GOOD DSLR - Reef, dives, and ofcoz travel

[zorden]

As above.. which to go for, canon, sony or NIKON..

I am thinking of going for nikon. any exact model or brands n features to look out for?

[jackywongto]

As above.. which to go for, canon, sony or NIKON..

I am thinking of going for nikon. any exact model or brands n features to look out for?

Canon or Nikon will do fine.

Sony is alright but they have a more limited range of lenses.

GO and handle the DSLR personally and see which set fits your palm better if you are a neutral.

[teebs]

As above.. which to go for, canon, sony or NIKON..

I am thinking of going for nikon. any exact model or brands n features to look out for?

U want to get a DSLR for diving trips?? The waterproof casing for the DSLR will cost a bomb and also you will need lens ports for different lenses. The most commonly used u/w casings for DSLRs are Ikelite and Seacam. Furthermore you will need to get the u/w flash strobes also.

[macrobutt]

As above.. which to go for, canon, sony or NIKON..

I am thinking of going for nikon. any exact model or brands n features to look out for?

I would advise you to think twice. I was shooting underwater previously too, and to be frank, you lose all the diving fun. You will probably end up camping at single location shooting a macro to get an ideal shot or lugging your full set of equipments fighting the current.

You would have to pay extra for excess baggage nearly every flight. I would suggest you do videoing. With a bit of WB knowledge, you can get decent videos.

However, if you are keen to get any UW Photography items, I can introduce you to my friend who own such a business, can usually get good price from him.

[sunny03]

I would advise you to think twice. I was shooting underwater previously too, and to be frank, you lose all the diving fun. You will probably end up camping at single location shooting a macro to get an ideal shot or lugging your full set of equipments fighting the current.

You would have to pay extra for excess baggage nearly every flight. I would suggest you do videoing. With a bit of WB knowledge, you can get decent videos.

However, if you are keen to get any UW Photography items, I can introduce you to my friend who own such a business, can usually get good price from him.

bro can check for me how much is a cannon G10 u/w casing ?

[sherman]

I think no more G10 unless second hand.

G11 is around S$800

[macrobutt]

bro can check for me how much is a cannon G10 u/w casing ?

I believe you mean Canon. For prosumer camera, its more advisable to get their own brand of housing.

Getting something like Subal or Ikelite is not really worth it, even the cheapest 10bar housing would probably cost you a thousand or something. It is of course another story if you are looking at a complete strobe solution for the prosumer camera.

I think no more G10 unless second hand.

G11 is around S$800

He's looking for the housing but you are right.

G11 is $799 and housing at $299 from MSColor

[sunny03]

I believe you mean Canon. For prosumer camera, its more advisable to get their own brand of housing.

Getting something like Subal or Ikelite is not really worth it, even the cheapest 10bar housing would probably cost you a thousand or something. It is of course another story if you are looking at a complete strobe solution for the prosumer camera.

He's looking for the housing but you are right.

G11 is $799 and housing at $299 from MSColor

its the same as the price i asked around.. anymore cheaper that 299 ??

[foocha]

I LIKE THIS THREAD !!!

As a fellow diver.... and photo/video enthusiast....got info here hehe

more posts !

off topic a lil..... anybody interested going tioman late this month? prob last wkend

[zorden]

can we make this a sticky.. i will be getting a cam soon thus really need to figure out a good cam for my travelling and also reef. sorry i am bz + lazy to google so prefer to ask..

[teebs]

can we make this a sticky.. i will be getting a cam soon thus really need to figure out a good cam for my travelling and also reef. sorry i am bz + lazy to google so prefer to ask..

I would suggest getting a DSLR for normal travelling but for scuba diving/snorkelling, use a compact PnS digicam with the UW casing. It's much cheaper and lighter for travels. Most of the canon IXUS or Powershot series have uw casings rated to 40m depth which should be more than sufficient for normal scuba diving.

[teebs]

its the same as the price i asked around.. anymore cheaper that 299 ??

You could email cathay photo and ask them for a quote. Normally their emailed quote is cheaper than what you will get at their shops. But payment is by cash only.

[iskay]

DSLR UW casing costs a bomb. Buy it if you are really determined to turn pro or semi-pro. For normal recreational use, any compact + UW casing will do. I use a Canon Ixus 950IS with WP-DC15.

You can also use it to take photos of your tank's inhabitants without the refraction problems cause by tank glass. Check out some examples - click here.

BTW, I also carry a DSLR for good quality photos of my kid.

[reefer guy]

i would ditch G11 and G10 -- will still opt for the old G9 (if you could get second owned) and canon u/w casings are all good but i'd rely on ikelite casing still for a beginner entry; i've seen manufacturer casings failed too many times (including mine) and i won't let it happen again.

strobes is a good companion for your rig if you want quality pictures and not just a blue hue.....

[Terryz_]

I am just wondering since there is a thread on DSLR here... Anyone have feedback or reviews on Olympus E-P2 Pen Camera... It seems like more or less a DSLR but in a compact camera size?

Thanks..

[macrobutt]

its the same as the price i asked around.. anymore cheaper that 299 ??

The price for their housing will be around the same. Profit margin is not high for them to slash price. Sales volume is also low which explains why they usually ran out of stock and soon, no more in production.

i would ditch G11 and G10 -- will still opt for the old G9 (if you could get second owned) and canon u/w casings are all good but i'd rely on ikelite casing still for a beginner entry; i've seen manufacturer casings failed too many times (including mine) and i won't let it happen again.

I had seen/heard of reputable brands flooding too. Most of the time, it's due to user fault not properly maintaining the O-rings or installing the ports correctly. There was once I heard the O-ring for one of the buttons failed on a Olympus housing though. Getting a better brand cannot replace user maintenance or user knowledge on what causes flooding.

strobes is a good companion for your rig if you want quality pictures and not just a blue hue.....

Macro pictures only. Strobes can't bring out a balance color in wider pictures and most of the time, user have problems adjusting the angles to get the correct lighting.

Photoshop can do wonders. Just Google for "removing blue hue"...... The main reason for using strobes is to be able to shoot at higher shuttle speed and to be able to do that, investments for "TTL" flash etc is necessary. I was using dual slave strobes, its a nightmare.... May need to note that even the most powerful full strobe sets can probably cover a few meters ahead of you... Strobe is also good for fill flash when taking UW portraits shots.

[zorden]

there is a pc fair @ suntec. i am comtemplating in getting a dslr for my imminent tour thus still deciding which model. ofcoz my priority will be my

1)tour

2)reef

3)humans (dackie favourite frs)

[reefer guy]

The price for their housing will be around the same. Profit margin is not high for them to slash price. Sales volume is also low which explains why they usually ran out of stock and soon, no more in production.

I had seen/heard of reputable brands flooding too. Most of the time, it's due to user fault not properly maintaining the O-rings or installing the ports correctly. There was once I heard the O-ring for one of the buttons failed on a Olympus housing though. Getting a better brand cannot replace user maintenance or user knowledge on what causes flooding.

Macro pictures only. Strobes can't bring out a balance color in wider pictures and most of the time, user have problems adjusting the angles to get the correct lighting.

Photoshop can do wonders. Just Google for "removing blue hue"...... The main reason for using strobes is to be able to shoot at higher shuttle speed and to be able to do that, investments for "TTL" flash etc is necessary. I was using dual slave strobes, its a nightmare.... May need to note that even the most powerful full strobe sets can probably cover a few meters ahead of you... Strobe is also good for fill flash when taking UW portraits shots.

seems like you got all the knowledge and help we can get here dude.... perhaps you can post pics of your dives and give us some comparisons for photos you took without strobes and photos you took with your strobes?

[macrobutt]

seems like you got all the knowledge and help we can get here dude.... perhaps you can post pics of your dives and give us some comparisons for photos you took without strobes and photos you took with your strobes?

Firstly, I have some experience, but definitely not all the knowledge you need

Secondly, I happen to know a community of UW photographers and attended a few workshops conducted by them.

A good place to go would be Clubsnap, they have a UW sub forum there.

It's been a long time since I last breathe air UW. In fact, I lost most of the pictures over the years after HDD crash multiple times.... These are some pictures I taken with my first UW camera (Or is it second.... can't remember...lol).

[reefer guy]

Firstly, I have some experience, but definitely not all the knowledge you need

Secondly, I happen to know a community of UW photographers and attended a few workshops conducted by them.

A good place to go would be Clubsnap, they have a UW sub forum there.

It's been a long time since I last breathe air UW. In fact, I lost most of the pictures over the years after HDD crash multiple times.... These are some pictures I taken with my first UW camera (Or is it second.... can't remember...lol).

nice pics..... what about photos you have shoot without strobes?

[zorden]

is nikon d90 good? or canon better.. pls advise...

[macrobutt]

is nikon d90 good? or canon better.. pls advise...

The first basic rule of buying a DSLR is asking your friends around you what DSLR they use...... so you can borrow accessories or lenses you need. All reputable brands deliver pretty good results

[macrobutt]

nice pics..... what about photos you have shoot without strobes?

Frankly speaking, I can't remember which I have shot without strobes. Maybe I will post a few more..... if I can find them.... lol

[LaW]

first question, whats ur budget.

and judging from your D90 budget consideration,

you can consider

Canon: 500D, 50D (a few hundreds more)

Nikon: D5000, love the multi angel live view.

personally i like my D90 but i will like it even more if theres higher ISO

and if i want to upgrade, i will go D700 if i have spare cash to spend.

if u are serious about diving taking picture etc, get a high ISO performance like the D700. that if u have the spare cash to spend.

and i went for nikon D90 because it can be consider mid-range and i find the rest i mentioned, other than D700, rather plasticky.

and next question, how often do you actually have the time/place to dive? is it worth it? thats another question.

my vote goes to D90(got HD video recording)/50D(no video but higer ISO and pixel) for normal using, its good enough.

and video recording do comes in handy.

[LaW]

some reference.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?...c=82582&hl=

and picture reference? check out my tank thread.

D90 w/ Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D 1:2 Macro, shooting mostly @ ISO200 or 320.