Sea & Sea Motormarine II

Author's product rating:   

Durability	Good
How does it compare to similar products?	Excellent
Value for money	Good

Advantages:	Cheaper than throwaways  -  and it goes deeper
Disadvantages:	Rangefinding !  Needs a strobe

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Sea & Sea Motormarine II EX (also known as the Seamaster Pro) is a fairly simple underwater rangefinder camera.

It is depth rated to 45m, has a maximum shutter speed of 1/125 and uses 35mm film (DX coded). It has a built in flash - which I have to say is of no use underwater (the flash is so close to the axis of the lens that it illuminates any suspended debris in the water, causing a snowstorm look...). However, it is useful on land & around pools (the ultimate party-proof camera?).

I bought mine about 6 months ago to take to the Carribean for some snorkelling & diving, and found it excellent. The quality of some of the shots really astonished me - as a novice user, I didn't expect to get anything like the number of good shots (IMO) that I did. Trying to judge distances underwater is tricky at best, so I tended to work with a small aperture to give myself the best chance of getting things in focus. Worked surprisingly well.

The strobe (YS60) that I bought with the camera is, as far as I'm concerned, essential. Whilst our eyes adapt to the light levels underwater, film is less forgiving. The strobe puts a lot of the colour back so everything is as colourful as I remember it. Without it, things are somewhat drab - even whilst snorkelling, which came as a surprise to me.

It isn't a housed SLR, nor is it a Nikonos 5, but it is a viable intro to underwater still photography for me - and capable of delivering some impressive shots if I do my bit.