Ok, I need help. G9 vs DSLR on cruise

[AndrewWG]

So, I have just been informed that we are going on a cruise over New Years and am having a hard time choosing what to bring for camera equipment. I know, I know, it is like 6 months away, but I try to plan early.

Here is my dilemma. The cruise takes us to Belize, Mexico, and The Bahamas. When looking at the different excursions, I see many that involve snorkeling which I really like to do. For this, I WILL NOT use a disposable underwater camera. So I went looking at the Pentax W30 or Olympus waterproof cameras. These generally run $250 to $300 or so. Ok, that isn't so bad, but then I read the reviews on them and they are mixed at best. Some say they are super. Some say they are junk. Some say they leak into the battery and LCD screens! So I ran away from this idea.

This brought me to the Canon G9 that I have heard so much about. It goes for $440 at Amazon. The underwater housing is $180 I think. Then I start thinking, hmmm.... do I need my DSLR at all if I have the G9? The pics that it takes are super. Would I miss the DSLR if I don't bring it? I have never been on a cruise so I have no idea what I am getting into.

So, what do you think? Should I go and get the G9 and housing and just use that, or should I just not get underwater pics and just bring the DSLR, or should I bring both somehow? What situations would the DSLR excel over the G9 on a cruise? I'm leaning towards buying and bringing the G9 only. This thought scares me a bit.

Any advice on this? I would also especially like it if someone on here has the G9 and housing as I haven't seen sample pics from that yet.

Convince me one way or the other please!

 

[stlkeeler]

So, I have just been informed that we are going on a cruise over New Years and am having a hard time choosing what to bring for camera equipment. I know, I know, it is like 6 months away, but I try to plan early.

Here is my dilemma. The cruise takes us to Belize, Mexico, and The Bahamas. When looking at the different excursions, I see many that involve snorkeling which I really like to do. For this, I WILL NOT use a disposable underwater camera. So I went looking at the Pentax W30 or Olympus waterproof cameras. These generally run $250 to $300 or so. Ok, that isn't so bad, but then I read the reviews on them and they are mixed at best. Some say they are super. Some say they are junk. Some say they leak into the battery and LCD screens! So I ran away from this idea.

This brought me to the Canon G9 that I have heard so much about. It goes for $440 at Amazon. The underwater housing is $180 I think. Then I start thinking, hmmm.... do I need my DSLR at all if I have the G9? The pics that it takes are super. Would I miss the DSLR if I don't bring it? I have never been on a cruise so I have no idea what I am getting into.

So, what do you think? Should I go and get the G9 and housing and just use that, or should I just not get underwater pics and just bring the DSLR, or should I bring both somehow? What situations would the DSLR excel over the G9 on a cruise? I'm leaning towards buying and bringing the G9 only. This thought scares me a bit.

Any advice on this? I would also especially like it if someone on here has the G9 and housing as I haven't seen sample pics from that yet.

Convince me one way or the other please!

OK, a couple of months ago I bought an Olympus 850SW to take on our cruise (leaving Sat). I am a very novice photographer but I wanted to be able to take pics when we're snorkeling (we're new to that, too). I didn't want to be worried about sand getting in it either. Then just last Sat I decided to buy a DSLR. I got a Pentax K200. So I am hurridly trying to learn how to work it.

When I bought the Oly I was also thinking about a housing for a regular camera. The guy at the camera store said something that made me get the waterproof one. Cameras change fast, just like computers. In 6 months to a year, it might be obsolete. If it breaks, you will probably want a new one, not get it repaired. Then you are left with a housing that you can't use on any other camera. And the one I was looking at was about $170 on Amazon. I liked the way the Pentax felt in my hands better than the Olympus but the Pentax isn't shockproof - and I have a 6 yo DGD who would be using it also.

So, all that to say, I'll let you know when I get back, how the Oly performed.

Does your DSLR have a housing to buy? I know that not all of them do... Also, if you have a housing, I think you need to put some sealant junk around the edges to make it waterproof. Then if you want to use it regular, you have to wash it off and reapply before you go in the water again. Too much trouble for me!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Would I miss the DSLR if I don't bring it?

Ummm, YES, you would!!

Lots of beautiful sunrises, sunsets, family fun, fancy decor, food, etc. Snorkeling would be a very small part of it, really. For that you could pick up an underwater disposable, which is what we generally do.

 

[AndrewWG]

OK, a couple of months ago I bought an Olympus 850SW to take on our cruise (leaving Sat). I am a very novice photographer but I wanted to be able to take pics when we're snorkeling (we're new to that, too). I didn't want to be worried about sand getting in it either. Then just last Sat I decided to buy a DSLR. I got a Pentax K200. So I am hurridly trying to learn how to work it.

When I bought the Oly I was also thinking about a housing for a regular camera. The guy at the camera store said something that made me get the waterproof one. Cameras change fast, just like computers. In 6 months to a year, it might be obsolete. If it breaks, you will probably want a new one, not get it repaired. Then you are left with a housing that you can't use on any other camera. And the one I was looking at was about $170 on Amazon. I liked the way the Pentax felt in my hands better than the Olympus but the Pentax isn't shockproof - and I have a 6 yo DGD who would be using it also.

So, all that to say, I'll let you know when I get back, how the Oly performed.

Does your DSLR have a housing to buy? I know that not all of them do... Also, if you have a housing, I think you need to put some sealant junk around the edges to make it waterproof. Then if you want to use it regular, you have to wash it off and reapply before you go in the water again. Too much trouble for me!

Thanks for that info! I don't know how the housings work. If you gotta put the grease on them, it could end up being more of a pain than it is worth.

Please do let me know how the Olympus works out for you. I would rather go that route and still bring the DSLR. I'll just have to be REAL picky about what lenses I bring. That is the hard part! I don't want to bring them all, but I don't want to think "wow, I could have used X lens for this shot".

I'm not so interested in shockproof. So the Olympus won't win me over for that quality, but if it takes nice underwater pics, I will be much more happier with the decision.

Thanks again!

 

[AndrewWG]

Ummm, YES, you would!!

Lots of beautiful sunrises, sunsets, family fun, fancy decor, food, etc. Snorkeling would be a very small part of it, really. For that you could pick up an underwater disposable, which is what we generally do.

Ok, so I guess I was hoping that everyone would say "nope, you won't miss it at all"! I really don't want to be a camera lugging fool all over the Carribbean, and be a walking thief target, ya know? It would be nice to explore these countries without 3 lbs of metal and glass hanging around my neck.

So, I don't like your answer ( ) but I think you might be right... I'll probably feel strange not lugging it around anyways.

 

[My2Girls66]

Bring it and get an underwater camera. I wasn't going to bring my D50 on a trip to the islands back in April- I did bring it and now I'm glad I did. I used it much more than I thought I would. I knew we'd be doing a lot of snorkeling so instead of buying a housing for my Canon A560, I ended up buying a SeaLife Reefmaster Ecoshot for under $200. Its a nice little underwater camera and does well for snapshots above water, too. Its a camera you don't have to worry about on the beach or in the water. It takes SD cards and AA batteries. I'm sure the Olympus is good, too. I heard of another u/w camera- Intova that is a camera with housing for $99- $249 depending on the model. Another thing a friend of mine did is she bought an Aquapac large waterproof bag/case from LLbean. She put her Kodak Z712 in it and took it in the water. It did surprisingly well.
Above water with my Ecoshot

below..

The only hard thing about using the camera is no viewfinder and it was hard to see the screen sometimes. Looking thru a viewfinder underwater with a mask on isn't all the easy either, tho.
I didn't keep my D50 at the beach with us. I did take it on a boat excursion and took photos around the beach and condo where we stayed. When we were hanging at the beach it stayed in the condo. We had been to this place before and knew it would be safe in the condo. I used my A560 and the Ecoshot when hanging out at the beach.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

It just so happens that I have a Pentax W30, a G9 with a waterproof housing, and a DSLR (with an underwater "bag" thing).

The G9 takes noticeably better pictures than the W30. However, the difference between the two pales in comparison between the difference between the G9 and any modern DSLR that I've used. I would hate to rely on the G9 instead of a DSLR unless I really, really wanted to travel light.

In the water, each has advantages. The picture from the DSLR is great, but the EWA marine bag was expensive and not very trustworthy. I wouldn't rely on it with any DSLR I wasn't willing to write off as a total loss (including the lens and flash). It's also a super pain to operate the camera in the EWA marine bag. In the end, I really don't recommend that solution at all.

The Pentax is the simplest solution, but the pictures are really, really weak in anything but ideal conditions (in which case they're pretty good). The great thing is that it's very easy to use in the water.

The G9 in the waterproof shell is a compromise. It's not a bad camera. It's not that hard to use in the shell.

If you're a big snorkeler, diver and that's going to be a big part of your trip, I'd get the G9 and housing. If that's a minor part of the trip, I'd be tempted to forgo underwater pictures and just use the DSLR. Just make sure you have a good case for it to protect it from water, spray, and sand.

Keep in mind that good underwater photography is really hard. You'll probably be disappointed with your underwater shots anyway. Then again, if you don't take any, you'll overestimate how good they would have been and you'll regret not taking any.

 

[AndrewWG]

Bring it and get an underwater camera. I wasn't going to bring my D50 on a trip to the islands back in April- I did bring it and now I'm glad I did. I used it much more than I thought I would. I knew we'd be doing a lot of snorkeling so instead of buying a housing for my Canon A560, I ended up buying a SeaLife Reefmaster Ecoshot for under $200. Its a nice little underwater camera and does well for snapshots above water, too. Its a camera you don't have to worry about on the beach or in the water. It takes SD cards and AA batteries. I'm sure the Olympus is good, too. I heard of another u/w camera- Intova that is a camera with housing for $99- $249 depending on the model. Another thing a friend of mine did is she bought an Aquapac large waterproof bag/case from LLbean. She put her Kodak Z712 in it and took it in the water. It did surprisingly well.
Above water with my Ecoshot

below..

The only hard thing about using the camera is no viewfinder and it was hard to see the screen sometimes. Looking thru a viewfinder underwater with a mask on isn't all the easy either, tho.
I didn't keep my D50 at the beach with us. I did take it on a boat excursion and took photos around the beach and condo where we stayed. When we were hanging at the beach it stayed in the condo. We had been to this place before and knew it would be safe in the condo. I used my A560 and the Ecoshot when hanging out at the beach.

I think I'm convinced that I need to take the 30D (or an upgrade) with me.

Nice pics! I also looked at those cameras (SeaLife) online. I decided that I wanted to go with a better camera for the above water shots as well, but those shots you took look great. The underwater shot is super. Compared to the disposable film cameras, it seems to be much better. Thanks for the input.

 

[AndrewWG]

It just so happens that I have a Pentax W30, a G9 with a waterproof housing, and a DSLR (with an underwater "bag" thing).

The G9 takes noticeably better pictures than the W30. However, the difference between the two pales in comparison between the difference between the G9 and any modern DSLR that I've used. I would hate to rely on the G9 instead of a DSLR unless I really, really wanted to travel light.

In the water, each has advantages. The picture from the DSLR is great, but the EWA marine bag was expensive and not very trustworthy. I wouldn't rely on it with any DSLR I wasn't willing to write off as a total loss (including the lens and flash). It's also a super pain to operate the camera in the EWA marine bag. In the end, I really don't recommend that solution at all.

The Pentax is the simplest solution, but the pictures are really, really weak in anything but ideal conditions (in which case they're pretty good). The great thing is that it's very easy to use in the water.

The G9 in the waterproof shell is a compromise. It's not a bad camera. It's not that hard to use in the shell.

If you're a big snorkeler, diver and that's going to be a big part of your trip, I'd get the G9 and housing. If that's a minor part of the trip, I'd be tempted to forgo underwater pictures and just use the DSLR. Just make sure you have a good case for it to protect it from water, spray, and sand.

Keep in mind that good underwater photography is really hard. You'll probably be disappointed with your underwater shots anyway. Then again, if you don't take any, you'll overestimate how good they would have been and you'll regret not taking any.

Mark,

Thanks for the advice. I love everything I hear about the G9, but then I saw the dpreview review and wasn't as convinced that it would be the best camera. I love the RAW ability and would really want that feature, but at a cost of close to (if not more) than $600 for the camera and housing, I think I will have to pass on it for now. The snorkeling isn't going to be a MAJOR part of the trip, but I see that we will be on beaches for at least a couple days and will not want to take the 30D there. If I have to put it down to enjoy the water, I fear it will disappear. Maybe I think the worst, but it keeps me on my toes.

I guess that I will either buy one of the Olympus or Pentax underwater cameras or just bite the bullet and get the disposables. I hate them though.

 

[My2Girls66]

What Mark said about getting the best quality with a dslr is definitely true. I got my Ecoshot knowing I'd be taking snapshots with it not gorgeous photos. My dad and brother are both divers and my dad spent all kinds of $$ years ago to get a Nikonos and the strobes. He has a very good setup that is now no good. A friend of mine was a divemaster years ago- she said the same thing. Underwater photography is very difficult. My girls and I just finished the scuba course and our divemaster is also an underwater photographer. They all say to get great quality photos you need a nice camera and strobes since you loose much light and color after so many feet under. With that said, tho, I'm glad I got the camera I did for snorkeling. The pictures weren't the greatest but they came out fine. I had a lot fun taking them and I don't regret getting the camera at all. If spending a few $100 to get an underwater camera is not a big deal to you, I would definitely do it. Mine is much better than the disposables I've used in the past.
Have fun! Enjoy

 

[jann1033]

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/CategoryID_2011/Sort_Stock/DescSort_0/AQUFE.html?Hit=1
ok so it's in the kids section but the price is right, would give you something to use and to branch out with ...it's film not digital but film can be good

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You might enjoy these threads (link to original in first post): http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1709938&referrerid=70088

And to give you an idea of what fun you could have with your dSLR, take a look at these, taken with point and shoots.

Bahamas

St Thomas

Bahamas (taken late at night with the camera balanced on a wine box on the verandah railing. )

Bahamas sunrise through a porthole - absolutely incredible clouds, not fully captured here

 

[AndrewWG]

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/CategoryID_2011/Sort_Stock/DescSort_0/AQUFE.html?Hit=1
ok so it's in the kids section but the price is right, would give you something to use and to branch out with ...it's film not digital but film can be good

That is cool! I think I will pick one up and if I don't use it, DD certainly will. She loves taking pics, especially underwater.

 

[AndrewWG]

You might enjoy these threads (link to original in first post): http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1709938&referrerid=70088

And to give you an idea of what fun you could have with your dSLR, take a look at these, taken with point and shoots.

Bahamas

St Thomas

Bahamas (taken late at night with the camera balanced on a wine box on the verandah railing. )

Bahamas sunrise through a porthole - absolutely incredible clouds, not fully captured here

Ok, Ok. I'll take the DSLR! Those are great pics. I can't wait.

 

[SharonLowe]

I have the G9 with underwater housing. I also have the lens adapter (http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/G7.html) so I can add a polarizing filter, an add-on wide angle lens, and a telephoto lens. On a recent trip to Mexico, I took it, the u/w housing, a lens adapter with polarizer plus my 1DSMkII with several lenses, tripod, etc. I ended up using the G9 90 percent of the time - only used the big guy for the lunar eclipse and one very early morning where I did twilight and some sunrise photos. I also did sunrise photos with the G9. You can see some of the photos here:

http://www.photosbysharon.com/-/photosbysharon/gallery.asp?cat=83004&pID=1&row=5

As I said, very few of these were with the big guy and I could have used the G9 for most of them if I had decided to put it on the tripod instead. I found it much easier and nicer to carry the G9 rather than cart around my huge heavy kit. It was especially great when we went to Xcaret - light and I got as good photos with it as I would have got with a dSLR.

On our upcoming trip to England/Paris, I plan to take my G9 kit with just my 1DsMkII and one lens plus tripod for a few nighttime photos. I expect again that the G9 will be used 90 percent of the time (Paris has very strict rules about whether you can use a tripod). I find its light weight, even with the add-on lenses, makes touring and street photography much more fun.

 

[Jeanne B]

I've been on 2 pre-dSLR cruises and 3 post-dSLR cruises and the dSLR will always be with me when we cruise, too many great shots available!!

We also have a Canon p&s with u/w housing that we use for snorkeling. My A610 broke on our Dec cruise (I sent an SOS on here and I think you were the one that replied and tried to offer some help ) and I debated about switching to the Pentax or Oly u/w cameras but I've read too many reviews about people putting them under water for the first time while on vacation and having them fill with water, I've even read cases about the recently released Oly 1030SW having the same problem and this is one that really interested me since it's shockproof and is supposed to be waterproof down to 33 ft. The u/w housings are more bulky but we've always had good luck with them so I ended up replacing my A610 with an A720IS and it's matching housing.

BTW, I see one of the stops is the Bahamas...if it's Nassau, Stuart Cove's is a GREAT excursion, the shark stop is the absolute highlight. You'd probably need to rent a wetsuit from them since you're cruising in January but I highly recommend it and it always gets rave reviews on cruisecritic.

http://208.106.254.81/DiveBahamasMgmt.aspx?id=3&pageId=17