Digital vs. 35mm

[Capt. Morgan]

Hi all. I realize digital is taking over our lives, but what about the old school? Does anyone still shoot 35mm? I am new to UW photography, but am a bit ol' fashioned. Some input/ideas on the subject would be great!

[NitroWill]

I have shot underwater 35mm and it just is a big pain.
35mm isn't cheap when you get into all the film development..
Hassling with the film on a diveboat is a big pain..
And a big part of it is you try and shoot a bunch of pictures..different angles, lighting, etc in hopes of a couple good shots - and this just isnt possible with film when your limited to 18,24,32 shots and cant exactly change film underwater

Sure 35mm is good for those occasions when you just need *something*

But there are some really good afforadable uw digital setups that I think are WELL worth it, such as the reefmaster ecoshot in the low $200's

Digital lets you shoot virtually as much pictures as you want in higher quality and you get instant feedback on the screen - in my mind theres no other way to go!

[floater]

I second the comments above.

My first camera was 35mm Sealife Reafmaster. It was costly, time consuming and a general pain in the @55 to develop the photos.

With my digital I don't pay film or development fees and I see right away from the LCD screen whether the shot was a success or not so I can take another if required. And digital pics are so much easier to edit, email, post and so forth.

[FishFood]

A was talkign with a person a few dives back that claimed to shoot only slide (as in projector slides) film. Odd.

If you do get a film camera. Walmart will develope the flim onto a disc for a whole $2. No need for prints...

[Capt. Morgan]

When you get home, do you use something such as photoshop or eq. to clear up digital pics? That seems to me to be a great advantage. I have only dove with a cheap 35mm camera. The pics recorded what I saw, but of course the color, images etc were sub-par. What do you recommend for a beginner in a digital UW camera? I guess there are probably dozens of threads on that, uh?

[Capt Hook]

My wife shoots nothing but 35mm.

[Capt. Morgan]

What camera does she use?

[NitroWill]

Check out these cameras, they are great cameras and have seen some great shots from them - and they give you room to grow with WA lesnse snd strobes.

SeaLife ECOshot 6mp Digital Camera SL-321, Underwater Cameras, SeaLife, SeaLife ECOshot 6mp Digital Camera SL-321

ReefMaster Mini Camera SL-320 6mp Digital, Underwater Cameras, SeaLife, ReefMaster Mini Camera SL-320 6mp Digital

Sealfe DC600 Digital Camera, Underwater Cameras, SeaLife, Sealfe DC600 Digital Camera

[Capt Hook]

An Easyshare or some sort that she bought at CVS, we modified an old Aquashot housing for it, even able to use the strobe. She takes her time and gets great shots. I, on the other hand, get fish tails!

[BobArnold8265]

Call me a throw back but I still believe that you get better pictures using film. That being said, digital however is more convenient to use underwater. The fact that you can see your picture immediately after it has been taken and that you have a nearly unlimited number of shots that you can take are a huge plus.

If I were to buy a 35mm underwater outfit, I'd pick up a used Nikonos. Lots are available on eBay at very reasonable prices. They're small, need no housing, easy to use and above all take great pictures !!!!