Mark Derail
Contributor
Here's an idea - make a lightbox - a big (say 2 feet by 2 feet) plexiglass cube. One side of the cube is completely open.
The opposite side a hole just for putting the camera lens in.
The strobes are outside the cube, and perhaps not necessary, if multiple UW flashlights are used around the cube, all pointing "in".
The cube will stabilize the water inside, so for macro / closeups, water won't be drifting. If you wait a few mins, would settle. No need for using a flash / strobe, thus no backscatter. The LED flashlights are cheap - I recommend alkalines, so should water seep in, electrolysis won't kick in (as much) though it being freshwater, perhaps not a problem.
Use aquarium "glue" which is basically silicone, and your local Home Hardware will cut (say 1$ per cut) your plexi accurately for you. Then make risers for the flashlights to "sit" on for perhaps a 30-45 degree angle. Or just put them on the same side as the cam pointing "in".
I would use a minimum of four flashlights, and have a fifth one for shining a particular spot / mussel.
Also, the camera might want to "float" - be sure to use some weights to make it neutral. The box will want to sink slowly, the camera will want to float.
I also suggest a cheap P&S like a S100 or S95.
Another idea - photo wise - take multiple macro shots - and stitch them together - to make an extra big picture, much like Nasa + Hubble do. Don't have to buy photoshop, free GIMP or Paint.Net work well.
The opposite side a hole just for putting the camera lens in.
The strobes are outside the cube, and perhaps not necessary, if multiple UW flashlights are used around the cube, all pointing "in".
The cube will stabilize the water inside, so for macro / closeups, water won't be drifting. If you wait a few mins, would settle. No need for using a flash / strobe, thus no backscatter. The LED flashlights are cheap - I recommend alkalines, so should water seep in, electrolysis won't kick in (as much) though it being freshwater, perhaps not a problem.
Use aquarium "glue" which is basically silicone, and your local Home Hardware will cut (say 1$ per cut) your plexi accurately for you. Then make risers for the flashlights to "sit" on for perhaps a 30-45 degree angle. Or just put them on the same side as the cam pointing "in".
I would use a minimum of four flashlights, and have a fifth one for shining a particular spot / mussel.
Also, the camera might want to "float" - be sure to use some weights to make it neutral. The box will want to sink slowly, the camera will want to float.
I also suggest a cheap P&S like a S100 or S95.
Another idea - photo wise - take multiple macro shots - and stitch them together - to make an extra big picture, much like Nasa + Hubble do. Don't have to buy photoshop, free GIMP or Paint.Net work well.