I've seen really good results recently from both the Canon 7D and the Nikon D300S. Both also have HD video. I've heard of excellent results with the Canon T2i, which has the advantage that it's quite a small camera. I'm sure that will also be true of the near-identical T3i. I personally have Canon gear, and I would be a bit wary of the older Nikon cameras, such as the D300S, simply because they may be replaced soon. The Nikon D7000 is new and would probably be a good bet, and that's cheaper than either the Nikon D300S or the Canon 7D. The cheapest of this lot is the Canon T2i/T3i, and in terms of bang for the buck has to be the most attractive option.
Remember that whatever housing you buy will only be usable with that camera, so you want to be sure you'll be able to get another camera if yours dies at any point in the foreseeable future.
If your ceiling for the camera is $2k, each will fall comfortably under that limit. But that's for the bodies only - with the lenses I doubt you'll be able to stay under $2k or even close to it. And of course the housing & strobes will cost an absolute fortune.
Remember that it's not a question of IF your housing will flood, but WHEN. When that happens it's curtains for camera body and attached lens, and if it's an electronic housing for that as well. You may be able to get new electronics for the housing, though in my experience it may well not be economic, but the camera and lens will be rather damp paperweights.
Beware of insurance. I don't know what people's experience of claims is, but I know of several accident claims that the insurers sought to offload onto the owner because (s)he hadn't taken proper measures to avoid or mitigate their loss. I would never take out such insurance without seeing a history of actual claims.
Have you looked at
http://wetpixel.com/ ? And there are U/W threads in
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ which you may find more useful, in that you'll get people's subjective views less confused by technical detail. For a quick decision that's what you want.
I'm not sure of the housings, but my first choice would be the T2i/T3i, followed by the D7000. The Canons are significantly cheaper and their lenses are much cheaper, for the same quality.
I should have said - when you add together the camera body, lenses, housing, dome ports (a different one for each lens) and strobes you'll be looking at quite a few thousand $, easily as many as ten. I've never been tempted to go that way because of the risk of flooding - running my dive centre in Belize I have seen WAY too many housings flood. The most value I've ever been tempted to take underwater was a G10 and Canon's own housing. With strobes that was still $1500. And of course it'll all be obsolete rather quickly.
The OP hasn't said what he's coming from, other than "a compact". They vary enormously in their capabilities.
Edited by peterbj7, 23 February 2011 - 07:50 PM.
such is my life.). I am prepared for the learning curve due to not having time to tinker with it prior to the trip.
