suggestions for underwater equipment

hi, I am trying to try my skills with basic underwater photography (cheap way). After few checks it seems that case to my canon 30d is out of question (worth more than camera), haven't seen any cases for mamiya 645 nor bessa r3a. So another idea is to get case for my girls' compact camera (case ~200$), but for that price I may have other choices : lomo fisheye with case, lomo frogeye (originally waterproof), or get used nikonos (not sure about the pricing). Can anyone help with any suggestions? All those seem feasible in $200 range, digital easiest, nikonos most flexible (but may require metering), lomo easy,fun but results unpredictable. Thanks

Depending the depth of shooting you might need or not a meter or a flash is a must. As rule of thumb for surface shooting use the same fstop/speed than out of the water and if you go deeper than 2 meter, and the water is transparent, correct 1stop. 4-5meters 1.5-2 stops. beyond that the strobe is neeeded because you hardly will keep the subject into depth of field or it will be too hard to stand still enough to take a sharp image.
I'd go with a nikonos or one of those underwater point and shoot if not much depth is required, both easy to find under that budget.

Any of the Nikonos may need servicing. They are great machines, but they need service periodically.

The all-plastic bodied Sea & Sea cameras are good to start with, reliable as well.

When buying used, you need to make sure that a camera has not been flooded. This is tough to do long distance. It's best to have full return privileges. A camera that has been flooded, left to sit and not serviced is truly junk..

John

KEH has Nikonos IV and V for under $200 with 35mm lens. Hard to go wrong at that price.

For what they cost, I'd just go for a Nikonos V with the standard lens, and bypass the plastic fantastic stuff. I love mine. I got it and $300 in exchange for a cheap guitar I never used! Nice sweet deal. I picked up the flash at a camera shop in Ventura a little while later. I use it in mountain streams, the beach and swimming pools, hot tubs, baths, foul weather. My friend takes it diving, but I am not licensed to do so myself. They are built like brick shithouses, and are also about the most quiet camera you will find. The flash might be more than the camera, and you will need one if you plan on diving below about 3-5 meters. Even in more shallow water, it can be difficult. They are easy to self service, and nothing has ever gone wrong with mine despite numerous mishaps. The one and only huge drawback is that they are zone focus viewfinder caemras, so are hard to use for close objects and/or low light. The fact that you don't need a bulky and expensive case more than makes up for any drawbacks, IMO. It is a nice, compact, but very solid package.

I don’t practise underwater photography myself, but I am a diver and know a few people who do.

Nikonos are good cameras, but you might also look into used underwater housings for AF SLR cameras. I’m not sure how much they are these days, but a few years ago even under water housings for Hasselblads could be had for very little money.

If you go down the Nikonos road, and get hooked on under water photography - Buy two bodies since chances are that you will have one body at service at any given time.

As other have said – you really need a good flash.