Advice please - underwater photography

Hello all,

Hope this is the right section to ask question about underwater photography, since there is no "underwater" section.

- I don't think I will spend > $1.5k for a water proof case for my 5d2; so what camera do you recommend?
- What do you call this type of photography?

Seems as good a spot as any... I also don't have the money to buy a nice underwater case for my 50D... So I plan to purchase Canon's point and shoot underwater camera... Forget the model number, but it's good to 10 metres down, and shockproof... I only snorkle, so that's good enough for me... There are other features of this camera that make it attractive for this seldom used function (at least by me)--not the least is the modest cost.

very nice..

Prosumer underwater housings are expensive to very expensive. A great alturnative is a G10 with an underwater housing. Reasonable pricing and fantastic photo capability.

The problem with underwater photography is light. If you are more than 10 feet deep, you have lost all the reds, and below 30-40 feet, you can't really take a good photo without strobes or lights of some type. I use a Canon G9 in the Canon underwater housing. There is a light diffuser for the onboard strobe and that works for most photos, but anything more than 4 feet from the camera will not get illuminated.

If you want to do serious underwater photography, you have to get some serious underwater strobes. Ikelite makes the AF35 which will attach to the Canon case. I tried one and found it to be okay. It triggers off of a light sensor. When the camera's onboard flash fires, it trips the strobe. Mostly okay, but not 100% reliable.

Nothing beats a good wired in strobe, though. My main underwater system is a 30D in the Ikelite case with two DS-125 strobes. The strobes are wired TTL and give great light. The whole setup costs more than the camera and lens, so not for the faint of wallet, around $4,500.00 for everything. But the difference in the images is night and day.

As one guy told me once, it only costs a little more to go first class. lol

The type of shot you have posted is commonly called an "under-over shot". Very nice, may I say.

Actually, it is not his shot. It is from a standard screen saver in Mac OS X called "Beach".

I had the same situation before going to Hawaii. I went with the G9 and underwater housing. All told it cost me about $600 for the camera and housing. The G9 is also nice for toting along on mountain bike rides, or mountain climbs. (anywhere that weight is a problem. ) Quality is good at ISO 200 or less, and ok at 400 with some PP TLC. Underwater that can be quite a challenge, though.

Michael Bottoms wrote in post #8709711
Seems as good a spot as any... I also don't have the money to buy a nice underwater case for my 50D... So I plan to purchase Canon's point and shoot underwater camera... Forget the model number, but it's good to 10 metres down, and shockproof... I only snorkle, so that's good enough for me... There are other features of this camera that make it attractive for this seldom used function (at least by me)--not the least is the modest cost.

It's Powershot D10. I read good reviews about this camera.

MarKap77 wrote in post #8715524
The problem with underwater photography is light. If you are more than 10 feet deep, you have lost all the reds, and below 30-40 feet, you can't really take a good photo without strobes or lights of some type. I use a Canon G9 in the Canon underwater housing. There is a light diffuser for the onboard strobe and that works for most photos, but anything more than 4 feet from the camera will not get illuminated.

If you want to do serious underwater photography, you have to get some serious underwater strobes. Ikelite makes the AF35 which will attach to the Canon case. I tried one and found it to be okay. It triggers off of a light sensor. When the camera's onboard flash fires, it trips the strobe. Mostly okay, but not 100% reliable.

Nothing beats a good wired in strobe, though. My main underwater system is a 30D in the Ikelite case with two DS-125 strobes. The strobes are wired TTL and give great light. The whole setup costs more than the camera and lens, so not for the faint of wallet, around $4,500.00 for everything. But the difference in the images is night and day.

As one guy told me once, it only costs a little more to go first class. lol

Thanks, Mark for your tips.

Now I have three options:
1. Powershot D10: $309
2. G10 + underwater housing: $665
3. Ikelite underwater housing http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …1_02_eTTL_Housi​ng_f_.html for 5D MII: $1,520

Most likely, either I choose option #1 or option #3.

easternbluedevil wrote in post #8715683
The type of shot you have posted is commonly called an "under-over shot". Very nice, may I say.

Thanks....

I wish it's my shot!

SOX 404 wrote in post #8722098
Thanks....

I wish it's my shot!

If it's not your shot you should really take it down. That whole copyright thing...

I have a G7 in an housing and have been very happy with the exception of the shutter lag. You can see pics I have taken with it on my site

http://www.fishguyphot​os.com/gallery_underwa​ter.htm

I recently bought a D-10 for snorkeling and it takes great pics. Here is a pic of a Flamingo Tongue I took in Bermuda

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=756007

and some more pics from the D-10 I took on this thread

https://photography-on-the.net …read.php?t=6501​97&page=14

Chris