Camera suggestions

[kwinter]

I think the Intovas can't be touched in terms of price/performance. Complete with housing good to 180 feet right out of the box. But there are certainly better P/S cameras out there. Shutter lag is among the worst of any camera, but if that doesn't bother you, the results are fairly impressive. The newer Intovas (since the 10) disappointed me because they changed the port size so my older add on lenses, etc. don't fit. I had a 12 that crapped out on me and I have a brand new 14 coming to me direct from Intova that I am planning to sell since I picked up a leftover 10 that I prefer. If you're interested, let me know.

[JamesK]

I think the Intovas can't be touched in terms of price/performance. Complete with housing good to 180 feet right out of the box. But there are certainly better P/S cameras out there. Shutter lag is among the worst of any camera, but if that doesn't bother you, the results are fairly impressive. The newer Intovas (since the 10) disappointed me because they changed the port size so my older add on lenses, etc. don't fit. I had a 12 that crapped out on me and I have a brand new 14 coming to me direct from Intova that I am planning to sell since I picked up a leftover 10 that I prefer. If you're interested, let me know.

I think I have a couple of spare 10 housings. Let me check. I can send you them for parts if you like.

[corvettejoe]

I think the Intovas can't be touched in terms of price/performance. Complete with housing good to 180 feet right out of the box. But there are certainly better P/S cameras out there. Shutter lag is among the worst of any camera, but if that doesn't bother you, the results are fairly impressive.

I think they are great for the non-photographer. When I tried a couple that various friends had, I noticed the lag big time in it and it drove me nuts. Also their lack of more advanced options makes it just a simple point and shoot for the diver that just wants a "ready to use out of the box" camera. I can't stand them though.

[gschaut]

Kelly: Have you considered the GoPro? Takes great still pictures, and the new GoPro 3 Black seems to have excellent low light sensitivity.

[Benderr]

I think the fastest lens you'll find on a compact is on the Canon G15, but it's probably too big for what you're looking for. The Canon housings are good for the price, but they stop working exactly at 131ft, so if you're going deeper you should look elsewhere.

The Canon S110 is much smaller, has a fast lens, and would be perfect if you're not shooting tons of photos (the batteries are good for two dives of heavy shooting, more if you shoot less).

The Sony NEX cameras are great, but they're not good for close-in shots unless you want to invest in a wet lens. You'll also have to manage ports on the NEX series, so an extra expense and failure point. If you're shooting mostly wide angle, I'd jump on the NEX though, that's where they really shine. Almost zero shutter lag, and good wide angle lenses, but macro lenses in the pipe are looking to run a grand.

Sony has a Compact (RX7 I think) with a very large sensor, but it too suffers from poor close-in performance, and I've been told the video is lacking too. The cheapest housing I'm aware of runs about a grand.

Panasonic's LX7 has a fast lens, good overall performance, and takes standard wet lenses (compared to the G15 that takes standard macro, but only a single wide angle lens). It would probably be my first choice if I wasn't a bit of a Canon fanboy. It also meters properly in manual mode without a hak, which may not matter if you're not shooting manual, and/or using a slaved strobe.