New dSLR kit recommendation

[webrix 0]

It's quite a few years that I take u/w pictures with an old, compact Canon G12 and I'd like to move up a bit to a more powerful setup.

I need to get everything: camera, lens, housing + ports, strobes, anything else?

What setup would you recommend to move from compact to dSLR?

[hyp 115]

I'd probably move to a mirrorless setup. Sony, Canon, Nikon, Mu43,.. take your pick. All of these setups have their pros and cons. If you need recommendations you need to give information on your own needs.

 

1. What is your budget?

2. How important are size/weight for you?

3. Do you want to shoot macro/wide angle or both?

4. What kind of sensor size are you looking at? (this is mostly to reduce options down to one or two manufacturers, it doesn't really matter that much).

[webrix 0]

1. ideally below 5k everything included: camera, housing, strobs, lens...

2. rather easy to carry / dive with

3. both - wide angle more important

4. don't know - what's the difference?

 

I'd appreciate some recommendations

[TimG 62]

Q4: if you go for the smaller DX-type sensor rather than the full frame (known as FF or FX) the cost of the camera is lower as is the cost and weight of lenses. The size (and therefore cost/transportability) of a dome port is lower too. The impact on your images is negligible unless you want to create wall-sized prints.

 

Perhaps, as a suggested starting point, you take a look at the Nikon D500 with, say a Tokina 10-17 wide-angle lens and 100mm dome port; and a 60mm Nikkor macro lens with flat port.

 

If you get some of these items second hand you would have a very capable system and, fingers crossed, maybe within your budget depending on second hand housing availability or perhaps a polycarbonate-type housing (eg Ikelite) rather than aluminium (eg Subal, Nauticam, Aquatica).

 

You might also take a look at, say, a second-hand Inon Z240 strobe and ULCS arms which would give an excellent strobe and arms system which would grow with you and which are reasonably (as anything ever is in the u/w photog world) future proof.

 

Others on WP will no doubt suggest equally capable Canon-based packages; or Sony/Olympus 4/3rds systems which are smaller sensors still.

 

Just some thoughts to get you going.... these ideas would give you 3, explains 4, maybe gets you 1 and, isn't too bad on 2.

[Barmaglot 262]

or Sony/Olympus 4/3rds systems which are smaller sensors still.

 

 

 

Nitpick: Sony doesn't make 4/3 sensor cameras, only sensors. Four thirds cameras are primarily Olympus and Panasonic, while Sony makes full-frame (A7/A9 and RX1), APS-C (A5xxx/A6xxx, same size as DX) and 1" (RX10, RX100, RX0).

[TimG 62]

Nitpick: Sony doesn't make 4/3 sensor cameras, only sensors. Four thirds cameras are primarily Olympus and Panasonic, while Sony makes full-frame (A7/A9 and RX1), APS-C (A5xxx/A6xxx, same size as DX) and 1" (RX10, RX100, RX0).

Oops. Thanks. You’re right of course. Thanks for the correction. I’d got mirrorless stuck in my mind.

[NWDiver 43]

One question; what are you going to DO with your photos? Are you making massive prints? Submitting to news agencies? For me compacts meet my needs...Dated but I still feel the same: https://aquabluedreams.com/#/page/my-digital-de-evolution/

 

If you are shooting a lot of wide angle natural light shots the bigger the sensor the better. If mainly using strobes not such a big issue. Lots of good deals on gear here in the Classifieds.

[webrix 0]

Thank you TimG!

 

What do you think about Canon 77D and 80D. The 77D doesn't have any particular good housing, but for the 80D there is both Nauticam and Sea&Sea. Maybe pair with with tow Sea&Sea YS-D2 or two Ikelite DS16?

[bvanant 195]

I like the 80D a lot. When I shoot Canon I shoot the tokina 10-17 and either the 60 or 100 macro lens. I shoot the Tamron 60 with a 1.4 Tele but i am really interested in tiny things. Forget the Ike strobes unless you can get them used cheap, go with either the S&S or Inons

 

80 D, $1000, Tokina 10-17 $450, Canon 60 macro $350, Canon 100 macro $699 (normally $900), Housing $3300, Ports, $1400 or so depending, strobes 2x $600 so your grand total is more like $8K. Ike housing is $1800 so you can get closer to your $5k. Of course getting it all used might make sense

Bill

[webrix 0]

Any tips on where to get them used?

Housing Nauticam or Sea&Sea?

[TimG 62]

Any tips on where to get them used?

Housing Nauticam or Sea&Sea?

Wetpixel Classifieds! You can get some great deals.

 

On the two housings, any way you can go and have a feel of them? They are very personal things. Nauticam are very much flavour of the month. I’d say S&S less so. Worth checking out Subal - check what they have as second hands on their website.

[glewbel 1]

Hi, Webrix.

 

Here's a little personal experience with metal housings that might be of interest. I'm shooting a Canon 80D in a Sea & Sea housing, and I did compare its "feel" to a Nauticam housing for the same camera. The Nauticam housing seemed well made and I've had good luck with another Nauticam housing for a different camera.

 

However, the Nauticam housing for the 80D had some control and camera positioning issues that were just plain "fiddly," whereas everything in the Sea & Sea 80D housing fit the camera perfectly.

 

The controls feel a lot better to me on the Sea & Sea, no learning curve, almost like using the camera on land without a housing. The Sea & Sea housing seems like an industrial or professional-grade product compared to the Nauticam, which feels to me like more of a consumer-grade product.

 

I know, this is all very personal, so I would encourage you to get both housings in hand, even if you have to go through the hassle of buying both and then returning one "like new" for a refund.

 

I'd also suggest adding up the cost of all the pieces you'd like to shoot, including camera body, lenses, gears and ports, before you make a final decision. Some housing components--especially high-quality glass dome ports--can be surprisingly expensive new, but are sometimes available used in very good condition. As the high-end market moves toward mirrorless cameras, people will sell off perfectly usable SLR bodies and lenses just to have the latest, greatest stuff. For example, I've got a sweet 8-15mm Canon fisheye lens that is likely to stay among the best of the best (optically) no matter what other newer glass comes along with the latest systems.

 

Hope this is helpful info but feel free to PM me if you want more details. What I have works great for me but again, how a camera and housing feel in hand is very personal.

[webrix 0]

Thank you for the info glewbel

[nadhimw 0]

The D7500 uses the same Expeed 5 image processor as some of Nikon's more expensive full-frame cameras such as the D500, while also including continuous shooting at up to 8 fps, Plex Kodi Lucky Patcher4K video capture at 30 fps, and a handy 3.2-inch tilting rear LCD display.

[kensuf 0]

On 11/7/2018 at 1:42 PM, glewbel said:

However, the Nauticam housing for the 80D had some control and camera positioning issues that were just plain "fiddly," whereas everything in the Sea & Sea 80D housing fit the camera perfectly.

I know this is an old topic, and I apologize for bumping that, but could you elaborate on this? I've got an 80D body that I've been toying with the idea of getting a housing for. Due to some of the depths I dive, I'm at the Sea & Sea and Nauticam divide.

[glewbel 1]

Hi, Kensuf. I'm guessing you've got this sorted by now--sorry but I haven't been on this website for a couple of months--but just in case you're still wavering, please drop me a PM. I'm still shooting the Sea & Sea 80D housing and loving the results. I'm not sure what I can add to the thread above but maybe you have some specific questions I can answer. I'd be happy to give it a try. 

[Btscott 6]

I am doing my first trip with the 80D in Dec 5. I was trying to keep everything under 5K too as the OP was. Ended up with refurbished 80D from Canon refurb site (works great), Ikelite housing (trade-in for old 20D housing), 2x Ikelite DS 160 and a couple of new lens including Tokina 10-17, dome port, etc... Spent some time just shooting around the house with Ikelite housing to get used to buttons, etc... and found some problems. Sent it back and then had other problems with some buttons not working and camera not sitting properly in housing. Ikelite was very supportive and paid for shipping each time. Just a little disappointed that I had to send it back twice prior to even taking it underwater. Not having any problems currently, but will report back on 80D and Ikelite housing when I return from Australia.

[glewbel 1]

10 minutes ago, Btscott said:

I am doing my first trip with the 80D in Dec 5. I was trying to keep everything under 5K too as the OP was. Ended up with refurbished 80D from Canon refurb site (works great), Ikelite housing (trade-in for old 20D housing), 2x Ikelite DS 160 and a couple of new lens including Tokina 10-17, dome port, etc... Spent some time just shooting around the house with Ikelite housing to get used to buttons, etc... and found some problems. Sent it back and then had other problems with some buttons not working and camera not sitting properly in housing. Ikelite was very supportive and paid for shipping each time. Just a little disappointed that I had to send it back twice prior to even taking it underwater. Not having any problems currently, but will report back on 80D and Ikelite housing when I return from Australia.

Hi, Btscott. If you have homeowner's insurance, I'd recommend buying a Personal Articles Policy for your photo gear. Most insurance companies sell these policies as "add-ons" to homeowners' policies. They are usually written to cover jewelry and such but often allow you to list (schedule) photo gear and sporting goods. They can insure your housing, camera, lenses, strobes, etc. against nearly ALL risks and they have NO deductible and pay full replacement value. If your entire photo setup (or any part of it) gets stolen or falls in the water or drops off the back of a truck or gets eaten by Jaws, they'll replace it. Costs a few hundred bucks a year and well worth it. After my Ikelite housing back cracked and imploded underwater on a dive trip, State Farm bought me a brand new pro-grade SLR, macro lens, speed finder, and housing. After my strobe put out a mushroom cloud of smoke while being charged on Grand Cayman power, State Farm bought me a new housing. I know you're going to be careful with your gear, but sometimes bad stuff happens, and it's nice to know that it won't be a major financial hit to replace it. Just sayin'...

Edited November 8, 2019 by glewbel

[Angusparker 3]

Panasonic m43 systems are great for still photography and 4K video. The whole system is a lot smaller and somewhat cheaper than full frame. I’d go with used equipment through the classified. Then you have to decide if you want to take macro shots of small critters or go with a more generalist set up with a zoom lens.

[Btscott 6]

Regarding homeowners issue, appreciate the thought. Will look into it.

[fifthjoker 0]

I have a Nikon D800 underwater housing setup for sale if you are interested. Everything you need but the camera.