Underwater camera (scuba)

Ardbeg

Ardbeg

Ardbeg

Associate
Joined
6 Mar 2004
Posts
276
Location
Harrogate, UK
Hi all,

I have recently passed my open water scuba diving and am looking to purchase a decent camera system for an upcoming holiday. Does anyone have any advice on a decent starter camera setup?

I have done a little bit of research and am leaning towards a Sony RX100 or maybe the RX100m2 with a nauticam housing. I will then expand this with strobes, lens etc as finances permit.

The camera and housing need to be suitable for dives up to 40 meters (for some future proofing).

Also, any advice on other kit would be welcome.

Thanks.
 
I've bought a Sony RX100 M2 for exactly this, as it seemed a sensible choice for underwater photography as the housing for my other cameras were non-existent or hideously expensive.

The camera seems pretty good from some above ground shots that I've taken so I'm sure it'll perform well underwater.

I've got a UWL-04 wet lens to add onto the underwater housing, but I haven't yet decided on a housing, the Nauticam certainly seems very nice but I do not know if I can justify the expense. I'm tempted to try a £100 Meikon housing, although if it does wreck the camera it would be a false economy.
 
My favorite subject :)

2 things you'll really appreciate:-

1.Customisable button for manual white balance. Don't even bother trying the pre sets.

2. Low light ability. (see point 1)


Start with a camera and housing and learn to white balance without looking. a custom button is 1 click ;). Mines a canon G12

Wet lenses are great but limit ambient light and/or focal depth. Wide angle allow you to get closer to stuff and thus have less crap in the water between you and subject. Macro do almost the same. They don't blow stuff up but allow you to focus closer to the subject.

swbi11.jpg

Couple of cm long nudi. Even at as close as i was the strobe still highlights particles in the water - photoshop time!

Strobes:- massive power still isn't enough! Anything further way than 3-4 meters isn't going to get lit by a strobe. Strobes are good for close. White balance again and no flash!

One of mine from last month:-

See how the foreground is coloured but the rest is blue? That's how far a strobe can reach..

73joco.jpg




Don't bother with ttl strobes. Underwater they are useless! Manual settings, manual camera all the way. It's crappy to start with but gets better to start with.


Strobes do have uses though, especially at night :D

343jlol.jpg
 
Last edited:
Ok now I'm jealous, my hobby #1 needs to be combined with my hobby #2 and I need to go diving this year! :-)
 
Nice selection of photos there! Do you not correct for WB in PP? I was planning on shooting in RAW and sorting it afterwards so that I can concentrate on the other settings, but I suppose getting it correct in the first place probably helps.

Interesting comments about strobes. I assume one is still worthwhile even if you're at relatively shallow depths so that you bring out the colours in your subject, although I appreciate the drop off is pretty quick. I'm trying to decide between the YS-01 or YS-D1 which had guide numbers of around 20 and 30 respectively, although some people say two strobes are needed for wide angle shooting. I think the easiest way to connect the Sony up to a strobe is with an optical TTL cable? Although I need to do some more research about that.

It's going to be a bit of a learning curve but looking forward to start shooting.
 
Save your money and get the ys02. ;) I have the ys01 and have only tried the TTL a few times. Its just no use underwater.

I do shoot raw and alter WB in pp but I can't get good results without a starting point.

After about 15m down you've lost too much red to ever correct fully.
 
Ardbeg said:
Hi all,

I have recently passed my open water scuba diving and am looking to purchase a decent camera system for an upcoming holiday. Does anyone have any advice on a decent starter camera setup?

I have done a little bit of research and am leaning towards a Sony RX100 or maybe the RX100m2 with a nauticam housing. I will then expand this with strobes, lens etc as finances permit.

The camera and housing need to be suitable for dives up to 40 meters (for some future proofing).

Also, any advice on other kit would be welcome.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I can honestly say having done photography to a professional level for years now the first time you use a camera underwater 99% of it goes out the window, especially as you're new to diving.

On a side note, I'd recommend getting your dive time up and perfecting your buoyancy a lot more before going for a camera, it's a lot to manage (thats what I found anyway) I'm near the 40 dive mark and only now do I feel comfortable to consider taking a camera with me for a 3rd time. The 1st time was during my Advanced course and thats when I found most of it went out the window, the 2nd time was at the end of my last trip where I was close to the diving standard I am now, found it much much easier and fun :)

Sorry I know it's not what you asked, but I thought it was worth a shout. I'm going for a mirrorless slr setup myself, need to decide which one etc but it's in the process.
 
Last edited:
Very true! I'm 500+ dives and still find marco taxing underwater.


I'm staying away from SLR underwater. It's that fine line between a diver with a camera and a diving photographer.

I haven't got the time or baggage allowance for the rest of the gear an slr housing needs.

Join a UK club and get in the pool. Take some stuff to practice with. (sinking toy etc) and snap away. It will pay dividends and save you learning on holiday.

Also learn to swap modes, macro through wet lens to wide angle on the same dive is hard work. (macro mode change, lens off, flash off, WB from auto to custom, zoom back out, change ISO, move from full manual to AV. Take a picture of fish that's now swam past then repeat in reverse for a 10mm sea slug..

Learn to do that without realy needing to look
 
Going to be a spoil sport and say to get plenty of dives logged before worrying about having a camera down with you, if you've only recently gotten an open water cert!
 
If anything spend the money on more trips and start collecting your equipment (which pays for itself quickly if you use it enough)
 
Some stunning pictures there The_Blue.

Thanks for the advice all. I know i am very new to diving, but with the trips i have planned i will have increased my experience and dive count to over 40 before September.

I am also booked in to do my advanced open water in the last week of August, Porthkerris.

The real aim is to be proficient in both diving ability and photography before May next year, when i have a holiday to Mexico. I would really love to capture that on film.
 
I know this will be against the grain, but have you considered a go-pro to film your experience as a better option? Not recommending it but it's something I've been considering myself as a begginer (20+ dives). I have also been thinking about the WP-DC47 housing for my s110.
 
After collecting various parts over the past couple of weeks I've got the following rig setup using the Sony RX100 II, looking forward to trying it out next month!

pbAUOXm.jpg
 
Yay! Same arm and tray as me :)

Now get somewhere, not well lit and practice. I have many pictures of the bedroom with curtains part closed :o

Block the internal flash as well, a bit of tape inside the housing works. Will help with back scatter.
 
I've got a fuji camera plus housing thats circa 6 years old and i'm looking to update as it has no RAW mode and video is low on the pixel count.

I'm torn between compact like the canon g16 or a gopro 3 black just head mounted so i don't have to flaff and can take stills off video footage.

this is what mine currently does
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AXNHe6HjHE

advise appreciated
Simon
 
Mr.Cookie said:
cheers for that, but i could go deeper than it's recommended too, quite impressed by it though :)
Click to expand...

Yeah it was my first time doing it, I would have gotten some scuba footage but I dislocated my shoulder as we were entering the water so didn't get a chance too! but that is from Costa Teguise in Lanzarote.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom