Underwater Cameras For Getting Serious About Underwater Photography

By J Allen

There comes a time when most all aspiring underwater photographers realize that they've got to make a serious investment toward upgrading their underwater cameras and accessories in order to consistently get professional results.

And if they haven't already gone digital, then they need to do so right away because that's the first step to shorten the learning curve. Don't misunderstand, film cameras have their place, and can certainly produce stellar results. But because they can't offer the instantaneous feedback of digital, they take lots longer to become proficient with.

So the first step is to get rid of that cheap, $90 underwater film camera, or worse the $20 u/w disposable version. It was fine for generating interest but now you need an underwater digital camera that you can get serious with. No need to break the bank starting out, but be prepared to spend several hundred dollars at a minimum.

If that sounds like a lot, get over it fast because that's just the price of entry. Either that or find a cheaper hobby. You've no doubt already figured out that scuba diving isn't a cheap sport, but its cost will eventually pale in comparison to what you'll likely spend on indulging in underwater photography. The upside is it's incredibly fun and satisfying, plus potentially profitable if you choose to pursue that angle.

That being said, you can grow into more expensive gear over time as your skills improve, but to start out, a decent digital camera and housing can be had for around $500 and a good strobe for at least $300 for a single. Don't forget an external media storage card - about $50.

Now don't go shortchanging yourself and skip getting a strobe or external flash. It doesn't matter that the camera has a built-in flash, you still need the strobe. In fact you'll end up rarely using that built-in flash.

The reason is the cameras flash is responsible for the backscatter in your pictures. That's all that snow looking stuff. It's not just from sand or silt being kicked up by the diver ahead of you, it's the reflection off tiny suspended particles in the water and it's almost universally present, even in water that appears totally clear.

You probably noticed that virtually every shot you take with open water in the background has little fuzzy circles all over it. That's backscatter which is caused by your camera flash reflecting off those little particles right directly back into the lens.

It's likely been there all the time but blends in with the background of macro shots. Of course you can turn off the flash, but you know you need it to bring out any kind of color at depth, or else all your shots will be shades of blue or green.

So don't skip out on the external flash or strobe. Altogether you'll spend around a thousand bucks to get started. And this doesn't consider filters, ports, extra lenses for macro, wide angle, or telephoto work, or additional strobes for various lighting effects.

But that can come later. If you get a camera with a decent optical zoom (not digital), and one or two macro settings, all you really need to add might be a good wide angle lens. It's also best to choose gear that allows for adding or removing accessories while underwater.

So where to start. While this article can point you in the right direction, there isn't room to delve into all brands of underwater cameras and compare the different models. You can check out the resource listings that follow for that sort of detail.

However, some brief recommendations would be something like one of the Olympus SW models with the appropriate external housing, or the new SeaLife DC800 which comes with a housing. The Olympus setup will be something under $500 and the SeaLife a bit over. A SeaLife strobe will work for either.

If you've got more coin, check out the DX-1G by Sea & Sea. It's more expensive at about $1000, and a single strobe for roughly $800, but a great camera setup.

Some of the more common other names you'll hear are Canon and Nikon for cameras, and Ikelite for external housings. And many of these rigs will be setup with Sea & Sea strobes.

Everyone has their own preferences, and you will no doubt develop your own, but the initial suggestions above are for easy-to-setup equipment that's made by companies who've specialized for years in gear for use underwater.

Find details and shop for underwater cameras here, or check out the reviews and photo tips on our website at http://www.underwatercamerasplus.com/