The Rough Guide to Underwater Housings

As a (semi) pro photographer, one question that I always get asked by other divers is ‘what camera should I get?’. Most people want a simple answer: this model, that housing and those accessories. In reality it isn’t that simple. My standard response is: ‘what do you want to do?’ and ‘how much do you want to spend?’. So the aim of this guide is to give some pointers on what to consider. This is not meant to be a run-down of the best models to buy – there are plenty of those out there.

In terms of price range and quality there are primarily two choices: Compact or SLR

Underwater Housings for Compact Cameras

A combination of good, cheap digital cameras and low cost acrylic housings has meant that underwater photography is open to most divers. Even ten years ago, underwater photography was largely restricted to those with the budget, dedication and patience to do it. Digital has largely negated that and opened underwater photography up to anyone with a reasonable budget. And that is a great thing.

Underwater Compact vs Underwater SLR

Is an SLR better than a compact for underwater photography? The answer to that is ‘not necessarily’. There are lots of advantages to using compacts:

All compacts are capable of creating great images, as good as anything on an SLR. This has been proven on a number of occasions where photos taken with underwater compact housings have won competitions.

Compact is convenient: lugging around a large SLR housing and strobe is a pain sometimes. It’s a pain to take abroad, and weighing in at 15kg that can be all of my luggage allowance. It’s a pain to set up on the boat, and it can be a paint to swim around with it underwater. So what happens is I only take the SLR when I am sure of good underwater photography conditions. The compact, on the other hand, can be shoved in my BC pocked and it’s there whenever I want it.

Small is good! For action-type shots and good compact can often be easier than an SLR. Trying to wield the massive housing around after a pod of dolphins is not easy.

Screens rather than viewfinders: I am experienced at using the view-finder on my SLR underwater housing, but it’s not always convenient. The screen on the back of a compact makes viewing, and therefore getting the shot much easier.

The Right Camera

Or I should say, the right camera for what? I’m sure there are people out there who will say that you shouldn’t get a camera unless it shoots at 12mega pixels or more, because the printed quality will be poor. That’s fine (essential in fact) if you are aiming to publish your work in a magazine, but in truth, most people aren’t doing underwater photography for that. I would say that most people will publish their photos online, email them to friends and maybe do one or two prints on a home photo printer. So, be realistic about what you want it for. If all you will ever do is use the pictures online then 6 mega pixels will do you fine. It will still print out nicely at A4.

The Lens

Ge the best quality lens you can afford. This is the key to any photography, especially underwater. Most compact manufacturers produce good lenses these days, but compare reviews to find the best.

Wide Angle, Zoom and Macro

In essence there are only two types of underwater photography: wide angle and macro. Wide angle is for scenes (wrecks, reefs etc), divers and large marine animals, and macro is for everything else!

A good example of where wide angle can get a shot even in poor vis and low light:

Close is not close enough

The problem with underwater photography is the water itself. Even in the best conditions light does not penetrate very far and there are always particles. The only way to shoot underwater is to get in close. A good wide angle allows you to get very close, but shoot the whole scene. At a 1:1 (ie film size) ratio than 20-24mm is right for underwater work. I use a 12mm lens on my my SLR.

If you’re not shooting a scene, then it has to be Macro, and it is important to find a lens that will get you within a few cms of the subject. In reality when choosing a compact and underwater housing, it is likely to be a compromise – decide what kind of photography is right for you, and go for the wide or macro lens accordingly.

Lack of light?

Not having enough light is always a problem with underwater photography. Unless you’re shooting in the brightest tropical conditions, you may well be using an ISO of 400+. On that basis, choose a compact camera that can cope well in low light – that means good handling of ‘noise’ in those conditions.

Accessories

I have already stated the importance of a good wide angle. There are a number of reasonable wide angle lenses that can be fitted externally to underwater housings. They can be quite good, but fairly pricey. On the whole, I would consider carefully before going this route:

As an extra lens they reduce the amount of light coming in to the camera. They add extra optics thus reducing the quality and detail. Having said that they are capable of creating decent images. However if you are serious about ultra wide angle underwater photography then I would recommend that you start to look at the SLR option.

Strobes (flash) are another accessory. At no time would you ever use the flash on your camera for underwater shots. The small diffusers that they put on the front of some underwater housings are utterly useless. Without an external strobe, your shots will be natural light. Which I think, is fine. At least 50% of my underwater photos are taken without flash. Available light photography can produce some amazing results. Another alternative is to use white balance on your camera. I’m not convinced by this and I have some strong views on WB underwater here.

So to sum up, consider the following points with your compact and underwater housing

What do I really want the camera for?

Wide angle or macro? Online or print? Low light? And of course, how much do I want to spend?