Rainforest 5D Editorial Photographer Going Underwater - Suggestions Welcome!!

[varzea]

Greetings,

In July 2008 I will be returning to South America with my wife and toddler to resume editorial photography work in the upper Amazon basin, and that will be for several years. I am a novice diver now set to renovate and add gear and build my diving skills. One of the areas I want to focus on (excuse the unintended pun) are the flooded forests or "varzea" ecotype - hence my ScubaBoard user name. I will make straight underwater shots, (mostly wide-angle, sometimes with a pole release) and "split" over/under shots. I should also enjoy good access to the Galapagos as an Ecuadorian resident.

The Canon 5D is my terrestrial workhorse, but I am reluctant to take it underwater. I think I'm the one that's insecure on that one though. I'm leaning toward the Aquatica housing with the AquaView viewfinder, about $2,995.00 I understand. Not sure if the lens will be the Canon 10-22 or the Tokina 10-17, but good TTL strobes appear to be a pair of Ikelite DS-125's. I know many editorial outlets will accept tiffs offf of 8Mb RAW files, so maybe I should go with the Canon 20D for starters. Opinions anyone? Housing recommendations for the 20D?

Any suggestions on housing, lights or photo gear OR warm water suits, BCV, mask and regulator are welcome!! Any researchers out there who are working with aquatic wildlife or ethnic studies in flooded forest who'd like to team up with this photographing biologist, give me a holler!

Looking forward to enjoying Scuba Board - it rocks!

(I know that was more than a greeting)

Stay safe, and thanks!

Bruce Farnsworth
www.brucefarnsworth.com

 

[bladephotog]

I wouldn't hesitate to take a 5D UW if you have a backup. Any camera is capable of being flooded so a backup is a must. Also, the Canon 10-22 won't work on the 5D if that was what you were referring to.

I use a 20D with the 10-22 and love the combo. Buying new I'd get the 40D since the housing should be out by the time you leave. Or try to pick up a used 20D or 30D camera and housing combo. I have no problem selling RAW images out of my 20D to magazines. The quality is great.

I use an Ike housing and DS-125 strobes and am pretty happy with them, especially for the money.

As for dive gear, I'm sold on my Atomic Frameless mask for UW photography. It's excellent and comes in two different sizes.

Nice website BTW. Good luck!

 

[Taxgeek]

Hi Bruce.
I would be wary about getting an Ike housing for a 5d if you want to shoot wide angle. Even with the 8" dome (which is absolutely imperative, forget about the 6" dome), you'll have very UNimpressive corner sharpness with the Ike domes on the 5d. The physics just aren't right. There are some lenses that seem to work better with the Ike domes - the Sigma 15 fisheye being one. Go over on wetpixel and search "5d corner sharpness" or search for my posts - I have several threads with wailing gnashing teeth trying to find a combination of port and lense that avoids smeary edges with an ike housing. I finally got a good answer from somebody using Ike housing, Sigma 15 fisheye and 8" dome (with some stalk, he says which one in the post) that is sharp. Here's the link: 5d/Ike/WA thread. Haven't bought it yet though, so I don't have firsthand knowledge. People posted some pictures in the thread from other possible combos and they are not sharp at all in the corners.

I would look at either other housing brands or other cameras for wide angle underwater, frankly. I loooove my Ike/5d for macro, but that doesn't sound like what you're mostly interested in.
(Oh, and the Ike/5d/DS-125 combo works excellently for TTL. Look into the Heinrichs converter if you want TTL with other brands of housings.)

Good luck and have fun!
Susan

 

[Taxgeek]

Attaching a picture to demonstrate smeary corners. This is from the 5d, 17-40 lense at 17mm (sharp topside), and Ike housing and 6" dome. This one's at f8 even. I'll try to find one wider open.

Smeary Corners Pic #1

and here's one at f5, marginally worse:

Smeary Corners Pic #2

 

[bladephotog]

Good point about the corner sharpness with that combo. But I couldn't see the photos.