Canon Working on Professional Underwater Camera? [CR1]

[denomite]

Interested but depending on the price. Being the camera is made for professional, price tag is probably high.
I am not a professional photographer nor a professional diver, but still want to take good underwater pictures whenever go diving. If its too high, then I settle for my current gears.

Those of you that are professional photographers, this one is for you.

 

[Lyle Krannichfeld]

This one would be very interesting for me, either to supplement my underwater rig currently (5d3 in Aquatica housing) or to use in hostile environments like on top of a kayak. I shoot a lot of over/unders so I don't see it replacing my underwater rig all together (I need a big dome...do away with the housing and then you've got no dome).

 

[Don Haines]

Remember the Nikonos?

Never a big seller, but had a good, solid user base..... and people still use them and swear by them.....

My bet is that this would sell enough to be profitable for Canon... add about 3 or 4 underwater lenses, a flash, and you get a cult-like following of underwater photographers.

 

[Otara]

The Nikonos is exactly why I wouldnt hold your breath - they didnt stop making it just because it was film, a digital conversion would have been the obvious way to go if there really was room in the market. Housed SLR's were becoming popular, they tried to go with the Nikonos RS and it just ended up as too expensive and overspecialised to be viable.

 

[rawshooter]

Maybe something like the EVIL Nikon 1 AW1, just more modern and not so abandoned. Could be good.

But I guess professional points to something bigger. Still the market is missing a small watertight camera with decent sensor size.

 

[symmar22]

I've used the Nikonos III, then Nikonos V with a 15mm for 10 years, they were an amazing body / lens combination for film. Some kind of underwater Leica M, super compact, easy to travel with, and the 15mm is IMO unmatched as far as UW optical quality. Other lenses combo were either very limited or awkward to use (except maybe the 20mm).
I had the chance to use a Nikonos RS for some time, the camera was very well made, the main feature was the exceptional viewfinder (equivalent to the Nikon F-4 DA-20 finder) and the stunning optical range. A bit disappointing though, was the fact that the camera inside was "only" a F-601, considering the price of the beast, an F-801 equivalent would have been a minimum IMO.

I am still not sure however about the real interest of such a camera, compared to a good housing; in case of flooding you can not have just a spare body, nor can you use the body for other duties than UW photography.

A real sport finder is one thing (but usually very expensive) for a comfortable reflex viewing.

A good range of lenses optimised for UW use, may be the main interest, since wide angle are quite difficult to match and fine tune with the proper dome to get perfect corner sharpness.

A very specific and difficult market indeed, not sure it's very profitable.

 

[WillT]

Seems like a really bad idea, different housing for different jobs. If you want to photographer in the surf you do not want a bulky dive housing. And if you want to go deep you don't want to be stuck with a surf housing.

 

[fish_shooter]

Is Canon working on a higher end and more professional underwater camera?</p>
<p>We’re told that Canon is working on an underwater camera for serious divers, a camera that would not require an underwater housing and far superior to any of the point and shoot options out there. Canon has said that they’re going to start making cameras that are need based, instead of the do-it-all cameras of the past.</p>
<p>Take this with a huge grain of salt, but the concept is interesting.</p>

The problem I see with this statement is that serious UW photographer-divers presently mainly use housed DSLRs and not P&S cameras. Symmar 22 nailed it, a specialized camera needs to have water-contact optics. They need to focus very close. Mainly super wide angle and macro lenses. I once had three Nikonos RS cameras and all the lenses - four by Nikon and one third-party. The 20-35 zoom did not focus close enough IMHO.

I do not think that surf photographers need water-contact optics since part of their images are above water.

 

[TAF]

Finally, real weather sealing...

 

[symmar22]

The problem I see with this statement is that serious UW photographer-divers presently mainly use housed DSLRs and not P&S cameras. Symmar 22 nailed it, a specialized camera needs to have water-contact optics. They need to focus very close. Mainly super wide angle and macro lenses. I once had three Nikonos RS cameras and all the lenses - four by Nikon and one third-party. The 20-35 zoom did not focus close enough IMHO.

I do not think that surf photographers need water-contact optics since part of their images are above water.

Fish, since you used the RS extensively, may I ask your opinion about the 13mm? It was quite a piece of glass...
Clearly the focusing distance of the 20-35 could have been better...


I think we agree here that the main interest of a dedicated UW camera is the lens. No lens in a housing, even behind an expensive glass dome port can come close to the optical quality of a lens designed to work with the specific refractive index of water.

Some time ago (I guess late 70s or early 80s) Leitz Canada designed some UW lenses for the US Navy, they even took in consideration the difference in salinity across the different oceans on the planet. They too were designed to work directly in contact with water. These lenses were said to be superior to anything that could take pictures underwater. I guess the US Navy has a little bit more funds than we normal people do.

 

[Otara]

http://wetpixel.com/articles/nikonos-rs-lens-project-finalized

Know about this? Didnt seem to take off, but there are some obvious limitations compared to u/w lenses being tailor made for modern digital cameras.

 

[David - Sydney]

UPDATE:
$1650 = B&H kit for SL1/18-55mm plus Ikelite housing with ETTL (single tray).
Wide angle option
$1870 = SL1 body $400 + 10-18mm @ $250 + $10 ikelite adaptor + $1200 housing

SL2 will be better....
If Canon can make a housing for SL2 similar to their P&S @ ~$800 then they will have a winner!
************
Hi.
Current owner of S100/Ikelite housing but don't know how to upgrade! I use it for underwater and beach shots but I don't shoot regularly enough to warrant a big investment.

Canon has always had housings for their P&S but nothing else that I know of. All other underwater cameras are limited to snorkeling depths

Options with pricing from B&H (Ikelite is more expensive than Canon):
~$600 S120+Canon housing
~$965 G7x + Canon housing
~$1020 G1x II + Canon housing (B&H has serious discount at the moment for the housing!)
~$1800 RX100 iii $800 + Sea and Sea housing $975 (B&H)

I have a 7D as well but the Ikelite housing is twice the current price of the 7D ($2400 for 1 port) and metal housings are even more expensive.

Any higher level requirements (single digit SLRs etc) would still go to the specialists.

Requirements for a profitable niche in the $1200-$1500 range
- Good quality tracking AF (you or your subject are always moving underwater)
- Low light ISO noise performance as fast shutter speed needed
- RAW shooting is a given as white balance correction in post is needed
- Angled/magnified viewfinder. Angled LCD on back for video
- Lens (both options)
~18-50mm equivalent wide angle + dome (wide angle and over/under shots)
optional stick with remote trigger for surf shots/selfies??
~80 mm equivalent macro (flat port) for shooting nudis etc
- with optional dual tray to add strobes (optical/ETTL would be perfect) using existing 3rd party strobes/arms etc

Enjoy!
David
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmarriottsydney/