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Underwater camera setup

Started Jan 24, 2022 | Discussions thread
Barmaglot_07 Contributing Member • Posts: 633
Re: Conclusions

SafariBob wrote:

Barmaglot_07 wrote:

16-35mm really needs a 230mm or large dome for decent quality across the frame, and SeaFrogs simply doesn't have one.

there is an 8inch dome from what I understand?

Yes, and I have it - it's closer to 180mm in diameter (though it may be a section of an 8-inch sphere, I'm not sure), and I feel it's marginal with my 10-18mm on a crop sensor. 230mm ports from Zen, Nauticam, etc, are much bigger (you don't really appreciate by how much until you hold one) and even they struggle with ultrawide rectilinear lenses on full-frame cameras. See my other post in this thread for examples.

i am a very dedicated photographer, and don’t mind going the extra mile to make things work.

In that case, don SCUBA (better yet, CCR) and bring strobes. No way around that.

If you want good quality underwater photos, don SCUBA and bring strobes; there's no way around that.

That’s probably true for macro shots and schools or singular fish from the underside, but I am hoping there will be different more reef/coral oriented and possible over under in a snorkeling session, and anyway, extremely excited to try. Will be going to Catalina soon for first attempt

The golden rules of underwater photography are 'get close, and then get closer', and 'shoot upwards'. Neither is possible while snorkeling, and both are very difficult when breath-hold free-diving. Downward-looking shots don't bring any exciting perspective; they're just the hallmark of a beginner who doesn't really know what they're doing. Get a copy of Martin Edge's 'The Underwater Photographer', that'll give you a good start. Cutting corners and trying to reinvent the wheel only results in lost time and wasted money.

 Barmaglot_07's gear list:Barmaglot_07's gear list
Sony a6300 Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS LE Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS +5 more
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