Setup advice

Hey,

I'm hoping to focus on underwater photography (also a little videography) going forward, and was hoping for a bit of advice on how to approach my setup considering the gear I already have.

I'm a hobbyist surface photographer, so have some good equipment already:

-Canon EOS 5D MkII(+ a variety of lenses) - considering upgrading to a MKIII as there's a good trade in deal available to me right now.

-Canon G7x

-Go Pro Hero 3 Black

Really my question is, as a newcomer to underwater photography, which setup should I move forward with?

Right now, I'm thinking of a Rec Sea poly carb housing (60m rating/c.190ft) for the G7x. The thought of flooding my 5D makes me feel a bit ill (as does the price of 5D housings!)! Haven't given any thought to strobes or accessory lenses. Additionally I don't yet have a picture of who the preferred manufacturers of underwater gear are.

I have padi deep dive certification (and rescue) but don't do any tech, so 40m (c. 130ft) would be my bottom depth.

Thanks for any and all advice on this. If you've any other tips, I'm happy to hear those too!

Hi!

This is a slightly tricky question to answer as, in many ways, you are comparing apples, oranges and, err, bananas....

GoPros are terrific for video. From what I hear, pretty hopeless for underwater still shots. But they have the advantage that they are relatively inexpensive, editing software is free, you don't need a housing and you can get away without lights if you stay shallow. But for serious underwater stills, not so much.

Canon G7xs, like most P/Ss suffer from shutter lag. If you are trying to take serious fish portraits this can be tricky as the rascals tend to move before the camera has finished composing and taking the shot. I'm not sure what battery life is on the G7x but this can also be a problem with P/Ss as you might need to remove it from the housing reasonably often to replace or charge the battery. But if you accept the limitations of the camera, you should be able to get some good shots. You may well need a strobe or two. I'm sure others on the forum can tell you more about the pros and cons of the G7x.

The Canon EOS is a different animal again. You will/should get better shots by the very nature of an SLR. Shutter lag is not an issue. You will need strobes. Yes, buying a housing is a wounder (welcome to our world!). And you may well need different ports for different lenses (think of the difference between macro and wide angle).

So, as I say, apples, oranges and other bits of fruit.

I'd suggest having a read around a bit - there are some very good info sheets on Reef Photo (http://reefphoto.com/shop/) website and Cameras Underwater. (http://www.camerasunderwater.co.uk) and see if you can have a look at a copy of Martin Edge's excellent book, Underwater Photographer. These will give you a good idea of what equipment is needed to produce what kind of image.

In terms of cost, GoPro would be the least costly, then the G7x and then the EOS the most costly. The problem can be that if you decide to embark on the middle option, your Canon G7x, you might find quite quickly that you can't get the kind of images you are seeking - and you have spent a lot of money and only a small amount of what you have bought could possibly be recycled into an upgrade to housing the EOS. The strobes and arms, for example, could well be transferable between those two systems. But the costs of upgrade and the loss on your original purchase could well be significant. And then if you splash out (bad pun) big time on housing the EOS you might find it's all too much of a faff and not worth effort. It happens!

So, coming almost full circle, have a good read around and try and get an idea of the equipment involved in each and the likely results that you can get with practice. This might help you reach a clearer view. Then (re)mortgage your house, sell a kidney and your first born - and you're one of us

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck with exploring!

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, Tim. Plenty to consider.

The Go Pro is what I've been using up until now (mainly for video), with mediocre results - I suspect this is as much me as the camera though. I have a couple of 1200 lumen leds for it, but I'm really not getting the best from it.

As I already have the other cameras I thought it might be worth getting more use out of them, especially as diving is taking up ever more of my free time. Realistically, I don't think I'll ever be anything more than an enthusiastic hobbyist grabbing the occasional above average shot though, so going the whole way with the 5D set up will probably be overkill for me, not to mention the increase in bulk, particularly for flying. I've seen some of the setups fellow divers have been using, and I don't know if I really want to carry around all that extra delicate bulk. I suspect I'd get more use out of a compact set up, and some of the G7x photos I've seen are really very good. If only I could choose less expensive hobbies!

I've seen are really very good. If only I could choose less expensive hobbies!

Amen to that one!

Yep, hauling an underwater SLR setup can be quite something. I reckon I move about 30kgs of gear whenever I go on a dive trip.

As I suggested, a P/S setup can produce very good pics and I know people who make a living out of it. You just have to understand and accept the limitations and work within - or around - those confines.

If you are looking for a housing, take a good look at what is available and, if you can, try and handle them to see which feels best to you. If you can take a look at, say, a Nauticam housing and then compare that with ikelite or the RecSea you'll get a good idea of the range available and what you like best - bearing in mind cost differences.

Thanks again!

I think the G7 route is the most likely for me at this point, so that's what I'm researching most heavily. It's brought up one thing, however. The 24-100mm focal range causes a vignetting issue with the housings for wide angle. Nauticam have a special port to deal with this, but when set up with this option, you can't zoom farther than 50mm, so macro is off the table until you swap the ports around. The other housings seem to require you to zoom in a couple of clicks to 28mm to eliminate the vignette.

What I need to work out now is how big an issue this is, or can it be easily worked around? If anyone can chime in on this, I'd really appreciate it. At the moment it strikes me as a slight inconvenience rather than a big thing, however.

Edited to add - I meant to say, Tim, I had a look at some of your shutter stock photos. Wow! Just wow!

After a bit more looking into things, I've another couple of questions I'm hoping I might be able to get some help with!

The Nauticam housing comes with a standard port which allows the camera's full zoom range. As best I can see, using a wide angle on this port will result in vignetting below 28mm zoom. It also appears to me that the vignetting will stop when I zoom to 28mm (does it work like this or might I need to zoom farther to clear the vignette?), giving me useable wide-angle with the standard port and no vignette from 28mm zoom. I can also stick a macro lens onto this port giving that versatility. With this option, am I right in thinking that the only issue is I can't use the sub 28mm zoom range when using a wide angle lens without getting vignetting?

The next option is the Nauticam N50 dome port, which allows the camera's full range of zoom, with, I believe, some extra fov. The question I have on this is what effect a dome port will have on the camera's in built macro capabilities? Will it make for far poorer macro capabilities than the standard option above?

There is also a short port option, designed for use with an appropriate wide angle lens, which will allow vignette free wide angle shots at 24mm camera zoom. However, this will prevent zooming beyond 50mm, so impacting versatility and macro capability, and is one I think I will discount unless someone convinces me otherwise!

Basically the option I'm looking for is the one that will give me the greatest versatility in terms of the gear I'm carrying around with me without sacrificing too much at either the wide angle or macro end.

Thanks!

 

 

Edited to add - I meant to say, Tim, I had a look at some of your shutter stock photos. Wow! Just wow!

Hey, thanks for that! Much appreciated.

Good luck on your hunt for the combination that suits you. I'm sure others on the forum will chip-in with answers. It's a very helpful community.

Ok,

I've been looking into this heavily (obsessively...). I've decided compact is the way for me to go. I'm never going to be a pro level shooter, so spending huge money on dslr housings and ports would be wasted on me. While I want to take the best photos I can, it's more about documenting my underwater adventures for personal enjoyment rather than me ever harbouring ambitions of taking photos of sellable quality. Even if that were to change in the future, I think a compact will serve me well for a few years while I develop the skill set.

While I love the G7x as a 'take it everywhere camera', it seems to have drawbacks underwater with the vignette issue for wide angle. Nauticam provide the answers with the short port, standard port, and dome port, but of course this wipes out the 'wide and macro on the same dive' versatility that makes compacts attractive to me. Plus, to buy the various bits increases the price.

It's so much more expensive that I could get a Sony Rx MkII and a RecSea 100m housing for about the same price as the housing and ports for the G7x. Im now thinking this might be the best in terms of what I'm looking for.

What do you guys think? Does this sound like a sensible move, or am I making a string of bad and expensive choices??

Thanks!