“What camera should I buy”? That seems to be a very common question. The answer can be a long one or a short one depending on your point of view. If you are a SCUBA shop they will sell you what they carry and if you ask a Pro they want to take you to where they are now! That comes with a very expensive price tag.
So the answer is really up to you! What do you want to accomplish? And what are you willing to pay to do it? In the days of Film Cameras the choices where limited and expensive now in the “Digital Era” it’s wide open for choice and can be very expensive. So again what are you looking to achieve? If you are trying to get pictures for Magazine covers forget the beginner through intermediate stuff and go for the pro camera and housings, yes I said plural, for a minimum of $5000.00 to $7000.00. If you want pictures you can blow up to 17x20’ then you might get away with the middle priced equipment. If you want good to great 8x10’ pictures to decorate your walls and show your friends, as well as post to the web, then get the right entry level stuff and take a class and you will surprise yourself and friends. There is one other class of Underwater Camera that I will mention only once here and that is the snap shot or disposable camera, you will get what you pay for, and if you are happy with that stop here save some time!
The Camera I would recommend for each category would be the Canon D-1 Mark II 16.7 MP camera in a Aquatica type housing and dual Strobes (Ikelite, Inon, Or Sea & Sea) Dome port and flat macro port lens and a set of interchangeable lenses; price tag around $10000.00 give our take for the top end stuff and the Pro. My pick for the top of the heap.
The wider category is the middle, isn’t it always? Here is where you have a lot of choices like Light & Motion, Ikelite, and a number of others. The housed cameras like the Cool Pix, Olympus, Canon, and a bunch of land cameras that can be housed from the Manufacturer make up this category. Like all the ones mentioned above. With the factory housings being the best deal, but not always the best controls or strobe options. The after market housing are more expensive but well worth it if your pocket book can afford your taste. Again light is the key and a good flash or set of flashes make all the difference between okay and great. The camera in this price range with the most control over shutter and aperture is always the best. The more control you have over your camera the more you have over your picture.
I like the Olympus C-8080 in this category in a Light & Motion Housing with Wet swappable Lenses and Dual Strobes. My pick for this category.
At the lower end of this category are cameras from Sea & Sea, Reef Master, and a couple of other proprietary manufactures. Unless you are a serious Hobbyist or Pro most will find their camera in this category. I strongly suggest for most Divers that are going to stick with diving and enjoy taking pictures that kits like the one from Reef Master is really the right ticket. The new D600 Elite kite gives you the wide-angle lens, one Digital Strobe, a Close Up Lens, all the trays, and everything you need to take great pictures all in one carrying case for under a $1000.00. You give up some control, but the auto features can be adjusted to give you great results. My pick for the best auto camera in this bunch.
Remember we will out grow this kind of equipment, even the pros that have to have the next best thing in their arsenal. So no camera will be forever, so you have to look at ranges, a lot of people will take years to master the mid category. But I will tell you that if you break it down by cost per picture you will get the most from this category for the Hobbyist and have a lot of fun learning to take good pictures without having to invest a lot of money. Of course it is all relative a lot of money to one might not be a lot to someone else and again think in terms of price per picture and you will know what is meant by “The Money Shot”! ;)
As for the last category take your pick or ask you buddy, because they are all about the same. Good enough for a snap shot or two!
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