DIY - Color Correction Filter

[ScubaPhd]

I just completed my first DIY scuba project - a housing made of ABS pipes and plexiglass. Even though I am still having problems cleaning the ABS cement off my hands, I am thinking about improving my housing...More specifically, I am trying to figure out how I can create a Red/Orange correction filter to help me get a better picture in the carrebean waters.

I am new to UW videography and don't know much about photography either. So I have some questions for the more experienced fellow scuba divers here...

1) Can I stain/paint clear plexiglass with light red/orange paint and accomplish the effect of a filter? If yes, what kind of paint should I use?

2) What is the specific shade of the red filter?

3) Is there plexiglass/acrylic that is factory stained in the required shade?

4) Since I already have a clear plexiglass front, would I be able to put the stained filter infront of the housing without getting any distortions and reflections?

Please give me any suggestions and ideas you can come up with...Thank you in advance!

ScubaPhd =)

 

[Matt S.]

I bet any kind of paint or stain will look crummy. It will be impossible to apply completely evenly even if you find the right shade.

How about a real photographic filter inside the viewport?

 

[Warthaug]

I doubt paint would work. I suspect this would be a difficult DIY project - I u work with microscopes and am fairly familier with the methods used to produce photographic filters. Most of them involved either electrospraying metals onto glass, in sheets only a few atoms thick, or doping liquid glass with various compounds and then casting the elements. Far, far beyond what most of us can do at home.

About the only thing I can think of that may work is thin plastic film. Many hobby & craft stores will carry this in different colours. You may be able to find one of the right colour that'll work. But in all honesty, commertial filters are probably your best bet.

Bryan

 

[ScubaPhd]

I bet any kind of paint or stain will look crummy. It will be impossible to apply completely evenly even if you find the right shade.

How about a real photographic filter inside the viewport?

Thanks for the replies guys. Now that I think about it, I realize that painting it is not going to work. Bryan's suggestion about the plastic film is feasible (afterall a well done window tinting on car windows is very even AND has the exact same function)...

In case, this doesn't work, which photographic filter should I purchase? And what is its price?

thnx

 

[Warthaug]

In case, this doesn't work, which photographic filter should I purchase?

You'll want to find one fitted to your camcorder - google "underwater color correction filter" plus your camera model and several sites should pop up which'll sell what you need. If you cannot find one that'll fit your camcorder get one slightly too large and tape it into place.

The other thing you need to take into account is the water you're diving in. Underwater correction filters come in two types - CY (orange) for clear water (i.e. where the water appears blue) and GR (purple/magenta) for green water.

And what is its price?

Varies. High-end filters can cost over $100. Run-of-the-mill filters run in the range of $50. I've seen the odd filter that sells super-cheap ($10-$20) - these tend to be plastic, so they won't be high preforming, but they're a good way to test whether you want to use filters or not without breaking the bank.

BTW, if you think $100 is steep, you should take a look at some filters for microscopes. Its not uncommon for us to drop $10,000 for a single filter.

One point worth mentioning is that filters cannot restore colour that it not there, and also will decrease the light entering your camera. As such they are useless for deep dives, or dives where light is an issue. Exactly how deep/dark your camera will work with filters will vary depending on the camera's low-light and white-balance capabilities. It's also worth pointing out that some cameras (many canon's, for example) do a really good job of correcting colour without a filter, using either the automatic or manual white-balance feature.

Bryan