EOS m underwater/ water proof solutions is there any good gear for getting under water photo and vid

Psxpetey wrote:

I’d say up to 10m I’ve googled a bit and haven’t come up with much ikelite sea frogs cases but what about m100 cases too? I played with the idea of several ziploc bags too as I’ve done that with phones before.

what kind of underwater success have you had I assume the biggest lens that will fit is the 15-45 show some pictures too if you have any!

Are you asking specifically for the M100?

Basic Ziploc bags won't work, especially at 30m.  Any lens that extends in any way for focus or zoom will get pushed backwards from the water pressure and will fail.  I am not sure about the EF-M 32mm, but all other EF-M lenses extend in some way during use.

I have not done any underwater photography for years, but here are a few generalizations.  Anything more than a few meters of depth and you will start running out of light.  At 30m, auxiliary lighting will likely be essential. You need high shutter speeds and fast AF.  Motion in the water means it is impossible for you or your subjects to hold steady.

30m is getting seriously deep and the pressures are quite high.  At that depth, it is the equivalent of having a 120kg person standing just on the rear LCD of your camera.

Is this a one time vacation or a long term pursuit?  If it is a one time vacation, pick up one of those zip lock camera bags with a lens barrel, but don't go deeper than 5m.  If this is a long term endeavor, get a different camera, a dedicated hard shell housing, some bright lenses, and some auxiliary lighting.

Psxpetey wrote:

I’d say up to 10m I’ve googled a bit and haven’t come up with much ikelite sea frogs cases but what about m100 cases too? I played with the idea of several ziploc bags too as I’ve done that with phones before.

what kind of underwater success have you had I assume the biggest lens that will fit is the 15-45 show some pictures too if you have any!

Presumably you're wanting something for snorkelling, in which case one of the Ewa Marine products might be enough, see

https://www.ewa-marine.com/products/photo/slr/

Lens size shouldn't be a problem. Lighting is the main problem as any flash within 300mm or so of the lens will give terrible backscatter, even in the clearest water, unless you confine yourself to macro. I don't think these cases have flash connections and the underwater flashes fired by the camera's built-in flash only work properly with something like an Olympus Tough or ABS or metal housings. Dome ports to maintain the lens's field of view are likely to be a problem too.

I gave up a few years ago and bought a sea frogs housing for an RX100. An Olympus TG-6 would be even more portable, and still let you shoot RAW too, which gives you some chance at correcting colours. A SeaLife or Ikelite underwater flash triggered by the camera flash will do wonders for underwater colours, but will be bigger and more expensive than that camera. There are underwater LED floodlights for video too.

Good luck.

I’m looking at getting into it starting at no more than 4m maybe 5 max. Anyway I’m aware of the light I believe I stated the m50 first and then asked about the m100 I did not state this was specifically for the m100 I’m curious about options and systems.

the frog one used to have cases for 250$ which would be awesome but when they released stuff for newer systems now it’s 500-780 which is pretty mental

I’ll probably start with a bag with a lens holder for say 2-3m

this would be for choral photography in shore branching into other things later

apparently this is not common so I doubt I’ll see any options or reviews

Psxpetey wrote:

I’m looking at getting into it starting at no more than 4m maybe 5 max. Anyway I’m aware of the light I believe I stated the m50 first and then asked about the m100 I did not state this was specifically for the m100 I’m curious about options and systems.

You never mentioned the M50, only M100

There are some housings available to fit the M50, but you will also need the corresponding port to match your lens.

the frog one used to have cases for 250$ which would be awesome but when they released stuff for newer systems now it’s 500-780 which is pretty mental

Those cheaper housings are typically only for compact cameras with fixed lenses. As soon as you go to interchangeable lens cameras, you generally need a housing with interchangeable ports in order to match the lens you are using.

These are low volume items, and you generally get what you pay for.  The last thing you want to do is try to save $100 on a housing only to have it leak and destroy your $3900 R5 with a $2400 15-35mm f/2.8 attached.

I’ll probably start with a bag with a lens holder for say 2-3m

This would be a good short term solution. The 22mm would probably be the best lens to use starting out. The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 would be another good option.

Alternatively, an Olympus "Tough" camera or Sony RX100 series in a dedicated housing would be good starting points too.  With so many people dropping DSLRs and upgrading to mirrorless, you might be able to find some deals on a used housing and corresponding DSLR kit.

this would be for choral photography in shore branching into other things later

apparently this is not common so I doubt I’ll see any options or reviews

If this will be a long term endeavor, I would suggest that the M system might not be the best starting point. The biggest problem is the lack of wide and bright lenses. Think if something along the lines of a 15-35mm f/2.8 on full frame. The other problem is general support for the system. For example, B&H lists 15 different housings for the R5, but only one for the M50. With Canon phasing out the M system the relatively small number of options that are available for the M system will get even smaller.

You might get some more comprehensive answers over in the underwater photography forum - https://www.dpreview.com/forums/1063

Andy01 wrote:

Psxpetey wrote:

I’d say up to 10m I’ve googled a bit and haven’t come up with much ikelite sea frogs cases but what about m100 cases too? I played with the idea of several ziploc bags too as I’ve done that with phones before.

what kind of underwater success have you had I assume the biggest lens that will fit is the 15-45 show some pictures too if you have any!

A mate overseas has been using a M3 for scuba diving for about 7 years now (obviously with a proper hard-shelled underwater case - not sure which one), and he gets some pretty decent stills and video with it. AFAIK he uses a 8mm lens with a dome port, and proper diving lights so a mini version of a "proper" FF diving kit.

I have taken my M5 underwater (with 22mm) but only for snorkelling, and I used a DicaPac WP-S3 soft case (a fancy bag) and it worked OK (obviously light limited and the usual blue tint as I didn't use a red filter), but they are limited to about 5m though. They are also pretty clumsy to use.

That sounds decent to start out with tho thanks for the jump off point I’m sure I could find a cheap light I’d start out snorkeling at first just quick dives to 4-5m

nnowak wrote:

Psxpetey wrote:

I’m looking at getting into it starting at no more than 4m maybe 5 max. Anyway I’m aware of the light I believe I stated the m50 first and then asked about the m100 I did not state this was specifically for the m100 I’m curious about options and systems.

You never mentioned the M50, only M100

There are some housings available to fit the M50, but you will also need the corresponding port to match your lens.

the frog one used to have cases for 250$ which would be awesome but when they released stuff for newer systems now it’s 500-780 which is pretty mental

Those cheaper housings are typically only for compact cameras with fixed lenses. As soon as you go to interchangeable lens cameras, you generally need a housing with interchangeable ports in order to match the lens you are using.

These are low volume items, and you generally get what you pay for. The last thing you want to do is try to save $100 on a housing only to have it leak and destroy your $3900 R5 with a $2400 15-35mm f/2.8 attached.

I’ll probably start with a bag with a lens holder for say 2-3m

This would be a good short term solution. The 22mm would probably be the best lens to use starting out. The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 would be another good option.

Alternatively, an Olympus "Tough" camera or Sony RX100 series in a dedicated housing would be good starting points too. With so many people dropping DSLRs and upgrading to mirrorless, you might be able to find some deals on a used housing and corresponding DSLR kit.

this would be for choral photography in shore branching into other things later

apparently this is not common so I doubt I’ll see any options or reviews

If this will be a long term endeavor, I would suggest that the M system might not be the best starting point. The biggest problem is the lack of wide and bright lenses. Think if something along the lines of a 15-35mm f/2.8 on full frame. The other problem is general support for the system. For example, B&H lists 15 different housings for the R5, but only one for the M50. With Canon phasing out the M system the relatively small number of options that are available for the M system will get even smaller.

You might get some more comprehensive answers over in the underwater photography forum - https://www.dpreview.com/forums/1063

True I forgot to mention the m50 but those housing I mentioned don’t make m100 housings so that’s why I said “too”. Lenses aren’t a problem that easy since you would be swapping the front you could adapt efs or ef but I’d start with 22mm

yes maybe it won’t be a good starting point but they are cheap and I have them lol I wouldn’t want to start with eos r or something expensive, just a cheap light and a cheap case definitely sub 500 which is why I mentioned the above cases for some reason on eos m they went from a great price to absolutely silly in the next gen.

22mm and 32mm are fast and there are viltrox lenses at different mm as well that are powered at 1.4. Id prefer a hard case but I’ll probably have to start with a bag

8mm is pretty wide I assume it’s Manual or ef I’ve never found a 8mm powered efm

Oh yes you’d want as wide as possible to catch as much as you can especially with a school of fish