Stepping Up My UW Photography Game

[Nolan Brandon]

Hey everyone! I've been doing underwater photography for about a year now. I started with a Go Pro 4, then stepped it up to a Sony A6000 with a surprisingly reliable Neewer/Meikon/CamDive housing. That camera has been fantastic, but (with the exception of some dives with a Light and Motion video light) I have stuck to ambient light photography. I've also only used the 16-50mm Powerzoom lens with that. My current housing won't accept any other lens. I want to step my game up and start using strobes and try some macro and/or more wide angle. As always, I'm trying to cut cost by buying used gear, and I'm trying to decide between two paths. My first option is to buy strobes and set them up in a slave configuration using the clear plastic connections on the housing. I've found a couple that would set me back about $400. But honestly, I don't know too much about strobes and setting the right power levels. My other option is about twice as expensive. I found a whole set up of an Olympus E-520 camera, Olympus housing, Olympus PPO-E05 port, Inon 50 port, two Inon D-2000 strobes, a Inon UCL_165M67 close-up lens, a Light & Motion Sola, a 14-42mm Olympus lens, and a 50mm Olympus Macro lens. I feel like this option would be a nice way to learn how to handle more technical/complex photography and camera systems and strobes. I'm just not sure about the quality of the shots I'll get with the camera compared to just getting slave strobes and using my A6000. What do you think scubaboard?

 

[Hoag]

I just upgraded to the Sony A6000 (from an Olympus E-PL1). To go from the A6000 to the Oly E520 would be taking a step backwards in many ways. If I were you, I would add a tray & strobes first and upgrade your housing as soon as you can after that. Your current housing has the capability to handle 2 fiber-optic cables (they are the two semi-transparent "nubs" just above and to the left of the lens port. If you get strobes that can be triggered fiber-optically, you can hook them up using this method. (On my A6000, I will be running a pair of S&S YS-03 strobes fired in this manner.)

Your single biggest limit to upgrading your Meikon system in the long run will be that you are limited in your lens selection with that housing. You can not change the port to use with a different lens. I believe that you can use wide-angle and/or macro wet mount lenses though so that will give you some flexibility. The A6000 is no longer a current camera and finding housings for it may soon become a problem. Keep this in mind as you start to look long term.

If it were me in your shoes, here is what I would do:

• Contact the person with the E520 system and see if they are willing to sell the D2000 strobes and fiber-optic cables separately. If they are, great, buy them. The D2000 is a great strobe and should serve you well for many years.
• If they won't, then get a pair of strobes that will work with fiber-optic cables
• Get a tray & handles (you will need these to mount the strobes on. Get some arms too, because if the strobes are right next to the camera, you will get a lot of backscatter and that will become very frustrating.

With the above additions, you will still be able to use your current housing. If you want to be able to change lenses, then you will want to look for a new housing (and ports) next. The cost on this can add up fairly quickly though as just about every lens requires a different port. I would look at the Ikelite Housing. The one for the A6000 is still listed on their website.

One last thought. If you do buy used, order new o-rings for whatever you buy. New o-rings will be an economical extra step to protect your camera.

 

[KeithG]

Hey everyone! I've been doing underwater photography for about a year now. I started with a Go Pro 4, then stepped it up to a Sony A6000 with a surprisingly reliable Neewer/Meikon/CamDive housing. That camera has been fantastic, but (with the exception of some dives with a Light and Motion video light) I have stuck to ambient light photography. I've also only used the 16-50mm Powerzoom lens with that. My current housing won't accept any other lens. I want to step my game up and start using strobes and try some macro and/or more wide angle. As always, I'm trying to cut cost by buying used gear, and I'm trying to decide between two paths. My first option is to buy strobes and set them up in a slave configuration using the clear plastic connections on the housing. I've found a couple that would set me back about $400. But honestly, I don't know too much about strobes and setting the right power levels. My other option is about twice as expensive. I found a whole set up of an Olympus E-520 camera, Olympus housing, Olympus PPO-E05 port, Inon 50 port, two Inon D-2000 strobes, a Inon UCL_165M67 close-up lens, a Light & Motion Sola, a 14-42mm Olympus lens, and a 50mm Olympus Macro lens. I feel like this option would be a nice way to learn how to handle more technical/complex photography and camera systems and strobes. I'm just not sure about the quality of the shots I'll get with the camera compared to just getting slave strobes and using my A6000. What do you think scubaboard?

Hoag has some great ideas above.

I would suggest you also start with some additional research. You have mentioned strobes, macro and wide angle all together. Those ideas may take you in 3 different directions. it is difficult to do that all at the same time. and be happy. or even remotely competent.

The most common first step would be to tackle the lighting issue. There are multiple options: You can do nothing and stay shallow, use filter(s), figure out how to white balance or add a strobe(s). Adding strobes is not the only answer.

If you decide that strobes is the way to go, I would suggest you tackle that by itself before tossing macro or wide angle into the mix. There are more than enough things to learn (GN level, manual vs ttl, 1 vs 2 vs more strobes, tray system, arm system, trigger system,...) in order to make a rational buying decision, let alone the learning curve you will hit trying to use strobes.

If you really want to step up your game, you need to take it 1 step at a time...