Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips: Underwater Photography Forum: Digital Photography Review

Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

Started Dec 16, 2019 | Questions

Ash_pash • New Member • Posts: 2

Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

Dec 16, 2019

hello,

I have a Canon 70D with the following lenses:

10-18mm wide angle

twin kit lense

nifty fifty

I used to do a lot of hobby photography years ago with my old 450D, then i upgraded to 70D a few years ago and i haven't actually gotten into it that much, but i'd now like to start making more time for photography again, specifically ocean/surf photography.

I would like to know what your suggestions are for recommended underwater housing? Im thinking of the aquatech base II

https://au.aquatech.net/products/base-ii-housing-kit-for-canon?variant=18738420744288

what housing would you recommend for a beginner? i want something that is reasonably decent to use so i dont have to upgrade again anytime soon. whats usually the best place to buy water housings online for best price? also what accessories would you recommend that i purchase with the housing?

what lenses do you recommend? is any that i have sufficient, or should i get another lense?

thanks so much!!

Ashley

Gold Coast, Australia

ANSWER:

This question has not been answered yet.

Canon EOS 450D (EOS Rebel XSi / EOS Kiss X2) Canon EOS 70D

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PHXAZCRAIG • Forum Pro • Posts: 19,651

Re: Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

In reply to Ash_pash • Dec 16, 2019

"What housing for a beginner."

Are you a beginner diver or beginner photographer here? It can make a big difference how much diving experience you have.

A beginner housing, in my opinion, should be one that a beginner can ignore while concentrating on important diving stuff. That argues for a housing that does not have handles nor need to be held with two hands. Better to have a point-n-shoot housing with a wrist strap that can simply dangle from a wrist when you need to concentrate on something important.

I used to recommend a Canon point-n-shoot with matching Canon housing. I've had a bunch over the years:

SD603

SD870is (two)

s95

s120

Each of these rigs cost between $400 and $500 for both camera and housing, new. Problem is, this class of camera has been wiped out by cellphones.

Now I think the best bet is probably the Kraken smartphone housing for about $300.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5bKyYFO7dM

If you primarily want video, consider a Gopro. Also consider that they are almost universally panned for still image quality.

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www.cjcphoto.net
"In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they're not."

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Aquadrone • Forum Member • Posts: 85

Re: Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

In reply to Ash_pash • Dec 17, 2019

I would suggest ditching the "dinosaur" and moving over to this century gear XD
A perfect match is either A6xxx or Rx1xx cameras because they have some tailor suited camera housings for them.

Take a look here:

https://seafrogs.com.hk/collections/a6xxx-salted-line - A6000, A6100, A6300, A6400, A6500

https://seafrogs.com.hk/collections/rx1xx-salted-line - RX100 III, RX100 IV, RX100 V, RX100 VI, RX100 VII

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Mark B. • Forum Pro • Posts: 29,751

Re: Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

In reply to Aquadrone • Dec 17, 2019

Aquadrone wrote:

I would suggest ditching the "dinosaur" and moving over to this century gear XD
A perfect match is either A6xxx or Rx1xx cameras because they have some tailor suited camera housings for them.

Take a look here:

https://seafrogs.com.hk/collections/a6xxx-salted-line - A6000, A6100, A6300, A6400, A6500

https://seafrogs.com.hk/collections/rx1xx-salted-line - RX100 III, RX100 IV, RX100 V, RX100 VI, RX100 VII

While the 70D may not be the newest Canon DSLR, you do realize that not only was it produced in "this century" it was produced in this decade. I know you're being sarcastic, but good grief...

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kelpdiver • Veteran Member • Posts: 5,564

Re: Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

In reply to Mark B. • Dec 18, 2019

Mark B. wrote:

While the 70D may not be the newest Canon DSLR, you do realize that not only was it produced in "this century" it was produced in this decade. I know you're being sarcastic, but good grief...

Indeed.

And Craig, you didn't really read her ask, which is something for surf photography. A compact camera would be utterly useless for that, even a good one. Needs to have quick AF and it really needs to be paired to an 8" dome as there's going to be over/under action.

But Ashley - housings are expensive and are usually specific to a single camera model. So you may do better looking for someone's complete, used kit they are looking to sell because they bought a new one. The price could be better than a new housing for your 70d (and if you buy a housing for an older model, you should look to buy a second camera before it disappears from the used market)

And when you said ocean/surf photography, that left it a bit vague on what you mean by ocean? Topside in the spray zone, or truly underwater on scuba?

Are there fellow surf photogs you can consult about lens choices? That's out of our wheelhouse.

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Boludo • Forum Member • Posts: 66

Re: Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

In reply to kelpdiver • Dec 20, 2019

I second what kelpdiver said and will add some thoughts here. I am by no means a pro photog, just an average joe that loves being in the ocean, surf, and taking lots of pictures. I purchased the aquatech about 2 years ago and the D500 has been around for a while now and while there are much much better cameras out there, it perfectly does the job for me. I would love to shoot more in the surf but living in California my hands get really cold to a point that it's difficult to hit the shutter.

I do not regret one bit with the somewhat expensive investment of aquatech, ports, lenses, etc... I have an absolutely blast and if I lived in Australia, i'd be all over it. I will say this between sport and elite, if you can afford the elite go for it, if not it will be fine. I find myself constantly making aperture and shutter adjustments on the fly. I would not like to be locked into one setting and the elite gives you so much flexibility.

What's interesting is that I thought I would be taking more surf photos when in return I ended up just taking more random underwater shots. So, my response is if you love photography and don't mind spending the money, go for it! I find with good equipment you tend to get more excited to use it. The aquatech setups are very easy to use and so far my equipment has always stayed dry.

I've only used 3 lenses:

1. Nikkor 8-15 fisheye. Love the lens but you are very limited with watershots.

2. 50mm 1.8 Nikkor: It's okay. Seems a bit slow but does okay above water, like for surfing. Not good underwater.

3. Sigma 18-35mm 1.8: My new favorite one. Wish I had this one for Fiji but found I used it 90% of the time in Hawaii.

I love all the beautiful work that people show from the macro lenses but I just enjoy more wide angle stuff.

I like the flat dome ports better than my dome ones. If you ever use the dome ones above water it's very challenging. Water loves to stick to it no matter how much you lick that dome.

Here are a few shots of the D500 with Aquatech setup. I've sized them all down from original RAW format so files aren't so huge. Again, super fun and am loving it. For me it's about capturing these moments with my family and this lets me do it. You'll see shots with my daughter and she uses the AxisGo with her iphoneX and has some great footage considering limitations of a phone.

Like KelpDiver said, look for used if you can since these things are built like tanks. If you can't find it used, I would go for it. I had a cheaper underwater case for an A6000 that did the job but too many limitations with the camera and housing and I didn't enjoy it to a fraction of what I do now.

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PHXAZCRAIG • Forum Pro • Posts: 19,651

Re: Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

In reply to Boludo • Dec 22, 2019

That's one of the best Eagle Ray shots I've seen! Some nice shots there.

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Phoenix Arizona Craig
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"In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they're not."

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Boludo • Forum Member • Posts: 66

Re: Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

In reply to PHXAZCRAIG • Dec 23, 2019

Thanks Craig! Saw lots of spotted eagles up close. Some have the tribal tattoo on the underside while others don't. Never did research as to why that is. Beautiful watching them fly underwater.

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asdf photographer • Regular Member • Posts: 258

Re: RX100 & MEIKON

In reply to Ash_pash • Dec 28, 2019

I'd recommend a first or second gen rx100 with a cheap meikon / eachshot (etc) housing. This will get anyone out in the lineup with great results and not much money. The cheaper fixed hinged "dive" housings are bomb proof.

I'm amazed at the results I get over my regular $$$$ housing. I actually prefer it when shooting surfers at a distance, has a really nice easy to use zoom and in good lighting, has decent IQ.

Avoid the salted or seafrogs housings that have the removable backplate and double latch, as I found they leak and aren't suitable for surf.

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daveco2 • Contributing Member • Posts: 953

Re: RX100 & MEIKON

In reply to asdf photographer • Dec 29, 2019

I have two Seafrogs housings: a double clasp for my a6500 and a hinged type for my a7rII. Each has about 20 dives. So far, no problems with leaks. However, each has small problems with getting all the buttons to work correctly, which requires some handiwork to correct.

daveco2's gear list:daveco2's gear list

Sony RX100 Sony a7R II Sony a7R III

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asdf photographer • Regular Member • Posts: 258

Re: RX100 & MEIKON

In reply to daveco2 • Dec 29, 2019

I had the same experience with both seafrogs triggered housings I bought, they worked great in still water. But in relatively calm surf (i.e. shooting surfing from the channel), complete disaster. I have the vacuum, too.

The hinged RX100/a6000 housings I've take in crazy conditions and never a problem.

The buttons are problematic, sometimes they don't line up perfectly and also sand sneaks in behind.

asdf photographer's gear list:asdf photographer's gear list

HP Photosmart 320 Ricoh Caplio G3 Samsung Digimax 130 +1 more

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Der Fotograf • Forum Member • Posts: 53

Re: Ocean/surf photography equipment & tips

In reply to Ash_pash • Jan 27, 2020

Hi Ash,

The Aquatech Housing you refer to is a perfect start.
I use various Aquatech Housings and also one for the 70D. Keep in mind you need the right port for the lens you want to use. The 50mm is what I would start with, but that is just a personal preference.

Ash_pash wrote:

hello,

I have a Canon 70D with the following lenses:

10-18mm wide angle

twin kit lense

nifty fifty

I used to do a lot of hobby photography years ago with my old 450D, then i upgraded to 70D a few years ago and i haven't actually gotten into it that much, but i'd now like to start making more time for photography again, specifically ocean/surf photography.

I would like to know what your suggestions are for recommended underwater housing? Im thinking of the aquatech base II

https://au.aquatech.net/products/base-ii-housing-kit-for-canon?variant=18738420744288

what housing would you recommend for a beginner? i want something that is reasonably decent to use so i dont have to upgrade again anytime soon. whats usually the best place to buy water housings online for best price? also what accessories would you recommend that i purchase with the housing?

what lenses do you recommend? is any that i have sufficient, or should i get another lense?

thanks so much!!

Ashley

Gold Coast, Australia

Der Fotograf's gear list:Der Fotograf's gear list

Canon PowerShot G15 Fujifilm X100T Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 70D Canon EOS 5D Mark IV +18 more

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