UW tripod

[NotoriousBOB]

Hi all, Wondered if anyone has any thoughts on what tripod to use for underwater photos. My thoughts were use a very cheap one as it's probably gonna get wrecked.........anyone else????
Cheers
BOB

 

[jonnythan]

The first thought that occurs to me is "where would you place it?"

I figure you're either going to be stirring up silt, damaging a reef, damaging a wreck, or some combination thereof. Motion is much steadier underwater, so shaking isn't really a problem.. just use a film and aperature that lets you shoot at 1/60 or faster and you should be ok.

 

[sbloomer]

Hi all, Wondered if anyone has any thoughts on what tripod to use for underwater photos. My thoughts were use a very cheap one as it's probably gonna get wrecked.........anyone else????
Cheers
BOB

I wouldn't have thought there would be a need....

A tripod is useless, given two factors, one of which was mentioned: Mantra dictates that one shouldn't be touching the reef, bottom etc; the second is that a tripod relies on gravity, and most housing rigs are very close to neutrally bouyant, so a tripod would provide no benefit whatsoever. Besides, divers carry so much cr*p with them anyway, so a tripod is a disaster waiting to happen...

 

[fdog]

BOB, although I haven't ever used a tripod underwater, I have long admired the work of Leigh Bishop, who uses a Velbon tripod extensively to produce some stunning images .

All the best, James

 

[cdiver2]

Bob I agree with fdog take no notice of the nay sayers if a person do's not understand photography then they would not understand what you are trying to achieve with it.
Just my 2c

 

[NotoriousBOB]

Thanks for the input, of course I wont be putting the tripod anywhere to damage marine growth, I am a responsible well educated diver before being a photographer. Fortunatly there are sandy areas and bare rock around in Cornwall UK so shouldnt be dificult to find a suitable harmless spot .
My need for a support is due to me wanting to use shutter speeds in excess of 10 secs for my scenes.
A bit hastey to call a tripod useless eh?

Yes Fdog, Leigh Bishop's work rocks!

 

[azcaddman]

ULCS makes a tripod clamp that allows you to use their arm segments as a tripod.. much more durable

 

[MarkH]

Hi all, Wondered if anyone has any thoughts on what tripod to use for underwater photos. My thoughts were use a very cheap one as it's probably gonna get wrecked.........anyone else????
Cheers
BOB

I bought a cheap one from a thrift store for about 10 dollars. It's all aluminum so I'm not too worried about corrosion. I just rinse it off with fresh water after diving.

 

[fpoole]

I was thinking about the same thing a while back, but more along the lines of a Mono-pod?? one leg to steady.
Of course not damageing any reef etc... or a belt mono-pod that is secured by a cup? on a belt...
Just an idea... would be good for natural light shots in dim light eh???

 

[Chris Bangs]

The Nikonos RS is/was a good camera to use with a tripod, great for photographing shy critters like garden eels. The unique aspect of the RS is that if used in conjunction with the SB-104 strobe its shutter could be triggered using a flash.

Other uses for a tripod would be wreck photography and other wide angle shots in low light conditions. in reality the very small surface area a tripod comes in contact with the bottom may do little or no damage ( same goes for the current hooks used in Palau ) , that is of course only true if the user used great care and thought in setting a tripod up.

My choice would be to use a cheap tripod as making one from arm components is expensive and will most likely weigh more. also regular tripods with adjustable legs are much easier to use on uneven surfaces.