Life of a Singapore PADI Scuba Diving Instructor

There are so many DSLR cameras, so many housing, strobes, arms, etc.. .. to choose from. How do one begin this nightmare in choosing their perfect or dream set up camera for underwater photography?

I decided to document my quest on obtaining my first underwater gig so that other divers can learn from my mistakes.

Firstly, to decide between three brands. Fuji, ideal for land photography because of saturation and the sensor, Nikon and Canon.

Canon was ruled out because my dad, most of my friends are Nikon fans. With so many friends around me using Nikon, getting a Nikon seem to be the most logical path for me, as lens can be pass around. And besides, Ivan is also using Nikon.

However, Karla, Shaun and John (Orpheus Dive inhouse professional) is on Canon. They too have lottsa lens.

And when I found out that Fuji has launched S5 (see S5 report) which is using Nikon’s D200 body, naturally, I became more inclined in getting either the Nikon or Fuji Setup.

So which to get? I am getting all confused! There are mixed reviews on Fuji, the Pros and Cons.

According to Claude Ruff (http://www.aquatilia.com/S5Pro/BtoB.htm), there isn’t much difference between the Nikon D200 and Fuji S5 Pro, however, it is also noted that there is a difference on land.

So for the time being, whether Fuji and Nikon, the decision lies in the $$.

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Arms, what arms for the strobes?

After using C5050, complete with two Inon strobes mounting on ULCS arms, with two macro lens and one wide angle lens (both from Inon), housed in a Ikelite housing, I have this to say. Getting buoyant arms IS VERY IMPORTANT. Trying to lug a heavy system underwater is not a dream for underwater photographers. And your wrist to get sore.

After doing some research, I came across something that is really interesting. Welcome to Stix Arms (Read the review here). While the arms are slightly more expensive than ULCS, I was rather impress that after installing the Stix Arms, the entire camera set is neutrally buoyant. Something that I will be getting for myself soon.

See the wonders of Stix Arms

Even though, I have seen many DIY setup, inclusive of tying empty coke bottles to the arms I think the Stix Arms is absolutely a good investment.