Underwater Digital Camera

ri · #1 01/08/2006, 09:19 AM

Any divers out there ever heard or or tried the Pixtreme PX01 camera? Sounds interesting... It is 3.1MP and includes housing that's good to 125 feet for about $100 (on eBay)

ri

ri · #2 01/10/2006, 10:43 PM

OK... seems no one here has tried it yet. Does it look worth the $100 they get for it on eBay?

ri

SwimAway · #3 01/12/2006, 10:32 AM

No, my friend has it... it's horrible. Pic quality is like that of one of the throw away cameras.... really not worth the $$

ri · #4 01/12/2006, 03:55 PM

Thanks for the info... $100 seemed to be too good to be true.

ri

SwimAway · #5 01/13/2006, 02:11 AM

yeah, check out leisure pro... most of the stuff that they sell digital wise is pretty good. Expect to get what you pay for... Also... if you do any deep diving like I do.. then get the deepest rated camera you can afford... trust me.. there is nothing like hitting 130 and having the camera that's rated at 130 starts to leak..

NewSaltyReefer · #6 01/18/2006, 07:15 PM

Leisure pro is agreat site that is were I got my underwater camera and equipment!!

cjpacitto · #7 01/18/2006, 10:08 PM

Most stuff rated to 130ft is good well past 150ft.

Pick a good topside camera for your tastes/skills and then buy a housing for it. Olympus, Canon, and Fuji all have inexpensive housings available for most of their cameras.

Most "underwater digital cameras" are not as good as a topside camera in a housing.

luminary · #8 01/19/2006, 07:57 AM

I ran across this review a few days ago. Looks like a good entry level package. cjpacitto is correct, nothing beats a good topside camera that is housed, but that may be a bit expensive as a starting point.

fishome25 · #9 01/19/2006, 04:39 PM

I have the sealife dc310 and I'm happy with it.

ri · #10 01/19/2006, 08:38 PM

I have a problem spending the same/more on a housing than the camera cost. I have the Canon Digital Rebel - Not sure I want to risk it at 125'.

The links provided seem like decent cameras... I'm heading on a Blackbeards cruise later this summer so I'll have to get something before then. I was not happy with the pics from the (inexpensive) film camera I had on the last cruise.

ri

luminary · #11 01/20/2006, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ri
I have a problem spending the same/more on a housing than the camera cost. I have the Canon Digital Rebel - Not sure I want to risk it at 125'.

That's hard to stomach I know...but if you want a good rig you're just gonna have to accept it. The setup I'd like to get for my D70 is in the $3,500 range. Keep in mind though that buying into a good SLR setup is not necessarily "throw away". Strobes can be used on later housings. And usually once you buy into a brand, you can reuse ports. So once you have an established setup, you might be able to get by with just a housing purchase for a later camera.

mokujin22 · #12 01/24/2006, 12:43 PM

don't want to ask a stupid question, but i'm taking a snorkel trip this spring and was thinking of getting an U/W camera as well. i saw the link for the SeaLife digital up there. seems like a nice setup, but you do need the external flash/strobe, right? without it, will pics taken 6' under come out (with only the built-in flash)?

thanks,
tony

luminary · #13 01/24/2006, 01:16 PM

An external strobe is probably not necessary for snorkeling. I'm not certain if the SeaLife up there can use the onboard flash (some housings for other cameras block the flash), but if it can, that should be sufficient for you. You might have some trouble on an overcast day, but under six feet of water in full sun and you'll be fine (unless the water is murky).

shaun64326 · #14 01/25/2006, 01:52 AM

Has anyone used the sea and sea DX-8000G? I was thinking of getting it. I originaly wanted the DC-500 but I read a few bad things about it.

mokujin22 · #15 01/25/2006, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by luminary
An external strobe is probably not necessary for snorkeling. I'm not certain if the SeaLife up there can use the onboard flash (some housings for other cameras block the flash), but if it can, that should be sufficient for you. You might have some trouble on an overcast day, but under six feet of water in full sun and you'll be fine (unless the water is murky).

cool... thanks a lot, buddy! might go with the basic setup for the Sealife (camera and case only) and then upgrade to the external flash later.

appreciate the help.

Scuba_Dave · #16 01/26/2006, 10:35 PM

I just bought the DC500 setup, some fellow divers in our scuba club have it & love it
The 8000 is also a nice camera, the owner of the store has one
I have the Sea & Sea MX10 w/strobe & the MX-5 without strobe

Definitely need a strobe

and the problem with built in strobes is backscatter

basically if the flash is firing from the same angle/direction of the camera lense particles in the water will reflect back very badly
You need a strobe that you can adjust to fire at an angle from the camera lense

npaden · #17 01/28/2006, 08:26 PM

A good middle of the road option is the Olympus 5050z. Not sure how many of these are still around but you should be able to find some at a decent price used on Ebay.

I'm by no means a good photographer but it does a pretty good job.

Here are some pics from last summer in Key Largo.

http://padens.com/Florida_Diving/

FWIW, Nathan