UK diving + shooting with DSLR + strobes

Hi all,

I'm just venturing into UK diving and as a result I'm slowly getting gear for it. For now I'll be trying a 7mm wetsuit with gloves, boots and hood, then moving on to dry next year maybe?

Question: I've got a DSLR housing for which I obviously shoot manual (so most relevant buttons will be used): Which specific gloves would you recommend for all year diving in the UK, which will keep me warm but also give me the best amount of tactile feel for camera and strobe adjustments? Bearing in mind that the YS-D1 has absolutely tiny adjustment knobs and increments

So far I've looked at the 5mm stretch style gloves (mares, scubapro etc.) and the fourth element 5mm.

Any thoughts and experiences? I know it's a tradeoff between thickness and dexterity but surely there is a sweet spot somewhere? (I'm hoping the answer isn't 3mm and manning up!)

Brrrr, makes me shiver even reading about it.....

Are there button extenders that you can get for the YS-D1? There are, for example, for the Inon Z-series strobes. This might help and is another way of maybe solving bits of the problem.

Tough call though between dexterity and hypothermia! I always used a dry suit and dry gloves in the UK but dexterity on small buttons would be an issue for sure.

I vote for dry gloves as well when you go dry, but the 4th Element gloves should be fine. It should be easy to 3d Print some knob extenders, 

Bill

Hi all,
I'm just venturing into UK diving and as a result I'm slowly getting gear for it. For now I'll be trying a 7mm wetsuit with gloves, boots and hood, then moving on to dry next year maybe?
Question: I've got a DSLR housing for which I obviously shoot manual (so most relevant buttons will be used): Which specific gloves would you recommend for all year diving in the UK, which will keep me warm but also give me the best amount of tactile feel for camera and strobe adjustments? Bearing in mind that the YS-D1 has absolutely tiny adjustment knobs and increments [emoji4]
So far I've looked at the 5mm stretch style gloves (mares, scubapro etc.) and the fourth element 5mm.
Any thoughts and experiences? I know it's a tradeoff between thickness and dexterity but surely there is a sweet spot somewhere? (I'm hoping the answer isn't 3mm and manning up!)

It is nice and warm at the East coast at the moment - water temp. is 19C and 5mm or 7mm wet suit is fine for, at least, an hour in the water. I have both, so no issue using either. I use 5mm gloves (Scubapro) or 3mm - no issues operating my camera in a Subal housing. Tried the 4th element gloves and did not like them - personal experience. 

Which bit of the East coast is 19c at the mo? We are talking about the UK here, not the Caribbean! If it is that temperature, you think about a shortie!

Personally, diving off E Scotland, I abandoned gloves/mits altogether after about May for all the reasons that concern you. It is not so bad after the initial  couple  of minutes - give it a try. But I do recommend control knob extenders as mentioned above.

Hi,
dont know if you get Neopren stuff from Camaro in the UK.
This gloves:
https://www.amazon.com/Camaro-Seamless-Bonding-5mm-Gloves/dp/B00BYP9HRC

These gloves i use in 5mm for cold water, 3mm in the mediterian, or 1mm in the tropic waters.
Very elastic and not so bulky as other gloves.

Regards,
Wolfgang

PS: if you dont get them, send me an email ;-))

18 minutes ago, JimG said:

Which bit of the East coast is 19c at the mo?

Norfolk. I shore dive in the Sheringham area on the chalk reef. The water temp. stays at about 19C pretty much the whole summer, same as in the Canary islands.

I use dry gloves for just about everything in the UK. They are actually more dextrous than wet suit gloves underwater, as they compress down.

When you hands get cold, it becomes impossible to adjust settings. Check out our discussion about gloves in part 2 here:

View archived post in: Wetpixel Live: Dive Gear for UW Photographers

2 minutes ago, scuba_d said:

Norfolk. I shore dive in the Sheringham area on the chalk reef. The water temp. stays at about 19C pretty much the whole summer, same as in the Canary islands.

Wow, there must be some sort of warm water outlet around? Nuclear power plant??? 

2 minutes ago, TimG said:

Wow, there must be some sort of warm water outlet around? Nuclear power plant??? 

Last year we had 20C, sometime in July and August - did not miss, at all, some of the Mediterranean diving destinations.  

I dive with 3mm gloves in Sydney summer in the range 18-21°C and last winter I used them down to 14°C, this year I have 5mm Waterproof kevlar gloves they are pretty stiff but with the right technique I can operate INON Z-240 controls.  I have the Kevlar as I mostly shore dive and the rocks make short work of straight neoprene gloves.   If you plan on staying in the wetsuit a hooded vest is a nice investment and will get you a couple of degress cooler.  If your wetsuit fits well you might find it won't fit under - but they are also effective over your suit - the seal between the vest and the hood helps a lot.