digital cam for underwater photography

Hi everyone

i was thinking of getting a digital camera that can go underwater. what are models that you would recommend?

Regards
Genes

[kng]

Originally Posted by genes Hi everyone i was thinking of getting a digital camera that can go underwater. what are models that you would recommend? Regards Genes

Two popular models are the Olympus 5050 and the Canon A70/A80 for their long battery life (cos using 4xAA). The proprietary lithium battery powered cameras tend to run out of juice after 1-1.5 dives.

Have a scan through this (very long! ) thread:
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthrea...t=26197&page=1

And WELCOME!

sorry guys, newbie here, so can someone please orientate me around this forum...i heard that i can view some picts taken by you guys underwater. where do i go to view those?

[kthan]

genes, I'm afraid you have to go thru the loooooonnnnnnggggg thread which kng suggested above to find those links. Alternatively, u can PM the various UWCS members for their photo link.

[kng]

Hi genes, quite a number of the members have links to their web photo albums in their signature (eg Lanxx, kthan, lensman, waisj, etc etc).

A lot of discussion about various camera models and the pros and cons are in that super duper long thread - slowly read and dun be shy to post questions!We all learn together!

hello again. any comments from you pros out there regarding the cannon A80 being used underwater during a dive trip? the pros or cons of it?

i figured since i am new to this, i should not invest in such an expensive camera like the C5050 as yet.

[lovells19]

well i did have the same thoughts as you when i was about to buy the c5050..
but my guts just kept kicking me.. BUY IT BUY IT.. and i've never regretted it

never knew there was so much to learn about photography till i got it..

last time with my old olympus mju.. i just click and click..

[Goondoo]

Originally Posted by genes hello again. any comments from you pros out there regarding the cannon A80 being used underwater during a dive trip? the pros or cons of it? i figured since i am new to this, i should not invest in such an expensive camera like the C5050 as yet.

In that case, why not consider a A70? Even cheaper...


Comparison
I can't see much difference about them on specifications besides A80 is about a Meg more of pixels, allows two customised setting and a adjustable LCD you can use underwater. Oh, and of cos A80 have this PictBridge compliant thingy (don't really know what it does) which A70 do not.

However, A70 is definitely alot cheaper and casing easily purchased off the shelf than A80.

Check out this post, this post and this post.

You might want to check this out.

Hope this helps...

[kng]

Originally Posted by Goondoo In that case, why not consider a A70? Even cheaper...

Primary diff between the A80 and A70 wld be 0.8mp (not v significant IMHO) and the swivel lcd (good on land). I have not checked out whether the A80 has better macro than the A70 but the extra 0.8mp will give you marginally more pixels to crop.

For me personally, i like using the video clip function and the A70 has vga (640x480) video which Canon did not provide in the A80 (argh dunno why!). Come for our "uwcs seed" and i'll show you the videos that the A70 can produce.

One of the primary advantages of the 5050 is it's significantly better macro capability and the fast (f2.0/1.8?) lens. If you are a macro buff, you may find the canons lacking.

All in, considering that the A70 with housing comes in at under $800, I think it is an excellent, very capable and feature rich camera. For purely u/w usage, it may not be worthwhile to fork out the extra for the A80.

[frisky]

Originally Posted by Goondoo In that case, why not consider a A70? Even cheaper... I can't see much difference about them on specifications besides A80 is about a Meg more of pixels, allows two customised setting and a adjustable LCD you can use underwater. Oh, and of cos A80 have this PictBridge compliant thingy (don't really know what it does) which A70 do not. However, A70 is definitely alot cheaper and casing easily purchased off the shelf than A80.

Agree. A70 can be had at no more than $400 2nd hand. A70 can be upgrade to Pict Bridge Compliant with a firmware upgrade.

[lovells19]

Originally Posted by kng Primary diff between the A80 and A70 wld be 0.8mp (not v significant IMHO) and the swivel lcd (good on land). I have not checked out whether the A80 has better macro than the A70 but the extra 0.8mp will give you marginally more pixels to crop. For me personally, i like using the video clip function and the A70 has vga (640x480) video which Canon did not provide in the A80 (argh dunno why!). Come for our "uwcs seed" and i'll show you the videos that the A70 can produce. One of the primary advantages of the 5050 is it's significantly better macro capability and the fast (f2.0/1.8?) lens. If you are a macro buff, you may find the canons lacking. All in, considering that the A70 with housing comes in at under $800, I think it is an excellent, very capable and feature rich camera. For purely u/w usage, it may not be worthwhile to fork out the extra for the A80.

YOU MUST MUST MUST SEE he's video clips.. almost flood the restuarant with my drool!

what video clips? how do i watch them?

[waisj]

Well you will have to come to our UWCS SEED V... oh and i think you will have to bribe KNG to show it to you....

High class coffee i mean.

/right KNG???

[kng]

Originally Posted by waisj Well you will have to come to our UWCS SEED V... oh and i think you will have to bribe KNG to show it to you.... High class coffee i mean. /right KNG???

Wah liow... my clips are pathetically amateurish lah - pls dun let these guys 'bluff' you.

What i was trying to say is that for a (relatively) cheap $800 investment in the A70 and housing, you can produce very decent and surprisingly good results. But if you are intending to shoot mainly macro, I think the oly 5050 will be a better bet. So you have to balance your budget and your shooting style.

ps: the new 'chio' sony T1 has 640x480 30fps video!!! Also got housing! Can almost compete with low end video cam!

[lovells19]

Originally Posted by kng Wah liow... my clips are pathetically amateurish lah - pls dun let these guys 'bluff' you. What i was trying to say is that for a (relatively) cheap $800 investment in the A70 and housing, you can produce very decent and surprisingly good results. But if you are intending to shoot mainly macro, I think the oly 5050 will be a better bet. So you have to balance your budget and your shooting style. ps: the new 'chio' sony T1 has 640x480 30fps video!!! Also got housing! Can almost compete with low end video cam!

hey those videos are very well taken, and very well edited. anytime can be mistaken for a professional work. if not for the slow laptop hehehehe :P
*salute*

woah.. 30fps! what will become of those video cams???
but it's a sony leh.. add ons are too pricely leh.
good to look not very very delicious to eat,

[beivied]

kng is a very humble man

any newcomers, remember to ask for our UWCS SEED specialty if you ever join us ... kng's videos and waisj's photos! a must have on every UWCS SEED, hahahha...

[lovells19]

Originally Posted by beivied kng is a very humble man any newcomers, remember to ask for our UWCS SEED specialty if you ever join us ... kng's videos and waisj's photos! a must have on every UWCS SEED, hahahha...

hahaha as discussed we will have to break up into new and old meeters :P

[benmah]

A70 and housing for under $800????!!!!!
Wow, that is an amazing deal. I got my A70 for 500 plus and now the housings are going for 300 plus and if i do get the housing its going to cost me big time...sigh...unless of course anyone here knows where to get a good deal for the housing.

Originally Posted by kng Primary diff between the A80 and A70 wld be 0.8mp (not v significant IMHO) and the swivel lcd (good on land). I have not checked out whether the A80 has better macro than the A70 but the extra 0.8mp will give you marginally more pixels to crop. For me personally, i like using the video clip function and the A70 has vga (640x480) video which Canon did not provide in the A80 (argh dunno why!). Come for our "uwcs seed" and i'll show you the videos that the A70 can produce. One of the primary advantages of the 5050 is it's significantly better macro capability and the fast (f2.0/1.8?) lens. If you are a macro buff, you may find the canons lacking. All in, considering that the A70 with housing comes in at under $800, I think it is an excellent, very capable and feature rich camera. For purely u/w usage, it may not be worthwhile to fork out the extra for the A80.

[beivied]

try AP or CP.. should be below sgd300 for casing.

Anyone using the 5060? Any comments on the camera for use both underwater and on land? comparing the 5050 and 5060, what are their individual pros and cons?