First post in this section, In need of advice...

[neil_r]

This is my first post in this part of the forum so first of all , Hello to you all” :D

I have just returned from a really fabulous holiday, most of which was spent on gloriously sandy beaches or snorkelling in crystal clear water. I took my EOS 1D MkII and a selection of lenses with me and to be honest they never made it out of the hotel, the two main reasons being:-

a. The camera does not mix well with either sand, sea water or sun screen
b. The beaches had many naturists (nudists) and wandering around with a large camera and lens could have been misconstrued..

I have at least one beach holiday a year so I really want to get a good compact camera and an underwater housing to protect it.

I have been using Canon SLR cameras for years but have never owned a compact. Any advice or recommendations you can give me, particularly in relation to the "underwater housing” will be gratefully received.

Many thanks

Neil

[sdommin]

I have been using Canon SLR cameras for years but have never owned a compact. Any advice or recommendations you can give me, particularly in relation to the "underwater housing” will be gratefully received.

Hello Neil, and welcome to the forum! If you're looking for a quality compact, I'd recommend a G3 or G5 (they're both discontinued, but you might be able to get a G5 from remaining dealer stock, or get a used G3). Ikelite makes an underwater housing for these cameras (I haven't used one, but I know it does exist)...

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/5can_g3big.html

I don't think that this particular housing will fit the new G6, due out soon. The Pro-1 is also an excellent compact camera, but I don't know if anyone makes an underwater housing for it. Since you're coming from a DSLR background, I think you'll be happy with the Canon G-Series or Pro-1.

[JohnnyE]

I would recommend going with a more compact camera, like the Canon PowerShot S60 (5MP) or S70 (7MP). Canon carries an underwater housing for these cameras, and the feature set is quite good for a small camera. You can check out the new S70 at the following site:

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=144&mode lid=10460

[Andy_T]

Neil, welcome to the 'G series' forum :lol:

I second the motion for the S series ... if you only use it for your stated purpuse.

Major differences between the G series and the S series are:

- G series has 2.0 instead of 2.8 largest aperture lens (not an issue for a sunny day at the beach)
- G series has hot shoe to mount flash (wouldn't fit in the housing, then)
- G series has adapter to put on tele or wide adapters (see hot shoe)

These led me to select the G2 over the S40 or S45.

Now the advantages of the S series for your intented purpose:

- S series is more compact than G series
- Canon makes an inexpensive underwater housing for the S series.

I'd look for a used S40 or S45 (4 MP cameras)... they should be available pretty cheap.

Best regards,
Andy

PS... I just looked at the Ikelite housing for the G series ... IMHO, you'll be looked at with more suspicion, if you carry that contraption on the beach :lol:

I remembered s kind of 'baggie' style housing and did a search for it ... take a look at the EWA-MARINE products: http://www.ewa-marine.de/english/index.htm

[neil_r]

Thanks for the helpful replies guys. I have been doing some digging and I think I am going to go for the Powershot S70 with the Waterproof Case. Part of me really wants to go for the G series, because I would have more control and I could use my 550 flash, but then common sense kicks in and tells me that I can use the MkII if I really want to do that. Of course the other disadvantage of going for the S70 is that I will not be able to stay in this forum :cry: .

Thanks once again for the help

N