Underwater Photography Help

[opie712]

Looking to get into some photo shooting using a go pro hero3 black right now for video and photo but would like to improve my photo I have a Nikon d7000 and was wondering the best housing strobes light and most used lenses and what the difference the lense make thanks for the info

 

[fjpatrum]

That's a massive upgrade! Ports and lights are just the beginning. Lenses are going to vary widely depending on what you like to shoot. Over/under, macro, wide angle, long range panoramic shots? Make your lens selection based on what you want to shoot, just like shooting above the surface. Different lens, different port, as I understand it. (Haven't started even contemplating this jump yet.)

Strobes are another whole ball of wax. 1, 2, 3, fixed, prehensile, spectrum... it's insane.

And of course, then there's the housing. You can (and probably will) spend as much (or more) on that as you did on the d7000.

I chose the medium route; I got a point and shoot with underwater settings and I'm currently working on building some underwater lights. I've never shot with strobes and my photos can prove it.

Good luck with it. I hope someone with good experience will give you better details.

 

[tplyons]

While I use DSLR's on the surface, one thing to consider is that a DSLR housing often costs more than the body itself, before needing other parts like ports for your lenses and focusing gears. For this reason, I shoot with a compact underwater.

IME some of the best DSLR housings are made by Nauticam. That housing, for your camera, runs about $3300 and doesn't include the port for your lens.

Many people have differing opinions on great strobes. I'm quite the fan of my Inon S-2000's. They're much smaller, but lack the focusing light that other models do. Other people are rather loyal to Sea and Sea strobes, or Ikelites.

For what it's worth, I shoot a Canon G-15 in an OEM WP-DC48 housing, with Inon tray, arm, and S-2000 strobe. Full rig costs about $1500 and takes some pretty good photos. Good enough that I can't justify springing for an entire DSLR rig for underwater.

 

[opie712]

Thanks for the advice I would like to do some up close Marco of small fish coral ect and so shots of bigger fish and im having the biggest trouble on choosing landscapes and finicky fish which lenses would be best

 

[Larry C]

Thanks for the advice I would like to do some up close Marco of small fish coral ect and so shots of bigger fish and im having the biggest trouble on choosing landscapes and finicky fish which lenses would be best

If you're going to house the D7000, I would start with one high quality strobe. Inon Z-240 or Sea & Sea YS-D1 will get you decent lighting on wide subjects. For macro shots of small fish and flighty subjects, a longer lens like the 105VR will get you some distance from the subject. For wide angle, a fisheye lens like the Tokina 10-17 or a wide angle zoom like the Nikon 12-24 are the most popular ways to go.
If 90% of your shots are macro and you want a shorter learning curve, I'd leave the D7000 topside and get a high quality p & s like the Canon S-series or G-series. I know of at least one very experienced and highly regarded (photo contest winning) photographer who has scrapped DSLR's and travels with a point & shoot for the light weight, versatility and low impact on diving. Check other posts on this forum for comparisons of cameras like the S-100, Sony RX-100, Olympus XZ-1 & 2, Panasonic, etc.

 

[gizmo1972]

hey there
going into the DSLR route is the easy way to upset your wife and bank manager
its a major investment trust me ! i use mine most days and it still makes me cringe in what it costs
i have the D700 in an Aquatica housing (pay that money on a top notch camera i want it in a good housing!!)
you need a min of 2 ports 1 X8inch dome for wide $700
1X flatt port macro $500 plus an extension ring $200
then there's the focus gears $150 each
plus the lenses tokina 10-17mm $900 i personally use the nikon 16 mm LOVE IT!!! $900
60mm lens for close up $800
105 vr nikon for macro $1100
then there's strobes
2x Inon Z240 syn cords and arms $2000
So just becareful and think about mabe going the olympus pen route which are great or the sony Nex5 /7 route great rigs or the cannonG rigs in a metal housing!!!

 

[opie712]

OK thanks for the advice its actually my wife's camera and she does semi professional photos topside (on the side) so my learning curve might not be that big of a deal if I ever got to use it she keeps taking the gopro away on dives she has a lot of those lenses so I guess my biggest investment is going to be a housing n strobes. So would it be more money smart to start out with like a sea life setup n leave the Nikon topside until we both start getting the shots we want

 

[gizmo1972]

id look at the olympus pen series or cannon G range in a aluminum housing

 

[opie712]

Are they gonna be better than sea life in the same price range

 

[Larry C]

Yes. You can take decent pictures with the Sea Life and they're fairly easy to use. You can take amazing pictures with a higher end P & S like the S100 or G15, Sony Sony RX100, but you can also use auto settings and just point and fire like the Sea Life. The Sea Life will limit your manual adjustments and strobe control and when you want to move forward, it will still be the basic camera you started with.