if you like it , can you rate it or even put a comment on the utube video.

Shot with a Canon Powershot s50
Its only 320x240

What can anyone recommend for my next camera as I want something alot better, but under $1000

Thanks
Dane

Hi Dane

What capabilities are you looking for in your next camera?  Do you want another Point and shoot digital camera with video capability, or are you after better camera purely for video.

You appear to be in New Zealand, so are you talking NZ$ or US$?

If you’re talking NZ$, $1000 can get you a newer point and shoot but (IMHO) it won’t add much value over the S50 you have already.  If you are after a video camera, $1000 won’t really cut it.  Housings start around $1600, and video cameras range from around $500 up to $5000 to sky is the limit!

Back in the realm of point and shoots, the Canon G9 is being used by alot of people currently, and there seems to be some very nice shots being taken with it.  The Ikelite housing for the G9 offers the benefit of being able to use a short port and wide angle adapters (wet lenses), which is a distinct advantage over the Canon housing.  However, that package is pushing on towards $2000.

If you can provide a bit more info regarding what you are after, people here can give you better advice.

regards

point and shoot camera mainly to replace the s50, just want something faster, I have a canon eos 350D so it might be cheaper to get a housing for that alone

Hmmm, housings for dSLRs start around NZ$2500, so whilst there’s not much in it compared to the G9/Ikelite package, they’re not exactly cheaper!

I have a Canon S70, which is probably not notably faster than the S50 (just more megapixels I think), and I can’t say I’ve found the speed of the camera a particular problem, or at least not one I’m keen to spend over $2000 to improve on, but that is a personal opinion of course..

Sealife do a point and shoot that they claim has less shutter lag than ‘mainstream’ competitors, but I have been unimpressed by the build quality and general feel of the camera. 

Sea and Sea offer the DX-1G (I think that’s right) that also claims less shutter lag.  I don’t have current pricing, but Sea and Sea point and shoots have traditionally been more expensive than their mainstream competitors, and given they are rebadged Ricoh cameras, I remain a little sceptical of their claims of being better designed for u/w use (unless the Sea and Sea versions have a different firmware, which is possible, but I’ve seen no evidence either way on that).

regards

IMO-
I believe the DX 1G is worth looking at. Camera + Housing runs in the 1k range and I believe you will find it to be an exceptional camera (topside and u/w). Personaly I would put it next to the G9 as far as photo quality. (The G9 a little better in low light, the Ricoh better lens with wider angle)
Strobes and lenses will put you past the 1k amount but you will find this true with most set-ups......

Good luck!