Good options for underwater photography?

[henryzwartz]

Hi RFF people,
I am planning on doing some underwater work along the Sydney coast.

This is my first foray into underwater photography, so I'm wondering what are some good starting option in terms of gear?

I am a student of limited funds, but with grand ambitions.

Henry

 

[Steve Bellayr]

For a film your best option is the Nikonos V. For depths up to 60 feet in sunny locations standard color film will suffice w/o flash. The camera costs under $200. But, with any used underwater camera condition is essential as all the seals need to be replaced periodically. That is one choice there are probably many others.

 

[Talex]

The Nikonos system is a great choice for underwater photography, and has been the professional standard for decades. I picked up a Nikonos V with 35/2 lens and strobe in great shape for under $200.

For digital, your cheapest options are waterproof P/S cameras. They are limited in depth, however. To go deeper, then the next cheapest is to find an underwater housing for your P/S. The housing ranges from $300-$500, and are rated for 60 feet depth. Olympus, Panasonic, Canon and others make housings for specific cameras.

Going up the price ladder, I picked up an Oly EPL2 and the PT-EP03 housing. The camera and lens was about $400, and housing was about $500. I also picked up a Fantasea strobe for under $200. That should give me much higher quality than P/S cameras, but at a fraction of the price of a DSLR and housing, of which a good one (without port, strobe, strobe arm, and other accessories) can easily cost up to $5000.

 

[burancap]

Another vote for the Nikonos V and the 35 "amphibious" lens.

Great bang for the buck.

 

[Talex]

This picture was taken with the cheap P/S camera in an underwater housing. There are shutter lag issues, and the noise is horrible. But you can still get some keepers.

 

[oftheherd]

ornate_wrasse should come up and give you some suggestions soon. She does it for a living and gets some incredible photos.

 

[mrisney]

The Gopro Hero2 came out with a nice dive housing. Cost wise, the whole setup is $340.
Click on the link for the HD clip of my girlfriend and I off of Poipu beach in Kauai




For stills,I would go for the Canon S95 and look on EBay for a used Ikelite waterproof housing

 

[Shutterspark]

+1 for the Nikonos V. I've never done anything serious with mine, but good results every time.

Speaking of which, there's one in the classifieds right now.

 

[Aristophanes]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/the-best-waterproof-cameras-of-2011_round-up\

Waterproof comes at a cost. Digital is far more versatile than film and can do video.

GoPro hero is also excellent.

 

[JMQ]

For depths under 30 feet, I'd suggest a digital waterproof p/s like the Olympus Tough series or the Nikon. For deeper dives, I agree with the Nikonos or housing over the digitals.

Talex - nice shot of the sharks and divers.

 

[JMQ]

BTW, there is a Nikonos V in the RFF classifieds now. I am not affiliated with the seller in any way.

 

[Talex]

Even though I have the Nikonos V, I confess I haven't ever dived with it. Digital is so much easier underwater. And even my el cheapo P/S camera in a housing is capable of acceptable (to me) results in certain situations:

 

[BobYIL]

Hi RFF people,
I am planning on doing some underwater work along the Sydney coast.

This is my first foray into underwater photography, so I'm wondering what are some good starting option in terms of gear?

I am a student of limited funds, but with grand ambitions.

Henry

I think you will find some very interesting "things" to be afforded with a student budget here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q311waterproofcompactgrouptest

 

[henryzwartz]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for your input and pointers, very useful as always. I will check out the options raised, I would try and get a Nikanos here in Australia, simply to save on postage for a 2 pound camera!

Cheers,

Henry