I need.... Camera with Underwater housing

[lauraclifton1984]

OK, Have always had Fuji camera's with u/w housing and feel it's time for a change as I feel there is better available, however I'm struggling to find the best of a very big bunch so please heeelp!



Which camera should I buy?

This short questionnaire will help the rest of us make good camera recommendations for you. Please answer each question carefully and succinctly.

The questions marked with a * are the most important.

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
I'm thinking around the £300 INCLUDING underwater housing


Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
I'll be going travelling with it so not hug, but standard compact size + housing is fine

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
12mp


* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x)
10/12 x is good, I will also use it for gigs/festivals so like zoom and it can be a bonus not to have to get too close to the sharks on a dive!

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
10

Do you care for manual exposure modes (shutter priority, aperture priority, manual)?
I would like the options, but I have very basic knowledge of how to use them so it's not a priority


General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Diving is the main priority, would like something with a decent light filter/ underwater setting to minimise 'blue' on scuba photos

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
hopefully

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
low light - underwater!


Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Scuba!

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Am very used to fuji having had 3 different fujis with housing


Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Heard good things about panasonic lumix and canon but open to suggestions


(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Wide angle would be nice but not crucial, underwater housing capacity essential

[Andy Stanton]

Underwater housings are quite expensive. I'm not very familiar with British camera retailers but, based on a look at Amazon.co.uk, it doesn't seem likely you'll be able to purchase a good quality long zoom camera and an underwater housing for £300.

[lauraclifton1984]

Thanks Andy, I'm hoping for 'around' £300, probably taking into consideration the Jan sales, I'm aware the housing will not be in the sale but a camera might be. I got my last camera/u/w housing package for £250 in 2010 and that was a good camera at the time so fingers crossed

Underwater housings are quite expensive. I'm not very familiar with British camera retailers but, based on a look at Amazon.co.uk, it doesn't seem likely you'll be able to purchase a good quality long zoom camera and an underwater housing for £300.

[Andy Stanton]

The Panasonic TZ25 seems like a good fit for you. Very quick with good image quality and a long zoom lens. Also has manual exposure control options. And it's available for under £200. I don't know about an underwater housing for it but it should meet your needs otherwise.