Looking to buy an underwater camera w/strobe do not want to spend the mother load any suggestions?

What is your budget? Digital or film?

Check out www.diversdiscout.com and www.discountdivers.com They are two different outfits, one is based in Seattle and the other in S. CA. They both have a range of digital and film cameras with housings.

David (Lang):

Your question is a good one but is too broad for me to readily answer. For starters, your idea of the "mother load" is probably different than others.

A great general site on UW photography is http://www.wetpixel.com/ I have purchased from both B&H Photo and Adorama in the past have been happy with both. I have also bought used equipment from http://www.stephenfrink.com/sf-preowned.php with good results. At the very least, these sites will give you an idea of potential costs.

IMHO, here is what you need to think about:
a) What is your budget and what does it need to cover? Are there things you can add later? With strobes come things like strobe arms and cables. What about cases, extra batteries, lenses, lens ports, extra o rings, and digital memory?
b) Is your preference for a "land" camera w/housing or do you want a camera designed for UW?They are different, one is not by definition better than the other.
c) Is your preference for film or digital?
d) What features are you looking for and how familiar with cameras are you?
e) How/where/ and how often will the camera be used?

Digital: If I were looking more upper end, I would look at a housed Nikon D70 (camera, lens and housing for probably $2500); for medium I would look at a Canon G5 or Olympus (camera + housing for probably $1200); for lower end I would look at a used Canon S40 with their marine case (camera + housing for close to $600 but adding a strobe looks to be a real problem). But that is all based on my criteria and what I like -- not what you like/want/need.

For film based, I would tend to look at a Nikon N90s based system at the upper end. A nikonos V represents an entirely different option.

And there are bargain alternatives out there as well that are much less than that...especially film based Sea & Sea.