Articles: Technique

Afterhours Magic: Ambient Light Video Workflow for Action Cameras

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 03:57:15 +0000

Afterhours Magic: An Ambient Light Video Workflow for Action Cams (and Other WB-Challenged Cameras)

INTRODUCTION

Getting good colours in underwater footage, especially when shooting in ambient light, has been a challenge since the early days of underwater cinematography, and action cameras are no exception.

As divers learn in their certification course, water absorbs light unevenly, with longer wavelengths like reds and oranges fading quickly as depth increases, leaving underwater scenes dominated by blues and greens unless corrected (here's a little video illustrating water's filtration effect at depth).

With action cam manufacturers releasing new models every six months, and online talking heads pitching each one as the miracle solution for underwater video, it might seem like the issue has long been solved by 2025.

Apps, mods, and camera software all promise one-button perfection: minimal effort, high reward, and content ready for instant sharing.

On recent action cameras, the most common approach is to leave white balance and colour corrections to the camera's software, to tweak settings and hope for the best...

Examples of typical results for ambient light footage shot at depth with auto-settings on recent action cameras and an iPhone16 :

(source)

But step off the marketing carousel for a moment and take a look at recent underwater clips, do the colours actually look... Good? Natural? Pleasing?

Those are very subjective words, of course, and the devil is in the details.

And yet some of us are not entirely convinced by what we’re seeing, despite all the technological advances, and started to question this in-camera, software-driven approach to the underwater colour problem, especially on action cameras, paradoxically the crown jewels of the one-button, auto-settings, shoot-and-forget philosophy.

Compare the above to Nick Hope's 2007 (!) almost "prehistoric" tests of underwater manual white-balance with a filter :
(note the cast on the auto WB test)

(source)

This is where this tutorial comes in.

It offers a user-based, more manual alternative to letting the camera try to solve the colour issue through automation, which we believe is really beneficial for action cams.

What follows is a simple, experience-based workflow for shooting underwater video in ambient light on action cameras – or any camera that struggles with manual white balance at depth.
The core idea is to take back control of white balance and colour processing by setting the white balance point manually in post-production, just as you would, at depth, with a camera that allows manual WB adjustment.

We believe that this manual approach, when done correctly, usually yields better, more flexible results than current in-camera software solutions, and helps you get the most out of your gear—especially older or less advanced models.

Capture from personal footage shot at roughly 10m on the GoPro 4 in a flat profile with a UR-Pro Cyan filter (Richelieu Rock, 2018)

Early personal raw clip shot at roughly 15m on a GoPro 4, in flat with a UR-Pro filter, rebalanced in post (2016, Mike's Point, Raja Ampat)

Other selected video clip examples shot in flat with a filter on various action cameras are visible here

WHO IS THIS WORKFLOW TUTORIAL FOR

Let’s be clear: this approach probably isn’t for everyone.
That’s not elitism, just practicality, especially given the phone-and-app-based social-media sharing ecosystem underwater video has evolved into.
This workflow is best suited for videographers who:

Work on their clips in post-production, including colour grading and editing
Use video editing software that allows manual white balance adjustment (some phone-based apps may not support this)
Shoot with cameras where in-camera processing can be limited or turned off, especially auto white-balance handling and colour corrections

THE IDEA BEHIND THIS UNDERWATER SHOOTING WORKFLOW

This approach is designed to help you get the best out of your footage by regaining some manual control over colour and white balance, which are set during post-production rather than left to in-camera software.

To be clear, this is not a method for getting the best results straight out of camera (SOOC).
It is not a software-driven workflow that delivers instantly shareable clips, which is often the focus of many action cam discussions today.

However, we believe that when used correctly and in the right conditions, this approach to ambient light video can produce better, more flexible results than in-camera correction, and help you get the most out of your gear.

It is especially effective on action cameras, and with older camera models that lack advanced colour correction or built-in underwater modes.

WHAT SHOOTING SITUATIONS DOES THIS WORKFLOW APPLY TO

This workflow applies to the following underwater video scenarios:

Full ambient light video, where you're shooting at depth using sunlight as the only light source. It also applies to mixed lighting setups, where natural sunlight is combined with artificial light that has been filtered to match the colour spectrum of sunlight at depth. This is often referred to as ambient-filtered mixed lighting.
Shooting in the ambient light "Goldilocks zone" – not too shallow and not too deep. This is the depth range where there is enough natural light to work with, while the colour loss from seawater remains manageable.
The exact range depends on local conditions, but in areas with strong sunlight it generally falls between 5 and 20 metres, with a sweet spot around 8 to 15 metres depth. In some cases it can extend a bit deeper, or be quite shallower. Using a filter on the camera lens also affects this workable range, as you lose 1 to 2.5 stops of light, and compensating with higher ISO has limited effectiveness on action cameras, as it quickly degrades the image and introduces noise.

Capture from GoPro7 footage, ambient light at 10m, flat profile with a filter, rebalanced and quickly graded in post (Okinawa, 2025)

AMBIENT LIGHT VIDEO SHOOTING WORKFLOW

CAMERA SETUP

**1. Set your camera to shoot in a “flat” or flat-ish profile**

The goal here is actually to limit what the camera does in terms of in-camera white balance and software colour correction.
This is an essential step for effectively rebalancing and grading your video footage later.

Shooting flat avoids the unnatural hues often introduced by "underwater modes" or automatic white balance settings, which typically boost the red channel in ways that degrade image quality and make post-production white point and colour balancing more difficult.

Another common issue is inconsistency in colour treatment within a sequence, especially when the camera is making adjustments on the fly. This isn't a problem for still images, but it is a major issue for video.

This will vary with camera brand (GoPro, DJI, Ace360, etc.), but the logic remains the same: limit what your camera does in terms of automatic white balance, colour, contrast and exposure adjustment at depth, and aim for a more neutral - yet information-rich - profile.

In our camera settings, rather than trusting the camera, we're aiming to record footage in a neutral, information-rich way, so we have the maximum flexibility for correcting white balance and colours.

Flat profiles, log, and similar settings all serve the same purpose: capturing the necessary information in a neutral form, with a wider dynamic range and more information, so you can work efficiently on the footage in post. The idea is similar to shooting RAW in still photography.

Be careful with ISO settings - using a filter on the camera lens means losing 1 to 2.5 stops of light - however, it's best to clock the max ISO on action cameras, as image quality typically degrades above 800 to 1600 ISO, depending on models, camera capacities and local conditions.

Example of basic GoPro camera settings:

Enable Protune
Set colour to Flat
Set white balance to Native
Set max ISO to 800 (or a little higher if your camera can handle it without too much noise)
Leave shutter speed on Auto (seems to work better than the 180° rule of shutter on action cams)

Typical GoPro 7 "flat" profile settings

2. Use a well-designed filter on the camera lens (if possible)

If you can, use a well-designed filter on your camera lens.

In blue water, a good filter helps correct the seawater’s colour distortion by cutting excessive cyans and greens while allowing deeper blues through.
This warms up the image hitting the sensor, helping the camera handle white balance more effectively -whether manually at depth or during post-production.

The goal is to restore a more natural colour balance by compensating for the way sunlight is filtered by the water column.
In green water, a different filter is needed, usually with more magenta tones, to account for the different spectral loss.

Keldan 7m compensation Spectrum Filter transmission data, blue water filter (left) and green water filter (right)

(source)

Well-designed filters typically have a fluorofilter-like spectral curve.
Examples include the now-discontinued UR-Pro, Keldan Spectrum filters, and Magic Filters, or fluorofilter profiles (see the section below and this thread here for more detailed discussion on filters)

Be aware that many so-called "red" filters on the market are poorly engineered. Slapping red plastic on a lens doesn’t magically fix underwater colours. The filter must target specific wavelengths, not just “warm up” the image.

LEE 008 Dark Salmon filter gel, next to the UR-Pro Cyan filter on a GoPro SRP adapter

If you're using a filter (and you should if possible), make sure to:

Compensate for the light loss by adjusting your exposure or EV settings
Stay within the filter’s optimal depth range
Avoid pushing ISO too high - action cams often get noisy above ISO 800 or 1600 underwater

When shooting in a mixed-lighting setup that combines ambient sunlight with artificial lights, make sure to use ambient filters on your lights, not just on your lens.
These filters adjust the colour temperature of your artificial light to match the filtered sunlight at depth, helping maintain consistent colour balance in your footage.

And let's not forget the most important point of this workflow: shoot in flat, and set your white-balance point manually.
Don't let the camera decide!

Captures from footage shot on a GoPro12 with a filter, but in auto settings.
This illustrates the importance of taking control and rebalancing the footage in post. While it's difficult to predict the exact outcome, the colour palette would likely appear more natural, with fewer “day-glo” hues and a milder cast if shot in flat and WB set in post

(source)

IN WATER

Shoot Within the Ambient Light “Goldilocks Zone”

When shooting in ambient light, make sure to stay within the optimal depth range where ambient light still works and colour can be recovered in post.
This "Goldilocks zone" is deep enough for water to filter sunlight and create colour loss, but not so deep that the camera struggles to capture usable information.

The exact range depends on location and conditions, but in strong sunlight areas like the tropics, it typically begins below 5 metres (shallower than that, there's not enough filtration for the technique to matter) and extends to around 20 metres. In very clear, well-lit water, it may stretch to 25 or even 30 metres. The sweet spot is usually between 8 and 15 metres.

Keep in mind that filters reduce light reaching the camera sensor by 1 to 2.5 stops. This is a significant tradeoff, but one that pays off if you stay within the right depth and lighting conditions.

Beyond 20 metres, results often begin to deteriorate due to reduced light (causing noise and loss of contrast) and stronger water filtration (reducing the colour information the sensor can capture).

Always adjust your shooting depth based on the day’s local light and visibility conditions.

(source)

IN POST-PRODUCTION

1. Start by resetting the white balance point in your footage

The first step with action-cam footage is to reset the white balance during post-production.
This mimics what you would do at depth when using a camera that supports manual white balance, and is the most important step in this workflow.

If using a filter (you should...) your footage will have a warm cast from the filter, which is actually desirable because it will help rebalance the image.
Since you shot with a flat profile and minimal in-camera adjustments, the footage will have little to no colour correction or white balance applied.

Which means using a filter and shooting flat on cameras without manual white balance is not a good way to get great results straight out of camera (SOOC).
You will need to rebalance the footage (set the white balance point) in post at the very minimum.

This differs from cameras that allow manual white balance at depth, where the SOOC result is already balanced and ready to use. With action cams, rebalancing in post is a crucial part of the workflow.

The good news is that your footage contains all the colour information needed, usually with a higher dynamic range, and will be far easier to grade than footage with in-camera software corrections baked in.

This is where the magic happens—you turn what looks like lead into gold.

Most video good editing software lets you set the white balance point either manually or automatically, which sometimes works fine.
Some reliable targets for white balance include sand, bleached or dead coral, divers’ tanks, exhaled bubbles, and marine life with clear white or grey areas.
Experiment with different targets and methods to see what works best for each clip.

Setting the white-balance in Final Cut Pro X

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2. Grade and edit your footage to taste

You now have a well-balanced base to work with, offering good dynamic range and colour data since you shot with a flat(ish) profile.
Play with curves and saturation levels to see how much colour information has actually made it to your sensor.
This process will vary based on your editing software and personal preferences, but most major platforms (DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut ProX, Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas...) can handle it very well. I’ve only worked with older-model action cams, and I’d love to see what data the new 10-bit colour models are capable of capturing!
On a related note, do check out Mark Thorpe's excellent tutorial showing a similar workflow, setting WB manually, but on a GoPro12's Log footage, after conversion to Rec.709 profile.

3. Example of my action-cam post-production workflow, in Final Cut Pro X (FCPX)

The following clips were shot in a flat profiles on a GoPro 7 with a filter gel on the lens, in Okinawa (blue water, average visibility, the center-left blur is caused by a water droplet on the wide angle lens)

Unbalanced footage shot at 10m depth in flat on the GoPro7, with a cast from the filter (in this case, a Lee fluorofilter gel), as imported

The same footage, rebalanced after manually setting the white-balance point with the dropper tool

Same footage, after a little colour grading

Unbalanced footage shot at 10m depth in flat on the GoPro7, with a cast from the filter (in this case, a Lee fluorofilter gel), as imported

The same footage, rebalanced after manually setting the white-balance point with the dropper tool

Same footage, after a little colour grading

A more saturated grading option (what some would call taking it to 11, to show what we have to work with ˆˆ)

Exported video clip example (first grade option)

CONCLUSION

To conclude, letting camera software handle underwater ambient light colour correction is like trying to shoot on land with coloured lighting and expecting the camera to fix everything digitally.

On land, beyond setting the colour temperature to match your light source, if your light has a strong colour cast, you’d typically add a lighting gel or change the light itself rather than relying on the camera’s software to correct the cast.

This is exactly what a physical filter does underwater in ambient light. Our primary light source - the sun - is filtered by water and has a colour cast.

Most modern cameras can handle mild casts near the surface.
But when dealing with strong blue, green, or cyan casts, such as at around 10 metres depth, it is still best - even in 2025 - to physically correct the light with a filter and to manually set the white balance point rather than relying on the camera to try do this automatically.

In a complex environment like underwater ambient light, it’s still better to manually set the white balance at depth - or, if that’s not possible, shoot in a flat profile and reset it in post-production - rather than relying on camera software to handle it.
In both cases, using a well-designed filter on the lens helps rebalance colours by compensating for the colour cast caused by water's filtering effect on ambient light.

This approach delivers more workable footage in post and generally better results overall. It can also help you get the most out of your camera, especially if you’re using an older model with limited software capabilities (see for yourself in the examples above what a GoPro 7 is still capable of…)

Voilà. Thanks for making it to the end.
I hope others find this approach useful, even if it is seen as outdated or old-fashioned.
Just try it yourself and do it right. Understand filters, and trust manual white-balance. It works.

Cheers, happy bubbles, and most of lovely colours to you all!
Ben

GOING DEEPER (further discussion)

WHY DOES THIS APPROACH WORK

When used within the right parameters, this workflow of shooting flat ambient light footage with a filter delivers excellent, workable results.
It often outperforms unfiltered, in-camera corrected footage, especially on action cams that cannot manually set white balance at depth.

Let’s dig into the reasons why this is the case.

1. The problem with in-camera software-based white-balance and colour correction

We live in a time when cameras have powerful software corrections capable of amazing things.
So why – despite claims that software will solve everything and that filters are a thing of the past – does filtered footage shot in flat profile give end results which generally still look better than in-camera software-corrected footage, especially when it comes to colour balance?

And why is filter-use still common in blue-chip professional productions (mostly shot on cinecams) but seen as outdated in amateur and semi-pro circles?

Putting aside cameras like those from Canon, which can produce very pleasing (though not always the most accurate) results when performing manual white balance at depth, automatic in-camera white balance and colour correction generally do not work well at typical ambient-light diving depths.

And it's important to note that if you work with in-camera software-corrected footage and attempt to fine-tune white balance or simply grade the footage by setting the white balance point in post on an easy white or grey target (like sand, a diver’s tank, bubbles, or bleached coral), you’ll often end up with odd reds or magenta peaks and strange colour balance.

I’ve done this many times. Editing unfiltered, non-flat GoPro footage from colleagues in various locations simply does not work well, or has a very limited reach.
Rebalancing white balance causes colour balance to break down, leaving you stuck with limited adjustment options.

This happens mainly because the camera software boosts the red channels to compensate for the underwater blue cast on ambient light.

This creates two main problems:

• The camera artificially boosts red channels, which degrades image quality.
• A strong colour cast often remains - usually cyan, green, or blue - and if it doesn’t (for example, in “underwater mode”), the resulting palette tends to look unnatural and unbalanced.

When you set white balance at depth or in post, you are telling the software “this area should be gray or white,” which should cancel out the blue and cyan cast.
But if the reds have already been over-boosted by the in-camera software, the result becomes unnatural, producing all kinds of strange magenta tones and other colour distortions.

A typical example of footage shot with auto-settings on recent action cameras, and colour-corrected in post, showing a residual cast

(source)

2. Why shooting flat and using a filter generally works better than auto in ambient light

Just to be clear, the most important point in this workflow is to set the white balance manually. This is standard procedure when shooting underwater ambient light video, and shooting in a flat colour profile while adjusting white balance in post is simply a workaround for action cameras that lack crucial manual white balance control at depth.

If footage is shot in a flat colour profile, as opposed to in-camera auto-colour correction, the reds are not artificially boosted.
This allows for cleaner white balance correction and colour grading without magenta distortions, and also captures a greater dynamic range.
These advantages are well understood in still photography, where shooting in RAW mode is standard.

A flat or flat-ish profile lets you manually adjust recorded reds and magentas in post without dealing with baked-in colour corrections that vary across frames.

Even better, using a well-designed physical warming filter on the camera - such as the UR-Pro or equivalent - acts on ambient light before it reaches the sensor.

This means:
• The sensor records a warmer image, reducing the need for software correction.
• A good filter that lets deep blues pass through (for example, one with a fluorofilter-like spectral profile) results, after white balance reset, in a warmer, more neutral, and more accurately balanced image.
Deep blues in the background remain intact while the foreground gains accurate tones, producing a more natural and balanced look.

GoPro7 footage shot in flat with a good filter, before and after setting the white-balance point in post

Setting underwater white balance is essentially about how much you need to "stretch" colour channels to counter seawater’s filtering of ambient light

The more stretching required, the greater the image degradation.
Using a physical filter on the lens reduces the amount of stretching needed to rebalance the image.

In short, filters physically warm the ambient light before it reaches the sensor, helping to reduce the green/cyan cast.

This:
• Enables better manual white balance control at depth or in post
• Avoids baked-in in-camera software corrections that are difficult to work with in post
• Preserves depth in colour by extending the filter’s effect deeper into the scene, resulting in less drastic background colour loss than software correction

The main downside is the inevitable loss of stops of light caused by the filter, which can be a dealbreaker in some shooting conditions.

In contrast, in-camera software colour correction:
• Manipulates individual colour channels, with results that can vary widely
• Often produces baked-in artefacts and uneven colour palettes, and does not fully correct the colour cast
• Degrades footage, making it difficult to grade in post
• Can be unstable and vary within a sequence, which is problematic for consistent grading

Understanding action cam limitations: AWB/ Kelvin vs. MWB 

For action cameras, it’s important to understand a key limitation: current models typically offer only two approaches to white balance underwater.
They either rely on Auto White Balance (sometimes with a dedicated underwater profile) or allow the user to lock white balance a fixed Kelvin value.
Neither of these option is equivalent to a true Manual White Balance performed at depth. 

Auto White Balance constantly shifts based on exposure and scene changes, which generates inconsistencies and boosts the red channels, which typically leads to unbalanced colour palette, with uncorrected colour casts at depth.  

Meanwhile, locking a Kelvin value only adjusts colour temperature along the blue–orange axis. It does not meaningfully correct the green–magenta tint, and generates a strong blue-green / cyan colour cast. 

A true Manual White Balance, on the other hand applies a full three-channel (RGB) correction based on a sampled reference target, and corrects tint (magenta/green).

This type of correction is essential for balanced colour rendering of underwater footage.  Ideally, cameras would allow locking the result of an auto WB calculation at a certain depth (effectively turning it into a manual balance…), but most action cams do not.

This limitation also explains why mixed-lighting approaches such as ambient filters on video lights often produce rather poor results with action cameras shooting in AWB, as the process relies on setting and locking an accurate manual white balance to ambient light at depth.

And this is also why the workflow described in this article works: locking the white balance at depth and later applying a proper manual white balance correction in post-production typically yields better and more balanced colours than relying on an action cam’s Auto WB (underwater-mode included) or worse, a fixed Kelvin value alone.

GoPro7 Supersuit housing with AOI wide lens adapter and a fluorofilter gel

3. Limits of manual white-balance setting (at depth or in post-production) and of filter use

As mentioned earlier, the following limitations will happen, even when using a good filter:

• In clear, well-lit waters like the tropics, a filter’s effect typically breaks down beyond 20 to 30 metres depth in good conditions.

• You can still set white balance, but the colour cast becomes too strong and the image balance collapses. You would need a stronger filter, but then you lose too much ambient light, which itself becomes scarce with depth - a true catch-22 situation.

• After a certain point, ambient light is insufficient and seawater’s filtering effect becomes too strong.
Setting white balance in these conditions, whether at depth or in post, stretches colour channels too much, causing distortion similar to shooting without a filter.
In these situations, it’s best to accept the colour cast or rely on artificial light.

• In shallow water, such as snorkeling depths, the filtering effect on sunlight is mild. Working on filtered footage here means you are actually cancelling out the filter’s effects to set white balance. It’s possible, but there is little reason to use a filter in shallows since the required hue corrections degrade image quality.

• Available ambient light is crucial. Using a filter means losing stops of light. In some sea conditions, there simply isn’t enough ambient light to use a filter effectively. Like at depth, it’s best to accept the colour cast or use artificial lighting. As previously mentioned, boosting ISOs can only go so far on action cameras.

• Filter design versus seawater qualities / conditions. Most filters are made for blue or cyan water - which is ideal for ambient light shooting - but not for greener waters.
Cyan-cutting filters reduce green tones, which can result in unnatural colours and poor balance compared to filters designed specifically for green water.
The UR-Pro and Keldan brands, for example, offer, or offered, green water filters (which are typically magenta)
These require experimentation, but since greener waters are usually darker, the light-related limits mentioned above often apply.

Depth limits: ribbontail ray swimming at 25m (seafloor is + 40m plus), GoPro7 footage capture, flat profile with a filter

A WORD ON FILTERS

As previously mentioned, not all lens / camera filters are well designed or adequate for our purposes.
Unfortunately, many commercially available filters are really not designed by people having looked into filtering characteristics and are just very bad ( PolarPro... ), and also used by people not shooting in flat and rebalancing the footage in post, but using auto-settings instead, which tended to give filters a bad-name because of strange hues this generated...

Yet as explained above, to get good consistent results when using a filter, it is always best to shoot in a flat profile and set the white balance point manually, either at depth if the camera allows it, or in post, on cameras like action cams.

A filter like the beloved, proven UR-Pro, or others with a similar profile and a good warming effect really works best for this approach, especially on action cams, which are still quite limited in their handling of underwater white balance issues, despite all the marketing hype.

Historically, the UR-Pro company developped, in the 1980s, a very efficient filter for shooting at depth in blue water.
This filter works very well on cameras ranging from cinecams (Gates sold UR-Pro filters for their housings...) to DSLRs, mirroless and, until a few years back, action cameras. Unfortunately, the company no longer exists, and UR-Pro filters are now very difficult to find.

The UR-Pro hold a special place for me as I've started using them on GoPro4 action cams, and kept at it because it just works really well.
And recent gear addition such as wide angle conversion lenses for action cameras (by AOI / Backscatter / Inon) sent me on a quest to retro-engineer my beloved UR-Pro filter, which you can read about here: https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/1414-ur-pro-filters-info

I came up with the following recreation of the UR-Pro Cyan's spectrum transmission curve:

Recreation of the UR-Pro Cyan spectrum transmission curve

For other cameras, high quality alternatives exist, primarily Dr. Mustard's Magic Filters (primarily designed for ambient still photography, first marketed in 2006) and especially Keldan's Spectrum Filters.
It's best for you to experiment with what works best for you with your camera setup.
On my Lumix LX10 compact, I actually prefer the Keldan Spectrum -1.5 filter gel (ambient light test reel here), which is not as strong as the UR-Pro Cyan and more accurate, but got good results with UR-Pro, Magic Filters and Keldan.

On the GoPro however, the Keldan and Magic don't work as well, as this type of camera seems to require a slightly stronger filter to get good results in post.
Warming isn't everything, but based on tests, the UR-Pro Cyan offers the strongest warming effect (around 3000–3100 K at –1.6 EV), more than the Original Magic (≈ 2400 K) and the Keldan SF-1.5 (≈ 2350 K)

As an example, here is a side-by-side, flat and unbalanced, then lightly graded comparison of UR-Pro and Magic filters on Gopro7 action cameras, highlighting the marked differences between the two filters on action cameras. This quick test was done on breath-hold in east Bali (Jemeluk), with the AOI wide lens on one camera.

GoPro7, Magic Filter and UR-Pro Cy filter, unbalanced, flat footage

GoPro7, Magic Filter and UR-Pro Cy filter, rebalanced in post and lightly graded

But as this test example show, even a weaker filter like the Magic Filter gel is still workeable on action cameras, but the spectrum is slightly different.
When rebalancing, only the Magic filter requires boosting magenta in white balance, while UR-Pro and Keldan require reducing it, which is a significant difference.

The main idea to take home from research on the UR-Pro cyan filter spectrum profile is that is basically that of a fluorofilter (aka fluorescent filter).
Fluorofilters were a type of filter designed to "Convert U.S. Cool White or Daylight type fluorescent lamps to 3200K photographic tungsten and remove the excess green." to quote filter maker Rosco, ie. to convert a light source that is overly green and cool, such as fluorescent lighting.

A fluorofilter profile like the Rosco 3310's is very close to the UR-Pro's original profile, in fact almost identical.

UR-Pro spectral transmission curve, vs. Rosco 3310 Fluorofilter gel curve

The issue these days is that fluorescent lights have been phased out by LED lights, rendering fluorofilters obsolete in the lighting world, and thus also very hard to find!

Despite the difficulties, there are interesting commercially available alternatives in lighting gels—it is mostly a matter of matching similar spectrum transmission curves.

The Lee 166 Pale Red and the Lee 08 Dark Salmon (LDS) are both good practical alternatives for example.

Unfortunately, the Lee Pale Red has also been discontinued, and also had a general light transmission that was a little too low for action cams, resulting in an ISO boost.
Which leaves us with the Lee Dark Salmon (LDS).

The LDS was actually already tested in water and works fine, but with some caveats: As I wrote in the UR-Pro thread after the side by side comparison, it is stronger / darker (and a bit warmer) than the UR-Pro - meaning a little more loss of light / ev, and also a slightly deeper tint in the reds - this is visible when looking at the camera's ISO sensor data, with a higher ISO on the LDS, and also the resulting SOOC footage:

GoPro7, UR-Pro Cy filter and LDS, unbalanced, flat footage

GoPro7, UR-Pro Cy filter and LDS, results rebalanced in post and lightly graded

Yet what this also means is that, as expected, the Lee gel actually works somewhat better than the UR-Pro when going deeper, but this is really give and take, as it means a greater loss of light - which could be fine in the tropics, less so elsewhere. Handling of the blues is also a little different, as seen in the curves.

There are probably other fluorofilter-type gels still available somewhere, as well as others with similar profiles.
The key is to find one with a curve as close as possible to that of the UR-Pro cyan filter's fluorofilter style curve.

The logic is straightforward: seawater filters sunlight and creates a cooling effect, adding green/cyan. A fluorofilter is specifically designed to counter this.

But as you can also see on the UR-Pro spectrum graph - and this is where a fluorofilter differs from a simple green-cutting filter - it still lets deeper blues through (resulting in a pleasing seawater blue). This characteristic is harder to find in standard lighting gels.

Possible UR-Pro cyan alternatives in the Lee range

It would also be interesting to test Keldan's stronger spectrum filter gel on action cameras, as I only tested the SF-1.5 gel.
The hunt is on!

MIXED LIGHTING SCENARIOS

Regarding the complex but fascinating issue of mixed-lighting scenarios, which combine ambient light with filtered artificial light, Swiss manufacturer and concept pioneer has published and collaborated on good introductory videos on the subject:

The Keldan Ambient Filter Concept
Understanding the Ambient Filter
BTM - Filters for Underwater Videography (Red Filter, Magenta Filter, Ambient Light Filter)

Recent Keldan light models include integrated LED-based ambient filtering, eliminating the need for an actual physical filter on the lights.

When it comes to empirical research on ambient filter creation and filter matching, I'd strongly recommend looking into the following thread by fellow Waterpixeler Dreifish https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/1413-red-filters-and-blue-ambient-light-filters-for-mixed-light-shooting/
as well as Interceptor121's similar but more ancient research here: https://interceptor121.com/2019/11/25/matching-filters-techniques/

Mixed lighting shooting scenario, filter on the cameras lens and on the video lights

(source)

Fibre Optic Cables: Keeping them Happy and Firing

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 17:41:23 +0000

Some time back, I wrote an article about creating your own fibre optic cables: a quick, easy, inexpensive and very satisfying process. In case you missed it it, a link to the piece is here.

https://waterpixels.net/articles/articles_technique/diy-fibre-optic-cables-easy-r32/

Now, many months on, a couple of additional suggestions:

BURPING

On entering the water and descending the plugs at both ends of the cables often need burping. Tiny air bubbles seem to be able to block fibre optic light transmission. Easy to resolve of course: simply remove and replace the plugs at the camera bulkhead and strobe ends of the cable.

Worth checking especially before setting up for that crucial, once in a lifetime image.

DAMAGING THE CABLES

On a recent long dive trip in Raja Ampat, my system was being hauled in and out of RIBs with the strobe arms being moved and folded sometimes by me, sometimes by the boat crew.

At some stage one of the fibre optic cables gained a small “crimp” which resulted in the attached strobe not firing consistently. Annoying of course although easy to replace the cable.

This got me thinking about a way to protect the cables. For my next trip I used some cheap garden micro-watering system hose tubing to provide a protected route for the cables from the housing bulkheads to the strobes. Cost was a few cents.

I found it slightly better to cut the tubing slightly shorter than the fibre cables as this allowed for easier curves at each end.

The tubing is held against the float arms using short loops of bungee cord.

I found it worked best to push the fibre cables into the strobe plugs only on descent or at depth. This allowed for burping and avoided any strain on the connections whilst handling during entry.

In general I’ve found it better not to have fixed connections at both ends of the fibre cable. If one end can pull loose when strained, (best I've found is the strobe end) this avoids breaks and overstrains especially during transportation or in rinse tanks (avoid them at all costs!). If stretched or tugged the cable will simply pop out of the strobe end bush. No damage results and the cable is easy to push back in.

The first photograph shows the fibre optic cable and the garden hose tubing; next one with the fibre pushed through the tubing; then "hung" on the strobe arms; and finally the loops to hold the tubing and cable in place.

A Day in Southern California with the Fotocore GTM Strobes

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:50:19 +0000

A few months ago in November, Scubalamp showed a new "small strobe". I like small strobes and wanted one, but they have never appeared on the Scubalamp website. However there is a Fotocore GTM (the same ones in the Scubalamp posts that are available. I bought two of them, and last Saturday, I got to try them out here in Los Angeles. The strobe is a bit larger than the AOI RC strobes, and a bit smaller than the YS D3 Duo.

The strobe is machined aluminum and appears to be very solidly built if a bit heavy (815 g without the 2 x 18650 batteries). The strobe has 7 power levels that are shown on a nice little LED screen on the back. The key advantage to the GTM is that it has beautiful light since it uses a circular flashtube. One peculiarity of the strobe is that it uses only flattop 18650 batteries that are both hard to find and expensive. I have boxes of 18650 button tops, but no joy in these strobes.

To test them out, we went out diving to our local favorite spot off of Palos Verdes not far from LAX. I was shooting an OM-1 camera in an AOI housing with the 2 GTM strobes an a Leica/Panasonic 45 mm macro lens. The AOI has a built in LED trigger that never missed a shot with the strobes, I was using home-made fiber cables using the 613 core fibers.

The Balonophyllia is a solitary stony cup coral, its main claim to fame is that in the colder months (it is always cold at PV, typically 50F, 10C) it can in fact sequester dissolved organic carbon from the seawater directly. Hopefully it can teach its warm water cousins the same trick. If California had a state nudibranchs it would likely be the Spanish Shawl

These guy are everywhere and are quite beautiful. Interestingly the orange/blue/red and purple colors are all from the same molecule but with different arrangements of some elements.

Black eye gobies are always curious, coming by to see what you are doing and smiling at you

Two similar nudies are Porters and MacFarland; you tell them apart by the number of stripes. Porters has 2 syllables and 2 stripes, MacFarland has three of each.

And finally there are clowns.

Overall, I am very pleased with the performance of the GTM strobes. I didn't have a chance to see how they would be for wide angle (mostly the visibility was 2 meters or so) but at least in the studio they seem as powerful as the YSD3.

If you are looking for strobes for macro shooting with some occasional wide angle take a look at these.

Bill

Diving with the Weefine 3000 CCW Ring Light

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 18:05:06 +0000

I have long fascinated with shooting ring lights underwater starting with the Inon Quadflash, through the various Athena modifications to Sea and Sea strobe heads, continuing to the Saga fiber optic rings and now to the Weefine 3000. The Weefine 3000 is the latest version of the LED lights made by Kraken and Weefine. The Weefine 3000 CCW

Weefine 3000 CCW Ring Light

It's similar to the earlier 3000 lumen LED modules but has adjustable color temperature and a 3000-lumen burst (strobe) mode. It also has a super closeup mode that can shoot subjects as close as 25 mm (1 inch) from the strobe. It is powered by a protected, 26650, 5000 mAh Li battery. The battery can be charged via a built-in USB-C port.

One very neat thing about the light is that it allows for a very small, compact system underwater. No arms necessary, just the camera/housing/port and a single fiber optic cable. The light is shown below on an AOI housing for the OM-1 camera.

AOI housing for the OM-1 camera with the Weefine 3000 CCW Ring Light

The ring light can attach to any port with a 67 mm thread and can be rotated for any angle once attached. One nice feature (or bug) is that when you are using the light in the strobe mode, it remains on at low power to act as a focus light. During the day it was not terribly necessary but worked fine at night, although you will also need some kind of dive light to find your way. My wife said it was very easy to find me in or small group, just look for the circular dive light.

How well did it work? Better than I had anticipated. Years ago, I had the Kraken version of this light, and it was fine; this version with improved ergonomics (no multiple button pushes) worked great.

Here is a nice little clown (Triopha catalinae) from a dive in local Southern California waters before the Raja/Triton Bay trip on the Wellenreng.

This was shot at 1/160 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200 using the Olympus 30 macro lens on an OM-1 in an AOI housing. Certainly, enough light to illuminate the subject, I slightly reduced the shot exposure by 0.1 to increase the contrast a bit.

For other local subjects, such as this anemone it also worked well. This one was shot at f/5.6, 1/160 sec and ISO 200.

I shot with the light quite a bit on our trip to Raja/Triton Bay. Here is a nice little Goniobranchus coi, shot with the Panasonic 45 lens, f/6.3, 1/160 sec, ISO 400. I was very close; you can see the out of focus gills.

I love Christmas tree worms, here is one from Triton Bay. Same lens, 1/250, f/7.1.

Here is a crinoid shrimp, same settings.

I shot a lot of tiny things, but also a bunch of anemone fish. Here is a Clarke in an orange anemone. f/14, 1/250, ISO 400.

Overall, the light worked well for the things I was shooting, it of course is completely useless for anything more than 250 mm (10 inches) away. The color temperature is fine but shooting in raw lets me adjust as needed.

A friend used the light as a video light for a TG7 with a 52 mm to 67 mm adapter and said that for most nudibranchs the light was much easier to use than independent lights on arms.

I wish it had more power, a 6000-lumen burst mode for this type of light would be awesome, but the current version is adequate for micro 4/3 shooters and awesome for the smaller sensor cameras like the TG series.

Lightroom And Metadata for Underwater Images

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 07:47:05 +0000

Managing underwater photography collections can be overwhelming, but with Adobe Lightroom's robust metadata features, organization becomes seamless. On his blog, Mike Jones outlines a systematic approach to metadata management, emphasizing the importance of consistent practices to enhance searchability and gain deeper insights into marine environments.

Key steps include:

Rating: Assigning ratings to evaluate image quality.
Keywords: Applying terms to describe the environment and subjects.
Title: Using a consistent format for easy grouping.
Species: Recording both common and scientific names.
Category: Grouping similar species under broader classifications.
GPS: Adding precise coordinates to document the exact location of each shot.

Implementing these practices transforms your photo library into a valuable dataset, capturing snapshots of time, place, biodiversity, and behavior.

For a comprehensive guide, visit Mike Jones's blog:

https://mikejonesdive.com/lightroom-metadata

Capturing Wide Angle Wonders with Your Olympus TG

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 23:32:23 +0000

Without a doubt the Olympus TG Tough range have revolutionised the world of underwater photography for both snorkelers and divers in recent years, making incredible results achievable for the beginner as well as giving a vast variety of options to expand creativity.

But with so many options for accessory lenses and makes available, what should you be looking for if you want to start adding a creative wider angle to your images.

This festive period I was super busy helping answer some of the popular questions that I see on other forums so I've put this together in the hope that it might help someone else too.

So let’s start as a snorkeller. Is a housing really needed? Personally I’d always suggest one, even if it’s just to have that extra security measure and of course remember that you will need one to add on extra wide angle lenses at a later date. Not only have I seen them flood in the water for no apparent reason but it’s all too easy in the excitement of getting in the water to accidentally not close the battery door or overlook a tiny pesky hair trapped in the seal. When you’re travelling to unique, once in a lifetime destinations, it’s always better to be safe.

Then there’s the option for snorkelers to add on an Olympus FCON-TO2 (which is also waterproof) directly to the Olympus TG range via an adaptor, CLA-TO1, with just one easy click. This will give you a wider field-of-view than the camera’s own 25 mm one and is great if you are using the camera above water too for wide landscape images. It’s great for small reef scenes, but for larger subjects such as this seal above, a wider field-of-view is needed to fit more of it in. It also struggles with above and below shots.

But if you use an Ikelite Housing with a dome port for your Olympus TG, you can simply just pop the camera and the FCON-TO2 lens into the housing, giving it a much wider field of view so you CAN capture much wider scenes, achieve split-level shots too and create a perfect snells window effect when framing a

subject above you.

The Pros are:-

the edges of the image are sharp and there’s no vignetting

the system stays light (just over 1 lb for the whole unit) compared to adding on a wide-angle lens directly to the front of a different housing which can make the housing tip forwards and downwards, even with a tray to help balance it.

The Drawbacks are:

keep an eye out for black corners to your image as the dome shade may interfere with the overall result and if this happens, simply remove it.

Did you know that with this set-up you can actually zoom through the lens to achieve sharp close-up images too? Check out Ikelite’s website or direct link here to see how it performs underwater:

https://www.ikelite.com/products/dome-port-for-olympus-fcon-t02-lens-and-adapter-kit?pr_prod_strat=pinned&pr_rec_id=ec369bea4&pr_rec_pid=3943133118533&pr_ref_pid=11527790933&pr_seq=uniform

So let’s look at other wide-angle lens choices. A super popular choice with many starting out is Backscatter’s M52 Air Lens or AOI’s Underwater 0.75x Wide-Angle Air Lens (weighing 20 grams underwater/160 gms on land) which give an 81 degree angle of coverage, sharp corners, is light and easily screws into a 52 mm threaded mount. It works perfectly to restore the camera’s topside field-of-view underwater and at the same time will restore your image’s colour, sharpness and clarity by reducing the water column, therefore allowing you to get closer to your subject. It has an Anti-Reflection Coating too. You can also zoom through this lens to take full advantage of the TG’s Microscope Mode. An extra super useful touch is that you can attach the lens to your housing via a lanyard (a very thoughtful touch which is included with your purchase) which will keep your lens safe when you are underwater.

It’s a great lens for turtles, large fish like groupers, divers and small reefscapes.

I loved using this lens when I had the chance to photograph blue sharks off the coast of Cornwall with my Olympus TG-6 It produced detailed results as you can see here, but I really needed a wider field-of-view to be able to capture the whole body of the shark to be able to have a sharp result throughout the image.

So do you really need to go any wider and why? For all those cave, wreck and super wide reefscape scenes with or without a modelling diver, this is where a wider angled wet lens really shines to capture both dramatic and creative images. There are a few makes to choose from such as Kraken, Weefine, INON, AOI and of course Backscatter!

Let’s look firstly at Backscatter’s M52 120 degree Wide Angle Lens

Backscatter have done a sterling job to design and innovate wide-angle lenses especially designed for the Olympus TG series and this lens is fabulous for those dreaming of capturing those captivating wider angled scenes. Like the Air Lens, it delivers sharp corners, there’s no vignetting (where little black areas appear in the corners of your image), has an Anti-Reflection Coating and you can zoom through the lens for those all important close-up shots, making it perfect for capturing Close Focus Wide Angle Images.

Want to go Ultra Wide to capture even more of those wreck, pier or scenic cave shots? Weefine has designed a super wide conversion lens (depth rated to 60 ms) which offers an incredible 150 degrees at 24 mm and easily screws into an Olympus TG housing’s 52 mm thread mount. It also comes with an adaptor for 67 mm thread mounts. Just be careful as the weight of the lens is heavier than the others (690 gms in the air/255 gms underwater). It has a multi-layer BBAR coating for anti-reflection and optical clarity. It has an optical grade polycarbonate dome which is easy to repair if needed. Again you can zoom through this lens if needed. A super wide lens is incredible useful for close-focus wide angle images, allowing me to get much closer to my subject and with the use of just one strobe placed over the middle of my housing, I could illuminate the above subject.

Kraken has also its own KRL-02 52 mm Wide Wet Lens which offers a 145 degree at 24 mm. It has also been designed with a 52 mm thread, also has a multi-layer BBAR coating for anti-reflection and optical clarity purposes. It also has the capability to zoom through the lens for a tighter frame.

Just be aware that vignetting (black edges to the corners of your image) may still occur with different housings and lens combinations. If you notice this, just simply zoom slightly until the effect disappears.

So there you have it, an introduction to the wonderful world of wide-angle creativity. Wide-angle has been my calling in the world of underwater photography and there's nothing more that excites me than creating a unique scene which captures guests' attention and creates a conversation to encourage them to explore our underwater world too.

Warm Seas,

Maria

Sealife SportDiver Ultra versus DiveVolk Seatouch 4 MAX - Who's the King of the Smartphone Housings?

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:03:45 +0000

There's absolutely no doubt that smartphones are an incredible, cost-effective way to get started in underwater photography. There’s nothing more exciting than being able to view and upload your images to social media as soon as you finish your dive, on a safety-stop or even whilst snorkelling .

Did I say started? Let me take that back, as it is so easy to get addicted to using one, that you may just want to ditch your usual camera in favour of it. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages of choosing a smartphone over a camera, but for ease-of-use and for a complete beginner, they are a total game changer.

So with so many different housings available for your phone, so I thought I’d share some views on two of the most popular housings Divevolk versus Sealife. I’ll cover other popular housings like those made by Kraken and Oceanic soon.

Sealife SportDiver Ultra Smartphone Housing - Depth Rating 40 metres/130 ft - $349

Both compact and sturdy (ideal for where I am in the UK), this housing is how I fell in love with shooting with my own iPhone and has been voted as Scubalab Tester’s Choice for 2024.

The SportDiver Ultra housing is a heavy duty housing (808 grams) and is made of polycarbonate, stainless steel, aluminium and optical grade glass. It will take all iPhones from iPhone 8 through to 15 Pro Max as well as most Android models. Just made sure that you review the Sportdiver compatibility and fit guide. It has it’s own SportDiver App which connects to your phone through Bluetooth Low Energy 5 wireless technology, using the phone camera’s technology which is native to each camera. The housing itself is powered by two AAA batteries which last over 50 hours of continuous use. It is almost neutrally buoyant and Sealife also make a Gear Retractor which is a stainless steel snap clip which attaches to your BCD to keep it extra safe when it’s not in use.

Let’s look at what the Sport Diver housing offers:-

It has a generous shutter button at the top of the housing and four easy-to-use buttons on the back, making access to the different settings easy to use, especially when you are shooting in colder water with gloves.
It has the ability to change the ISO, Exposure Value, White Balance, Adjust Zoom, Tint, Lens Selection plus the ability to shoot in both JPEG and RAW, making it ideal if heavy editing is your passion afterwards. Video stabilisation is also available on certain phone models.
It is equipped with dual Leak Alarms which include a moisture alarm and a vacuum pressure alarm, alerting the user with on-screen warnings. This alarm will even notify you on the surface if it detects even a drop of water in it and trust me, you will definitely hear it!
It also as a Vacuum System with a pump to create more security for your system.
It has a very sturdy build which is suited for more challenging conditions. It also has a sturdy holding spring and rubber grip tabs which securely hold the smartphone in place and add shock-protection.
Automatically comes with a removable red filter (with a safety tether) to restore natural colours in tropical water and a sturdy travel case so you can get started immediately. Both magenta and yellow filters are also available.
Interior fogging and condensation are prevented by using “Moisture Muncher” capsules.
Looking to get creative? A 52 & 67 mm thread adapter is available for both macro and wide angle lenses. At present there is just one wide angle dome lens available (which is positively buoyant and has a safety lanyard) increasing the phone len’s field-of-view by 40%.
The housing features seven 1/4-20 tripod mounts to mount any light or light tray with standard tripod threads such as Sealife’s range of Sea Dragon underwater photo/video lights.
Your phone can be taken out from the back door to charge.
The Playback Mode shows full size photos and videos with a vertical thumbnail strip, making it easy to locate your images. Files are also saved automatically to your phone’s camera roll.

The downsides are:

It needs to be used with the Sealife App for it to work, so all of the functions aren’t accessible such as the highest quality video setting available in newer iPhones. Some of your phone settings may not be available through the App, so it’s important to check both the App and Play store for SportDiver App updates.
A manual vacuum pump (included in the set-up) is needed.

You can read more about all the different options available via Sealife's website here:-

https://www.sealife-cameras.com/product/sportdiver-ultra-smartphone-housing/

DIVEVOLK - Seatouch 4 MAX - Depth Rating 60 metres/196 feet - $239

It’s safe to say that Divevolk have taken the smartphone underwater photography market by storm by introducing the first ever fully integrated touch screen which makes all of your favourite apps and functions easily accessible underwater at an affordable price as well as offering the widest range of add-on lenses. Trust me, you’ll be spoilt for choice as to which one to start with! You can even communicate with your dive buddy underwater via writing apps, make an emergency call at the surface if needed as well as record GPS co-ordinates. You can even have your own Fish ID Guide with you whilst you’re diving, making identification an absolute breeze.

The Divevolk housing is much lighter (375 gms), made of plastic and stainless steel, supporting any smartphone. Simply pop your phone in a customised adapter and slide it into the housing through a narrow opening and close the housing door which has a built-in compression ring. You’re then all good to go.

So let’s look at what it offers the user:-

All functions are easily accessible via the touchscreen, even with wetsuit gloves. And yes, the touchscreen is tougher than it looks with a special 3-layer sealing gasket to keep the housing secure. For those colder water temperatures, this innovative company have even invented a special finger cot to pop on over your drysuit glove.
It may not have a vacuum pump but it does have a pressure balance system to keep it safe from leaks.
If film making is your passion, this housing is the only one to give you a choice to shoot at the highest resolution that your phone can offer.
It can also be used as an external monitor for your d-SLR or Mirrorless camera. It has developed a wi-fi transmitter which can be placed in-between your housing and your phone where the signal is transferred. Divevolk is the only manufacturer to offer this option.
Incredible underwater content can easily be achieved using the variety of add-on lenses which Divevolk offer. From both red and magenta filters to a 15 + close-up lens, plus both wide angle and dome lens options make this an unbeatable system to get started with and grow your creativity.

The downsides are:

Take added care to protect the membrane when travelling.
If you are using a tray with two handles, be aware that you will need to remove the housing from the tray first before being able to remove your phone from it’s side door. Alternatively you can purchase Divevolk’s own tray which allows it to swivel and you can then remove it easily.

DIVEVOLK Platinum - Depth Rating 262 ft/80 metres - $399

This recently launched housing has been specifically built for newer and thicker smartphones and has a much more sturdy finish. It has the following upgrades:-

It is made of aluminium alloy which makes the casing more resistant to corrosion. It also makes it look very stylish.
An upgraded sealing system, making the housing feel more resistant to leaks.
The touchscreen is easier to operate with gloves and offers a smoother response than previous models.
It comes with an integrated expansion clamp which attaches directly to the case with 1/4 inch threaded holes at the bottom.

For more information on Divevolk, visit their website here:-

https://www.divevolkdiving.com/en-gb/collections/seatouch-4-max-kit

Finally, don’t forget to utilise a wireless charger if possible to reduce the risk of moisture entering your housing. Regardless of which one you choose, you sure are guaranteed a whole new underwater photography world opening up in front of you.

I’ve absolutely loved shooting with my phone the past couple of years for ease-of-use and the simplicity and how I can create my content for social media in a nano-second after getting out of the water.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, experiences and seeing your images 🙂

Maria

Getting Started in Underwater Photography with a Smaller Compact System

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 00:29:44 +0000

Underwater Photography conjures up a vast array of subjects to capture, from the tiniest animals on the planet measuring just the size of a grain of rice to the largest creatures which have ever lived in our incredible blue planet.

But starting out as a complete beginner with such a huge choice of different compact camera systems to choose from and accessories, where on earth do you start to ensure that you come back from your trip of a lifetime with fabulous eye-catching images.

Compact cameras have evolved hugely from when I pioneered the first ever dedicated courses for them back in 2005, but the essentials I always ask on the forums I participate in are:

What are your dream images to photograph?

Where are you going?

How much do you want to change your settings?

What is your budget?

It’s honestly that simple to make sure that you choose the right equipment. I remember seeing on one forum that a lady going to Fiji was recommended an Olympus TG6 for it’s macro capabilities. Being the passionate shark stalker and wide-angle reef scene passionate that I am, I just had to butt on in and suggest that a wide-angle lens was an absolute must to capture those jaw dropping reef scenes that Fiji is so famous for, as well as those sharks. Yes the macro life is absolutely incredible too, but it’s so important to KNOW your destination, RESEARCH the subjects which you are going to have the opportunity to capture and have a budget in mind to start with. How can you go to such an incredible, jaw-dropping, life changing destination and NOT come home with all of the incredible images that both you and your camera deserve?

Then there’s the question, do you need a camera with full manual controls or not? Again, it all depends on what you want to achieve, but I’ll never forget my course guest Daniel Norwood, now Editor of DivePhotoGuide winning the British Society of Underwater Photographer’s Best Beginner Competition with a compact camera which had NO manual controls. The Runner-Up (27 points behind) was the then Chairman with a d-SLR system. It just goes to prove that it honestly is all about how YOU drive the camera, how YOU create an image, and that you CAN still create award-winning, breathtaking imagery with older compact cameras too. I have a huge variety of all kinds of images taken during my 20 year career gracing the walls of my gallery here in the UK. And guess what, no-one can tell the difference as to which one was taken with a d-SLR, Mirrorless, Compact, Go Pro or my Phone.

So let’s dive on in and look at some answers to common questions I often see to get you started on your own journey.

Do You Need the Latest Model of Compact Camera?

Absolutely not, I loved shooting with my Olympus TG4 before upgrading to a TG6 model. If an older model will give you more “bang for your buck” and enable you to purchase additional lights or lenses so that you can achieve your dream images, then it’s totally cool to go down this route.

Which is the Best Compact Camera for a Beginner?

All of them! Yes honestly! It all depends what you are looking for and how much effort you want to put into changing different settings when you are underwater. I even absolutely loved using my Sealife DC-2000 camera and in the right scenarios would deliver incredibly sharp, punchy images even here in the UK with minimum effort and fuss.

So do you need full manual controls to take incredible images when starting out? Absolutely not! Yes, full manual controls allow you to get more creative, but they are not the be all to creating fabulous images that you will fall in love with. I love the Olympus TG range for simplicity and for the jaw-dropping close-up images which it creates from the tiniest creatures by just using it’s “Microscope Mode.” It doesn’t have full manual mode, but you can still achieve black backgrounds to your close-up subjects by adjusting some in-camera settings. You can add-on wide-angle lenses, lights or even use a torch to start your creative journey.

Can I Really Capture Great Stills Using a Go Pro?

Holy moly, yes, yes, yes! I’ve fallen in love with my Go Pro this summer and all the additional lenses and accessories which you can add to it. From Backscatter’s MacroMate Mini which neatly fits on the front of a Go Pro housing to achieve razor sharp macro images to their incredible (how much am I in love with this lens) Action Cam Sharp Wide Lens Pro which gives a whopping 140 degree field-of-view. It also allows the Go Pro to focus much closer to your subject to give you real nice close-focus wide-angle images. Simply add on some small video lights to bring extra lushness, colour and depth to your imagery, I love my MARES EOS 10LRW Video Light Set-Up for lightness, compactness and brilliant results, and you are set to go.

What About Using My Phone Underwater?

Can you guess what I’m going to say? Yep I absolutely ADORE using my phone underwater as well. It also will give you excellent results, and it really is all about what you want to achieve our of your underwater imagery. For me, what sets it apart from the rest is that your images are there as soon as you finish your dive, ready to upload to the world without the need to download them first. I have been using a Sealife Housing and I love being able to change different settings via the Sealife App such as ISOs, Exposure Values and I can even shoot in RAW. Being able to change my exposure value was crucial to achieve these reflections at Ginnie Springs in Florida.

Finally what about Insta 360?

Insta 360 is definitely all the rage at the moment, and definitely so for a very good reason. You will not have seen anything quite like it anywhere and the results will leave you spellbound. That is as long as you are using it in settings which actually suit it’s capabilities, such as huge wrecks, large reef scenes and giant cave systems. Oh and make sure you have heaps of ambient light around you to get the best results. Trust me it really is awesome, but you will need to take extra care with the lens as it scratches easily. Sadly you can’t add any extra lights onto it due to the way that it has been designed, but trust me, it is jawsome.

I could honestly write about all of them forever, but thought it best to stop here so that you can go grab a coffee. At the end of the day, they all take superb images, but you need to make sure that you are in the best possible conditions to make the most out of each device. I’ll write more to explain each set-up individually very soon.

Until then, feel free to reach out and ask me any questions. Helping is my middle name so just reach out if you’d like some help.

Look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Maria

Shooting a Snoot

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 14:12:53 +0000

Shooting a Snoot

Underwater photography is an absorbing form of photography. For some, it’s a technical issue of capturing fish portraits. For others an art form about capturing the beauty and mystery of the underwater world.

Whichever you aim for, it presents unique challenges. Everything moves: you, the water, and the subject. Photography is all about capturing and controlling light. In the underwater world lighting and highlighting the subject is often impacted by either a too-busy background or particulate in the water.

One way of tackling these two issues is by using a snoot.

What is a Snoot?

A snoot is a specialized photographic accessory to control and direct the light. Look upon it as a spotlight. In underwater photography, a snoot is particularly valuable for focusing light on a specific subject and can create dramatic and captivating images.

How Does a Snoot Work?

A snoot essentially acts as a funnel for light. It fits over a strobe or flash, and, depending on the design, its opening can be adjusted to control the width of the beam of light emitted. By narrowing the beam, a snoot allows you to highlight specific areas or subjects in your underwater scene while leaving the surroundings in relative darkness.

Sounds simple? Keep reading……

Advantages of Using a Snoot

Selective Illumination: one of the primary benefits of using a snoot is the ability to illuminate a subject selectively. This can draw attention to specific details, textures, or creatures in your underwater composition – and avoid a distracting background or elements. In effect it helps create “neutral space” so that the subject is either enhanced by its background – or a distracting background can be made to disappear.

Reduced Backscatter: backscatter, caused by suspended particles in the water, is a common issue in underwater photography. By concentrating light with a snoot, you can minimize the spread of light and subsequently reduce backscatter, resulting in clearer and more vibrant images. A snoot makes an ideal companion when photographing in water with poor visibility.

Creative Lighting Effects: Snoots enable the photographer to experiment with unique and artistic lighting effects. By controlling the shape and intensity of the light beam, you can create striking shadows, highlights, and even produce silhouettes for a more dramatic visual impact. Down or back lighting with a snoot can produce amazing images.

Enhanced Macro Photography: in macro photography, precision and control over lighting are paramount. A snoot is particularly useful for highlighting intricate details in small subjects like nudibranchs, seahorses, or tiny crustaceans.

Build Your Own Snoot

Because it seems such a simple device, many of us experiment by making a snoot using plumbing piping. Sadly this seldom works and, when it does, tends to be more through good luck than judgment.

The main problem derives from the difficulty of ensuring the output from the snoot really is lighting the required area. If your strobe has a focussing light you can try having this switched on and see if the light beam will travel down the home-made snoot and illuminate the subject. If it does, great, but this does not guarantee that when the strobe is fired it will illuminate the same space. Odd though it may seem, the positioning of the strobe tube(s) in relation to the focussing light can have quite an impact on snoot accuracy.

Home-made snoots, whilst a fun construction project, can be incredibly frustrating in use.

Buying a Snoot

When the balance of a homemade snoot tips from being fun to intensely annoying, it could be time to invest in a manufactured one. There are a good few on the market ranging from the simple (about $90), to the complex and expensive (about $500).

A current (Oct 2023) Google search reveals a number of options:

· 10Bar Snoot

· DivePro M10 SuperMacro Snoot Light and MP30 Snoot Light

· Inon Snoot Set (possibly the simplest)

· Kraken Sports Hydra Optical Snoot

· Marelux SOFT (possibly the most sophisticated)

· Retra LSD

· Reefnet Fibre Optic Snoot

· Sea&Sea Snoot

Many of them have the means to alter the snoot’s “aperture” – so narrowing the light beam to a smaller and smaller diameter. The Marelux SOFT uses a sophisticated variable aperture system; the Retra LSD uses a simple mask system which slots into the snoot.

But the Problem is Not Quite Solved

As I set out earlier, the shape and positioning of the strobe flash tubes in relation to the aiming light can result in the two light sources not necessarily illuminating the same area. This can remain the case even with a factory-built snoot. Generally, the best results come from a strobe with a circular flash tube (rather than straight tubes) with the aiming light in the middle.

From my own experience, a combination of an Inon Z240 and the Retra LSD had maybe a 20% success rate. Switching to a Retra Pro strobe with its circular flash tube and central aiming light and the LSD had me well into the 90%.

Setup

If your housing is setup – as most are – with the main controls and shutter release on your right hand, attach the snoot to the strobe on the left ideally with two strobe arms to maximize flexibility. Once in the water and preparing to shoot, slacken off slightly the clamps so that the strobe/snoot can be moved easily with your left hand but is not floppy.

A snoot will affect exposure and usually requires more strobe light than perhaps you might expect. The narrower the beam, the more light you need to illuminate the subject. I’d suggest 1-2 stops. If you are getting lots of black images, try boosting the exposure either by increasing the strobe output or by increasing the ISO. Assuming there is little movement in the subject, with my DX-based D500 and a 60mm or 105mm lens I usually shoot at about 1/125, f16 and ISO 200. If that doesn’t work, do check that your strobe/snoot is actually lighting the subject!

Tips for Using a Snoot in Underwater Photography

Learning to use a snoot takes time and patience – not unusual for any aspect of underwater photography.

1. Practice in Controlled Environments: Before venturing into the open water, spend time experimenting with your snoot in a pool or controlled underwater setting. This will help you become familiar with its operation and understand how it affects your shots.

2. Master Beam Control: Learn how to adjust the snoot's opening to control the size and shape of the light beam. This skill is crucial for achieving the desired lighting effects.

3. Positioning is Key: Proper placement of the snoot relative to your subject is essential. Experiment with different angles and distances to find the optimal position for highlighting your subject.

4. Combine with Other Lighting Techniques: Don't rely solely on the snoot. Combine it with other lighting techniques, such as ambient light, to create dynamic and visually engaging compositions.

5. Be Patient and Persistent: Achieving the perfect shot with a snoot may require time and persistence. Take multiple shots, adjusting the snoot's settings as needed, until you capture the desired result.

Finally

Incorporating a snoot into your underwater photography toolkit can have a dramatic effect on your images, allowing you to control and manipulate light creatively and with impact. With practice and experimentation, you'll unlock a new realm of artistic possibilities beneath the waves. Happy snooting!

DIY Fibre Optic cables - Easy!

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 07:41:45 +0000

DIY Fibre Optic cables

Like most members, when I bought my first system that used fibre optic cables, I paid for the ones that the dealers sell.

Reading various articles about fibre optics, I realised later that they were relatively easy to make and that DIY cables could cost a fraction of shop-bought. I gave it a go.

I thought it worth a write-up here on Waterpixels. And yes, they are really easy to make and are cheap.

The Cable

The best fibre I have found for strobe cables is called 613-core Fused Multi-core Simplex Cable, Polyethylene Jacket- MCQ-1000. Bit of a mouthful!

A meter will cost about $7.50 and that should make at least two cables. A couple of years ago we coordinated an order between a group of forum members and bought 86 metres (!) from Industrial Fiber Optics in Tempe, Arizona. It was a bit of a shock when it arrived on a huge cable drum!

Cutting

The 613-core fibre is easy to cut using a sharp, box cutter-style blade (a Stanley knife to we Brits). Don’t be tempted (as I did to start with) to use a pair of scissors as that is likely to result in not quite a clean 90-degree angle. Although this will probably work fine for Manual initiation, TTL needs more accuracy and a scissor-cut can impact on the cable’s transmission quality for TTL purposes.

You can buy purpose-built fibre optic cable cutters but unless you are going into mass production, they are not really necessary.

Curling

If you really insist on having curly cables, cut to length and then curl the cable on a pencil and dip in hot water for a while. I found though that my shop-bought curly ones were a pain and lead to strained and tugged cables. Go with straight and feed them through the strobe arms.

Fittings

Various plugs (or “bushes”) are available for either or both ends of the cable. Inon make a double hole plug - available from Divervision for $1.95. Howshot make an “Adapter L bush” for the massive cost of $3.95. I use an Inon plug at the strobe end and a Howshot at the housing end.

None of these fittings need any complicated assembly, glue, heat, soldering or magic. Simply push the cable into a hole. In the case of the Howshots, poke, bend and tighten a screw. Truly not rocket science.

In conclusion

I made a bunch of cables, they have done hundreds of dives and work like a charm.

One of the really neat things about DIY cables is that you can have any length you want - including creating an extra long one for off-housing work. If by chance they break, just recut at the break - or just cut a new one.

The cost of a complete cable, less than $10. The sense of achievement, priceless.

Give it a go!

Negative Space: Find It, Make It, Use It

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 10:05:32 +0000

Negative Space

The two main tips on starting underwater photography are Get Close and Shoot Upwards. The idea being that the closer you get, the less the water interferes with the image. By shooting upwards there is a better chance of increasing the impact of subject by separating it from a messy background.

Those two elements of guidance, especially the latter, can go a long way to improving image-making. But there comes a point for many underwater photographers where images become all a bit routine - yet another fish portrait?

A FRESH APPROACH

I hit this plateau some years back whilst running a dive resort in the Lembeh Straits. Just how many xxxxfish/seahorse shots could I take? I wanted fresh ideas. A fresh approach. I wanted to create something that wasn’t a fish portrait. A resort guest, a very talented underwater photographer, pointed me in the direction of using “negative space”. What?

Negative space is “a term used in art to describe the space surrounding a subject. Also called white space, it is typically empty and lacks details as to simplify an image. Negative space surrounds positive space in a work of art”.

“Typically empty” and “lacks details” are the key elements. A blank canvas. So how do you find or create “negative space”?

A very simple example: if you shoot upwards, into the blue, you have lots of negative space - the whole ocean. Lighting can be tricky but is manageable.

SEARCHING FOR NEGATIVE SPACE

How about searching for a piece of coral that produces effectively a blank canvas? Corals can come in all sorts of interesting colours, shapes and sizes: think, for example, of Elephant Ear corals with their vibrant orange colour. A blank, orange canvas. Then see what lives there, what lies there, what might come on to that canvas and create a visually striking image against the negative space. What about a colourless rock? Or one covered in red algae?

With this technique, you think about the dive in a different way and new ideas emerge: graphical images, images of perhaps only one or two strong and contrasting colours or shapes. The fish portrait starts to disappear and the image becomes one of lines, colours and contrasts. The subject might become an accessory to a strong visual impression.

Try a dive where, instead of going hunting for a subject, you go hunting for a good negative space, a canvas, and see what might be there or, with patience, what might show up. Take some time to weigh-up the canvas: angles, colours, contrasts…. you might end up spending the whole dive in only one or two spots.

CREATING NEGATIVE SPACE

Inevitably though some dives sites just don’t offer negative space. So create your own. There are several ways.

Using the widest aperture setting, so reducing depth of field, can turn a fussy background into a creamy, indistinguishable canvas. This is using the “bokeh” effect beloved of portrait photographers. This works very well if shooting low and upwards. (I can recommend 45-degree viewfinder for this!) and for subjects that are parallel to the camera sensor rather than being at right angles.

Or the opposite: a fast shutter speed will reduce the amount of light the camera sees and turn the background into that classic black canvas. Or maybe not quite so fast and get a mid or dark blue canvas. Rather than shoot at, say 1/100, try 1/250 or the fastest your camera can sync with the strobes. High Speed Synchronisation - HSS - equipped strobes and triggers are a major bonus allowing much higher shutter speeds.

Or use a snoot. Snoots are a great way of concentrating light onto a subject. A negative space is then created in the shape of a black or unlight canvas for the areas the snoot does not light.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE

Hunt for negative spaces, play around with these techniques and you may well find a whole new style of diving and a whole new way of image-making. Images which are strong graphically or in their simple and contrasting colours. And if that doesn’t work, you can always go back to fish portraits.

A fast shutter speed creates a black canvas

A red canvas of algae

A wide aperture creates a blurry background

Coral creates a canvas for a graphical image

Snoots create negative space and highlight subject

Working the subject: focusing on the artistic aspect of underwater photography

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 18:41:30 +0000

While I am mostly a wildlife/nature photographer, one of the most interesting books on photography that I have read in a very long time is "Magnum Contacts Sheets" - link below (and no, I don't get a commission if you buy it 🙂)

https://www.amazon.com/Magnum-Contact-Sheets-Kristen-Lubben/dp/0500292914

This book shows the contact sheets of the photos taken by various Magnum photographers in trying to get their shot. It provides an absolutely fascinating insight into the mindset and creative process followed by some of the best photographers in the world. One of the biggest take-aways for me was the degree to which these photographers "work" the subject, in terms of exhausting various angles, perspectives and compositions.

It took a lot of waiting to get the fusiliers aligned just right

While this may not be news to some of the old hands here at Wet/Waterpixels, this is something I have rarely seen divers do in the real world, especially those new to underwater photography. Regardless of whether they are carrying a Go Pro, a TGx or a housed system, most photographers I see will swim up to a subject, spend a few seconds composing the image and adjusting their lights, take the shot and then swim off to the next subject. While this may be good for getting clean documentary shots of the subject, the results are generally lacking a little in artistic value.

Yes, I did say "artistic value". As the art of underwater photography evolves, well-exposed, sharp photographs of various marine life (documentation) have become pretty much common-place. So how does a photographer evolve his/her images to make them stand out?

The next step up from simple documentation is showing behaviour/action - and while this requires the photographer to be alert and technically proficient, there isn't necessarily a lot of creative input here either: the subject does the heavy lifting in terms of making the image.

There wasn't much creative input into this image other than the choice of angles - replace the tiger shark with a less interesting fish and this photo would not be very interesting

The highest level of photography (IMO) involves creating images where it is the design and composition that makes the image stand out - not merely "look, here is a cool subject". In wildlife, for example, it is much harder to take a great image of an antelope than a lion - similarly, it is much harder to take a "wow" shot of a coral head or some reef fish underwater than a whale shark or manta. You have to spend time thinking about what to include and exclude in the image, how to compose the frame, how to light it, etc. etc.

When it comes to artistic design, your first shot is unlikely to be your best shot - atleast not consistently or unless your name starts with "Henri" and ends with "Cartier-Bresson". It takes time to work through the various compositional aspects in order to find the best image - ie, you need to work the subject. If you do, you can be rewarded with images that go well beyond the obvious.

I'd like to illustrate what I mean with an example of how I went about taking one of the shots I really like. To set expectations, I have the natural creative talent of a brick and have to take a very methodical approach to taking images. So this process may seem a little plodding to the creative geniuses out there. For the rest of us, perhaps it may be helpful.

This was a coral head I came across on a dive during a trip to Raja Ampat:

I found the glass fish sheltering under the coral to be quite interesting and got into position, angled my strobes, set the exposure and fired off a shot, resulting in this:

Ok, it's a shot showing the coral and the fish. But there really isn't much else to redeem it. It's lacking colour and pop, and there really is no unifying theme to the image other than "here's a bunch of stuff". And most that stuff is adding nothing to the image (and would not, regardless of how great the corner sharpness was 😜).

So I decided to get a little closer and see what I got. It took around 10-15 shots from various angles before I found something that looked promising:

Ok, now the image has a little more pop and there are no extraneous elements. But it still seems a little haphazard. Hmm, maybe having the glass fish appear more synchronised would help?

This led to a few more shots (well, 60+, actually) trying to get the pesky fish to be aligned the way I wanted. Some of them:

There were quite a few other variants of the above, with the fish facing one way or another. All were pretty nice but from a design element, there was something lacking - these images were still not giving me a sense or scale of being on an amazing reef in Raja Ampat. While nicer than the earlier images, these were still simple "look, here's some fish" images.

So I decided to go a little wider to see if that would help capture the essence of the underwater world a little better.

Ok, now this felt better. The blue water on the other side of the coral balanced the glassfish a little more, and gave a greater sense of the reef, and I was quite pleased with the image. But then I started thinking about how all the visual elements were only on one side of the coral whereas the blue water was completely lacking in any point of interest. Some more shooting and gesturing to my dive guide resulted in this:

Bonus points to the coral grouper for a serendipitous appearance

This (to my eyes, at least) felt like the best photo of the bunch - a good 100+ exposures after the initial image. I could have stopped after the first few images, I could have stopped after 20-30 images but by spending 30+ minutes in this one location, I found a photo that truly appealed to me.

Is it perfect? Of course not. There is perspective distortion with the diver that could have been mitigated by having the diver move away from the edges. I'd have also have liked him to be holding a torch. That's a testimony to the fact that despite the time I spent, I could have always worked the subject more.

So what's the takeaway here? Pretty simple: too many divers spend their entire dive swimming around, taking a couple of photos here and a couple of photos there. That's perfectly fine when you are starting out and is a good way to hone your technical skills and build a good foundation of documentary images and also action photos.

But as your skills evolve, a good way to improve the quality of your images is by becoming more selective. Try to get a few really great shots as opposed to a large number of average ones. And in order to achieve this, shoot fewer subjects - but the subjects that you do shoot, shoot them really well. By that, I don't mean just blindly fire away and hope for the best. Instead, take a deliberate approach to positioning yourself, your perspective and exposure/lighting. Think about different ways you can compose the image. Then review the results, decide what could improve and repeat.

Starting thinking like a photographer who happens to be on scuba - as opposed to a scuba diver who has a camera.

Sure, this isn't always easy to do: unless you have your own private guide or are diving with a group of photographers, you rarely have the ability to spend as much time as you prefer on a subject. But if your goal is take the best possible images, you will have to find a workaround to that. Most dive centres are generally very receptive to (and slightly dread!) underwater photographers, and are willing to work with them in terms of guides, groups, etc. Make that extra effort and you will find the quality of your images improves significantly.

Footnote: the series of images above is not a statement about how awesome the final image is. I like it a lot (and I shoot to please myself), but I have photographer friends who aren't that impressed by it (which is perfectly fine). The goal is to illustrate the approach to working a scene, and hopefully, this sequence illustrates it well.

Sometimes, no matter how much you try, the animals don't cooperate. I spent a lot of time working through various compositions till I found one that appealed to me - all it needed was an appropriate subject swimming through at the right location. Despite waiting for almost 30 minutes, I didnt have any luck better than this.

Divers in the image: Underwater Modelling

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 12:57:15 +0000

A wide-angle image of a reef, a wreck, a school of fish or pelagic can look pretty spectacular. Adding a diver is even better for that Telling-A-Story type shot The diver often gives an idea of scale, usually confirms the scene is underwater, and makes the picture one to which non-divers can generally relate.

The problem can often be, however, “the diver”. Viewed dispassionately, the diver may sometimes actually detract from the image. Legs and fins splayed all over the place, dangling gear, eyes closed, bubbles over the diver’s face, weird positions….

How to get over this? The more underwater photographers develop their skills, the more they realise that time, planning and effort are rewarded with better results. Of course you can go out, shoot away and get lucky. We’ve all been there. But to create a high quality image regularly takes patience and effort.

So, the diver in the shot? Same approach: patience and effort. For starters, getting the right diver as a model: comfortable in the water, excellent buoyancy skills, patient, calm…. unflappable, willing to persevere. Sad to say, but generally good-looking and reasonable physique might be considerations too. Then, unless you are shooting radical chic or the 1960s look (love those oval masks!), wetsuits that don’t have holes, gear that looks like it was probably bought in the 21st century.

Brief the diver: how you plan to shoot, the type of image you are hoping to achieve and against what background. It helps, of course, if you have dived the site before. Even better if the model has too. Do you want the model as background: just helping put the scene into a context? Perhaps in the background exploring the wreck/reef, pointing a torch to highlight a feature? Or a more close-up portrait-type shot?

Agree some basic signals: up, down, left, right, blow bubbles with long, slow exhales, smile (honestly!), repeat, repeat again, stop, slow, go backwards, get close, get further away. I’m sure you can think of others. My partner is excellent at various other signals with which she likes to respond. These normally involve fingers - often a raised middle finger.

And so to the water. Buddy check of course. Ripping currents and serious drop-off walls are reasons for extra caution. The safety of you and the model are paramount. So if either of you are struggling or uncomfortable, there’s always another time, another place and another dive.

But assuming all is well, find the type of location that you have agreed and let the fun begin. Indicate to your model how you’d like them positioned against the backdrop; the direction of travel; carrying a torch which is switched on; and what point do you want them to stop or is it a swim-by? Which way do you want them to look - at the camera (hmmm, maybe not), at the reef. Maybe though you want to be able to see their eyes which might require some vague contortionist movement. Slow exhaled bubbles add drama and context.

No doubt it will take several attempts. Fins in horrible positions, eyes closed, bubbles in front of the mask, pesky fish in front of the eyes, wrong angle…. (see why patience and perseverance come in?). So back off the reef or wreck a little, review what you have with your model, give them a welcome breather - and, probably, do over again. And again. And, probably again. When you get the images home and on screen, you will see just how many are not quuuuuite right.

But with luck and effort, you should come home with some images that work. And, fingers crossed, that your model likes too - especially if you want to use their services again. Do give them copies. If it’s been an especially successful or challenging day why not print and frame a copy of a significant image as a thank you? If you’d like to try and sell the images, ask the model if they’d sign a model release which then makes commercial sales feasible.

Adding a model to an underwater image helps tell the story of what you are seeing. But it needs careful planning, execution, patience and lots of signals. Even if they are a single middle finger.

Top Tips for models:

breathe with a slightly tilted head so bubbles move away from the mask
straightish legs with one leg slightly bend at the knee. This creates length and elegance.
tuck away gear so nothing is dangling
big logos/brand names home create intellectual property issues in trying to sell the images
de-fog mask
exhale slowly - a long bubble stream looks good
tuck away long hair to avoid weird ocean-created hair arrangements or hair in front of of the mask

Marelux Apollo III/III 2.0 MTL feature

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 19:20:39 +0000

I have been ask several times about what the MTL mode is on the Apollo III/III 2.0 strobes and have attached some real world examples. MTL is the continuous shooting mode up to 10 frames a second using fiber optic cords. The attached five images were taken with the Sony A7R V set to five FPS, at ISO-400, F/9 at 1/160th sec using the Laowa AF 10mm F/2.8 with the Marelux housing, 230mm dome and two Apollo III strobes with fiber cords. The time stamp for all five photos is April 17, 2024 at 12:21:46PM. All five during the 46th second. At 5 FPS you can shoot from power levels #1 to #9. At power levels #10 and #11 it drops to 4 FPS and at #12 the highest setting it goes to 2 FPS.

Using UW Technic flash trigger.

Using the EMWL Lens on a Blackwater Dive

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 22:06:10 +0000

Disclaimer:

Thanks to Pietro Cremone, the Italian distributor of Nauticam, I had the opportunity to try out this interesting lens on a recent trip to Anilao for blackwater dives.

Blackwater diving is a form of night diving that involves exploring open waters off oceanic coasts. Unlike traditional night dives, which take place near the shore or in shallow waters, blackwater dives occur in deep waters, typically offshore over deep ocean floors. During these dives, divers immerse themselves in dark waters, often with depths exceeding 100 meters. A bright buoy connected to a variable-length line (20-30 meters) is placed in the water, to which very powerful torches will be attached.

The lights are used to attract plankton and marine creatures to the surface, offering divers the opportunity to observe these unique creatures up close and appreciate their beauty in a completely different environment. Additionally, the lights serve as an optical reference for divers as they drift with the currents alongside the buoy and line.

Blackwater diving can be an extraordinarily fascinating experience, but it requires adequate preparation and some experience with night diving. Divers must have excellent buoyancy control and perfect self-management skills, including with their photographic equipment.

In recent years, these dives have become very popular, especially among underwater photographers, who can capture stunning images of animals that normally inhabit oceanic depths and, thanks to currents and the upwelling phenomenon, ascend towards the surface. Among these creatures, one can find zooplankton, larval stages of many fish species, mollusks, shrimp, etc., and even rare encounters with Paper Nautilus or the Blanket Octopus.

Locations for this type of diving are scattered around the world, and the most famous ones with dive centers with greater experience can be found in: Anilao in the Philippines, Hawaii in the USA, Palm Beach in the USA, Lembeh in Indonesia, and Cozumel in Mexico.

For photographic equipment, it is recommended to use a macro lens with a 1:1 ratio and a good field of view (ideally 50 or 60 mm equivalent full frame), with good AF speed, two strobes, and a focus torch positioned on the housing to assist the AF system of the camera body, and a narrow-beam torch for searching subjects, which can also be positioned on the housing or held by hand.

For photographers using Nikon or Olympus, they are fortunate to have two excellent lenses available: the Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8 G ED Micro and the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 30mm f/3.5 Macro, which are perfect for Blackwater photography.

However, for Canon and Sony photographers, it is unfortunately more complex because the available optics have very slow AF (Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art and Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro), and in Blackwater, it can be frustrating to try to focus as we really have to seize the moment: subjects are free in the water and besides drifting, they move constantly, making it much more difficult to capture correctly.

Using more performing lenses like Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro or Canon 100mm f/2.8 L Macro unfortunately becomes more complex, even though they have a good AF speed, due to the narrow field of view.

An interesting solution to solve this problem is provided by Nauticam. In recent years, Nauticam has been investing heavily in "wet" optics, such as the WWL and WACP-C series, to name a few. In 2020, Nauticam launched a new system of wet optics on the international market, the EMWL series (Extended Macro Wide Lens).

The EMWL is designed to work with various macro lenses and is optimized for both photos and videos. It is a "wet" mount design so that the lens can be attached and removed underwater. This increases the versatility of the entire system. EMWL is a modular system composed of three main parts: the focusing unit, the relay module, and the lens. Plus, an accessory for quick mounting. On the Nauticam website, you can find a detailed description of its features and the modules that compose it.

Being a Canon user, I have strong limitations on the lenses to use in BW, and I thought this lens could help solve them.

The setup I used is as follows: Canon R7, Canon EF-S 60 macro, Nauticam NA-R7 housing, N100 flat port 74, Reverse Angled Viewfinder 32º, EMWL Focusing Unit #1, and 60° objective lenses.

Pre-Dive Considerations

It is important to note that the EMWL is a lens designed for underwater use and must be immersed in water to function properly. When testing the flash before the dive, it is necessary to get very close to the object, about 1 cm, to make the camera's autofocus work. If you photograph in the air, the autofocus will not focus on anything; immersion of the lens in water is essential. However, at a distance of 1 cm from the lens, autofocus works and allows testing the flash dry.

The EMWL is composed of heavy optics. On the Nauticam website, you will find tables for each part of the EMWL. In my specific configuration, the Focusing Unit weighs 728g, the Objective Lens 60° 378g, the Reverse Viewfinder 700g, and the M77 to BM II 122g, for a total of 1,928 grams to add to the normal configuration without a 45° Viewfinder. In my case, I use the normal 45° Viewfinder and should subtract the weight of mine, which is about 480g. So, compared to my base configuration, I add a weight, out of the water, of 1448g. I emphasize this point because on my first dive, I didn't worry at all about the additional weight, but using the camera with this extra weight was a bit more complicated in normal BW use. I recommend neutralizing this additional weight as much as possible with floats or floating arms.

In-Water Use

With a 60° field of view, framing subjects becomes significantly easier, which is definitely the strong point of this system. This allowed me to quickly and better frame the subject through the Viewfinder. Locating and focusing on the subject was significantly simpler with this lens, allowing me to track it and get as close as possible.

The autofocus was not affected by the additional lenses of the Nauticam EMWL system. The focusing systems, single-point AF or AF tracking, worked perfectly. I did not notice any differences compared to normal use. I only experienced a worsening when using the red color of the focus lights. With subjects more sensitive to white light, such as Squid or Paper Nautilus, I usually use only the red color of the focus lights. However, with the EMWL, changing the color of just one focus light from red to blue or white, the autofocus work perfectly again.

The Objective Lens 60° has the ability to adjust the minimum focusing distance in 3 modes; surely the 55mm-infinity adjustment is preferable for blackwater photography. Searching for the minimum focusing distance, especially for smaller subjects, framing becomes more complicated, but I noticed a greater magnification of the subject. Comparing notes with Pietro, he confirmed that the 60° lens can achieve a magnification of 4x at the CFD, and this is another advantage of this system. Obviously, for smaller subjects, it is always more difficult to get a good shot, but with this lens, we could photograph other subjects that we normally give up on because they are too complex or have obtained poor results due to the 1:1 ratio of the lenses used up to now.

Another impression I had is that the lens provides a greater depth of field. Reviewing the shots taken of a male Paper Nautilus attached to a tunicate, I noticed that a good part of the tunicate and the Paper Nautilus were well in focus. However, I did not have many similar shots during this test session.

The only "negative" feedback I can provide from my experience using it in blackwater is that occasionally, on slightly overexposed shots and with highly reflective subjects, the lens produces a white halo around the subject. In the shots taken, the number of files with this issue was negligible, but I felt it was important to mention it.

Final Thoughts

I was thrilled to use this system, and I would like to thank once again the Italian distributor of Nauticam (Fotosub-shop.it - Pietro Cremone) for giving me the opportunity to test it in black water. Certainly, this system requires various trials in the water by the user, but once the right balance is found, it can provide incredible images of both typical subjects in blackwater and smaller subjects. The cost of the complete configuration may not be within everyone's reach, but as we know, our hobby is expensive, and we do enjoy expensive toys. If you have the opportunity to purchase it, you could overcome the limitations we have with the lenses used in blackwater. If I have the chance to try it again, I would like to use the 100° lens for larger subjects, such as a Blanket Octopus (if they are easy to find), a beautiful female Paper Nautilus, or a large jellyfish; it could be very interesting, considering also that changing lenses can be done underwater, being very careful not to let it slip, though... I will keep you updated.

Hydrozoan Jellyfish - 1/320 F14 ISO 320

Tube anemone larva - 1/320 F14 ISO 320

Flounder larva - 1/250 F16 ISO 320

Mantis shrimp larva - 1/250 F16 ISO 320

Crab larva - 1/250 F16 ISO 320

Unidentified - 1/250 F16 ISO 320

Juvenile benthic octopod on a salp - 1/250 F20 ISO 320

Juvenile benthic octopod on salp - 1/250 F22 ISO 320

Seahorse, Hippocampus sp. - 1/250 F18 ISO 320

Dotterel Filefish - 1/250 F20 ISO 320

Veliger larva - 1/250 F16 ISO 320

Shrimp larva - 1/250 F16 ISO 320

Mantis shrimp Larva - 1/250 F18 ISO 320

Fish larva - 1/250 F16 ISO 320

Updates to Adobe Lightroom

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:14:04 +0000

Updates announced by Adobe for Lightroom

Lightroom Classic 13.2, Lightroom 7.2 and Mobile 9.2 released

These releases are primarily for new cameras and lens support, and a number of bugs are fixed in these releases.

Lightroom Classic
There are some additional features in Classic 13.2. These include:
- Additional Sort Order options
- Additional Filter and Smart Collection options
- Some performance enhancements

We would recommend it's safe to update to these versions immediately.

As mentioned, there are quite a number of bug fixes. To check them and to see additional details on the Classic changes and the new camera/lens support, read our blog What's New in Lightroom Classic 13.2 & Lightroom Ecosystem (February 2024)?

SUPE D-PRO Strobe test

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:36:21 +0000

Underwater photography is an incredible experience because it offers enthusiasts the opportunity to discover the underwater world in its most authentic beauty. To capture these extraordinary images it is essential to have the right equipment, and one of the key elements in underwater photography is the strobe.

SUPE Scubalamp is a company specialising in the design and production of underwater lighting equipment, including torches, strobes and related accessories. The company, a world market leader for many years, recently launched the new SUPE Scubalamp D-Pro underwater strobe, successor to the glorious D-Max. This product caught the attention of the underwater community due to its exceptional quality, light uniformity and battery life, and these features immediately placed it among the best in the industry. Another distinguishing feature is the high-speed continuous shooting mode, with the strobe supporting 10 frames per second in the first mode, making it much easier to capture shots in quick succession.

The D-Pro, with its 4800 degree Kelvin circular lamp with a 160W power output and 150 degree beam angle, ensures an even spread of light over the entire framed area. This means that captured subjects and scenes will appear in natural, vivid colours - in short, your shots will be outstanding.

A crucial feature for underwater strobes is battery life. While in the deep sea it is complicated to change batteries easily, so to avoid any kind of problem it is always preferable to do the replacement only at the end of the dives. SUPE Scubalamp D-Pro also excels in this respect, thanks to its 37.8 Wh rechargeable lithium battery (3x 18650), which guarantees from 500 strobes at full power up to 3000 strobes in the first mode. The large battery capacity supports long underwater photo sessions, allowing every moment to be captured without interruption. The strobes also feature a display that shows the battery charge status, allowing you to keep track of the remaining battery life at all times.

I have been fascinated by these strobes since their launch and, after hearing feedback from other underwater photographers, I finally had the opportunity to test them first-hand during my recent three-week trip to the breathtaking tropical waters of Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

The setup I used for the test consisted of: Canon EOS R5, Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye, Nauticam NA-R5 housing, Nauticam 140mm Dome, Nauticam Trigger and Flex-Arm carbon arms.

During the first dives I studied the light behaviour of the strobe in order to position it in the best possible way. The circular lamp guarantees excellent uniformity in light distribution and the D-Pro, with its coverage angle of about 150°, provides a considerable amount of light perfectly distributed over the entire frame of the shot. Power adjustment is easy thanks to the power selector. To balance the weight I added a pair of floats, as the strobes tended to be slightly negative.

Looking at the shots underwater, previewed on the camera, I was impressed and couldn't wait to review them on my computer once back on land. Upon review I was even more surprised by the quality, quantity and uniformity of the light, everything was simply amazing.

While diving, I tried to 'exploit' the strobes to the best of my ability in a variety of situations, and they never let me down; on the contrary, they always provided the best of their light. I was particularly satisfied with the battery life. I always recharged the batteries after 6 dives, with an average of about 100-130 shots per dive, the display allowed me to accurately monitor the remaining charge, eliminating uncertainty about whether I could continue shooting. Recharging the batteries was simple, just remove them from the compartment and plug them into the supplied transformer, waiting for the LED to turn green to indicate a full charge. I'm not sure of the exact hours needed, I always did this before going to sleep, in the morning the batteries were ready, fully charged.

As an optional extra Supe supplies a diffuser (D200-Diffuser) for wide angles. It is a hotly debated topic among underwater photographers whether they should be used or not. Not being able to provide scientific measurements with appropriate instruments, I can only give you my personal feelings.

I felt good in both cases, with and without, the difference I noticed was only in the type of scene shot. I shot very often without a diffuser, because I had the feeling that the strobe had more penetration and the light was more incident on subjects with a greater distance to the lens. On the other hand, with very close-up shots, I found the shots with the use of the diffuser with a softer and more even light more pleasing.

After three weeks of diving I did not experience any problems with their operation, the strobes were always ready to fire. The size and weight did not have a major impact during the dives, I appreciated their ease of use. I personally think that the SUPE Scubalamp D-Pro is currently one of the best underwater strobes available on the market in terms of value for money. However, it is important to emphasise that I have not been able to assess its reliability in the long term; my testing period was, in fact, limited. However, I am also confident in terms of reliability because the quality I found during use was evident.

I would like to thank my friend Scipione, who allowed me to test these strobes, and Raymon Bao, owner of SUPE Scubalamp, who was always available to answer my requests for further details about the product.

F8 - 1/125 - ISO 100

F11 - 1/160 - ISO 320

F13 - 1/160 - ISO 250

F10 - 1/125 - ISO 250

F8 - 1/160 - ISO 250

F11 - 1/125 - ISO 250

F10 - 1/125 - ISO 200

F8 - 1/125 - ISO 160

F9 - 1/125 - ISO 200

FCP, WACP, WWL, EMWL - A short overview of what you need to know on Nauticam water contact optics

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 09:45:14 +0000

Last year I decided to go big - switching from the tiny RX100 to FF (FullFormat). In my case, it was the A7IV as the best value for money. But having made the decision on the camera model is only one step - lens, housing and port is much more difficult. But with the support of the nice guys here and the old forum, I am now the happy owner of a sleek combination that is tailored to my needs. But how do you know what you need? This article might help.

The most common type of camera used by underwater photographers is one that is inserted with lens into a housing and has either a flat (flat port) or curved (dome port) front glass at the port.

Even in the days of analogue photography with the Nikonos system, for example, water contact lenses were developed that explicitly take into account the refraction of light at the water-to-glass contact surface. This reduces distortions that would otherwise occur when light hits the port at an angle and cause blurring at the edges.

Nauticam has therefore developed some different types of water contact optics that evolved and serve different purposes.

FCP (Fisheye Conversion Port) and WACP (Wide Angle Conversion Port) are "dry" optics designed to turn a mid-range zoom lens on the camera into a wide-angle zoom when the combination is taken under the surface. WWL (Wet Wide Lens) is the older version, somewhat less compact and made of more components, wet lens, but otherwise very similar to WACP.

EMWL (Extended Macro Wide Lens) takes a different approach: different underwater lenses are placed in front of a macro lens and a flat port in order to be able to adjust on different subjects - from macro to large fish.

First and newest: FCP

Picture courtesly provided by Alex Mustard

A dry lens that is attached directly to the housing with the appropriate (depending on the camera and lens) port extensions.

In concrete terms, you can imagine the FCP as an ultra-wide-angle lens for underwater use. A lens such as the Sony 28-60, Canon 24-50 or Nikon 24-50 is attached to the camera and the FCP is mounted on the housing. This achieves a maximum field of view of 175° - a real fisheye. In the zoom position, the field of view is still 85°, i.e. still quite wide-angle, comparable to a 24mm lens over water.

Next WACP: Still new, especially the WACP-C

The WACP ports with the endings -C for compact, -1 for the "normal" variant and -2 for the maximum variant are not quite as extreme. Also "dry" optics - see above. They are intended to cover a field of view of approx. 70°-130° - i.e. comparable to a lens with a normal focal length (approx. 30mm) to a slight fisheye wide angle (11mm). On the camera, the WACP-C and WACP-1 require similar lenses as for the FCP (for example Sony 28-60, Canon 24-50 or Nikon 24-50), but the largest variant requires a wider-angle lens such as 14-30mm to achieve the same field of view. These water contact lenses are quite bulky and heavy (WACP-C: 2.3kg, WACP-1: 3.9kg, WACP-2: 7.0kg) and offer better sharpness than dome ports, especially at the edges, but above all they provide a wide zoom range under water and focus even directly at the glass. The WACP-C, although labelled as a compact version, also fits some of the full-frame cameras and is the most suitable solution for me personally.

WWL-1(B):

AFAIK the two WWL ports (WWL-1 and the newer WWL-1B) are the predecessors of the WACP ports. The area of use is the same as with WACP: field of view approx. 70-130°, i.e. wide normal focal length to slightly ultra-wide angle/fisheye when using zoom lenses with a focal length range of approx. 25-60mm. The difference to the WACP solutions is the technical design. With WWL, you have a compact plan port on the housing and the WWL is mounted wet, i.e. with water between the front glass of the port and the WWL lens. Advantage over the WACP solutions: lighter overall, and you can remove the WWL under water and then have a lightweight telephoto lens (...no one ever does...). Disadvantage: The telephoto lens is rarely needed and air bubbles between the port and the WWL can be annoying.

EMWL: One size ~~matters~~ fits all

The EMWL wants to be and can be an "all in one":

The basic here is that an 90 mm macro lens is mounted on the camera and the corresponding port with flat glass at the front (flat port) is mounted on the underwater housing. A close-up lens (e.g. SMC-1) for magnification or the EMWL can be used on a flip port.

The EMWL consists of two or three elements:

The focusing unit, which is available in variants for Nikon, Canon and Sony, is located directly in front of the macro port
An optional extension piece (relay lens) then follows, which turns the image upside down and brings the front glass closer to the subject
The actual lens, which is available in 160°, 130°, 100° and 60° angle of view versions, is located at the top. The 130° lens is particularly popular and is ideal for CFWA, but also for large fish or panoramic images.

In contrast to FCP and WACP, the EMWL is a wet lens, so there is water between the port glass and the focussing unit, but also between the relay lens and the objective lens. Image quality is high in every direction but bubbles between the parts can be annoying and there have been issues about focus breathing.

The main areas of application are thus:

FCP: Fisheye wide-angle zoom, medium volume, compact

WACP: Wide-angle zoom, medium to large volume depending on version

WWL: Comparable to WACP, Lighter and slightly cheaper, but with technical disadvantages

EMWL: fixed focal lengths that can be changed under water, somehow bulky, objectionable appearance

To show the differences in size and appearance here a pic from Alex Mustard, showing (left to right) FCP (prototype), WACP-C, WACP-2, WACP-1 (Thanks, Alex!)

Cost (€)? You have already camera, housing and lens. And focus gear. And port extension. And arms, flashes and so on. Just the port:

Rough estimates

FCP: EDIT Jan 14th: Now on Nauticam website €6.482,00 (incl. VAT)

WACP-C: €2.9k

WACP-1: €4.5k

WACP-2: €8.2k

WWL-1b: €1.9k (with flatport)

EMWL: €8.5k (with flatport, 60°, 100°, 130° optics, rely, focusing unit, flip-holder, SMC-1)

If I made errors or incorrectness anybody please feel free to add or correct

Methods to determine the appropriate dome port for a wide angle lens in an underwater housing.

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 17:27:24 +0000

This article is a short version of the original post that can be found on my blog. The content is very much the same but this version is slightly shorter and has less opinions than the original. Those opinions are personal and potentially controversial and I do not want Waterpixels to be associated with them.

Warning this is an extremely technical article that I have written on request. If you are not familiar with optics, geometry, housings do not attempt to perform a calculation by yourself and rely on expert advice.

Hope you find it useful, also the original PDF of this article for download is below.

Methods to determine the appropriate dome port for a wide angle lens in an underwater housing - SHORT.pdf

Background

The physics of dome ports are not new to underwater practitioners although not many people understand the formulas, it is well accepted that there is a correct way to size and position a dome port in order to optimise opticalperformance of a lens inside an underwater housing. I do not want to repeat the theory here but if you feel you need a refresher the excellent articles from the now passed David Knight and specifically the piece on dome port theory will be useful. For the purpose of this article I will consider only underwater imaging, split shots and over and under have different considerations and will be addressed separately in due course.

Practical Implications

For our purposes, what is interesting is that a dome port is able to restore the lens air field of view when the camera and lens are inside a housing. The theory says that this happens when the centre of the dome lies on the lens entrance pupil. But what happens if it does not? Jeremy Somerville has created a number of visualisers that although not totally correct give a good idea of the issues involved. In particular the positioning of the dome port is something you may want to check. In short if the dome is not correctly positioned we lose field of view as result of distortion and increase the amount of chromatic aberrations.

We also have to consider that the dome port being a single element lens has also issues of field of curvature and spherical aberrations which are additional to any considerations on positioning and require the user to stop down the lens to reduce the side effect. Those side effects are exacerbated when the dome is not correctly positioned to the point they cannot be corrected no matter how much you stop down the lens.

Choosing appropriate wide angle lenses

Minimum Focus Distance

One of the key take aways of dome port theory is that if your lens is not able to focus close it may not work at all inside a dome, which in turn means your dome starts to become bigger and bigger to allow your lens to focus or you need to introduce close up lenses which further deteriorate optical quality.

More compact set ups and smaller domes require lenses that can focus close. In addition, due to the dome port optics, infinity focus will be reached at 3x the dome radius from the dome surface: your lens will work to a maximum focus distance well under one metre and closer to half a metre. This is a challenge for wide angle lenses that are designed for landscape and not usually optimised for close focus. One assumption that you cannot make is that a lens that is great for topside use will perform equally well behind a dome, or even more interesting a lens that is small and compact may require a quite sizable dome to work properly underwater which negates the size benefit to start with.

The dead Zone

The dead zone is where the camera cannot focus because our subject is too close. Our objective is to place thedead zone inside not outside our dome so that we can maximise the range we can use for imaging. It is not an issue if the dome radius is so big that the focus area falls well inside the dome, in fact it may be an advantage, but if the camera focus distance is outside the dome we are eating away useful range and at the point where the focus distance is so far that is outside the dome infinity point the camera will not focus at all. By choosing a lens that can focus very close we accomplish two objectives:

We reduce the size of the dome required
We maximise the focus range that can be used.

I prefer lenses that have a minimum working distance around 20cm, and avoid anything that focuses from 25cm and beyond, this ensures good image quality and reasonably compact set ups.

Prime vs Zoom

Prime lenses have a fixed entrance pupil this means that once the dome is sized and positioned your job is done. Zoom lenses instead change in size or move the entrance pupil to accommodate changes in the field of view. This is bothersome as it means that if you determine your dome parameters at wide end this may not be correct at tele end. In addition as the angle of view is being reduced the curved surface of the dome will start looking more and more flat. This is a challenge but not one we need to address, as seen in the flat port theory lenses that are longer than 35mm suffer less from chromatic aberrations, therefore for our purposes we will treat zoom lenses like a prime lens whose focal length is the shortest our zoom can manage, i.e. the wide end of the zoom. At the tele end the dome with a zoom lens will look like a flat port but still have some benefit over it in terms of aberrations.

Zoom Factor

Although we said we will consider the zoom lens as a wide tele, lenses with a zoom ratio much bigger than 2x will most definitely be problematic. This is the reason why zoom lenses with conservative ratios like a classic 16-35mm are bound to perform overall better than say a 20-70mm lens. Lenses in the classic 24-70mm or 28-75mm range tend to have less problems because they are not that wide to start with and generally work well as long as they focus close, otherwise they will require larger domes.

Comparison at equal field of view and different working distance.

The graphic above illustrates how two lenses with equal field of view displayed in solid green require different dome radii depending on the minimum operating distance. The small inverse triangle is the area inside the lens up to the focal plane.

Lens1 will require the smaller dome so that the area not in focus falls inside the dome, if a larger dome is used this simply expands the focus range into the water proportionally to the increased dome radius. A lens with the same field of view but longer MOD2 will require a larger dome to ensure the area out of focus is inside the dome. A smaller domecan be used however the dead non focus area now moves into the water. As the infinity point is still set at 3x the domeradius from the surface using this smaller dome means less focus range can be used by the camera. Using too small domes deteriorates image quality because the compressed focus range has an impact on the overall image resolution.

Locating the Lens Entrance Pupil

In order to properly position the dome port we need to determine where the entrance pupil of our lens is. There are at least 4 methods that can be used to locate the entrance pupil of the lens.

Method 1 Look into the lens

It makes me smile when you read: locating the entrance pupil is easy just look into the lens and see where the aperture is. I do not find this easy at all, first lenses are increasingly complex in construction and second how do youplace depth of the aperture correctly even if you can see it? The error margin of this method is very high.

Method 2 Non Parallax Point

A demonstration of this method is beyond this write up however if you want to go deeper into this this article should help you. This method has a good level of precision and panotools maintains an entrance pupil database for many DSLR lenses.

Method 3 Trigonometry

Once you know the lens field of view you can use various filter rings to determine the thickness where vignetting occurs. At that point you can simply calculate the distance from the edge of the entrance pupil by taking the ratio between the lens radius and the tangent of the angle of view. This gives good precision and does not require anything else than the lens itself and a few filters but can be approximated also for a lens you do not own using standard roundings.

Method 4 Lens Design

There are some websites that have lens design drawings directly from patents. This will give you the exact location of the entrance pupil from the image plane and from the lens mount.

I use the site maintained by Bill Claff called the Optical Bench Hub. Unfortunately the database is not complete, some specific brands designs are scarce. The benefit of this method is that you can use it to make calculations before you buy the lens and it is 100% accurate.

Entrance Pupil Determination - Practical Examples

Case 1: Lens Design Available

We locate the lens design on the Optical Bench Hub here.

The important parameters are I distance from the edge of the lens to the image plane (sensor) which is 115.04mm and P distance of the entrance pupil from the lens front.

The difference I - P = 91.79mm still accounts from the flange distance. Taking that out we get

73.79mm from the lens mount.

The lens has a minimum working distance of 300mm. If we subtract the entrance pupil distance from the image plane of 91.79mm we determine a minimum dome radius of 208.21mm which is rather large and in fact not available if not as a custom product.

Case 2: Lens Design Not Available

The Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 is an affordable, fast and high quality wide angle lens with a somewhat limited zoom range. The lens is 99mm long and takes a 67mm filter thread. I used an ND1000 Hoya Pro filter with a thickness of 5.6mm, the lens external radius is 69mm with the filter on.

The lens nominal field of view is 103.70 degrees however all mirrorless lenses have software corrections. Ideally I need to know the real field of view however the error is normally 1 to 3% and does not influence the calculations too much.

If we consider a length of the lens and filter of 104.6mm and a radius of 34.5 mm for an angle of 51.85 degrees we obtain a distance from the lens mount of 77.5 mm and from the focal plane of 95.5 mm. Taking into account that the MOD is 190mm this gives a minimum radius of 94.5 mm for the dome which is very good news.

Dome Selection Part I - Field of View

The first thing that we need to ensure is that the dome field of view can contain the lens field of view otherwise our main objective of preserving the air performance would be lost.

Unfortunately the specifications of dome ports on the market are somewhat lacking so you need to make do with what you have or ask for CAD details.

I use Nauticam that do produce good documentation, zen does this too

18809 18810 18812 1881318815 N120 Optical Glass wide angle port.pdf

Here you can see that, ignoring the thickness of the glass for simplification purposes the various ports have the following field of view using the formula 2*arcsin(glass port diameter/curvature radius)

It is somewhat surprising to see that the larger port in terms of size is the narrower in terms of field of view I believe this is a compromise in terms of weight.

Dome Selection Part II - Curvature Radius

Looking at field of view is not sufficient, we also want to ensure that the lens MOD is contained by the dome andtherefore we need to take into account the actual radius of curvature of the port

18809 180mm Optical Glass Wide Angle Port Radius 110mm
18812 230mm Optical Glass Wide Angle Port II Radius 120mm
18813/18815 250mm Optical Glass Wide angle port Radius 160mm

The port size goes with the curvature radius however somewhat surprisingly the difference between the 230mm and 180mm port is rather small making the choice between the two more a matter of field of view.

Amount of Recession of the Camera from the Port

Camera housings are not like skin, armed with a digital calliper you need to determine the distance between the lens mount and the housing port mount. Alternatively you can reverse engineer this once you have a lens port combination that is absolutely exact.

For the purpose of my calculations I have measured that my E-Mount camera is 27mm recessed inside the housing. This is important as it is needed to calculate the extension for the dome. If you are in a different format you need to measure this distance yourself.

Entrance Pupil to Housing Port

We have previously determined the entrance pupil from the lens mount and now we know how much this is recessed in the housing so we can calculate the required extension to reach the entrance pupil however thisassumes the domes are hemispheres which in most cases they are not.

Distance from Port → Entrance Pupil Distance from Lens Mount - Housing Recession Factor

Wide Angle Ports

Again we need a calliper to determine the depth of the port as those are not full hemispheres. I have access to the 180mm dome and I know that the port is actually 8.5cm tall from mount to glass edge because I measured it. Thismeans I need to add 25mm to the extension required.

Extension Required = Distance from Port +- Port Correction Factor

What about other brands?

The challenge with other brands is the lack of documentation however you can contact the design department to obtain information on the dome port they should not be a secret. The other challenge is the availability of extension rings. The Nauticam system has a level of precision of 5mm which is excellent however I am under the definite impression that they run their tests using in most cases steps of 10mm and using as first approach how the lens fits the port, they do not go and attempt to determine the entrance pupil.You can observe that because when you look at a specific port say the 180mm wide angle and you apply the suggested extensions in all cases the lens edge is flush with the extension.

In most cases this turns out to be accurate however there are some cases where wider lenses need to be more recessed and narrower lenses need to stick out more.

Fisheye Lenses

When you use a fisheye lens with a complete hemisphere dome port the calculations remain the same however it is a bit simpler to proceed without data. If your fisheye has a diagonal 180 degrees view and your extension is too long you will see vignette in the corners.

However if you push your fisheye lens closer to the glass you may be able to use a dome with a smaller field of view but the edge distortion will increase and so will chromatic aberrations.

Wrap Up

This article has shown that it is possible, with basic knowledge of trigonometry and access to lens, dome and camera design information to determine:

How well a lens may work
What is the minimum dome radius required to preserve the image quality
What is the extension required
How to find out the required field of view of your port

Without acquiring the actual lens camera or wide angle port. It is important to understand that if a lens is weak in air it won’t get better in water and in particular you need to appreciate that topside tests are not identical to use behind a dome that instead means working at very close focus well under one metre mostly around 30 to 50 cm. It may be worth it in some cases to rent a lens if available and take some tripod shots at close range. If you see really weak performance the lens may not be worth housing it at all.

I hope that this article allows you to have a more informed view of the key factors to look for in a lens that will ensure underwater performance is as good as it can be.

Methods to determine the appropriate dome port for a wide angle lens in an underwater housing - SHORT.pdf

3-D Printed DIY Fiber Optic Connectors

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 17:11:18 +0000

As a DIY Fiber Cable article was just posted, this seems like a good time to share this article on 3-D printing connectors for your DIY cables. The Connectors are really the heart of the cable, as the fiber is simply a manufactured item bought from a supplier.

One of weak points of most of these DIY's is getting the right connectors. The solutions range from buying connectors (at about $10 a pop or $20 per cable), re-using connectors from old cables (which may require drilling them out and gluing fiber) to using random bits of off the shelf hardware which may have poor fit and finish. I've tried all of these solutions.

Early in 2023, I bought my first 3D Printer and have been making a bunch of Scuba/Camera related parts. One of my early projects was a set of custom designed connectors for Optical fiber strobe cables. I think these are at least as good as the OEM cables I've seen from Nauticam, Inon, etc. And it had the added benefit of being really fun to design, print, test, and refine. I've been actively diving these connectors all year as have friends I gave cables to. Collectively we have done a couple of hundred dives with good results.

If you have a 3D printer with some TPU and PETG or PLA material, you can print these out at a very low unit cost. You will need some M3x6mm nuts and bolts and 2mm thick fiber optic to complete. I suggest either 1-meter or 1.5-meter cables depending on your strobe arm configuration.

I've just uploaded the design and STL print templates to the public sharing site Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6134211

Thingiverse Details:

Inon Style Optical Fiber Cable Connectors

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6134211

Make your own optical fiber cables using these connectors paired with 2mm fiber. I used both 613 multi-core fiber cables and cheap TosLink cables. The design assumes 2.2mm OD for the cables.

This design contains two styles of connectors: A 90deg elbow and 180deg straight connectors. The elbow part is printed with PETG. PLA will work but may not stand up as well to the elements. The actual connector parts are printed with TPU. These parts must be soft rubber, so no material substitutes are possible.

The 90deg Elbow part snaps together and is secured with two M3x6mm nuts/bolts. These nuts & bolts can be purchased from many sources like Amazon and are very low cost. (A set of M3 bolts with ~40 sets in several lengths is $10) The TPU connector and strain relief parts fit in the groves of the elbow. Thread the optical fiber through the TPU parts and align them into the elbow before screwing them together.

The TPU parts should be snug enough to hold the cable secure with no adhesive. If it is not secure, you can apply a small amount of silicone-based glue to the cable as you thread it into the TPU parts. Using glue may make it difficult to reuse the connectors should a cable get damaged.

Use the connectors in combinations that work for your camera rig. I like a 90deg connector on the top of my Nauticam housing and a 180deg connector on an Inon or Backscatter strobe. With a Retra strobe a 90deg connector will work better.

I have found these connectors to work well with a firm connection that is installed or removed with appropriate resistance.

Articles: Technique

Afterhours Magic: Ambient Light Video Workflow for Action Cameras

Afterhours Magic: An Ambient Light Video Workflow for Action Cams (and Other WB-Challenged Cameras)

INTRODUCTION

WHO IS THIS WORKFLOW TUTORIAL FOR

THE IDEA BEHIND THIS UNDERWATER SHOOTING WORKFLOW

WHAT SHOOTING SITUATIONS DOES THIS WORKFLOW APPLY TO

AMBIENT LIGHT VIDEO SHOOTING WORKFLOW

CAMERA SETUP

1. Set your camera to shoot in a “flat” or flat-ish profile

2. Use a well-designed filter on the camera lens (if possible)

IN WATER

Shoot Within the Ambient Light “Goldilocks Zone”

IN POST-PRODUCTION

1. Start by resetting the white balance point in your footage

2. Grade and edit your footage to taste

3. Example of my action-cam post-production workflow, in Final Cut Pro X (FCPX)

CONCLUSION

GOING DEEPER (further discussion)

WHY DOES THIS APPROACH WORK

1. The problem with in-camera software-based white-balance and colour correction

2. Why shooting flat and using a filter generally works better than auto in ambient light

3. Limits of manual white-balance setting (at depth or in post-production) and of filter use

A WORD ON FILTERS

MIXED LIGHTING SCENARIOS

FURTHER READING / LINKS

Fibre Optic Cables: Keeping them Happy and Firing

A Day in Southern California with the Fotocore GTM Strobes

Diving with the Weefine 3000 CCW Ring Light

Lightroom And Metadata for Underwater Images

Capturing Wide Angle Wonders with Your Olympus TG

Sealife SportDiver Ultra versus DiveVolk Seatouch 4 MAX - Who's the King of the Smartphone Housings?

Getting Started in Underwater Photography with a Smaller Compact System

Shooting a Snoot

DIY Fibre Optic cables - Easy!

Negative Space: Find It, Make It, Use It

Working the subject: focusing on the artistic aspect of underwater photography

Divers in the image: Underwater Modelling

Marelux Apollo III/III 2.0 MTL feature

Using the EMWL Lens on a Blackwater Dive

Updates to Adobe Lightroom

Updates announced by Adobe for Lightroom

Lightroom Classic 13.2, Lightroom 7.2 and Mobile 9.2 released

SUPE D-PRO Strobe test

FCP, WACP, WWL, EMWL - A short overview of what you need to know on Nauticam water contact optics

Methods to determine the appropriate dome port for a wide angle lens in an underwater housing.

3-D Printed DIY Fiber Optic Connectors

**1. Set your camera to shoot in a “flat” or flat-ish profile**