Introduction
The SeaLife DC2000 in all its 1`-type sensor glory, and near its natural habitat.
I have an addiction to small cameras with big sensors. I`ve owned a Ricoh GR, original Fujifilm X100 and still have a Nikon Coolpix A knocking around. The EOS M100 and 22mm F2 combo also fits the bill.
But with just how good 1`-type sensors have gotten lately and how well they can balance the compactness and speed of their lenses, I`ve been left wondering: Where are all the fixed lens, 1`-sensor compacts? The Canon G7 X II and G9 X II, Sony RX100-series and Panasonic LX10 all have short zooms in front of their sensors, and most manage to have pretty wide maximum apertures. Just think about how fast and yet compact a (possibly collapsible) prime lens could be on one of these.
I deliberately underexposed this image to protect the highlights and brighten up the Raw file in post. With smaller-sensor rugged cameras, this would result in way more noise than you see here, even at base ISO.ISO 125 | 1/800 sec | F1.8
Which brings us to the SeaLife DC2000, a compact camera with a 1`-type sensor and a 31mm-equivalent F1.8 prime lens in a waterproof, shockproof body. Despite being, on paper, pretty close to the ideal pocket point-and-shoot for me, it is most definitely not marketed toward me. It`s really targeted at the diving community, not land-based photography enthusiasts. It`s also not manufactured by one of the more `traditional` camera companies, and as such, doesn`t benefit from the years of refinements and iterations that the likes of Canon and Nikon can take advantage of.
I`ve been carrying the SeaLife DC2000 around with me over the past couple of weeks and attempting to use it as I use my Nikon Coolpix A - a fun snapshot camera to have on me that takes better quality images than my smartphone. Here`s what I found.
Image quality
The sensor / lens combo on the SeaLife DC2000 is plenty sharp, with moiré apparent on th ...
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