Anybody have experience with dive cams?

Avid diver here. My first choice would be a Hero 3 Black with a tray and an Ikelite strobe/video light. You can get the whole setup for around $500. Considering you dont like GoPro's though, I would take a look at the Sealife DC1400. You can purchase the camera itself for around $500-600. A light though will bring the cost up to $900-1000. IMO, you need a light if you are diving below 20ft in the tropics or below 10ft pretty much every where else. I would suggest a light.

I'll look into it. Thanks

I have a dicapac, its good for snorkeling and other shallow activities, and it can fit nearly any dslr, plus it is cheaper. I took this picture with it, but you would probably want something more substantial for your needs. I would look at some of these:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Depth+Rating_330%27+%28100m%29&Ns=p_PRICE_2%7C0&ci=16477&N=4185679681+4283022103+4209935407+4209935409+4283022084+4283022083+4210544121+4279891319&mnp=&mxp=500

if that doesn't work, search for the ewa-marine u-axp or u-bxp, they both go much deeper than the dicapac that I have, but are way cheaper than a camera specific housing

heres the picture I took with the dicapac s10 (camera was a gh2)

check out sea&sea underwater cameras/housing/strobes. send me a pm.

I use a canon G9 with the canon made housing. It's not perfect, and can be very frustrating to use, but good results are possible with patience/persistence. Everything shot underwater on my blog was shot with the canon.

just a heads up as well, dont cheap out on your housing if your putting your thousand dollar dslr or whatever setup you plan on using underwater and do your best to take every step to make sure your housing is fully sealed and properly cared for. there is a reason some of the housings cost as much if not more than some cameras, they are pressure tested and the manufacturers have taken every step possible to make sure the housing will not leak.

improperly cared for o-rings/seals/closures resulting in leaks are generally not covered by warranty.

let me know if you (anyone) have any other questions, ill do my best to answer them