mike roberts

I would concur with Ocean and Bill. Strobes are needed for scuba. I have used the Magic Filter with a 10.5mm on a D70 and it helps but you have to be prepared for many limitations. The thing about UW dSLRs is you must commit to limitations when you start your dive. If you choose a 10.5mm lens you are limited already to large subjects or wide views. I.e., you will be hard pressed to get a decent shot of a parrotfish with this lens. Add a filter and you must shoot with the sun behind you, shoot down instead of the normally recommended up, and you shouldn't dive below 50-60 feet. Don't get me wrong, I like the filter and it does everything it's supposed to but I don't think it takes the place of buying a strobe.

If you go to the expense of housing a D70, you MUST get a strobe. If you only do 1 dive trip per year, you don't want a lot of limitations on your dives. To avoid limitations, I would suggest a 12-24mm for wide angle dives and a 60mm for closeup and macro dives. If you know it's gonna be a "muck dive," the 105mm is a sweet lens.

I have been shooting my D70 UW for almost 2 years and I love it. It is housed in an Ikelite case with 2 Ike strobes. Ok, I have to admit I am also an Ikelite dealer. ;)

That said, for what you want to do I would highly recommend a different camera. A housed D70 is way too much bulk for free diving. You could get a Canon compact camera and housing and a small strobe for much less than trying to house your D70 and probably get better shots. Fuji also makes a small camera that would do the job well.