Sealife DC1000- Reviews/Questions

[bitumen_surfer]

Thanks - quite a detailed response ! If I was a cynic I'd say you worked for the company. But your points are quite valid and approximately match what I'd deduced which is:

• When it works, it works well for its intended purpose and level of camera.
• Purchasing extra batteries, seals & moisture munchers is compulsory (not sure why you wouldn't !)
• That said, some people who had used the camera did have an issue with a) seals and b) warranties/returns, c) batteries

Batteries are easily fixed or a second one bought, so no issue. However poor quality seals/sealing of the housing is a deal-breaker. It is this issue that makes me hesitate and/or wonder why other users (who apparently have some level of experience) had failures. My first thought is that using grease-less seals is different from most other scuba equipment which recommends using a 'small' amount of silicon to lubricate the o-rings. I'd welcome a SeaLife company response on this issue. Given they have access to warranty/repair data it may shed light on the cause of the leaks.

My other hesitation is warranty/returns. Purchasing a camera with a reasonable probability or requiring a return/repair is potentially difficult for me. I'm in Australia and will be purchasing online from the US - primarily because the Aus importer is charging double the US price: AU $2200 vs AU $1000 (US $900) if I buy online. Gotta wonder how they are in business with that markup

[graemeh]

Nope, don't work for them. Was just enthusiastic that my first experience with underwater photography panned out so well.

That markup is crazy. Good luck with your decision.

[TCU Diver]

I bought the DC1000 last summer and took it on vacation. I went on 6 dives with the camera and was happy with the results. The battery life was good. I got 3 to 4 45 min dives in on one charge. I did turn it off when not in use, but took 300+ pictures and several videos on the dives, so it was on during most of the dives. I got some good picture, and some so-so pictures, but that was mostly due to my limitations, not the camera. I did not have any problems with leaks, but I spent 10-20 minutes inspecting the seal and cleaning everything before I closed it up. This was probably overkill, but in my book, better safe than sorry. I did not open it up again until I needed to charge the battery.
I have used disposable cameras before on dives and this took much better pictures. This was my first time with an underwater digital camera. I am sure a more expense camera would do a lot better, but considering my skill level at diving and photography, and how often I go diving, I think this was a good purchase for the money.

Things I liked:
The “easy setup.” I am a point and shoot kind of person and the “easy setup” is exactly what I need.
You can easily change between shooting videos and photographs.
The underwater case is small enough to put in a pocket or strap onto your risk and be out of the way. (I do not have a strobe.)

Things I did not like:
Video quality was only OK. I could clearly make out the turtles or sting rays swimming by in my videos, but the backgrounds were blurry.

Other things to note:
Don’t forget to test your camera for leaks in a wash tank or pool before you go out on the dive. I did this before every dive.
I went ahead and bought an extra seal. I did not need it, but it was nice to have just in case.
Get extra Moisture Munchers. The ones that came with the camera, although still in the sealed bag, were already spent.
Take your time getting your camera ready. You will be amazed at how much lint and hair is attracted to the seal each time you open it up. For every piece of lint you get off, it seems like two more jump on.

Let me know if you have any other questions.