Sea and Sea DX8000G

Sea and Sea DX8000G housing and 8000G Digital Underwater Camera for Scuba Diving

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The Sea and Sea DX8000G housing and 8000G Digital Underwater Camera .

The 8000G improves on its predecessor, the 5000G, in three significant ways:

1. Shutter release intervals remain steady until the memory is full. Continuous image capture has a shutter lag time of only 1.7 seconds between images. No more delays while the camera flashes “Writing” and freezes the shutter release button until it’s finished. Video capture is also continuous until memory is full.

2. Imaging quality is greatly improved. SEA&SEA analyzed why conventional digital cameras so often capture poor images, and we’ve used the results to overhaul autoexposure and other elements that affect image quality. We’ve paid special attention to autofocus quality in macro mode to provide much better focus for close-up subjects.

3. The camera now supports the USB2.0 standard.

SEA & SEA DX-8000G housing and 8000G Digital Camera Press Release

SEA & SEA introduces the DX-8000G housing and 8000G digital camera with 8.24 million pixels of resolution and a wide-angle-to-telephoto zoom lens to capture crystal-clear images.

The DX-8000G housing and 8000G digital camera is sold as a set, listed as product # 06520,price TBD, release date June 20th. The DX-8000G housing works with both the SEA&SEA 8000G camera and its predecessor, the 5000G.

• 8000G camera dimensions: 58.0 mm high x 113.6 mm wide x 29.0 mm deep (2.3 in. x 4.5 in. x 1.1 in.); weight: approx. 205 g (7.23 oz.)

  DX-8000G housing dimensions: 4.9 mm high x 150 mm wide x 103 mm deep (3.7 in. x 5.9 in. x 4.1 in.);

• Weight: approx. 450 g (15.9 oz.) * Including hand strapBody material:
  polycarbonateDepth rating: 55 m (182 ft.)

• Accessories: hand strap, silicone grease, silica gel, and O-ring remover

Underwater cameras have evolved from a luxury item owned by only a few divers to a standard piece of equipment carried by divers around the world. The DX-8000G/8000G housing and digital camera set brings the best in underwater photography to these divers so they can capture and share their joy in diving.

SEA & SEA designed the DX-8000G housing and 8000G camera with the diving photographer’s comfort in mind. We’ve gone beyond better specifications to create an underwater imaging system that instantly responds to your creative urges.

Its features include:

1. A high-performance CCD with 8.24 million effective pixels, bringing high-resolution images to a compact digital camera.

A versatile zoom lens that ranges from wide-angle 28 mm to telephoto 85 mm, providing the perfect framing for your underwater subjects.

2. Improved shutter response, the fastest in its class. Shutter lag for a single press is a mere 0.10 seconds (*1). Time to activate the camera after power on is only 1.3 seconds (*2), and for continuous image capture, the interval between shutter releases remains constant at only 1.7 seconds until the memory fills up (*3). (This is true even for fine resolution.)

• *1: Time measured from pressing the shutter button without focus lock to start of exposure.
• * 2: Time measured when the flash is turned off.
• * 3 Time measured when using a high-speed SD memory card with a transfer speed of 10 MB/sec or higher

3. A macro mode that allows a close focusing distance of 1 cm from the subject in wide-angle lens setting. The 8000G digital camera looks at object size and contrast to determine the focusing point in macro photography, and has better autofocus performance than conventional cameras. It also provides an DGgAF target shift function that lets you move the focusing point on the screen to focus on off-center objects in the frame.

4. High-quality moving picture capture on the 8000G digital camera. The camera saves moving images at 30 fps to an AVI file in memory; videos last as long as memory capacity allows. The camera’s digital zoom functions during video capture for zooms in and out. (*4)

*4: Video capture requires a high-speed SD memory card with a transfer speed of 10 MB/sec or higher.

5. A variety of manual settings that offer precision control of photography in any situation. The DX-8000G provides one-handed dial setting for aperture priority mode, manual exposure, white balance, and ISO sensitivity change. A simple “Adjust” button quickly sets
exposure compensation, white balance, ISO change, and other settings without resorting to lengthy menu settings. And the “Color Depth” setting allows fine adjustments to chroma and contrast to match the demanding conditions of underwater lighting.

6. Support for three types of power supply: a large-capacity rechargeable battery, AA batteries, or an AC adapter.
The provided AA battery (conforming to the CIPA standard) provides power for approximately 80 pictures. And an optional AC adapter provides a constant source of power for use where AC power is available.

Main Features of the DX-8000G Housing:

• High-quality design with attractive appearance and easy operation
• Dual fiber-optic connector sockets
• Built-in flash diffuser
• Accepts the 0.6x wide conversion lens for the DX-5000G housing, sold separately as product #52110
• Dedicated outer hood and LCD inner hood
• Highest reliability in class: depth rated to 55 m (182 ft.)

WetPixel reviews the Sea and Sea DX8000G –

Image Quality and Usability –
“Divers skin tones look natural and colors look accurate. Image quality on the same level as other 8 megapixel cameras,
with acceptable noise below ISO 100. ”

“Because of this unit’s almost imperceptible shutter delay, I was able to capture fish portraits with this compact camera – something
that I have been unable to do with other models. With a fast SD card, this is easily the fastests consumer camera I have ever used.

James Wiseman says in conclusion to the review “The DX8000G was a treat to use after shooting a DSLR for so long – it’s a responsive small underwater camera system that makes big images.”

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