Best Prosumer Mid-Range Underwater Cameras for 2011

The prosumer category in digital cameras and more specifically in underwater cameras has been growing steeply in the last couple of year. Digital photography has become a hobby for the masses and getting a prosumer camera is a first step towards professional photography.

In underwater photography , a prosumer camera is evern more important as the nature of shooting underwater requires manual settings in the camera to produce decent results ( white balance , high aperture with flash, ISO settings and more.. )

In addidion , underwater , the compactness of the camera and housing is very important as these are much easier to handle both above water (On a boat for example) and much easier to handle underwater. A compact housing can even be connected to the BCD and dragged with in order to free up your hands for other things.

Getting a prosumer underwater camera will start from around 800$ and go as high as 1300$. In 2011 , some very nice models and options were released into the market and this article will describe the various options and selling points for each.

Camera Number 1 – Canon S95 (~725$)

The canon S95 has 2 housings in the market. One is the Aluminium built Fix housing and the other an Ultra compact Ikelite housing.

				Fisheye Fix Canon Powershot S95 Underwater Housing
				Retail Price : US $900.00  Mozaik Price : US $799.00 You save US $101.00!
				Ultra light and compact body precision machined to just fit the Canon Powershot S95 camera, Simple opening and closing with reliable rotary lock latch. Controls all of the cameras functions.

				Ikelite Underwater Housing for Canon S95
				Our Price: US $325.00
				This Ikelite underwater housing for Canon S95 is  ultra compact, ergonomic, durable, and completely corrosion free. Made of clear polycarbonate and fully functional to a depth rating of 200 feet (60m)

The S95 camera currently sells for 399$ which makes this package sell for around 725$

Selling points for the Canon S95

• Wide aperture f/2.0.
• ISO boost at 12,800
• Shutter lag 0.38s
• Video at 720p / 24fps

Camera Number 2 – Olympus XZ-1 (~799$)

If you are on budget , the most economic prosumer camera offered today is the Olympus XZ-1 with the Olympus PT-050 camera.

Here are the products details:

				Olympus Underwater Housing PT-050 AND XZ-1 Digital Camera
				Mozaik Price: US $799.99
				With the especially for the XZ-1 designed underwater case (PT-050) your XZ-1 can be taken underwater up to a water pressure equivalent to a depth of 40 meters.The XZ-1 combines the image quality and adjustability of system cameras in a compact body.

Selling points in the Olympus XZ-1

• Very compact camera and housing.
• Features f/1.8 wide aperture
• OLED screen.
• Fast shooting 7fps
• ISO 6400
• Video at 720 / 30fps

Camera Number 3 – Nikon P7000 (~849$)

The Nikon P7000 has housings in the market by Fantasea and by Ikelite. The fantasea housing is the more compact and least expensive of the 2, it also features fiber optic connectors.

				Fantasea 11181 FP-7000 FP7000 Underwater Camera & Housing – Nikon Coolpix P7000
				Retail Price : US $920.00  Mozaik Price : US $849.00 You save US $71.00!
				Fantasea #11181  Model  FP-7000  FP7000  Underwater Camera Housing. Including a  NIKON COOLPIX P7000  Perfect Underwater Solution for your Digital Diving Experience, Excellent for Scuba and Snorkelling.

Selling points for the Nikon P7000

• Very compact camera and housing.
• Fiber Optic connectors and TTL automatic exposure.
• Short shutter lag time 0.2s
• x7.1 Zoom
• RAW shooting
• Auto flash ( TTL) in manual mode.
• Video at 720 / 24fps

Camera Number 4 – Canon G12 (~1,100$)

The canon G12 has 3 housings in the market, one by Canon , one by Ikelite and the last by Fix. The canon housing is the most compact but lacks the reliability and ergonomics of the Ikelite one. The fix housing is an excellent Aluminium housing but is an expensive one. The Ikelite housing is quite large for the camera but has TTL with the Ikelite special connector and great tray and handles.

				Fisheye Fix Canon G12 Underwater Housing
				Retail Price : US $1,300.00  Mozaik Price : US $1,099.00 You save US $201.00!
				Ultra light and compact body precision machined to just fit the Canon G12 camera, Simple opening and closing with reliable rotary lock latch. Controls all of the cameras functions.

				Ikelite Underwater Housing for Canon G11, G12
				Our Price: US $649.95
				This Ikelite underwater housing for Canon G11, G12  is  ergonomic, durable, and completely corrosion free. Made of crystal clear polycarbonate and fully functional to a depth rating of 200 feet (60m)

The G12 camera is sold today between 459 – 499$ which makes this bundle cost a minimum of 1,108$

Selling points for the Canon G12

• Reviewed by many to have exceptional image quality.
• Easy and simple to use controls.
• Very popular and there has many guides and tutorials online.
• x5.0 zoom.
• 1/4000s max shutter speed
• Video at 720p / 24fps
• Flip Out screen.

Camera Number 5 – Olympus Pen Mirrorless Micro 4/3rds E-PL2 (~1250$)

The Olympus pen stands out from the rest as this camera is a mirrorless SLR , or as Olympus calls it , Micro 4/3rds. This camer has a much larger sensor and there said to have superiour image quality. It also has interchangable lenses which makes it very SLR like.

The available housing is a compact and ergonomic Olympus housing.

				Olympus PT-EP03 Underwater Housing AND PEN E-PL2 Micro 4/3 Camera
				Mozaik Price: US $1,244.99
				The PT-EP03 underwater case has been especially customized for one camera of the PEN family, the E-PL2. Superb, SLR-quality images, Superb, SLR-quality images . The extreme light weight PT-EP03 (only approximately 1100g) is depth rated 40mts.

Selling points for Olympus Pen E-PL2

• Large sensor ( Micro 4/3rds)
• Interchangable lenses.
• 12MP
• 3fps fast shooting
• True 6400 ISO option
• Video at 720p / 24fps

To sum it all up . The prosumer level underwater cameras is the most exciting development of the last couple of years. Finally , excellent underwater shots can be taken with very compact , not so expensive camera bundles.

Of course , one must remember that getting such cameras does not save you the nessecity of a strobe or video light in order to produce good results.

Read our strobe and video light guide to match the gear to your budget and needs.