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Which camera should I buy for the beginning underwater photography?

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Freediving is always fun :) I love your photos, especially the puffer fish hahah. Thanks for sharing and i'll search more about your camera :)
 
gybassman said:
I've been shooting with a DSLR for many years but have a few friends that have been using the Sony RX-100 Series and have gotten excellent results. My first camera to use while diving was a Canon G Series, I would check those out as well.

Depending on which version of the Sony RX-100 you would get the pricing is between $450 and $998. An Ikelite or Fanatasea housing would be the least expensive way to go and down the road pick up a strobe. The Canon G Series is between $500 and $799.

Check out B&H www.bhphotovideo.com they are an Ikelite dealer as well.

Wetpixel is another great resource where you might find something preowned, its much safer than getting something on Craigslist or Ebay.

Reef Photo in Ft. Lauderdale and Backscatter in Monterey are the two biggest players that could help you out as well.

Trust me a big DSLR rig gets expensive and heavy.
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Sony now makes an UW case that supposedly fits all models of the RX100 and sells for around $300. An RX100 Mk I + the Sony case could be purchased for well under $1K I would think.

As to the OP I would say, first buy yourself a simple used camera like the AW 130, take it out to Hanauma Bay and practice with it, and after you've got the hang of it, spend a little bit of money and go out to Molokini island with Blue Water rafting on Maui to snorkel or practice your free diving with the camera. You'll see more colorful fish of a wider variety than you'll see anywhere else in Hawaii. As others have said, the key to good UW picture taking is knowing your equipment and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

I have owned the Sony A6000 and I now own a Nikon D7200. The Nikon is beyond your budget when you figure in the lens(es) you will need to buy. And the lenses will be huge. The A6000 is well within your budget and the AF is quite decent, if not as good as the AF on the A6300, but you may find it difficult to buy a housing for most Sony lenses. I think there are several housings that can accommodate the E 16-50mm lens, but that's not an especially good lens. The Sony 10-18mm lens, which I own, might be what you want, however, you may not be able to find a housing/port that accommodates that lens.
 
dietaryfibre said:
I will note that, and definitely try this when I got my camera. Your friends look really happy :)
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If you're still on the fence, there's refurbed Nikon J4s available here. Just add a waterproof housing and you're set:

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www.buydig.com

I'd suggest you move quickly, Buydig is known to sell out quickly. And they're a real Nikon dealer.
 
primozp said:
Camera (compact, underwater) Nikon AW130, fins, mask, snorkel, only natural light and without the use of weights!

Me in action :)

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Wow, I am doing the same thing for 15 days every summer, but 14m seem to much to me. I don't think I have ever gone deeper than 6-7m. My ears start to feel pain and I am also out of breath at that point.

From your photos I think I like more the Nikon AW130 and Panasonic FT5 colors... Have you tested the Go Pro? Also from all the cameras you had which was the best?
 
It is better to get a camera with maximum magnification and micro lens. It should also contain wide angle capability.
 
PHXAZCRAIG said:
I know little about mirrorless, but the common wisdom is that AF speed still lags behind a DSLR by a substantial amount.

The only mirrorless I have tried are my Nikon 1 cameras. I bought the first (V1) with the idea that it would be better than the Canon s95 I was using, but I could never find a housing for it. Then I got a V2, but never used it diving. (Marvelously small though). And then I bought a J4 with a Nikon dive housing, because both were on sale for about $300 combined. I did use that underwater once, but the housing was limited, and (in my opinion) the camera was mostly awful (for underwater).
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I've used a Nikon 1 J1 with the Nikon UW housing for both scuba and snorkeling. It's a decent low priced option. The auto focus on the J1 is a hybrid of Phase Detection (DSLR) and Contrast Detection (most P&S cameras), and as long as there is enough light, the J1 will use Phase Detection. I dove with a buddy, me with the J1 and him with a SeaLife camera, and he was missing shots regularly (because of Contrast Detection autofocus) that my little J1 was nailing.

If you can afford a DSLR rig, by all means, go that way, but the little Nikon 1 cams, in the Nikon housing, do a decent job, and they're good to like 150 feet.

Best,

-Tim
 
I also tried a Sony RX100 in a Nauticam housing, and while I found the size and ergonomics of the package to be really nice, the auto-focus drove me nuts. Again, missed many moving subjects (you know, like fish) because I could never get focus.

Best,

-Tim
 
Timmyjoe said:
I also tried a Sony RX100 in a Nauticam housing, and while I found the size and ergonomics of the package to be really nice, the auto-focus drove me nuts. Again, missed many moving subjects (you know, like fish) because I could never get focus.
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Which model RX100?
 
nafik said:
nafik said:
[snip]
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"The biggest problems I've had with my Canon point-n-shoots underwater have been autofocus performance and lack of external flash."

I am sorry to suggest it is probably a technique/skill/camera setting issue.

I dive with Canon compacts since 2004 (beginning with Canon PS A80). I never use external flash underwater and never had an autofocus problems. I get blurry shots just as I do when shooting moving subjects on land with my DSLR, but not enough to blame autofocus.

http://michaelzphoto.smugmug.com/Underwater

Don't get me wrong, Nat Geo never asked for my UW pictures, but a few people did.

--
M.
Nice camera...now show me the pictures.
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This post and your blog should be read by everyone considering a casual venture into underwater photography. Your advice is precious!

I know several people who have spent way more money than necessary to set themselves up for a single vacation trip - just snorkeling - never mind diving. These stories typically end in frustration - mostly due to biting off more than they could chew and not doing their homework in advance. Even those who are successful, bringing home some good shots, end up putting a lot of expensive gear in the closet, where it sits awaiting the next trip - that may not happen for years to come.

--
Mike Davis
http://www.accessz.com
 
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Alan Dewey said:
My #1 recommendation for anyone about to begin to photograph underwater is to order the book "The Underwater Photographer" by Martin Edge. It is 500 pages and only costs $35 or so.

#2 Whatever you do, please please please be sure the camera you get can record images in raw. That is an extremely beneficial thing for UW photography.

Look at www.Magic-Filters.com . Color correcting filters definitely help. Especially in clear water less than 50 feet deep. Definitely a lot less $$ than a strobe, but filters will take a little more time to learn to use.

Filters do not "add red back into the scene". Filters drastically reduce blue and green enough that you can later do color correction (white balance etc.) So filters make you use a much slower shutter speed or much higher iso.

Keep your ears open and you might find some used equipment that can save you a LOT of money.

Think about a budget. If you spend smuch on camera equipment that you can not afford to dive, you won't have fun. If you spend too little on your equipment, you will not be happy with UW photography.

If you can decide that you will start out only shoot wide angle or only shoot macro, you will greatly reduce your initial outlay of cash.
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