Post your best UNDERWATER cruise pictures

[Lsimon]

The Oly 770SW is on my short list. Specs are better than the Pentax and image quality seems to be well above the older 720SW (which was an issue for me). If you're not doing any serious diving and don't expect to snorkel deeper than 30 ft., the Oly will do quite well.

 

After a lot of research, I've decided to get one for casual snorkeling and dusty/wet environments instead of a case for my Canon SD800IS (which will remain my all-the-time camera). The Oly uses xD Picture Cards (be aware if you have SD cards that you were intending to use). I have a good supply of large capacity SD cards for the Canon but a 2GB xD card is only about $35 and I figure that's all I'd need for my purposes.

 

Hope my humble opinion helps...

 

Dave

 

I'd like to hear how you like the Olympus. It sure would be nice to have a boat/beach/snorkeling camera that doesn't need a case. I've seem some that are OK for 5 or 10 feet but not 30. I do dive down 15 or 20 feet or so while snorkeling but I dont think I ever go deeper than that.

 

For different reasons I'm also thinking of getting the Canon SD800. My main camera right now is a Panasonic Lumix FZ5. While it is a nice camera it really isn't "pocket-able" and I'd like a smaller camera to use on our trip to Europe. The Canon's seem to have a pretty good reputation, and I like the wide angle lens on the SD800.

[bruce-r]

The Oly uses xD Picture Cards (be aware if you have SD cards that you were intending to use). I have a good supply of large capacity SD cards for the Canon but a 2GB xD card is only about $35 and I figure that's all I'd need for my purposes.

One other thing to consider, fewer card readers accommodate the xD cards, so you might need a new one.

[Lsimon]

The Oly 770SW is on my short list. Specs are better than the Pentax and image quality seems to be well above the older 720SW (which was an issue for me). If you're not doing any serious diving and don't expect to snorkel deeper than 30 ft., the Oly will do quite well.

 

After a lot of research, I've decided to get one for casual snorkeling and dusty/wet environments instead of a case for my Canon SD800IS (which will remain my all-the-time camera).

 

Dave - You might want to look at some reviews of the 770sw. User comments on DP REview show several that have done snorkeling and/or had it in the sea with waves have had leakage and a useles camera.

LooK HERE

And HERE

 

The concept sounds nice, but I think I'd trust a marine case more.

[pierces]

Dave - You might want to look at some reviews of the 770sw. User comments on DP REview show several that have done snorkeling and/or had it in the sea with waves have had leakage and a useles camera.

LooK HERE

And HERE

 

The concept sounds nice, but I think I'd trust a marine case more.

 

I find myself swayed....

 

I went and looked at several review sites and forums and found similar comments. Since this camera is quite new, I hadn't seen much other than the specs and hands-on first looks. I also found some heavy whacking of the Sea-Life DC-500 (very waterproof, but so-so mages) which was another candidate.

 

I hate to risk the constant use of my SD800 for the minimal amount of water-related stuff we do, so maybe a second lower-end compact with a UW case would be the way to go. I could get a Canon SD1000 with a WP-DC13 case for about the same price as the 770SW and I wouldn't have to venture into another card format.

 

I'll post my end result when I decide.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Dave

[pierces]

One other thing to consider, fewer card readers accommodate the xD cards, so you might need a new one.

 

I've got the hardware to read most anything, but I agree with your caveat and the fewer formats you have to deal with, the better!

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[kiwihotchocolate]

Thanks again for the great advice!

 

I won't be doing any diving on this cruise, just some casual snorkeling, a stingray encounter and a cave tubing excursion in Belize.

 

These seem to be my options:

(Prices based on Amazon for simplicity.)

I've looked at sample photos taken with each type of camera, although I'm having a hard time finding underwater photos taken with the PowerShot.

1. Pentax Optio W30. About $245. Photo quality seems iffy.
   
2. Olympus 770SW. About $325. Photo quality seems better. Flooding issues present. Some complaints about delays between photos. Would need new memory cards and possibly new card reader.
   
3. Canon PowerShot SD1000 with WP-DC13 Waterproof Case. About $380 for both. Good reviews on Amazon. Some complaints about with blurry photos. Any feedback?

Again, I'm a 16-year-old going on a cruise and hoping to take some decent underwater photos. I've been spoiled with my Digital Rebel. Since I'm on a limited budget, I want to make sure I get the most for my money. I also need to decide within the day or so, as our cruise leaves July 29!!

 

Tricia

[pierces]

1. Iffy indeed

 

2. As mentioned above, reviews made me abandon.

 

3. I would bet they forgot the silica gel desiccant packets and got condensation on the lens port. Or. as with any digital camera underwater, people forget that water absorbs a lot of light and they need to bump the ISO higher to speed up the shutter speed. Unless you are in very shallow water and the sun is high, you will lose light very quickly. Motion blurring isn't only a dry land issue.

 

I vote for 3.

 

Don't forget the desiccant and the grease for the o-ring seal!

 

And...have fun!

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

[kiwihotchocolate]

I had to make a decision and went ahead with Option 3.

 

Just ordered the WP-DC13 Waterproof Case. Will pick up the Canon PowerShot tonight or tomorrow from the store. So -- camera, case, silica gel desiccant packets and grease for the o-ring seal. Anything else? I'm obviously new at this. :) Thanks again for the help!!

 

Tricia

[pierces]

I had to make a decision and went ahead with Option 3.

 

Just ordered the WP-DC13 Waterproof Case. Will pick up the Canon PowerShot tonight or tomorrow from the store. So -- camera, case, silica gel desiccant packets and grease for the o-ring seal. Anything else? I'm obviously new at this. :) Thanks again for the help!!

 

Tricia

 

Hopefully bruce-r will see this an reply too...

 

Manufacturing tolerances are pretty good on Canon products, but you may want to seal the housing up and send it to the bottom of a pool or, at least, a bathtub for a while...just to be safe.

 

You will get grease and probably silica gel with the case. The silica gel packet that comes in the camera box will work if there is room. Packs of silica gel for diving are pretty thin. If they get moist from condensation, you can put them in a warm dry place for a while and re-use them when they dry out. You don't use a lot of it, but when you run out, replacement silicone grease can be picked up at any good scuba supply, camera shop or, of course, online.

 

Use the widest angle on you camera. Water distorts and makes things seem about 33% closer anyway. The lens is also faster at the wide end.

 

The deeper you go, the bluer it gets...fast! Flash fixes this, but may cause a lot of back-scatter (spots of light) from particles floating in the water. Try it with flash off too. The SD1000 actually has an Underwater setting in the scene selections in auto mode. Try it!

 

Set the camera for continuous shooting mode. If you see a fish or something, just hold the shutter down and take 2-3 shots in a row. This ups your chances of a good shot.

 

Practice pointing the camera to aim it without using the LCD. If that works out for you, turn off the LCD preview and instant review on your LCD. It saves a lot of power. You won't be able to see it all that well anyway. You can always take a break and look at them. This isn't a must and if you find that framing with the LCD is better, it will still last a long time between charges.

 

Big card and no (or as little as possible) LCD = a lot of shots for the day. DO NOT open the case to change the battery or card without washing it in fresh water and drying it thoroughly first. The o-ring and groove needs to be cleaned and re-greased before sealing it again. ANY sand in the seal is probably a death sentence for your camera. Prep it before you go out and unload it, clean the case and recharge at the end of the day. The camera should be good for hundreds of shots per day and this is sooooo much better than a 36 exposure roll of film!

 

When you surface, shake or blow the big drops off of the lens port. They will show up big-time if you shoot above the water.

 

Don't forget movie mode! (eats card space!)

 

If someone on the tour is attacked by a predator, don't panic! Keep snapping away...those photos will be worth a fortune!

 

 

Kidding on that last bit...

 

DON'T FORGET TO POST WHEN YOU GET BACK!

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

[Lsimon]

...Practice pointing the camera to aim it without using the LCD. If that works out for you, turn off the LCD preview and instant review on your LCD. It saves a lot of power. You won't be able to see it all that well anyway. You can always take a break and look at them. This isn't a must and if you find that framing with the LCD is better, it will still last a long time between charges.....

 

Dave Thanks, for some reason I never thought turning the LCD off to conserve battery life. Needless to say it is a royal pain when the battery wears out and you're out in the water and need to put a new battery in! My Camera is an older one with a very small LCD - so it is pretty much useless when I'm snorkeling anyways.

[bruce-r]

Dave did a pretty good job covering all the main points. I can only add a few things. If you camera doesn't take a propriatary Lithium/Ion battery, get a couple of sets of high power NiMH batteries from http://www.thomasdistributing.com/ A freshly charged set should last a couple of dives even with the LCD on and the flash forced on.

 

Use the silicon grease very sparingly. The rubber O-ring only needs a very light coating. I don't take my O-ring off and clean it every time I open the housing either, but I do check the grove where the O-ring seals to make sure there is nothing there. Hair can be a very bad thing if caught there. I use a q-tip to clean out the grove. I like to seal my camera into the housing in a climate controlled environment, one with a low humdity. Also don't use the silica packets and have had a fogging issue only one time, and that was on a cold water dive in the Puget Sound. The fogging issue went away after about 10 minutes. I'm not saying don't use them, just that I don't. I think most people do use them.

[cruzegirl]

I think all the important/good points have been covered... I'm with Bruce. I put my camera in and housing together in my home, not on the boat or on the beach. Both for making sure nothing gets in the housing or around the O-ring but for control as well....

I ALWAYS use the silica packs. Both to absorb condensation as I dive in cold water but also, if you should somehow have a leak, you'll notice the silica pack expand and stop everything.... Turn the camera off, rinse and then dry and hope no damage was done to the camera.

 

The other thing I do with a new housing is put it all together (O-ring/silica packs) then dunk it in a bucket and make sure no water goes in the housing. That way you can be pretty sure your housing is good without testing it on a camera for the first time and finding out the hard way that it's faulty.:rolleyes:

[pierces]

If you camera doesn't take a propriatary Lithium/Ion battery, get a couple of sets of high power NiMH batteries from http://www.thomasdistributing.com/ A freshly charged set should last a couple of dives even with the LCD on and the flash forced on.

 

 

Bruce,

 

The SD1000 takes a LiOn. She's covered.

 

Dave

[scubaran]

Hi all,

 

I've been lurking in this thread as I update my underwater website with pictures from my cruise trips to the Caribbean this winter. I've posted a few here for your viewing pleasure and you can see about 400 more on my personal underwater picture website: http://www.randallgamby.com. BTW, I use a Canon A620 point and shoot with a single strobe that triggers off my flash. Start with the Caribbean 2007 pictures link to see my latest pictures. Any questions or comments feel free to reply back to me here or on my website.

 

Thanks and hope you enjoy,

Randall

 

Two four-eye butterfly fish

 

A rare Quillfin Blenny

 

 

A Hawksbill Turtle that I interupted eating his lunch (a sponge)

 

 

A Trumpetfish

[pierces]

Scubaran: Very nice! I'm not a water fan, but we're doing a NZ-Hawaii repositioner next year that stops in Tahiti, Bora Bora and the Cook Islands. I plan on picking up a small UW rig and giving it a try. The fact that you used an A620 to get these photos is rather inspirational to a newbie like me.

 

Dave

[scubaran]

Scubaran: Very nice! I'm not a water fan, but we're doing a NZ-Hawaii repositioner next year that stops in Tahiti, Bora Bora and the Cook Islands. I plan on picking up a small UW rig and giving it a try. The fact that you used an A620 to get these photos is rather inspirational to a newbie like me.

 

Dave

 

Hi,

 

I hope you do better than me when I first started. Some suggestions on what I would have done if I were a newbie again:

 

Start with a strobe. The small, trigger of flash strobes, are about the cost of the enclosure. The difference they make is enormous!

 

Read up on good composure and how to shoot underwater (I recommend Master Guide for Underwater Digital Photography and Digital Imaging for the Underwater Photographer by Jack Drafahl). Also go to wetpixel.com to get additional underwater photography information.

 

Next get the Reef {fish, creatures} Identification books {for the area you're diving} by Gerald Allen, Roger Steene, Paul Humann, Ned DeLoach as they not only tell you what your looking at, but the habitates, rareity, and how to approach them. This has been invaluable for me to understand how to approach my underwater subjects close enough to get their picture (my goal is to have every picture they have in the books :) ).

 

Next of course is your scuba/snorkeling skills - slow, steady, feeling comfortable in the water, minimizing your bubbles, bouyancy, and knowing how to approach your subject is 90% of what it takes to get a good picture (you wouldn't run straight at a lion to get their picture, why would anything in the water be any different).

 

Look, look, look. I don't know how many times I got a picture of something neat to find my buddy booking across the reef heading to who knows where. I look in every crevass, hole and underhang to find where things are hiding. Sometimes I won't leave a 10ft. area of the reef on a whole tank of air. There's more lurking than you realize.

 

Get closer, closer, then get closer still. While cropping helps a picture, getting as close as possible (without scaring or upsetting your subject) not only eliminates the blue, but creates clearer, more colorful pictures.

 

Practice on the surface, if you can get a great picture of a bee on a flower without disturbing it, chances are you can get that macro of the shrimp on the coral stand.

 

Finally look at graphics software. I use Photoshop (Here's a secret, don't have $700 to fork out, use your child, or your relative's child to purchase it using Abobe's education discount. There are places on the internet where you can get the educational discount by faxing them a student id. When I purchased Photoshop it was $650 retail and I bought it using my son's id (I let him use it as well for his school photography class) for $185. The educational software is the full function software offered to students at drastic discounts).

 

There is also a photoshop "Action" called underwater.atn (available at many sites) that does a great job in "taking out the blue". I don't publish a picture without running it.

 

My camera is the least variable I've found. I got a good point and shoot that is reliable and runs on AA batteries so I can always pick up spares in case my batteries die regardless of what country or island I'm on.

 

Anyway, I hope this helps,

Randall

[scubaran]

Scubaran: Very nice! I'm not a water fan, but we're doing a NZ-Hawaii repositioner next year that stops in Tahiti, Bora Bora and the Cook Islands. I plan on picking up a small UW rig and giving it a try. The fact that you used an A620 to get these photos is rather inspirational to a newbie like me.

 

Dave

 

It's more about understanding how to take a photograph as opposed to what the equipment is. :)

 

r

[pierces]

Randall: After 40 years of photogtraphy, I'm not too worried about composition and working my way through 5 releases of Photoshop and 8 releases of Corel has left me pretty comfortable there...but my snorkeling skills are zero and all I know about SCUBA is that it is an acronym and what the letters stand for.

 

I like your suggestions. They all hold value and will take the pertinent ones under advisement.

 

If you are wondering which ones I consider "impertinent" in regards to my endeavor, I'm not too concerned about flash or identifying the species. At this stage I'm just trying to see if I can open a new door to photography without drowning.:D

 

My purchase of an SD1000 and a UW case for day or so of snorkel shots might seem a waste of money without explaining that using it underwater is a side-bar for my desire to get a camera that I can take into dusty/wet environments safely. If it turns out that I really enjoy it, then the learning and equipment acquisition begins!

 

Funny..as I typed that, my wife touched her head as if in pain! She must have had a sub-concious preminition...complete with Ikelite SLR housings, strobes and pricing!

 

Anyway, thanks for the sound advice.

 

Dave

[scubaran]

Randall: After 40 years of photogtraphy, I'm not too worried about composition and working my way through 5 releases of Photoshop and 8 releases of Corel has left me pretty comfortable there...but my snorkeling skills are zero and all I know about SCUBA is that it is an acronym and what the letters stand for.

 

I like your suggestions. They all hold value and will take the pertinent ones under advisement.

 

If you are wondering which ones I consider "impertinent" in regards to my endeavor, I'm not too concerned about flash or identifying the species. At this stage I'm just trying to see if I can open a new door to photography without drowning.:D

 

My purchase of an SD1000 and a UW case for day or so of snorkel shots might seem a waste of money without explaining that using it underwater is a side-bar for my desire to get a camera that I can take into dusty/wet environments safely. If it turns out that I really enjoy it, then the learning and equipment acquisition begins!

 

Funny..as I typed that, my wife touched her head as if in pain! She must have had a sub-concious preminition...complete with Ikelite SLR housings, strobes and pricing!

 

Anyway, thanks for the sound advice.

 

Dave

 

Hi,

 

OK... Now I totally understand, in newbie you mean newbie to the water (my apologies for any "how you take a picture" comments). But be aware that with water 400 time denser than air, the dynamics around underwater photography are different. Also, if you're snorkeling, the strobe won't matter (it's only after around 15 ft when the strobe really pays off).

 

As far as the other part, breath, breath, breath, and don't look down more than 90 degrees with the snorkel or the breath, breath, breath thing will get infinitely more difficult. Also I should point out that the butterflyfish and trumpetfish pictures were taken while "I snorkeled" (abet at 10-15ft. under the water since I've become proficient at "duck diving" down to that depth and holding still to snap off a picture).

 

As others have pointed out, a point and shoot in a "underwater baggie" will work at that depth as well (I used to use one diving but found around 30ft. down the bag compresses so far you can't depress the shutter). Also look at the underwater action for photoshop as it really will help at snorkel depths to give you true white (setting your camera to "cloudy day" setting helps a lot as well). Since you're experienced, I usually shoot at ISO 200, f5.4, 1/125 shutter (stops action well for underwater).

 

Again, sorry about misinterpreting the "newbie" thing. :)

 

Randall

[kiwihotchocolate]

Many thanks to everyone who responded, especially Dave.

 

I'll definitely be printing out pages of this thread to take with me!

 

We're picking up the camera tonight, and the case is supposed to arrive by next Wednesday.

 

You guys have been a great source of knowledge! I'll post any decent photos when I return the first full week of August.

 

Tricia

[pierces]

Hi,

 

OK... Now I totally understand, in newbie you mean newbie to the water (my apologies for any "how you take a picture" comments). But be aware that with water 400 time denser than air, the dynamics around underwater photography are different. Also, if you're snorkeling, the strobe won't matter (it's only after around 15 ft when the strobe really pays off).

 

As far as the other part, breath, breath, breath, and don't look down more than 90 degrees with the snorkel or the breath, breath, breath thing will get infinitely more difficult. Also I should point out that the butterflyfish and trumpetfish pictures were taken while "I snorkeled" (abet at 10-15ft. under the water since I've become proficient at "duck diving" down to that depth and holding still to snap off a picture).

 

As others have pointed out, a point and shoot in a "underwater baggie" will work at that depth as well (I used to use one diving but found around 30ft. down the bag compresses so far you can't depress the shutter). Also look at the underwater action for photoshop as it really will help at snorkel depths to give you true white (setting your camera to "cloudy day" setting helps a lot as well). Since you're experienced, I usually shoot at ISO 200, f5.4, 1/125 shutter (stops action well for underwater).

 

Again, sorry about misinterpreting the "newbie" thing. :)

 

Randall

 

No problem, I'm not really all that offendable!:D

 

I've snorkled a bit before and have found that the "snorkel" part of snorkeling is just not my friend. I usually end up just doing repeated dives without the damn thing rather than drinking a cubic meter of ocean.

 

I have actually considered just getting another SD800 or some other brand with 28mm equivalent on the wide end of the zoom to compensate for the 33% apparent magnification underwater (remembered that one from physics calass! ;) ). I may stick with the SD1000 if you think that 35mm eq. would be wide enough...???

 

I'm going with the dedicated hard case. You're not the only one with caveats concerning the "baggies". Canon has an excellent line of dedicated cases for it's P&S cameras that are rated to 30m or better. Way, way deeper than I'll need!

 

Another interesting thing I found: Newer Canon P&S cameras have an "Underwater" setting on their scene modes! That leads me to believe that the UW cases must sell pretty well! My SD800 and the SD1000 also get pretty good marks at ISO 200 & 400, so I'll follow your lead there.

 

Thanks again for the input!

 

Dave

 

BTW, feel free to browse my web presence. Click on the banners in my signature to check out our (dry) travel pics!

[pierces]

Many thanks to everyone who responded, especially Dave.

 

I'll definitely be printing out pages of this thread to take with me!

 

We're picking up the camera tonight, and the case is supposed to arrive by next Wednesday.

 

You guys have been a great source of knowledge! I'll post any decent photos when I return the first full week of August.

 

Tricia

 

 

Good luck!

 

I'll be waiting to see how they turn out!

 

Dave

[scubaran]

I've snorkled a bit before and have found that the "snorkel" part of snorkeling is just not my friend. I usually end up just doing repeated dives without the damn thing rather than drinking a cubic meter of ocean.

 

Another interesting thing I found: Newer Canon P&S cameras have an "Underwater" setting on their scene modes! That leads me to believe that the UW cases must sell pretty well! My SD800 and the SD1000 also get pretty good marks at ISO 200 & 400, so I'll follow your lead there.

 

 

Hi Dave,

 

Two things, have you considered a "dry" snorkel? They now have snorkels with special baffles in them that block out water as you dive under the water. They generally run around $40 and work exceedingly well. Also, I've tried the "underwater" setting on my canon and I have to say, the settings I gave you with the underwater.atn action work MUCH BETTER than the underwater setting (the best I can determine is it adds a more red white balance). Also, if you can get down for more than an instant, you can carry a small something that is white and do a manual white balance once you get "at depth". This will generally work well in shallow water and eliminates the "blue" very well.

 

Randall

P.S. the hard case enclosures from Canon work great. Just remember to pick up some silica gel packs to stuff into them to eliminate fogging (I get mine from B&H photo in New York and find the Olympus ones work very well with my Canon case, understanding you're out of the U.S., Jesops in the U.K. should have them as well).

[signal34]

Here are a few shots that I took on our last cruise. These are all while snorkeling off of Grand Cayman. This was my first trip snorkeling and my first attempt at underwater photography. They were shot with an Olympus D-580 with an underwater housing.

 

 

 

[stormloca777]

My #1 favorite taken while snorkeling in Cozumel, MX