Underwater Photography (the easy way)

I have had some requests to explain on the blog how I get quality underwater photos and how much a person really needs to spend to get the job done economically and still get the best quality.  I was in this same boat not too many years ago and it is tough with so many options out there.  There are all the waterproof point and shoots and the big SLRs.  Then there are the in-between cameras like Canons G series, which are basically an SLR point and shoot hybrid.  After you find a camera then you have to think about the underwater housing for the camera and how much you are willing to pay for this pricey piece of gear.  Lighting is key but what do I do about that, strobes or on board flash?  There are soft plastic bags that you can put your SLR in and take them down but how deep?  If you try get advice from the salesman at the camera shop you will probably spend five thousand bucks and feel bad for not going with the best.

We can start by ruling out the water proof point and shoots.  They are only good for a few meters under the water before the ambient pressure becomes too great for the seals and fills the camera with water.  But they are great for snorkeling if your not a skilled freediver. The point and shoots are not bad as an entry level camera but they will require an underwater housing-which is often more expensive than the camera.  The drawback with the point and shoot is also it's strength depending on what your wanting from your camera.  They are small and easy to keep on you during your dives without being overwhelmed by the added responsibility.  God knows there is enough to keep track of at first without worrying about a huge SLR and housing.  The most important thing for the diver is to be able to maintain control of their buoyancy and keep track of their dive buddy.  I see many people bouncing off the reef and breaking corals while trying to take photos and that is unacceptable for obvious reasons.  The other handy feature of the point and shoot is that you don't have a lot to think about with them.  They are made for pointing and shooting, simple but effective.  The only real choices you have while choosing your set up-besides the camera it's self, is the depth rating of the underwater housing and whether you want strobes or just the little on board flash.  Once again the important thing here is what you feel you can control as strobes can be pretty awkward to hang on to.  You will be able to get a lot of beautiful shots with just the on board flash and light diffuser.  It is quite difficult to get shots of far away objects with any lighting as the water is rarely clear enough for such photos.  Don't be fooled be the magazines, those guys may spend weeks waiting for the perfect conditions for their amazing photos.  At first is is more fun to take just photos of all the "smaller than a breadbox" critters hanging out on the corals, they will often pose for you long enough to figure out what you are doing and get a nice shot.

Really the point and shoot set up I have described is the best thing for anyone looking to get into diving as the heavy duty gear may just be more work than your willing to deal with.  There is an alternative to the little point and shoot and the big daddy SLRs and from my experience the Canon G series is about as versatile as it gets.  All the internal functions of the camera are basically the same as an SLR.  As the guy who recommended the G-10 to me said "thats a lot of camera" but not so much as to be cumbersome.  Though I have not had a chance to play with the newer G-11 and G-12 I do own the ten and I love it.  The camera has some preloaded underwater settings which work great and setting the white balance is very simple.  If you don't want to worry about settings just put it on auto and it becomes a regular point and shoot. When out of the water my G-10 is equally versatile as I can attach big SLR flashes to it and even add an extra lens for increased zoom.  I am able to use light filters as well which is quite handy.

As far as housings go there are a great many options and sources and you can usually get your cameras specific housing on Amazon.  Those plastic bags for putting the camera in instead of a housing are ridiculous and could easily mess up your camera so avoid gimmicks like that. 

Below are some examples of what can be achieved with a simple point and shoot set up.  I took these photos with my G-10 but these photos could easily come from a less expensive camera.

I could go on all day about the the many different SLRs and beyond but I am going to assume that most people looking to me for advice on this topic are most likely not ready for that level of underwater photography.  My advice is get a G series Canon and you can't go wrong.   With that being said it is safe to say that you will be looking at between 500 and a 1000 bucks for the point and shoot or some mid-range like the G series and a housing good for 40 meters of depth.  I am going to be checking on some of the Canon G series alternatives out there and will provide more info on these mid-range options later.