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
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