Negative reviews are not the camera's fault

My underwater (UW) photographing friends: the negative reviews of this camera appear to fall mostly in the category of user error. With the exception of true defects that cause malfunction under use, most of the problems described here are lack of understanding of UW photography at depth, lack of understanding of how the camera functions, lack of preparation, and unfounded user expectations. I have owned this camera for 3 years, and have taken thousands of photos with it. In only one sad experience, the camera malfunctioned at the end of a dive and it turned out to be truly a manufacturing defect. Sea Life replaced the camera promptly and with no fuss or cost to me. Otherwise, it has been very reliable.

There is no comparison between a point and shoot camera that is waterproof to 10 feet and a camera in a housing that is waterproof to 150+ feet. Trying to compare the value of those two devices is like comparing swim goggles to a dive mask. They have two completely different uses and therefore designs and costs.

Any certified scuba diver should know that one never enters the water with equipment that has not been tested first in the water. Even if (and especially when) the equipment is brand new. If you are doing this with a regulator, you are bound to have a serious, perhaps life threatening problem. Don't do it with your camera rig either. It is bound to have something fail that you can fix easily on the surface, but will be a disaster at 90 feet.

This camera, like all other UW/diving cameras, requires additional lighting for full color acquisition in the water. This is a fact of physics - don't bother taking any photos below 6-8 feet without a strobe. You might get lucky - but your shots will mostly be disappointing. Adjust the strobe on the surface as the user manual explains, and as other experienced UW photographers have explained on the web. If you have a TTL slave like I do, the sensor needs to be positioned in front of and looking down at the camera slightly to detect the flash trigger. Any time my flash has not triggered it has been my fault, not the camera; it is my role as photographer to ensure the rig is positioned correctly.

Start out taking macro shots, and use the camera's menus to set up for macro. Anything you shoot in this mode needs to be within 2 feet for best color and sharpness. Shift out of macro if you are aiming beyond 2 feet. If you are photographing something in open ocean and you don' have lots of mechanical lighting that is timed and aimed correctly, don't be surprised or disappointed with back scatter and mostly blue in your photos. Again, this is physics, and 100% user error. Great photos under water have really good mechanical lighting.

Make sure you begin your first dive of the day with fully charged batteries in the strobe and in the camera. I use rechargeables in my strobe, and recharge them after every two dives. If there is a third dive before I return to the charger, I plan to have a back up set of batteries or I expect that the strobe will not perform. This is part of my plan before I leave the dock. My DC500 battery is also charged every two dives. I usually turn off my camera, or put it in standby with the LCD off between shots. This saves battery life and allows me to think about the composition of the next shots. If you are looking for fast action shots, this camera is not for you anyway - land or sea. With practice, you get used to planning ahead to allow for the time it takes the camera to power on. I can usually get 60-80 shots during a 45 minute dive this way.

In summary, this camera is a very good value for entry level UW digital photography. You absolutely need to understand the operation and limitations of the camera, but this is true no matter what device you purchase. It is my first digital UW camera, and compared to my previous film based system it is wonderful. UW photography is a specialized hobby, and while it has some comparisons to land photography the two are not equal. With this camera, as with any other, you have to practice, practice, practice. And just like with my land camera, I am very happy if I get 1 keeper out of 10 shots - which is the beauty of our digital world! Anything better is gravy!

Happy and safe diving - and leave only bubbles, take only pictures.