Sounder wrote:I'm enjoying all the photos in the threads and have seen lots of great pictures. I'm not what I would call a "photographer" and I doubt that I would ever really put a bunch of money in expensive phototraphy equipment, but I do have a 6 mega pixel camera and an underwater housing for it.
Are good quality "point & shoot" cameras "good enough" for taking pictures here and there? I'm sure there are divers out there with great equipment, but if I just want to take pictures here and there, is my Canon camera sufficient?
Yes ... Canon makes great P&S cameras. I know lots of folks with A70's and A80's who take awesome photos. My ex uses an A620 and it's a really nice camera.
I'm currently using a Fuji F10 ... which is stictly P&S, and an Olympus SP350, which has a lot of features I haven't tried using yet ... I just put it in Auto and shoot away ... and get some great shots.
The trick to great photos isn't so much the camera as it is good buoyancy control (holding still while the shutter lag works ... and not kicking up silt) and getting in as close as possible to your subject (to reduce backscatter to a minimum).
I'm no expert, but am just having fun taking pictures. I've got an Olympus C-775 and my kids got me an underwater housing for Christmas. I've been taking passable pictures with it and having a ball in the process.
One of the positive things is that it makes you slow down as a diver. No charging around if you're stopping to snap shots of the latest Alabaster Nudie that you discovered!
I've purchased an external flash and housing and am anxious to see if that improves my picture taking!
I never take my camera on dives where I am even mildly uncertain of the conditions or dive site. I suppose that would not be a hard and fast rule, but at my skill level, both diving and photography, it's a good idea for me.
