how much do you think the basic equipment for diving including camera case and lights? Maybe second hand?...for starters.

I have no idea. I suggest to check and talk to our members who are pros in this field. And not to blindly invest in equipment.

never mind, found it

http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/4751/underwater-videography-using-gh2/p2

@endotoxic

"how much do you think the basic equipment for diving including camera case and lights? Maybe second hand?...for starters."

Like any other field of photography the cost is open ended. The good thing now (unlike say 10 years ago) the entry level equipment (camera, uw housing and lights) is pretty good and much more affordable. The best way to learn about alternative equipment, costs and particularly technique is to read online diving magazines and forums (e.g. Wetpixel).

A rough breakdown for GH2 system:

Camera + lenses cost

Nauticam housing + ports ...$3,000; Powerful LED lights...$1,000 each

Of course there are much cheaper alternatives, such as buying a good used HDV or AVCHD camcorder system from ebay (maybe only $1,000).

GoPros sometimes work...but their uw case is very unreliable. I am sick of disappointed beginners asking me to try fix their GoPro uw housing in the field:-)

This was shot at an island off Borneo many years ago using the old Sony HC1 HDV camcorder in a Gates housing (these days very cheap on ebay sometimes):

A very important consideration is diving certification and experience. Even highly experienced underwater still photographers acknowledge that shooting video uw is an order of magnitude more difficult than still photography.The extra task load to be a good underwater cinematographer requires that you are very comfortable underwater...under sometimes difficult conditions. Then there are different technical levels for which you can dive and take video. It takes patience, many logged dives, on-going training and dedication. But it's worth the effort!