Equip & etiquette questions (7D mkii)

[M DeM]

Absolutely— B&H and Adorama, but they weren’t too enthusiastic about unwrapping them which I found odd.

Do you have any good brick and mortar stores in your area?[/QUOTE]

As a diver with only a dozen or so dives under your belt, I would recommend holding off on investing in equipment and put your cash into gaining more experience. Work to perfect your buoyancy so you have nearly absolute control of your body position at any depth...this will make you a better diver and will translate into you becoming a good underwater photographer. At this point in your diving you will most likely be very task loaded handling your equipment and you may find it challenging to maintain your depth and relative position while turning your camera on and off yet alone dealing with the settings of a DSLR.

Etiquettewise, don't be that s*&#t head photographer who pushes divers out of the way while they are trying to view an object or sealife below the surface because you just have to get your shot. That has happened to me on quite a few occasions and there is little that pisses me off more underwater than a diver who does this.

I find the lack of buoyancy control and the lack of etiquette so appalling among many divers with cameras and go-pros that when diving locally,I often choose not to dive with folks who insist on bringing this type of equipment along.

-Z

 

[M DeM]

I’m going to take the advice and hold off for now on the DSLR shooting.

QUOTE="northernone, post: 8247143, member: 462741"]I'll echo what the other's already said.

Hard to go wrong with housings, buy what your budget allows. Get a "standard" port (mini or full size done) for the lens you like, get the right port extension to match if needed. The lens compatibility lists are online.

A powerful video light can work as a macro/closeup light source for photography, doesn't come close to the ability of a flash to balance natural light in the shallows. Cloudy days or deeper you can use it successfully as a flash replacement.

Here's a few other comments with a caution given your inexperience underwater:

Ikelite is often people's first dslr housing brand but rarely their second. They are adequate, easy to care for but a little fragile (electronics and water... Eventually everything drowns). It's a very simple system that works well, not many "features" really.

As a photographer you'll quickly find the edges of the group with a likeminded buddy or solo diving works well. Don't be the diver pushing through the other divers trying to get a shot.

Lights, not much of an issue during daytime as they aren't particularly bright enough to bother. Night dives, don't blind someone from close range.

Please get a ton of focused training dives first before adding a dslr and strobes.

If you like, start diving with a "dummy" rig. A basic camera on video (if you want) strapped to a block of wood in the appropriate shape of a dslr housing.

Learn to dive with both hands on it, avoid hitting anything or dying. Learning how to use your fins, body and current to position and steady yourself for a shot.

Get in, get out and don't destroy the reef behind you. All this while being a safe diver.

Learning to be frame shots in a 3d environment underwater is challenging even if you have drone experience on land.

Trying to manage photography without dive skills solid first is a trainwreck to watch and can be dangerous.

A good relationship with those you dive with is very important. It's exhausting to run around falling behind and catching up to the other divers. Unless you want models in your photo or find another photographer who has the same dive goals, it's often very nice to be diving solo for serious photography.

If you're looking for done pretty pictures to remember your vacation, I'd recommend a basic camera for the purpose of preserving memory and preferably make friends with someone who might sell or give you some nice shots who knows how to take photos successfully underwater.

All in all, enjoy the journey.[/QUOTE]

 

[M DeM]

I’m going to take your advice and hold off for now.

A GoPro it is for the time being. And thanks for the honesty.

As a diver with only a dozen or so dives under your belt, I would recommend holding off on investing in equipment and put your cash into gaining more experience. Work to perfect your buoyancy so you have nearly absolute control of your body position at any depth...this will make you a better diver and will translate into you becoming a good underwater photographer. At this point in your diving you will most likely be very task loaded handling your equipment and you may find it challenging to maintain your depth and relative position while turning your camera on and off yet alone dealing with the settings of a DSLR.

Etiquettewise, don't be that s*&#t head photographer who pushes divers out of the way while they are trying to view an object or sealife below the surface because you just have to get your shot. That has happened to me on quite a few occasions and there is little that pisses me off more underwater than a diver who does this.

I find the lack of buoyancy control and the lack of etiquette so appalling among many divers with cameras and go-pros that when diving locally,I often choose not to dive with folks who insist on bringing this type of equipment along.

-Z

 

[sunnyboy]

I agree with the "hold off for now" advice. Once you decide to go forward with UW photography, may I recommend you try a point-and-shoot system before you go full-on into DLSR UW photography?

Here's why. Even for an experience diver, a point-and-shoot system is pretty much a diver with a camera. A DLSR, especially with strobes, is very much a camera towing around a diver. The task loading between simple and DLSR is quite different.

With a simpler system, your costs are MUCH less (you can get an entire point-and-shoot system for the cost of the DLSR UW housing alone!). Plus, it's smaller and much easier to manage as you get started. The added bonus is a decent small system you can clip to your harness and take on almost every dive, whereas you probably have to plan for DLSR dives. (i.e. I won't take my DLSR with my scooter... just asking for trouble...)

Modern small cameras have similar sensors, processors, megapixels, ISO handling, etc. to be almost as good as a DLSR. The only real downside is lack of interchangeable lenses, which is again not really an issue for beginning. You can take just as good (and in some cases better) photos with a good small system as with a DLSR. (reality check: a great photographer with a small camera can blow the doors off a numpty with a pro system consistently).

Also - the advice you've received to wait is just as true for go-pro video as for cameras. Don't take anything with you until you are squared away. The go-pros look cool and simple, but it will take away from your dive focus and still task load. My suggestion - leave all cameras and go-pros at home for now.