Shameless copy and paste

[whacky]

Copied and pasted from a thread I started on YD as i think there are a few here that I've not seen there just want to provoke conversation

My camera is getting on a bit I'd really like a DSLR but real life gets in the way of the DSLR fund.

Prompted by some comments on Tazzies thread and knowing Martin is just as happy to help a compact user as a DSLR user it got me to thinking.

My compact is getting on a bit i have no lenses for it as when it was in its hey done there was no adapters for it although now i believe epoque do a suitable adapter. That leaves me with my sea & sea YS-110 strobe.

If i was to conceed defeat and look at a compact the ys-110 should be the starting point working from there to a suitable housing/camera combo then onto lenses. Or should i just go for some external lenses.

In all it feels like a bit of a crossroads in my photography journey I am achieving good results in all with what i have and the next purchase will probabably determine the next few years worth of photography. I guess what i'm trying to say is investing a big lump of cash into anothe compact or move onto DSLR.

I been babbling on about this for a while most will be bored of my ramblings but i thought the discussion is a good one. A compact is undoubtedly a great way into uw photography but when you start to look at upgrades then to me it's a different kettle of fish.

For me I am probably looking at second hand DSLR or a newer new compact with some lenses.

[Cussy]

This is a difficult one to answer really, and you are probably the only one who truly knows that answer!

For me, my justification for going DSLR came down to a number of things; but ultimately was a purchase to make me feel better after divorce and having the spare cash from the sale of our house. There was also a lot of gear lust involved too, but I knew I would never be able to save, I had the money and went for it.

Things could have been a lot cheaper had I gone the compact route. The strobes are the same and so arms are roughly the same. But if you put a good compact in a strong casing, so I'm talking Ikelite or similar, you can add a very good wide angle for a lot less than on a DSLR. My history of compacts was based around limited funds and so was very ad hoc from whenever gear lust took over and I bought a new bit of kit. Along the way I made a number of errors.

There are clear advantages to DSLRs too though. But to get the most out of them you need good lenses and these keep their price, if you can find them second hand at all. I have the Tokina 10-17, Sigma 50 and Sigma 105. Adding the price of them up is probably as much as my compact system cost.

There are also clear advantages to compacts; video, light weight, smaller so can get lower on certain subjects, easier to shoot using the back screen in awkward places etc. You also have flexibility too and aren't stuck on either wide angle or macro for an entire dive.

The other big difference I found going DSLR was in my mentality. Although my rig cost far far more than my compact, I never dive without it. This means that the cost per underwater picture is already better than I achieved with my Olympus 7070 setup and is not far off what I achieved with my Olympus 4000. The results are a lot better, but was that the mentality too?

So if I was you I'd get an idea of your budget. Work out what you can get for that budget and if the choice comes down to second-rate add-ons to a second hand DSLR or a top notch compact with quality add on lenses, then you may find the quality in your final images wouldn't be that different. Also consider that if you have a DSLR you are quite likely to want to add something before too long, whereas if you have a fully armed compact you aren't.

HTH,
Rob

[whacky]

That's great help Rob thanks, I suppose my though process isn't totally fair as i am am comparing new compact to secondhand DSLR. But that's life I would really like to go out and buy a brand new very shiney DSLR set-up but that would have to wait. My compact is 3 years old and I have come to the point where I am looking to upgrade naturally. It is a case of what to, i am also rubbish at saving when I have a bit of cash i like to spend it on other people.

[KenByrne]

When I moved from film to digital I seriously considered buying a bridge camera rather than an SLR. My thinking was greater flexibility not being stuck to macro or wide angle on a dive, less bulk, the ability to use the screen to get in small gaps and low down and no problems with dust on sensors would be clear advantages.

When I looked into it I found that at that time all compact and bridge cameras had greater shutter lag and smaller sensors which meant lower ISO and at the same number of megapixels lower quality.

Things have moved on since then and I'm sure shutter lag is less of a problem. Quality can still be an issue particulary when manufacturers cram too many pixels onto small sensors.

I've not really checked out the market for compacts recently so it's hard to know what's out there. I don't regret my decision to go DSLR and would do it again. Photography is now the reason I go diving and that has been the case since long before I went digital. Photography has been part of my life for more years than I can remember, I've used film SLRs since 1978. For me a DLSR was the right tool but for many others a compact suits them better.

If I was in the market for a compact for diving I'd look for fast RAW and the option of full manual control of exposure. I'd also want to know that shutter lag was minimal. On the issue of shutter lag with an SLR you always focus first, with compacts part of the shutter lag is focussing so if you let it prefocus a lot of the shutter lag disappears.

When you have an SLR or DSLR a lot of the lenses fit camera after camera, if you stay with the same manufacturer. I still have the first lens and port I bought for my first housed SLR nearly 10 years ago. I mention this because if you do buy a secondhand DSLR and housing you may not get any lenses or ports with it and these can be an expensive part of the setup. If you start with macro a good 50 or 60mm lens will cost around £250 and the port will cost you from around £120 upwards depending on the make of housing.

I hope my rambling helps you make a decision.

[whacky]

shutter lag on my compact is terrible i could make a cup of tea in the time it takes.

I'm very aware that a DSLR will be more of a long term investment as i need to pick a system and stick with it. That is partly why I am looking at stuff other than Canon as despite my personal preference for Canon availabiity of second hand stuff for Nikon is more frequent.

[Cussy]

Ken makes some really good points there. It is worth also adding though that if you go for compact and Ikelite, Fantasea, or Light & Motion then you will also probably have continuity of accessories with time. If you go with the manufacturers housing then I would say consider it disposable as before too long it's discontinued and you're stuffed. If I would have continued with compacts then I would have still gone Ikelite.
Rob

[whacky]

Whatever i get the longevity of it will be a consideration. My Compact is coming to the end of the line because i can't reasonably get upgrades for it (lenses etc). A DSLR setup will give me hopefully a bit more of a longer lasting system.

[KenByrne]

Buying a well looked after second hand system could be a good way to go. One thing to be aware of is just how quickly most housing manufacturers drop a camera. Already there are very few D80 housings available new. I mention this because buying a secondhand camera and a new housing may prove impossible. I know this is not what you are thinking of but just thought I should point it out in case you considered it as an option. Ports etc seem to stay the same so a secondhand housing with new ports is OK.

It puzzles me just why manufacturers stop making housings for discontinued cameras. I would have thought there was a reasonable market for people who've bought a camera and later want to add a housing. I guess the majority of UW photographers are gear junkies who would never be caught using a discontinued model

[whacky]

I was thinking a very similiar thing myself. I was going to get a canon 400d the sea & sea housing for this for example has already been discontinued. I will be looking at a secondhand set-up then as you have said new ports etc.

I had intended to get a new camera learn how to use it top side and then buy the housing again as you'd suggested but that won't work because of the speed they go out of fashion.

[KenByrne]

Ikelite are good for keeping housings in the current catalogue after the camera has been discontinued. Useful if you already have a camera you want to house but even with Ikelite I wouldn't want to bet my money on it.