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Gear and Gadgets: Questions on choice of the tool for the job and the lke! Underwater Housings or Underwater Digicams?

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Who has experience in shooting underwater? I'm interested in high quality artistic shoots underwater of actors, dancers and models. I see that theres' a wonderfully designed underwater housing for the Canon 5D Mark III, (that can also be used with some kit for the 5D II and 7D). It's by Aquatech.


Aquatech_1.jpg



Aquatech_1.jpg


Aquatech: AquaTech DC-5 V3 Underwater Sports Housing for Canon 5D Mark III , (II and 7D with adapter kit) (Picture BHPhotovideo )​


Now this Aquatech is $1895 plus extras for ports for various lenses! That could become pretty costly! So anyone have experience of underwater still photography (to depth of just 5 meters or so) with lights. I'd wonder how good some of the compact digicams might be? The immediate setback for me is that there are no ports for the 50mm Canon lenses. however there are ports available for the 24-105L and the 70-200 2.8L IS II so that would work for me.

There are other brands to consider like Equinox, Sea and Sea's and Ikelite at the same ~ $2000 price approx plus ports ~ $350 each. Then there are also the housings machined of a solid block of aluminum and selling for over $4,000 base price, for real divers, not me!

Asher
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
SLRs do not make convenient underwater cameras. With the mask on and the camera in a housing, your eyes are too far away from the viewfinder to see the image on the ground glass. Real underwater cameras (Nikonos...) had extra large viewfinders for that reason.

Of course, you could use live view. But if you do that, why not use a camera built for live view? And since you want decent quality, something with a relatively large sensor. Compacts only work when there is lots of light, which you won't have underwater.

I suggest this. With the camera to go in it, you are still vastly cheaper than $1895.

Most of the images in that thread have been taken with a NEX-5 and 16mm in a similar housing.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
SLRs do not make convenient underwater cameras. With the mask on and the camera in a housing, your eyes are too far away from the viewfinder to see the image on the ground glass. Real underwater cameras (Nikonos...) had extra large viewfinders for that reason.

Of course, you could use live view. But if you do that, why not use a camera built for live view? And since you want decent quality, something with a relatively large sensor. Compacts only work when there is lots of light, which you won't have underwater.

I suggest this. With the camera to go in it, you are still vastly cheaper than $1895.

This is a superb idea! Have you or anyone you know used this NEX housing?

I'm only working right now in depths of about 4-8 feet eating Speedo swimming goggles. I'd use zone focus, probably with a good DOF. Hmm? Could I use the Metabones adapter?

Asher
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
I have the model for the NEX-5 and 16mm lens, but I have not used it (yet) underwater. Underwater photography has always been rather frustrating in my experience: one needs remote flashes or the pictures are boring and blue. That might be less of a problem if you plan to take pictures of dancers in a swimming pool.

I will not be possible to use an adapter for a SLR lens in that housing, the lens will not fit. You may be able to use some of the Sony or Sigma primes, they are not bigger than the kit zoom. The kit zoom is fine at 30mm, BTW, so I would probably just use that if I needed a 50mm equivalent. AF should work, but I am not so sure about stabilization (since water changes the apparent distance of objects). Zone focus will work if you take into account that objects appear closer than they really are, you need to focus at the apparent distance, not the distance outside of water.

Another word of caution: the Nex camera is small and refined. Put in that enclosure, it becomes huge with buttons rather difficult to adjust. It is worse underwater, where your fingers are slippery, you don't see as well, the button become even harder to press and you lack air. The enclosure is well built, pro enclosures as the one you asked about are even worse (they are even bigger and sturdier to resist more depth). You'll definitely need to train a bit to learn to use the camera.

Something else: put a bag of desiccant in the housing with the camera to prevent fogging.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Another word of caution: the Nex camera is small and refined. Put in that enclosure, it becomes huge with buttons rather difficult to adjust. It is worse underwater, where your fingers are slippery, you don't see as well, the button become even harder to press and you lack air. The enclosure is well built, pro enclosures as the one you asked about are even worse (they are even bigger and sturdier to resist more depth). You'll definitely need to train a bit to learn to use the camera.

Thanks so much, Jerome,

What about using a remote? Can they pick up a signal under water at even 3 ft depth? Or perhaps do they have wired waterproof remotes? Then I could rig up a fixed camera and fire from my computer or iPad!

Asher
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
Radio remotes with video or ethernet transmission typically use 2.4 GHz and that is absorbed by water. So: no, it won't work.

Professional solutions use wires, see here. You could rent that, I suppose. Or you could modify the housing I suggested for the NEX-5 to let a video and remote cable pass. Your nearest hardware store probably has all the necessary components under "plumbing".

Alternatively, you get a huge memory card, program the camera to take pictures as fast as it can and select afterwards. The GoPro can do that out of the box (and comes with the necessary underwater housing), but is a poor photo camera when light is low.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jerome,

If you have a heated public pool conveniently nearby and a cooperative friend, then maybe you could get to test your waterproof setup. However, only if you're planning to check out your system anyway! Meanwhile, I'll see if I can find any NEX underwater images and discussion using that inexpensive housing.

Lighting seems to be a huge concern for underwater photography. There are housings for on camera flash, and then there are purpose designed strobes which seem to be worth looking into.

I can put in several 500 watt lights into the pool using swimming pool fittings mounted on stands and/or or suspend my strobes in a 7 ft dome over the pool. i guess I just need to try. Maybe i'll start with an inexpensive underwater camera protective bag to check out exposure first!

Asher
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
If you have a heated public pool conveniently nearby and a cooperative friend, then maybe you could get to test your waterproof setup.

I am pretty confident that this housing is watertight down to a few meters. It is not my first watertight housing and it is quite well made. Besides, most failures happen when sand or debris get trapped in a seal, not because housings themselves fail.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jerome,

Sony's latest edition for their E-mount NEX line up is a 20mm 2.8 pancake lens. This would be equivalent to 30mm in 35mm terms and a good focal length for close underwater photography of people posed for the shot.


913561.jpg


B&H: 20 mm Pancake Lens, e-mount for NEX cameras


Asher
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
The angle of coverage of a lens changes underwater (read here under "Effect of a flat air-water boundary"), so that your 20mm APS-C lens used underwater will have the same angle as a 45mm full frame lens used in air.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
The angle of coverage of a lens changes underwater (read here under "Effect of a flat air-water boundary"), so that your 20mm APS-C lens used underwater will have the same angle as a 45mm full frame lens used in air.

So to take pictures of whole figures of people, what do you think of this focal length? Seems to me this would be as long as one would want as the pictures need to be taken in fairly close distances. I'd imagine 2 meters or so.

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
May I remind you that most of the images in that thread have been taken with a NEX-5 and 16mm in a similar housing?

Great link and fabulous work, Jerome! This lens has no practical flaws, as far as I'm concerned. Anyone who complains must be stitching electronic nm circuit board on a roller coaster LOL! :)

When you sat, "similar housing" you mean the same item but different brand?

Asher
 
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