Recommended underwater setup for G10

I'm a serious top-side photographer hoping to get into underwater photography. I purchased a Canon G10 for the purpose, as I'm from New Jersey so I have limited access to great spots for underwater photography and it didn't make sense to me to invest in a complete DSLR setup when I am just learning (if money wasn't an issue, I would, but it is, so I got the G10 instead). What would you guys recommend as an affordable kit for using the G10 underwater? Is the WP-DC28 sufficient? Do I need a close-up diopters or a strobe? If I get serious about UW photography then I will eventually upgrade to a DSLR setup, so I don't want to invest too much at first.

If you'd like to see my land based photography, check out my website at http://www.karipost.com

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi and welcome to wetpixel! Really like your galleries man

I faced the same dilemma and chose the G10 as well.

I think the WP-DC28 is sufficient for my needs especially if you don't care about wide angle photos that much. As far as I'm aware there are no adapters available for the housing that makes it any wider than 28mm underwater. The only thing available for the DC28 (I think) is a domeport from Fantasea called BigEye that just corrects the magnification caused by water back to 28mm.

Yes you will need close up diopters and strobes. Especially strobes. I have found that they're making a world of difference. You just cannot get the colours right underwater just with natural light, especially for stuff like macro where detail, sharpness and high f-stops are required.

I think a diopter is very necessary as well as it helps you focus with the lens fully extended. The G10 focuses really close as is, but going and bumping your housing against a goby isn't really possible so shooting at distance is must. I'm currently using a diopter I found lying around by just holding it over the lens. I plan on buying a reefnet SubSee when the new version comes out (eventually I'm told ).

The other popular option for diopters is to buy an adapter of some sort (dyron makes one) which fits over the front port of the DC28. These adapters accept 67mm threaded lenses, so you can attach close up lenses like the ones fron Inon. The total cost of this is over that of a SubSee+Adapter for equivalent magnification and that's why I'm waiting for it.

That's another disadvantage of the DC28. You can't add threaded lenses etc right away.

The other (although I don't really count it one) is that you can't connect strobes directly to the hotshoe. They have to be triggered optically via fiber optic cable. This is fine and I'm having no trouble at all with it.

I'm using a Sea and Sea YS-27 DX strobe and I plan to buy the more powerful YS-110a later on to compliment it.

You'll also need arms and a tray. I bought a set (along with the strobe) from Ebay from a guy called Nyxell. His store his here. http://myworld.ebay.com/nyxell/

His prices are fantastic and he ships worldwide.

I've only just started using this setup (w/ strobes and arms) but I'm really happy with the results. You can see some of them from my flickr (link in sig).

I think a G10 setup would be capable of some really cool things.

There are loads of people right here on wetpixel doing some amazing work with it. Here's the latest thread I remember

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=32471

I'm a serious top-side photographer hoping to get into underwater photography. I purchased a Canon G10 for the purpose, as I'm from New Jersey so I have limited access to great spots for underwater photography and it didn't make sense to me to invest in a complete DSLR setup when I am just learning (if money wasn't an issue, I would, but it is, so I got the G10 instead). What would you guys recommend as an affordable kit for using the G10 underwater? Is the WP-DC28 sufficient? Do I need a close-up diopters or a strobe? If I get serious about UW photography then I will eventually upgrade to a DSLR setup, so I don't want to invest too much at first.

 

If you'd like to see my land based photography, check out my website at http://www.karipost.com

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

I think a G10 with a single strobe that can do optical TTL flash control (maybe a Sea & Sea YS-100a or a INON s-2000) and the Canon housing is a nice way to start.

Down the road, you could add a second strobe, a dome adapter to get wider (Fisheye BigEye) or one or more close-up diopters ... Fantasea also makes an adapter that lets you put 67MM threaded wet lenses on the Canon housing.

How's your diving? You don't mention it ... it takes good buoyancy and general dive skills to be a good u/w shooter. Make sure that's solid before you complicate things with a camera!

have fun!

Thanks for the input and suggestions.

Right now I don't SCUBA dive, but its high up there on my "to do" list. I swim and snorkel and I'm extremely comfortable in the water. I teach lifeguard classes and I'm a certified pool operator. As I mentioned before, I live in New Jersey, so there aren't an abundant amount of good diving opportunities around here without a fair bit of traveling involved. I'm mostly looking to shoot in freshwater lakes and ponds to start, so going after subjects like crayfish, salamanders, and minnows. I'd also like to shoot manatees in Florida, but fortunately that doesn't require the ability to SCUBA.

An elaborate setup is quite beyond my means and, considering my limited skills and access, would probably be overkill at this point. I think a housing and strobe will allow me the ability to start shooting underwater, and if I get to the point where I am doing it a lot or I feel I need quite different equipment, I will just upgrade to a DSLR setup. I just want to get started with what I have access to now and see how things unfold.

Kari

If you take up diving, completing at least 10 dives with no camera would be a good idea. Safety is first and being good at scuba skills will keep you safer. A camera brings distractions, which new divers do not need.

Hope you have fun with your new equipment.

There are a lot of options for the G10. My favorite set up is the Fisheye Fix G10 Housing, Sea & Sea YS-110a strobe with Ultralight arms, the Fisheye Wide Angle Conversion lens and flip macro lens. That will give you a compact, complete set up that offers excellent results for serious amateurs.

I also have the G10 and I'm planning to upgrade to a 4/3 or full SLR eventually (I'd get the Pany Gf1 now if Pany made a casing).

In the meantime I would like to add some lights to my G10 and I was wondering if there was setup that I could transfer easily to an SLR?

Right now I do fish pictures in ambiant light, few macros although I like getting close... picture taken yesterday :

Unfortunately the iso was set at 200 which is bad with the g10.

Anyway, I was eyeing the Sea and Sea YS-27 DX strobe.