Well, Megapix I feel to be a much over-rated measure of quality. Typically when one looks for a new camera, it is the first thing that is checked. Not necessarily a bad thing I suppose, as it is probably a good place to start. However, as I said before Megapixels tells very little (actually nothing) about the quality of the sensor. And as you mention, other features such as autofocus speed, etc come into play.Warren,
is it only the megapixels or does the speed of the autofocus come into play as well? I have a D70 without a housing for it and I've also got a 5050 with housing. I used my D70 on a trip to Colorado last week and was surprised at the speed of autofocus it has. There are shots I got with the D70 that I wouldn't have been able to get with the 5050. Not to mention that the D70 doesn't munch batteries for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
I am thinking about selling the 5050 setup so I can save up for housing and proper strobes for the D70. What housings do you recommend or have used? And what strobes do you use?
Kim
With the D70 I believe the autofocus speed is much better than with the 5050. But in all honestly, I don't really notice. Not that I don't use it, but for most of my photography (with the exception of macro photography), I set my AF mode to AF-C (continuous) which does not wait for a focus lock (therefore no delay). This is because I can trust that the autofocus will work reasonably well with my settings (usually a fairly high stop to ensure a reasonably high depth of field). The downside of doing this is that you can end up with shots that are out of focus, especially in low light situations. Also, if you have the D70, make sure you do the firmware update to version 2.0 as the autofocus software is improved.
As for housings, I'm only really familiar with the Ikelite housing, which I love. You can get other housings from Aquatica, Subal, Nexus, and probably a few other manufacturers, but these tend to be quite a bit more expensive. But I chose the Ike housing not only because it was affordable, but because it is made of clear polycarbonate, which allows the o-rings to be seen as they are sealed. I guess this is a bit of a carry-over from my Olympus days.
As for the strobes, I went with Ikelite DS-125s. With two of these, I have iTTL capability with the housing, which I find very convenient. Doesn't always work optimally, but it's nice to have the option. My only real complaint right now is my strobe arm system, which isn't long enough. The strobes extend about 2 feet either side, and for my local photography in less than crystal clear water, it needs to be at least 3 feet or more. But I am working on that.
