Sealife DC 800 8.0 Megapixel Underwater Land Camera in Removable Housing with 4X Optical Zoom and... List Price: $549.95 $364.95 At Amazon on 11-11-2010.

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism This review is from: Sealife DC 800 8.0 Megapixel Underwater/Land Camera in Removable Housing with 4X Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD screen (Black) (Electronics) I recently bought this camera at a local dive shop and was able to use it on a dive and a couple snorkel trips in Hawaii. Previously, I was using an underwater camera bag (~$30) with a Sony DSC-V1 (5MP pro-sumer) to take snorkeling photos. I was able to get some great photos in the process. Unfortunately, that solution made it difficult to operate the camera, sometimes the bag plastic would warp/defocus the shot, and was a bit risky. I would also not be willing to take it on Scuba dives. The Sealife was an upgrade to improve on some of these shortcomings. Using the camera underwater is very easy. The camera case feels good in your hands and very sturdily built. It is simple to operate and you can cycle quickly between photo mode/movie mode/review last shot with a single button, which is nice. The focus and shutter is reasonably quick for a small digicam, but of course it will require more time take shots than a DSLR. I am relatively new to diving (<15 dives), so the small size is perfect and won't encumber you like a larger setup might. Great for amateurs. Underwater image quality was good and even though the Sealife uses a compact digicam-sized lens, it does pretty well. Lens speed is a key issue if you're just getting into underwater photography--available light disappears quickly as you descend only a few meters. Since you won't be using a tripod down there, expect many shots to come out blurry and forget about getting good photos of frightened fish. This is not something specific to the Sealife. My Sony V1 was similar even with a larger, slightly faster lens. Stay away from the zoom as much as possible because you'll give the camera even less light to work with. Still, with a little patience and a steady hand, you'll get a few nice shots. The 28mm equivalent wide-angle end of this lens is great for getting close to your subject and still fitting everything in the frame. This is a key part of underwater photography, as the water acts like a blue diffusion filter in front of your camera, reducing the light reaching your camera. Getting up close and personal with your subject is the best way to improve the color, contrast, and quality of your photos. At first, I found it difficult to frame shots and wanted to use the zoom to fill the frame, but I got better results by moving closer when possible. Still, being able to zoom can be useful for macro shots (less than a foot away). Something I found a bit different about this camera is the underwater mode setting. When the camera is in the case, it is designed to be used in this "Sea" shooting mode (some of the button functions actually change function). In this mode: - Shutter speed is a priority and the camera will not go below 1/60th of a second, instead adjusting ISO upwards - Default color balance is adjusted to boost red sensitivity (good for deep photos) - The "Display" button becomes your new way to cycle between camera mode-- Sealife DC 800 8.0 Megapixel Underwater Land Camera in Removable Housing with 4X Optical Zoom and... Available from Amazon Updated on 11-11-2010.

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