When to start underwater photography?

[Dochueb]

Hi all.

More newbie questions...

Finished PADI OW classes, plan test-out dives in FL in early April. First "real" dive trip it to Roatan in late summer. Will try to dive some in between, but doubt whether I'll have more than a couple post-OW dives under my belt when I arrive.

So...naturally, I want some tangible momentos of our trip -- but is thinking of fooling with an UW camera when I'm this new to diving a bad idea? Am I better off "just diving" and not worrying about another piece of equipment -- or is it reasonable to try some photography at this early stage?

Thanks for the input...

 

[dive]

Hi all.

More newbie questions...

Finished PADI OW classes, plan test-out dives in FL in early April. First "real" dive trip it to Roatan in late summer. Will try to dive some in between, but doubt whether I'll have more than a couple post-OW dives under my belt when I arrive.

So...naturally, I want some tangible momentos of our trip -- but is thinking of fooling with an UW camera when I'm this new to diving a bad idea? Am I better off "just diving" and not worrying about another piece of equipment -- or is it reasonable to try some photography at this early stage?

Thanks for the input...

Just go diving You should master your basic diving before you try to do anything else..

 

[ScubaJW]

yep, I rather to master my buoyant and comfortable with my diving before I do anything else new.

 

[xSandman3]

I took one of those cheapo throw away cameras on all of my checkout dives in OW class...got some cool pics of the class performing skills. Been diving with a camera ever since. The advice above is good, though...don't do it if you're not comfortable yet.

 

[Kim]

If you use a very simple camera with no settings, like the Sea&Sea MX10, then you can start as soon as you have your basic skills under control. However as soon as you start to use a camera that needs settings adjustment, and a strobe that does as well, the task loading gets very heavy very quickly. You have to start watching a lot of different things when you get that far, and some of them your life depends on so you can't make mistakes!

 

[tx.lakerats]

feel comfortable with bouyancy....then get a cheap camera to start with so you don't have to worry about settings ... and just have fun! That's what it is all about!

 

[Jim Baldwin]

Dochueb,

Agree with the other posters. Get relaxed and use to diving. Get your air consumption lower. Work on your buoyancy skills. Try moving and stopping without using your hands to try and control your position in the water.

I take my camera everywhere. On a week's trip I will shoot about 700-900 pictures and wear out the delete button on my laptop.

There a number of easy to use digital cameras out there on the market. And you can probably pick up a camera and underwater housing for under $500.

In shallow water you can get by without a strobe. As you get deeper you are going to need at least one strobe. The interal flash will work but you will get more backscatter, that looks like water spots or sand, in your pictures than you want.

Moving this equipment through the water, moving slow enough to see the small things all comes with practice.

If you buy a camera leave it in the room for the first couple of days and enjoy the diving first. Get rid of the extra weight that you used in class and think horizontial. As you feel more comfortable you can add the camera.

By all means get a good piece of nylon webbing and good brass or SS snap and secure it to your BCD. Sew on a SS D-ring if you do not have one the plastic ones will eventually break. Make the webbing long enough that you can leave it snapped on the whole time. Get rid of the nylon/plastic wrist holder. I have personally seen two divers lose their cameras.

Congrats on your certification and enjoy your upcoming trip.