Review: Sea & Sea DX 1200HD

[DevilDiver]

Originally Posted by SynCitizen

DevilD what flash are you using or planning on using or would your recommend?

and where are you getting this info from?
Exposure:0.021 sec (1/48)
Aperture:f/7.149
Focal Length:7.6 mm
ISO Speed:100
Exposure Bias:0/100 EV


U/W pic testing will be started on dec. 3rd

Cool, can't wait to see your U/W photos. Where are you going?

You have a lot of options on strobes, lots of good ones out there from $ to $$$.

Personally IMO I would go with the S&S YS27 strobe.
Sea & Sea YS27 DX Strobe reviews and discounts, Sea & Sea

Great strobe for the price, manual control, fast recycle time, great on batteries.

The EXIF or Metadata is embedded in the digital photos, when you upload your photos to a program like Photoshop or a website like Flickr you should be able to open/access and then it is just simple cut & paste.

I like doing this for reference so if I like or don't like something I can try to repeat or make adjustments.

[DevilDiver]

Picture Quality and Digital Noise:

High definition CCD – 1/1.72-inch primary color CCD with 12.19 effective megapixels

Photo shot in portrait made with flash at:
Focal Length:7.6 mm
ISO Speed:100



Photo cropped 2X


Photo cropped 4X


Photo cropped 6X


Picture quality remains acceptable after magnification at lower ISO speeds. Little evidence of digital noise, even with 12.1 mega pixels crammed onto a 1/1.72 sensor.

[DevilDiver]

Picture quality and digital noise:

Photo shot at:
ISO Speed:490



Photo cropped X2- Picture is a little soft but still acceptable.


Photo cropped X4- Digital noise apparent, photo quality affected
but could still be considered acceptable and/or corrected with editing program.


Photo cropped X6- Digital noise apparent, photo quality reduced to
unacceptable level other than "snapshot".


Digital noise and photo quality are quite good at ISO speeds under 400 (Pretty much with all point & shoot cameras). If used with strobe this should not be an issue, possibly for wide angle at depth where lighting would be lower. (Foreground exposure is controlled by the strobe, background controlled by aperture & shutter speed) Photos in available light (without a strobe) situations could be affected more. (Pretty much with all point & shoot cameras)

The DX 1200HD preforms above par compared to other point & shoot cameras as far as similar models. The 12.1 megapixels can deliver good detail and quality with no issues when shot within expected limits.

[teerlkay]

thanks for the review - is it a ricoh camera?

[DevilDiver]

Originally Posted by teerlkay

thanks for the review - is it a ricoh camera?

No. I am really not sure who the manufacture is, I have tried dpreview.com and other on-line sites trying to find a match without luck. I really wanted to locate to see what others might have posted about the camera.

Any help would be appreiciated......

I am actually a big fan of the Ricoh camera line. I believe they are some of the best street cameras on the market.

[teerlkay]

Originally Posted by DevilDiver

No. I am really not sure who the manufacture is, I have tried dpreview.com and other on-line sites trying to find a match without luck. I really wanted to locate to see what others might have posted about the camera.

Any help would be appreiciated......

I am actually a big fan of the Ricoh camera line. I believe they are some of the best street cameras on the market.

+1 also a fan of Ricoh - and Sea&Sea's last few were Ricoh's - hmmmm

Anybody?

[DevilDiver]

Originally Posted by teerlkay

+1 also a fan of Ricoh - and Sea&Sea's last few were Ricoh's - hmmmm

Anybody?

True, the DX 2G being released spring of 09 will be using the Ricoh GX200 improving the RAW write time with a lager LCD including improvements dealing with the real time low light visibility issues. They have repositioned the fiber optic cable attachment to help with the DS-TTL with compatible strobes.
==========

The DX 1200HD is really an all together different camera (Ultra Compact). This camera is for beginning to intermediate U/W photographers. You have settings (Auto, Program, Portrait, Landscape, Sea & Sea) instead of manual controls.

The camera has a reasonably fast start-up time (approx 3 sec.) and almost non-existent (approx 1-2 sec) focus lag. This could be different in low light situations.

If you are starting out in U/W photography or just wanting to "keep it simple" above and below water then this would be a camera worth real consideration.

If you want to try your hand at U/W photography or have limited knowledge photography there really is no point purchasing a camera with full manual if you have no idea how to work it and end up keeping it in the Auto Mode anyway.

The U/W case for the DX 1200HD is impressive. Very compact and light weight and would be easily carried underwater or clipped off and out of the way. Could be packed into a carry-on for travel or stowed (protected) in a dive bag without taking up much room.

All in all, the DX 1200HD is a quality camera package. If you want a solid entry level to intermediate system that has available specific camera/housing add ons (wide angle, close up, macro diffuser, strobe connection) with out the guess work the DX 1200HD is worth a look.


** Please post any photos or opinions of the DX 1200HD. If anyone has a interest or questions it helps to have information from all sources.

[WV Diver]

Well, I did it. I just ordered this camera. Thanks DevilDiver for all your help along the way. This looks like a wonderful camera to get me started. Should have it next week.

[WV Diver]

Devil, your concern regarding the number of pictures per battery charge are nothing to worry about. I was able to take well over 100 pictures before the battery gave out.

When I have had some time to learn a little more about the camera and the pictures I am taking I will post some here for review.

[Skuttle]

Is it just me? I can't see anyone's pictures. Help! lol