Digital Underwater Photography

Sharky

Sharky

New Member
It's time to replace my aging Nikonos 35mm amphibious with a digital rig. When I started shopping, it was amazing how many options are available.

*smacks forehead*

Why didn't I do this last year? Was all of this stuff available then?

Any tips on what works best?

There are plenty of choices in housings as well as dedicated amphibious cameras on Diver's Discount Supply.

I've never used a housing before, so I'm kinda hinky about them - can you trust them to protect your camera?
 
I haven't any idea, but if I were you I'd pm Toolbox™ with a link to this thread ;)
 
Leslie said:
I haven't any idea, but if I were you I'd pm Toolbox™ with a link to this thread ;)
Click to expand...

*smacks forehead AGAIN*

ow

He and Shadowfax are divers . . . I completely forgot. D'oh! :lloyd:

(thanks, Leslie) :cool:
 
anytime :D

and...Toolbox™ also has a professional underwater photographer friend/associate, if I remember correctly.
 
Kewl! :cool:

I just found Toolbox's thread in the Loony Lounge . . . those photos are awesome! I'm gonna PM him and find out what kind of gear they use.
 
Hi again everyone. Just for the record, I have never in my life taken an underwater photograph. The only reason to why I have experience with this is because I run a small boat and we charter it out to divers whom, 80% of of the time, are photographers.

Shadowfax's camera is a Sony Cybershot 4.0MP and he doesn't even shoot with full resolution. His underwater housing is extremely reliable because he did over a hundred dives while he was on the boat and I saw his camera right before he left and it was still in perfect condition. I also know that they make really good underwater housing for other Sony Cybershots like mine which is a DSC-F707. Hold on... I'll look for a link.

Here you go: http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/sony_f717.html

What kind of camera do you have? I'm sure I can find the right housing for you and from a heresay point of view, I hear the Gates Underwater Products are the best.

Good luck and hope this helps.

Martin... get in here and give your professional opinion! :)
 
toolbox is right about Gates Underwater Products....that's as good as it gets as far as i know.

a friend of mine on the boat used the Olympus 5060 with underwater housing. that is a combination i would DEFINATELY recommend. i tried to buy it off him, but he wouldn't let me :(
my camera is fairly ok, but doesn't have a lot of options which is a bit frustrating sometimes.
when you're into some more serious stuff, you might consider buying a strobe or two. i only used a red filter, but didn't have a strobe, which is quite good especially for macro stuff.

sony makes pretty solid housings: mine is rated for 40 meters, but took it down to 60 meters and it was still ok. i don't know about the olympus housings, but they're pretty ok as well. i know that there are metal housings as well for the 5060 and similiar models. having one of those would keep me *fapping* for a few hours...

edit: by the way, Toolbox chose one of the best pics...

take a look at http://album.globaldiving.net/philippines/diving/ for a few hundred more pics :D
 
Thanks a ton for the info, guys . . . that's exactly what I needed - a nudge in the right direction. :cool:

I was considering the Sony Cybershot for a camera, I think the Olympus is out of my price range, but I'll check it out. Gates looks like they definitely have the best housings, but I'm afraid they will be too expensive for my needs. I think I'll probably go with a setup very similar to yours, Shadowfax - I've always liked Sony products and have never had a quality problem with them. And those photos in your album prove that the Sony gets the job done, provided the operator has the skills that you have - those are some outstanding pics! :cool:
 
thanks :) it takes some practice....my first pictures were as crappy as can be. plus being in the right environment helps as well :D

make sure to buy a red filter though, without the filter all pictures are pretty much doomed. editting with a program just doesn't give the same effect.

only problem with the sony filters is the price: they charge around 140 USD for one freaking filter, which is a complete rip-off :mad:
you can try to make something yourself though :)
 
Shadowfax said:
thanks :) it takes some practice....my first pictures were as crappy as can be. plus being in the right environment helps as well :D

make sure to buy a red filter though, without the filter all pictures are pretty much doomed. editting with a program just doesn't give the same effect.

only problem with the sony filters is the price: they charge around 140 USD for one freaking filter, which is a complete rip-off :mad:
you can try to make something yourself though :)
Click to expand...

I work in graphics, we have tons of ruby litho mask in different densities . . . I bet that would make excellent filter material. :)

Sony's prices on gear are usually reasonable, but their accessories are high. $140 for a camera filter is wonky. :eek6:

Thanks for the tip! :cool:
 
I know how I'm going to be spending my night!! Looking at those pics...as soon as I get home. The bf will be like "You wanna go out?" and I will be like "Can't looking at underwater pics all night...come here if you wanna see me." :brush:

The few I looked at already look awesome. Well...there was one of someone's bum...that was interesting...
 
Cool! A couple of people in my road rallye group are into scuba diving and stuff, I wonder if they're into underwater photography as well, I'll keep this in mind next time I see them.
 
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