Dear All
I just joind the DIGIDEEP comunity and I hope you will be able to help me in my choice.
I’m planing to change my Digital camera (I have a COOLPIX 5900 already) and I don’t know which one is going to be the next one.
I hesitate between the CANON G7, the LUMIX TZ3 or eventually the OLYMPUS SP550 (mainly becuse all of these have available housings).
I might also go for the PANASONIC DMCFZ8 but as far as I know there is no housing for the moment (maybe there will be none, so I don’t want to take a risk)
Is there anyone who can help me with this choice ????

Hello Thierre,

and welcome in our forum! are you sure that you want to go for a
compact camera again? You might be able to buy a DSLR at this price.

Concerning housings: There recently was thread which compared
the Canon G7 and G9 in the forums. Use the search field to find it.

It is worth mentioning that on these two housings from Canon they
unfortunately left out the wheel for the aperture. So it is also good
to have a closer look at the housings before you decide.

Thanks Andreas for the answer and hello to the other readers.
I’m not going for a DSLR just because since I’m travdeling quite a lot for my Job, I don’t want to carry a full bag of lenses and I think the best option still remains the compacts.
I have checked the CANON G7 and G9 review but I have to admit that I’m still hezitating !
The CANON does not have a wide angle, while the TZ3 has it.
The CANON has a 1cm macro possibility while the TZ3 is only 5cm
In addition the OLYMPUS SP550UZ has everything apparently but I don’t think that a zoom up to 500mm will be useful and I also read some bad reviews.

I’m really lost, unless someone can provide with his own experience with one or all of those cameras.

Hello,

I am new to the forums too, and am scanning for threads relating to the SP550-UZ (which is what I own), hence finding this thread.

I purchased my SP550-UZ about 3 months ago, and have since been on 2x dive trips using the PT-037 underwater case with diffuser (no other accessories as yet, this is why I joined the forum to find info on strobes/rigs etc).

I am only an amateur photographer, but in my view the SP550-UZ serves me fine. I read some reviews with cons on certain features (focus on zoom at 18x in low light for example) but in reality streatching the camera this far isn’t why I bought it.

Anyway, I have no problems with it and it provides superb quality shots above and below water. Macro and zoom are great, as is the wide angle.

Hi Gideon,

welcome to DIGIDEEP! Focus on zoom with your camera
should be no issue underwater. Zooming with your fins
is highly recommended for better image quality and
therefore keeping the cameras zoom at max. wide-angle.

Thankss Andi - was a general comment re: zoom, not specific to underwater. I did find it difficult to get focus using full zoom underwater even on the standard scene selection for underwater macro, but I never expected it to work so not fussed. Wide-angle works a treat though.

Thks to all for your reply or comments.
I finally ended up with buying the SP560UZ instead of the SP550UZ (I got quite a good deal on that one) and I already tried a few pictures (not underwater yet)
I will test it a little bit more and I will post the pictures.

So far it seems pretty quick (quicker than my NIKON COOLPIX 5900 anyway) but in low light the autofocus seems to be a little low.
The manual, P and A set up look fine so far (I succeded in taking a picture of the Moon with the full zoom with the stabilizer on and it works out well).

I will have to test it on smaller objects or animals (for the macro and S-MACRO mode) as well as the various scene modes to check this out.

If someone knows about a test on the SP560UZ let me know.

Best Regards and thanks again everyone

TITIPLONGEUR, FRANCE