I heard there are no dumb questions, just dumb people...

So help a brother out...

I have a 5D mkII.
I have plenty of lenses (Ls and others)

I'd like to try underwater photography.

I need an underwater housing for the 5D. (i'm not that dumb, I can handle that)

What about the lenses? L lenses are 'weather sealed', but that doesn't mean submersible...no? Where does waterproofing (submersible) for the lens come from?

Thanks

it's my understanding that the whole unit goes in a waterproof box, lens & all...

weather sealed never means waterproof and when you start taking it deep beneath the water's surface water pressure becomes another factor. But that is beside the point.

Answer: You need a watertight housing to accommodate both camera and lens.

I figured out the answer to my own question (?). The housing for lenses come in myriad pieces; different configurations for different lenses, different mounts, and different preferences. Hence, you don't simply buy 'a' housing for a lens, you build one essentially. Searching for 'a' housing is futile. Correct?

If your looking to try it out, why not go the GoPro route and a case. Way less expensive and delivers high quality results. A Hero7 is good to 10 meters and adding a case gets you to 40 meters for less than $300.

Ports. That is what you buy to suit different lenses. Some ports will suit multiple lenses.
Housings come with various options. Some with only basic controls. Some have access to all, or nearly all controls.
There are also a different purposes. Surf housings often have a limited depth rating, they really are designed to handle a beating in surf.
Other housing are more for diving, ie will have a deeper depth rating.

So you really want to work out what kind of underwater photography you want to try.

Choderboy gave a really good answer. The search starts with what you want to shoot - subject and conditions. That will start guiding you to the housing units you look at. From there, it's ports for lenses, lighting and so on.

I'd like to get some info on the same topic. I know about the housing and ports depending on what combo you want to shoot. My thinking is that I would like to have something for snorkeling. I typically stay 99% shallower than 20ft when I swim. I would like to try photos of fish, maybe tadpoles or frogs if i find them. In some of the crystal clear mountain lakes I would be thinking about under water landscapes with the rocks, or in wading water for streams and such.

I question would be if there is a housing with a port like a surf one that only goes shallow, around 30ft or so, and maybe costs around $500. The cost is the biggest problem, I know, but I don't want to spend tons of money on something I want to try out at least at first. My lenses I would probably use would be a 24L, 40mm, and 100L. No I haven't been checking out the for sale section, I only browse around online and see most everything is $1000 or more.

A 'compact' camera with housing is becoming a better option these days.

eg: Canon G1X MKIII. It has an APS-C sensor. 24-72mm 35mm equiv lens. 9 FPS.

See what you think about the current price for a housing:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …_waterproof_cas​e_for.html

Current Price $99.00
Usual Price $350.00
Instant Savings $251.00

So they are almost giving you a housing...

Yep. I'm now just debating with myself whether to go for a gopro knockoff to experiment ($69 w/housing at walmart) or a housing for my new g7x mkIII. The DSLR setup is cost foolish for me.

If you ended up really getting into underwater photography, a cheaper option is just like a cheap tripod, where it's cost is just added to the proper tripod you buy later.
A DSLR setup, with housing, just 2 ports, a strobe, or two, ends up being a a lot of money and the money spent on a cheaper option is far less significant.

Again, the type of underwater you want to do, then the type you probably move to after some initial experiments will really determine what equipment is best.

Having some photographic and video experience, combined with what is available to most people: Youtube, which has endless examples of what is wrong with amateur video, I approached my first underwater video with some sensible thinking IMHO.

I got a 5kg weight (11 lbs) and attached my GoPro to that. Intention was some surfing and wave action where I would place it in the sand and just let it run.

For first attempt, with snorkeling gear, I placed the weight / GoPro in the sand in some rock pools at a beach, pointed up at about 45 degrees. I swam off a bit, not too far, so I could watch what happened. Sure enough, once I was a little distance away, I could see various fish swimming past the GoPro. The poor quality of the GoPro worked quite well. Only the centre part of the image has decent quality, the edges are very ordinary. So as a fish entered the frame, in the blurry edge part, it would attract your attention and as it moved into the centre of the frame where there is some quality you got a decent look at the fish before it swam off towards the other blurry edge.

The weight was overkill for this use but I had intended to place it in the sand under surf and catch surfing and wave action where more weight would be needed to keep it in place.

My G1XII housing is very similar to G1XIII and G7X housing.
It's not just underwater but in water, beside water that can be fun.

Last photo above, I go caught out on the rock the wave is washing over and hands, knees, shoulder looked like this..
Something that is often mentioned becomes very obvious fast, red colours do not travel far underwater. Getting close to your subject is therefore desirable.

kawi_200 wrote in post #19067600
I question would be if there is a housing with a port like a surf one that only goes shallow, around 30ft or so, and maybe costs around $500. The cost is the biggest problem, I know, but I don't want to spend tons of money on something I want to try out at least at first. My lenses I would probably use would be a 24L, 40mm, and 100L. No I haven't been checking out the for sale section, I only browse around online and see most everything is $1000 or more.

You might be able to find a used surf housing in a slightly higher range, but $500 is tough. These housings are expensive and only fit 1-2 camera bodies (my housing fits the 1Dx/II/III). Look around on Craigslist and eBay. Every once in a while, you might find a gem. It's easier if you are in a area where there is water. I'm pretty sure that those 3 lenses will all require different ports, which means big expense.

They do make the "sealed bag" kits too. I've never used one, but that's an option. Also, check out Outex. They make latex camera covers and supposedly are pretty good quality. If would shock me if they were over $500 for a full kit.

Some Aquatech surf housings can be used on multiple bodies. The reason is that they only have 2 buttons, ie half press and full press.
You can buy kits for various bodies that just have a base plate to suit the body and a cable / plug that connects the 2 buttons (which are fitted to the pistol grip) to the body. Quite limiting obviously with no access to any other controls than shutter button.