

I had seen great pictures taken with A95. (Though I am a Oly C-5060 user)

[vrrroommm]

The reason why the casing is so bulky is coz u can attach wide angle lens to it... so, good to decide wat u like to take...

Personally, me using C770 Olympus.. and loved the super macro mode that it offers.

Hi,

I saw a guy using the C7070 in Manado in May, when I was there. Was that you by any chance I was so impressed with the pictures (of course it's also because of his skills..hehe), that I decided to buy de camera. The fact that you actually attach diff. lens outside UNDERWATER sold me.

And after readin the thick manual, I'm even more impressed.

Anyway, been looking around for the underwater casing, and I haven't found any better price than SGD350. Any suggestion? I need it before August dive trip... a bit anxious. Heheh..

And wat about the lens (macro) that is attachable outside. Do you know if they sell it in SG?.. Can't find them.

[kelstorm]

I saw a guy using the C7070 in Manado in May, when I was there. Was that you by any chance I was so impressed with the pictures (of course it's also because of his skills..hehe), that I decided to buy de camera. The fact that you actually attach diff. lens outside UNDERWATER sold me.

And after readin the thick manual, I'm even more impressed.

Anyway, been looking around for the underwater casing, and I haven't found any better price than SGD350. Any suggestion? I need it before August dive trip... a bit anxious. Heheh..

And wat about the lens (macro) that is attachable outside. Do you know if they sell it in SG?.. Can't find them.

the price is ard that.. shouldnt vary much.. anyway, nope, it wasnt me.. cant afford to go manado with my current bank acct..

personally, i prefer to take macro shots, thus, even though my cam can be used to take movie etc, i dun use it.. hahaha..

If u are talking abt magnifying lens, u might wanna try Adelphi... there is this shop which sells underwater camera stuff ... cant recall the name though.. some fellas help me out here...

[Goondoo]

the price is ard that.. shouldnt vary much.. anyway, nope, it wasnt me.. cant afford to go manado with my current bank acct..

personally, i prefer to take macro shots, thus, even though my cam can be used to take movie etc, i dun use it.. hahaha..

If u are talking abt magnifying lens, u might wanna try Adelphi... there is this shop which sells underwater camera stuff ... cant recall the name though.. some fellas help me out here...

The one that is selling underwater photography equipments in Adelphi is Sea and Sea. Personally, I would prefer to visit Oceanic Focus because they carry more Ikelite, Inon,Epoque and 10 bar items which are cheaper than many other brands. And they are based in Singapore.

Cheers,

Goondoo