DSLR: How do you handle the weight ?

[Moloch]

Having just entered the dark path of DSLR photography I finally got my housing yesterday.
I have never done any U/W photography before, but was surprised at the total weight of the rig.
I got an Oly E-400/PT E-03 plus a single Sea & Sea YS-110 strobe.
DSLRs don`t come any lighter.

Question: Do you change anything about your buoyancy ?
I usually use 2 kilos of trim weight at the back, but wonder now if this is such a good idea with several kilos of camera in my hands.
Probably wiser to move the weight to the hip.......

And I just realised that the often heard idea of placing one Hand/finger on a dead piece of coral for stability is totally worthless with the DSLR.

I am seriously considering weight lifting excersises before the next vacation.........:shakehead

 

[Jeff Toorish]

I don't change anything in my buoyancy, per se, because I still have to be able to maintain depth at a safety or deco stop. If I had to ditch the camera (shhh, don't even think that!) because of an emergency, I would no longer have that weight at the end of the dive.

However, it is always a good idea to make sure your weighting is as close to perfect as possible. Some divers add a little extra weight just to be safe. Clearly that would not be a good idea with the extra weight of the camera set-up.

It might also be a good idea to determine exactly how negative your camera actually is in the water. On land they can seem heavy, but once in the water some housings are neutral or only slightly negative.

For me, the bigger problem is trim. It is very difficult to maintain good trim with a full-size DSLR, housing, strobe arms and heavy strobes.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

 

[matt215]

moloch:
I just got my housing yesterday (ikelite for canon 5d, 2 strobes) and yes, that thing is heavy. I went to the dive shop this morning and they said it's surprising how negative it will be underwater. However, I'm alittle concerned about lugging this big thing around underwater.

 

[SteveAD]

Many camera systems, despite being fairly heavy, are actually positively bouyant, so adding a weight to the system is not uncommon. If your system is significantly negative, you might want to look at ways to increase its bouyancy to get it as close to neutral as possible.

 

[Warren_L]

My D200 and aluminum housing with dual strobes and arms are a bit negative. I use buoyancy arms to make the thing less negative, plus with an 8" dome, it's not going to be quite as negative as with my macro port, but I do like it to be slightly negative so the camera hangs down when I clip it off when the dive is done. Being a little negative in the water is not a problem - it just takes to practise in manoeuvering around underwater. After a while, it's pretty easy.

 

[Taxgeek]

Yeah, what Warren said. You get the hang of it. We have rocky reefs here, no coral. And alot of surge. Shooting macro in surge is tough. So I'll often hold onto a rock with my left hand, sort of crossing that arm in front of my face, place the knob under the left tray handle on top of my left forearm, and use the right hand for the shutter.

Or else use the left hand to both hold onto the rock and onto the left handle of the housing or the knob under the left handle.

Can't do that on a live reef obviously. I'm a little nervous about how the handling will work on my trip coming up - going somewhere with live coral everywhere.

The problem with a negative rig is you for sure can't work it one handed - the left hand is usually occupied in supporting the weight. Some people say they can work their dslrs one handed, but not me.

And then there's the whole new set of skills to learn in holding onto an anchor or mooring line with one hand, holding camera with second hand, and checking computer console with third hand. (Get a wrist mount - wish I had!!)

And then you get to figure out how to best transport the thing for your type of diving. I mostly go on day boats. So I put it all together at home, including stobes on, and carry it around in an igloo cooler. Wish it fit into the one with wheels (grumble grumble).

Welcome to a whole new type of diving - comes with a whole new set of hassles! But a whole lotta joy too. Just wait.

 

[SeaYoda]

I just thought I was getting old and weak - I'm glad to hear everyone else thinks these things are heavy.

 

[fppf]

You control the camera, don't let the camera control you.

I don't change my trim and I would never change the amount of weight used. Don't depend on your camera for weight, you may loose it, but I hope not.

To keep my trim while shooting I adjust my legs, drop them lower and straight when the camera is held in front for shooting. When not shooting I sling the camera so it hangs just above my waist which will keep my trim normal.

I dive heavy to start with, I have more dives in my dry suit than my wet suit. I have a few more pounds than I really need to keep air in my suit on shallow dives and stops. Diving my D100 with Aluminum Ike and DS125 is not that bad.

 

[Moloch]

Thanks for the comments.
Scubaboard is really an extraordinary friendly forum.

I just hope the weight will feel like much less underwater.
Reducing lead is -obviously- out of the question.

And yes, the transport problem has to be solved too within the next days. Lowepro or not Lowepro, that is the question............

 

[cjames]

Don't let the weight above water fool you. Underwater they are within a pound or two of neutral. I have the ikelite housing and its negative with all of my ports except my big dome and for that one I have a weight that goes into the housing. Now, you do have issues with pushing the thing through a current becuase they are big and push lots of water.

The bigger weight issue you have to deal with is the poundage it adds to your luggage and impact on your weight limit. I have two pelican cases I travel with that weigh in total about 20+ lbs. When you add your dive gear and sundries, it adds up.