Pics From A Beach Dive

[CRAZYBOBC]

Was Wondering If Anyone As Any Experience With Taking Pics On A Beach Dive. Would A Throw Away Underwater Camera Work Or You Do You Need A Flash
Is The Vis Not Good For Throw Aways. What Kind Or Type Of Camera Would Suggest To A New A Diver Who Just Wants O Take Basic Pics From A Beach Dive. This Will Be Done On Long Island Either The Sound Or Atlantic.

 

[wheezl]

Was Wondering If Anyone As Any Experience With Taking Pics On A Beach Dive. Would A Throw Away Underwater Camera Work Or You Do You Need A Flash
Is The Vis Not Good For Throw Aways. What Kind Or Type Of Camera Would Suggest To A New A Diver Who Just Wants O Take Basic Pics From A Beach Dive. This Will Be Done On Long Island Either The Sound Or Atlantic.

I have a Canon Digital Elph (S400 as I recall) that I bought for general snapshot stuff... I ended up buying an enclosure for it for around $160 (I think the camera was around $360 or so)...

to get to your point, if you actually want to freeze motion a real flash is more or less mandatory underwater... it also depends on how much you want to alter percieved color...

I have some great pics but they are all blue/green without the fancy strobe

The on camera flash is nearly worthless after about 2 ft. YMMV


I should add that most of my dives end up being in the 70-130ft range which does affect the light quite a bit.

 

[alijtaylor]

There is a good sticky on the basic question of which camera for what sort of underwater photography at the beginning of the Underwater Photography forum. Although I think the view that a strobe is not really necessary is in situations where the visibility is quite good!

 

[grouchyturtle]

I think on shallow dives like that there is enough light. The strobe may actually make your shots worse, by causing back scatter.

Last time I was in Aruba I shot without a strobe to about $60 and think the shots actually came out better than with the strobe.