underwater pictures

[Photobomber128]

This very well may be a stupid question.... but I am going to throw it into the universe: What do you all use to take underwater pictures?

 

[qleak]

Hmm I don't take underwater photos because I don't trust the underwater cases that are within my budget. That and I live 500 miles from the ocean, it's all murky goo where I live.

If money were no object and I was scuba certified and lived near a coral reef I'd probably go for ikelite.

Perhaps I'm just uptight, but some of the $6-$100 solutions look like I'd be trusting my camera in a zip-lock bag.

 

[Photobomber128]

underwater cases scare the pants off of me! They seem too good to be true. I might just try a phone case and hope for the best

 

[Designer]

If you're going to try this anyway, look for an underwater camera. One that is already designed and protected for that purpose, rather than trying to fit some waterproof case on your expensive camera.

 

[tirediron]

Nothing stupid about it all, BUT.. more detail would help. What sort of camera(s) and len(es) would you use? What would you be photographing and where? How deep would the water be that you're working in? You can go from a $200 "waterproof" P&S which is fine for splashing around the shallows at the beach, to $10,000+ waterproof housings & strobe-setups.

 

[Jerry_]

Tirediron made the good point - in order to give you a good advice it is important to know what you intend to do and what your budget is.

If you already have a camera and are not afraid to use your camera in an underwater case, get yourself a good one (Ikelite and Nauticam are brands that have a good reputation), but always consider that flodding is a posible accident. Usually a quality housing costs more than the camerabody that it is designed for.

In order to answer your initial question: I know some people using a Nikon D4s in a housing for undewater photography, while I, for occasional underwater photography, am using a Nikon S9100 in an Ikelite housing (good down to 40m/120ft), combined with two dedicated underwater lights with an 90 degree opening.

 

[RichieT]

I use a Fuji Finepix XP100 which is rated to about as deep as I would snorkle, about 30'.

 

[Photobomber128]

oh wow!!! those are really good!

 

[Photobomber128]

nothing crazy and I wouldn't need anything for more than 1 foot of water. This Fuji looks great!

 

[tirediron]

nothing crazy and I wouldn't need anything for more than 1 foot of water. This Fuji looks great!

Just head down to your nearest big-box electronics store, see which cameras they have which are rated IPX7 and pick the one you like best.

 

[qleak]

Just head down to your nearest big-box electronics store, see which cameras they have which are rated IPX7 and pick the one you like best.

Hell the Samsung Galaxy S5 has an IP67 rating (the 6 means it's dust resistant too). I don't think I'll be trying this anytime soon! I need a working phone and view the waterproofing as more of a backup

 

[A/Ox4]

You have to be very wary of things that tout an IP67 or greater rating. I've seen some very not water resistant (remember, never water PROOF) items that were "rated" IP67. However, these items are usually Hencho En China.