⌛ A Good Underwater Solution

I am contemplating buying the same rig the Marine just got...

Sony DSC-N2 with underwater case.

Any better suggestions in the under $1000 price field?

 

Make sure you get a couple spare batteries...Sony lithiums have a habit of dying unexpectantly. Another workmate (the lobster professor...) has a DSC-N1 with housing and has had a few batteries go inoperative for no apparent reason. They just die - and refuse to charge...Sony is happy to sell some more...at around $100 each...

 

I agree about the battery. Personally I would look for one that takes standard batteries (AA/AAA) as this is the easiest to deal with should anything go wrong. All of my underwater photography is done with a Canon A70 and underwater housing. It takes standard AAs which has been very nice as they are so easy to find anywhere.

For the most part I would say things like shutter lag, stability (Ability to hand hold with no flash), manual settings (shutter and aperture), and the possibility for off camera lighting are things that should be considered.

I still use my A70 which I have had since 2003 so I am not sure what is a good newer one. I would check out Digital Camera Reviews and see what others think. If you follow the link in my sig you can see examples.

If you have Photoshop (or something similar) you can avoid having to pay for a filter (Blue mask) but if you dont then you will want to make sure the camera (or housing) accepts filters.