Underwater Options: G15 UW housing vs Underwater point and shoot camera

Howdy folks... got some vacation time coming up and i want to take some underwater pics of kids snorkeling...

i will be taking my 7D for my other land pics but was looking for option for underwater.

i have a G15 which i'm starting to enjoy... and was looking at either getting the underwater housing or should i just pick up a point and shoot that is waterproof

so the contenders are:

Canon WP-DC48 Waterproof Case for PowerShot G15 Digital Camera for $299

any one of these waterproof camera reviewed on this site

seems the cost either way is similar... well depending on the choice... but i really don't want to spend on a new camera if it is just a "mediocre" camera that happens to be waterproof.

i also would like to be able to keep underwater photography available for my family's future outings...

thanks in advance,

Al

If you buy an underwater housing for your g15 make sure it is a good one. I was just on a trip and I rented a Nauticam underwater and I rented a rx100. Make sure the housing has a moisture alarm and check to see if all the controls can be used in the housing. You could rent a housing for your camera if you do not want to buy one. You can rent them at Blue Water Photo. I would rent or buy a housing for your g15 over a dedicated underwater P&S because of better low light capabilities and the ability to shoot raw. If you want a P&S that is water proof I love the Canon d20.

If its just for snorkeling, go for one of the waterproof P&S cameras. An UW housing can take quite a bit of maintenance both during use and when in storage; do you really want to do that? And do you want to take the chance to forget about that and have your G15 flooded, which will require replacement of a much more expensive camera. A waterproof P&S is easier to live with, and if it floods, its much cheaper to replace.

I only recommend UW housings if you're actually going diving, not just snorkeling.

And with the small dedicated all-weather cam you get something you can pocket and then use in whatever nature throws at you. The housing seems very single purpose.

thanks all...

seems the waterproof point and shoot is the way to go.

You could give film a go with a Nikonos, they're really inexpensive now. I had one back in the 80's, worked great.

Although an inexpensive point and shoot will do OK for snorkelling, as a photographer I do feel limited by the camera when using these kind of point and shoots.
If you already have the canon G15, I suggest you use it!
I'm an underwater photographer and still shoot with a G12, I've been in many situations where I am sure I could not have gotten the shot if it werent for the manual functions. Theres nothing wrong with the $300 canon housing. I've been using it for years.
The only flaw is that it does not have access to the front and rear dials. However you can still control the manual functions by pressing the shortcut button in combination with the arrow buttons.

I did a full comparison between all canon g15 housing options in this post that I believe would help clear out some doubts.

Regards.

Mario.