I stopped by Dan's shop the other day and talked to him about getting a new camera for an underwater setup.
I've used a GoPro (both the Hero 1 and Hero 3 Black) before and liked taking pictures and videos with it, but wanted to get something different. IMO, I think the GoPro is great if you decide you want to go spearfishing and film yourself while doing it. Lately, though, I've wanted to go out with the intent to take pictures/videos instead of spearing.
Well, I ended up selling all my guns and bought a Canon T3i with the money. I picked it up on Craigslist for $325 in used (but great) condition. If you're interested, there are some deals for them for ~$430 online.
Here's a link to the camera description on Canon's site if you're interested: Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : EOS Rebel T3i 18-55mm IS II Lens Kit
I haven't had a chance to really fool around with the camera yet and I'm a noob when it comes to photography but it should be fun to learn all the stuff that it can do.
This morning I ordered an underwater housing on eBay for $350. The housing is made by Polaroid, but it seems like there are similar housings by a brand called "Meikon." These housings look identical to the Polaroid one I bought but are a little more expensive and ship from Hong Kong (they go for about $450).
Here are some pictures of the housing:
The housing does not have the ability to house any lens other longer than 55mm and I will not be able to attach strobes to it. For $1,000+ in savings over the big-brand housings, I'm fine with that.
All in all the setup ran me $675. Not a bad deal, I don't think. The new GoPro Hero 3+ will run you $400 plus tax, so I spent a little more for a camera with a little bit different of a purpose.
Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to use it and take some cool shots in the water :thumbsup2: