Last month, after taking my AOWD on Koh Tao in Thailand, I took PADI underwater photography specialty with a rented camera (Panasonic DMC-FX35) and instantly fell in love, so now I'm looking to put together my own setup for when I return to Koh Tao (and likely Ao Nang) sometime next year.
I've been reading quite a lot on the subject, and while there is a lot of information out there, there are some gaps where I simply can't find an unambiguous answer.
Right now I don't own a 'real' camera at all - I have a Samsung WB5000 , but since I got a Lumia 920 and found out that aside from long zoom, it takes better photos (particularly in low light), it's been sitting in a drawer gathering dust, and besides, nobody makes a housing for that model - an ultrazoom doesn't belong underwater anyway.
At first as I saw the prices on housings from Nauticam, Sea & Sea, Ikelite, etc, I got cold feet - there's no way I'm shelling out thousands of dollars before even looking at cameras; I'm shopping for a camera box, not a nuclear submarine! - but then I came across Meikon, which, minor criticisms aside, appear to be perfectly adequate for my needs.
Aside from buoyancy control - which I'm working on - the thing that frustrated me most about DMC-FX35 was how slow it focused - I swear I did not intend to take so many photos of fish tails, but that's how it came out Therefore, on top of my selection criteria for a new camera is auto-focus speed, specifically in low light (underwater) conditions, and as far as I can tell from reviews, that's where Sony cameras, both RX100 series and Alpha APS-C models (full-frame is not in my budget) seem to be leading the competition.
This, however, is where I run into conflicting information - on the one hand, A6000 and A6300 reviews tout their advanced autofocus algorithms, but on the other hand, Ken Rockwell writes that RX100 IV, with its smaller lens, focuses faster than Sony's own mirrorless and DSLR cameras, so... which is it? Basically, I'm trying to pick between RX100 Mark IV (as I understand, Mark III is a step down in terms of auto-focus, while Mark V would stretch my budget real thin, unless I find a really good used deal, which is unlikely, this model being brand new), A6000 and A6300. A5100 is also interesting, as it appears identical to A6000 where it counts (neither the EVF nor the hot shoe are of any use underwater), but with the price difference being minimal, there is not much point in it unless I find a really good deal.
Neither my budget nor my diving skills are sufficient to carry an expensive lighting rig with long draggy arms sticking out every which way, so I will limit myself to shooting in natural light at shallow depths, and if the dive site is deeper than 10m, the camera can sit that one out. Maybe a year or three down the road, when my skills improve, I will make the extra investment, but in the meanwhile, I'd rather spend the money on more dives.
In total, I'd like to keep the investment under $1000 - I could stretch to, say, $1500, but it would have to be a real compelling case. I have absolutely no problem buying used, including with cosmetic damage, as long as the primary functionality is unaffected.
Aside from the camera choice, I'm looking at getting:
Meikon housing - seems to start around $150-170 sourced via Aliexpress, no real alternatives at that price point - Nauticam, Sea & Sea, etc, may be better, but not 10-15 times better.
Handle or tray? - Handle is smaller and cheaper, but the dual-handle tray equalizes the housing's buoyancy without cumbersome extra weights, provides attachment points for lights which I may or may not purchase in the future, and I suppose makes handling the camera easier when shooting video - when shooting stills, does one hold the camera by both handles, or left handle only, with the right hand going directly on the housing? Can't tell from the photos whether or not the shutter button is reachable without letting go of the right handle.
Wet dome - by all accounts it's a very useful attachment, but something I cannot find info on is how does it affect minimum focus distance? Will I find myself needing to remove and attach the dome (besides flooding it at the beginning of the dive) in order to take up-close (say, 10cm between the lens and the subject) shots?
67mm adapter - if I do end up needing to detach and attach the dome during a dive, I'd rather not screw around with fine threads underwater. Meikon sells a flip adapter, but it seems to me that if I'm trying to get close enough that the dome is hindering lens focusing, it will equally hinder the camera movement while awkwardly sticking out in front of the housing, so I'm leaning towards a magnetic adapter + lanyard. On the other hand, the dome hanging off a lanyard attached to the tray can also bump into stuff, so I'm thinking about a second magnetic ring + 67mm lens holder attached to the bottom of the tray, but that's another $80 or so - is that a worthwhile investment, or am I getting worried over nothing?
Silica gel packets - as a general rule of thumb, how long do they last when used in a tropical climate (i.e. how many do I need to stock up on, in order to avoid the housing fogging up)?
Spare o-ring, silicone grease - would rather not get my shiny new camera beached (or worse, flooded) halfway through the trip due to lack of cheap yet critical spares.
Retractor lanyard - just like I don't want to see my camera flooded, I don't want to watch it float away, so I'd rather keep it clipped to my BCD for the duration of each dive.
Spare battery - do I need one? I've got a 20,000 mAh powerbank; might as well use it to top up the camera between dives via USB.
White balance - do I use a red filter? Carry a white slate to set manual white balance on upon reaching bottom? Set the camera white balance to 'underwater' and let the embedded software figure it out? Shoot raw and fix the white balance on my laptop?
Neoprene cover for the housing - how useful/important is it to have one?
Tools - I understand that I will be attaching/detaching various components quite often; is the allen wrench included with the tray sufficient, or should I stock up on something more flexible? Cleaning implements/supplies?
Back to the question of cameras, trying to line up pros and cons
RX100 IV
+ smaller camera, smaller housing - looks like it can fit into a cargo pocket
+ better video quality?
+ smaller lens results in faster auto-focus?
- more expensive (about $700 on ebay)
- fixed lens
- lower low-light still image quality
A6000
+ larger, better sensor - advantage for stills in natural light?
+ cheaper (can get for sub-$400 used with 16-50mm lens)
+ more sophisticated auto-focus engine - does it have an effect underwater?
+ interchangeable lens - I might, at some point, get a 55-210mm lens to take to airshows
- lower video quality?
- larger, does not fit in pockets
A6300
+ more auto-focus detection points - again, does it have a measurable effect underwater?
+ 4K video, high-speed video
- most expensive of the three, although when I looked in a Sony store in Thailand, I saw it being sold for 26,000 baht, which translates to roughly US$750, which can kinda sorta squeeze into my budget if I pound on it real hard, and besides, by the time my next vacation comes around, A6500 might depress the cost of A6300 a little bit
Are there any cameras from other manufacturers that I should be considering in this price range for my intended usage?
I'm pretty sure what with a couple weeks' worth of reading but little practical experience, I'm missing lots of obvious stuff, so I'll be very grateful for pointers/suggestions/angry shouts
