Approaching this too casually?

Hi guys, I hope this question is ok to ask here. I'm just looking to get the most out of my smartphone underwater.

I had the TG-5 over the summer , but ultimately decided to sell it because it felt too niche for me, and regarding IQ, not a big enough upgrade over my smartphone (and a definite downgrade compared to my cropped sensor cameras). I'm going to the Caribbean this Xmas, and I think I can get away with just using my iPhone underwater (I'll shoot with my other cameras on land), but I'm having some doubts.

I'll admit I'm not too serious about underwater photography. This really only happens a handful of days a year for me, after all. But I definitely do want some pics while snorkeling. I just like casual shots of the blue water, some coral, shots of the beach from afar, and of course my girlfriend swimming with the tropical backdrop. Maybe I'll try to scuba dive too, but I don't know if the iPhone could handle that.

The SeaLife DC2000 still intrigues me (for its sensor and fixed focal length), but I still don't think I want a dedicated underwater camera, because my non-rugged cameras are what I shoot with 99% of the time.

What I'm really wondering is what kind of casing I should invest in for my iPhone. The iPhone 11 Pro is IP68 up to 4 meters for 30 min, and technically this should cover me. But the saltiness of the water worries me still, as does dropping the phone in the sea. So I'm considering the Catalyst Waterproof case. Or I could go bigger still and get an AxisGo case - it does seem like more than I really need, though. Or maybe there are even cheaper options that would work just fine?

I'd love to hear people's thoughts about Catalyst, AxisGo, various alternatives, and even the Sealife DC2000, from the perspective of a typical travel/street/landscape photographer. If there was really a housing for my Fuji X100F or Panasonic GX9, maybe I'd consider that, but then I start fussing about packing and extra things (from my rather minimalist perspective).

Thanks!

Look at Weefine (Kraken if you're in North America) Smart Housing. To use it, you run an app on your phone, connect to the housing via bluetooth, and then use buttons on the housing to control the phone. It is made out of aluminum and rated to 80 meters, so you can use it for scuba diving. It also comes with a vacuum system, which significantly reduces chances of flooding - important when you use it with an expensive phone that has lots of valuable data on it. There is a version that includes a pressure sensor, in which case your housed phone doubles as a dive computer.

I'm not familiar with either of the cases that you referenced, but the Catalyst one doesn't look like it would provide much more than splash protection. AxisGo is made by Aquatech, a well-known manufacturer of surf housings, but it's only rated to 10 meters, so it won't stand up to pressures of a scuba dive. It also doesn't have a vacuum system to validate the seal.

Keep in mind that the high-quality underwater photos that you see are almost invariably taken with strobes. These strobes add significant weight, bulk and expense to your rig, and - this is the important part - phones, with their lack of a mechanical shutter, cannot sync with strobes, so if you take photos with a phone, you will be limited to natural light or an LED torch.

There is a relatively inexpensive housing for your X100F (link), but it is one of Meikon's older models which lacks a vacuum port or double main door seal. Also, the fixed 35mm focal length of the X100F is somewhat limited for underwater photography - it is neither wide enough for true wide-angle (and even wet wide lenses will be limited by it, as they typically target 28mm or 24mm focal lengths) nor long enough for macro with diopters. Housing your GX9 is also possible, but this route will quickly take you into the four figures and multiple suitcases territory.

Hey thanks for the input! I think the Weefine Smart Housing is more than I really need - again, I'm not actually a diver, and I won't invest more than a couple hundred toward this goal. I do realize this will limit my photos considerably, but I'm not quite trying to get those amazing results achievable only with a strobe.

I'm really just looking for snorkeling options, to wear my phone on my wrist, and assure that it doesn't suffer from saltwater exposure. I think vacuum sealing is more than I need at this point.

The X100F housing does intrigue me, but again, probably more kit augmentation than I'm looking for. Thanks tho!

It's actually the shallow depths that are the most dangerous - o-ring seals work best when squeezed tight, and on the surface, the housing latch is the only thing putting pressure on the seal, leading to the danger of a stray bump opening a path for water intrusion - and regardless of what Apple says, I would not expose a phone of any kind to saltwater immersion, not unless I considered it to be completely disposable. Vacuum systems, in addition to their primary function (signaling if air leaks in, which lets you know that the housing is not properly sealed) mitigate this issue by making the atmospheric air or shallow water exert significant pressure on the housing door, sealing it tight against the o-ring(s) - when a housing is evacuated, opening its door (with the latches open) ranges from difficult to completely impossible because the air squeezes it closed with a force of dozens to hundreds of kilograms, depending on door size and internal pressure.

Leave your iPhone on the surface. Get a used Canon or Sony camera, and corresponding waterproof hardshell housing. Yes, you won't be able to send the photos to social media right away, but your phone also won't be lost in case there's a leak in the case. The kit is still fairly small and travels well, too.

James809 wrote:

Leave your iPhone on the surface. Get a used Canon or Sony camera, and corresponding waterproof hardshell housing. Yes, you won't be able to send the photos to social media right away, but your phone also won't be lost in case there's a leak in the case. The kit is still fairly small and travels well, too.

The issue for me isn’t social media immediacy. It’s having a small overall kit with minimal niche parts. another major camera does not interest me (on top of the Fuji and Panasonic bodies I already have), and if I have to buy another piece of gear, I’d like it to serve a purpose beyond the few days a year I’m in the ocean.

I’ve decided to get a GoPro Hero 8. I’ve never had an action cam, but I like that it can do super stabilized video and take decent enough pics underwater. It’s super compact/portable as well, so it can serve many random functions (dash-cam, time lapse, etc). And this new model doesn’t need housing or anything.

Like I said: my goal is to find the simplest solution to my basic desire for casual underwater pics - not to actually, properly get into diving or underwater photography. It’s like buying snorkel gear: I’m not gonna do that for the few vacations that might necessitate it, largely because I don’t want to pack and travel with more things. First and foremost I’m a minimalist one-bag carry-on traveler. My camera kit reflects this. I still wish there was a solution with my phone.

Actually I wish there were housings and kits to rent at the water, where I could even just use my SD card!

kelpdiver wrote:

the main problem with the iphone route is not the photography, which it does decently well. It's that if you do flood it, the inconvenience factor is much larger. Even on vacation, most rely on their phone for some amount of communication or information, even if just relying on wifi hot spots. They're also now running considerably more expensive than say the TG-6, which is on holiday sales right now for 350.

A housing that says it's good to 4m is essentially worthless for ocean use. It isn't even guaranteed to be safe in a swimming pool. Understand that when it (or watches) give their depth rating, it's for static pressure. When you dive down (or drop it), the housing experiences dynamic pressure which is why watches with 50m ratings really don't fare well for divers, even though it's beyond the recreational limit for divers. Also, this depth rating presumes clean seals - a single hair or grains of sand can compromise it. For those using it once every couple years, much higher chance of screwing it up. (sadly, that's true for the tough cameras as well)

So you need to spend a bit more than whatever that runs. I suspect > 100. And at that point, the TG starts looking better again. Now if you have an older iphone you no longer use, that would be a fine candidate.

Can also consider the recent generations of gopros.

I’ve decided to get the latest GoPro. Never had one before, but kind of excited to try it out. The price is about the same as the TG, same sensor as well, but more versatile. I can imagine using it for other purposes on land, whereas the TG I cannot.