New to underwater photography.

[TunbleWeed]

New to diving but have been interested in photography for a while now,

any ideas on what a good beginners camera would be and the price ranges,
really don't have much idea. haha

cheers,

 

[Lee Taylor]

Find an inexpensive housing and strobe here :

Canon Camera Chart

Match it up with an inexpensive Cannon camera.

Or, if you prefer, do the same exercise with different brands.

 

[mjh]

Ok so I will play the role of the "grouch". You mention you are new to diving and adding a camera completely changes they way you dive (for many). So before taking a camera down you should have excellent buoyancy. (be able to hover and change depth with just the air in your lungs). Know how to ankle kick, frog kick, and back kick. The key is to be able to get a photo with nothing more than 1 finger on a dead part of the reef.

As for cameras that is really dependent on budget, how often you will dive and possibly what photo equipment you may own now.

 

[parabolic]

Good advice from mjh. The most important skill for taking good photographs underwater is to be a good diver, much more important than equipment. But the best advice of all is - get out while you can. Once you get a few scientifically identifiable images you will be hooked and it will start you down a long road to ruin. Financially and mentally. Just kidding - I think

 

[Wayfarer2]

mjh makes great points but you should be able to get a shoot without touching the reef at all. My advise practice your buoyancy in a shallow pool, play with your breathing, you learn very precise control of your breathing in a shallow environment where even slight changes in the volume of air you have in your lungs makes a big difference. Also be aware of what your fins are doing, many people think they don’t touch the reef but their fins sure do, consider changing your weighting. I move 4# on to my tank strap so I can hang almost inverted.

 

[TunbleWeed]

awsome advice, great tips i will play with my boyancy try get it steady as possible, but for a beginner what do you think would be a trustworthy camera/housing.

the ikelite housings look great and do have a camera that will fit them but are they sold in australia?

cheers guys,

 

[Lee Taylor]

Hello Tundleweed,

I think Ikelite will ship their products to other planets if the money is there.

I started taking UW photos about 10yrs back. I have found myself standing on my head, struggling with current to remain still, twisting, turning, sneaking-up, fighting with surge, controlling my breathing, and basically altering everything I can possibly alter to get a good photo.

I kinda see things a little bit in reverse from some of the earlier comments in this thread. I have found that taking underwater photos forces me to do exercises underwater I would typically not do. Hence, the UW photography improves my underwater skills.

 

[Wayfarer2]

Ikelite was the route I took because I already had a Canon 20D. One thing I would suggest you take in to consideration is the age and condition of the camera you currently own that you are thinking of buying a housing for. My 20D was getting a little worn out when I bought my housing and I ended up buying a used 20D when my first one died so that I wouldn’t have to buy a new housing to go with a new camera.

I like the Ikelite products and their customer service is top notch. The only draw back is the weight, the thick plastic housings are heavy if you travel with them, but they are also very durable.

 

[mjh]

It is tacky but a budget will help in choosing a camera system. Don't forget about a strobe that makes a big difference in your photo quality. Plus you can pick up fantastic used systems here and other sites like Wetpixel. I bought my first system Nikon D100, Aquatica housing 2xS&S 90 strobes and all the goodies for what I would have paid for a new high end point and shoot system. There are just so many options it is hard to know what direction without knowing how much of your money we get to play with.

 

[hammerhead man]

I will also support mjh's suggestion regarding getting your diving skills down and really feeling comfortable underwater. Regarding a camera, as noted above, it is budget driven. I have used Sea&Sea camera systems for years and have been very happy with them. If you click on my photos link you can see some of the pics that I have taken with these systems. My only advice is that you get a point and shoot camera that has both auto and manual controls. As you become more proficient in taking photos, you will want a camera with advanced capabilities. My experience is if you buy on the cheap you will want to upgrade pretty quickly and get a better camera and housing. In my opinion, I would save a little longer and get a better system to begin with. Although it may cost more in the beginning, it will be more cost effective than constantly upgrading your system. I currently use the Sea&Sea DX-1G, it is compact, has wet lenses for wide angle and close-up pics, a short lag time (that is, the time between when you push the shutter button and when the picture is actually taken), and can be use in an auto and manual mode.

I would also suggest taking a few underwater photo courses. I took the PADI course and a couple of online courses that were not that expensive. I actually learned more from the online courses. Here is the link to the web site: The Underwater Photographer, Underwater Digital Photography Classes: Improve your underwater photos. I took the "Introduction to Digital Underwater Photography" and "Digital Workflow & Image Manipulation for Underwater Photography." They were both extremely helpful and both Bonnie and Marty always answered any questions I had via email or through a phone call.

Regards,

Bill