should I wait

[mike jj]

I was just certified ow 2/27/11, but would love to show my wife what she is missing. By way of photos. My question is, should I try to become a better diver before I try to start messing around with a camera underwater. Oh ya I hate to ask, BUT camera recs, in the 500.00 to 800.00 range. (seems like everything else cost about that much).

Thanks MIke

 

[markmantei]

Mike, I would definitely recommend you wait until you are more comfortable in the water. I understand your desire to share the amazing experiences with your wife, but adding a camera this early in your dive career is additional task loading you do not need. Also, before adding a camera your buoyancy control should be very good, and that takes practice. I also believe that when I'm focusing on getting a good shot, I'm missing other very cool stuff on the dive. In short, just enjoy the diving and tell your wife about all the cool stuff she's missing.

 

[herman]

I highly recommend you wait. The amount of task loading a camera adds is a lot more than most realize.
Here is a test for you, while on a dive, pick a small spot on some object- nail on a pier, paint mark on a pool- it does not matter what, just something small that you can't hurt. Hold both of your hands out in front of you at arms length, now form a square with your thumbs and index fingers, this is your "camera framer". Now swim up to the object, get less than a foot away, hold the object in the "framer" for at least 30 seconds while hovering without touching ANYTHING (you are composing the photo and getting it in focus) next BACK away and turn and swim away, at no time touching anything or losing control. When you can do that with little trouble and do not lose buoyancy control you are ready to take a camera. Until you can to that realiably it's best you practice your diving skills.

 

[Teamcasa]

Wait? It depends. How comfortable are you diving? How's your buoyancy control? Do you dive with a very patient and understanding buddy?

You don't necessarily have to wait to start snapping pictures underwater but you may want to hold off on buying expensive camera gear. Look for a good used setup first. You would be surprised how many new divers take up UW photography only to discover that they would just rather dive and look around instead.

OTOH Shooting underwater will make you a better diver and make finding dive buddies harder. It will enrich the diving experience all the while draining whatever loose change you have hiding in the couch.

 

[Scuba Dive Asia]

Hi Mike,

I would say you just should wait until you are very comfortable with buoyancy. Depending on people it may take more or less dives. A camera will throw off your balance and you will have to adjust again once you dive with one. If you are an experienced diver it will be "easy" task, if you are not, it will lead to unnecessary stress under water. Also, with little experience you might overlook simple safety rules, leading to possible injury.
The idea of taking photographs is that:
you know what you are looking for
you know a little bit about photography
you have great respect for nature and the underwater world in general

If you think you can do it, I would recommend you to start with a compact camera so that it does not disturb you too much. If you really like it and decide to upgrade to a more sophisticated camera gear, it is a great idea to get practice dives before heading to the reef.

Ultimately, there are many divers sharing their images on the web. During your dive trips you can be assured there will be at least one photographer around and you could get your images from them.

I love taking pictures underwater however, I also make a point to dive without my camera. If you are always with the camera you do tend to forget to look at the picture and can miss out. Both ways are a great experience; it is however up to you to make it a great experience and take your responsibilities. First and foremost, do not damage anything & respect the fragile underwater world. Once that simple but difficult skill is 2nd nature you are free to do as you please.

Last but not least, photographers who damage the reef, stir up sand, monopolize a subject while a few other divers would like to see it will eventually end up having a not so nice experience with fellow divers. Let's not be one them

 

[highdesert]

Get at least 50 dives in, then start thinking about a camera.

 

[mike jj]

I have 51 dives in now and am feeling pretty comfortable, also have, night and limited vis, navigation, deep, and nitrox, and am in the process of stress and rescue class. So I think I would like to buy a camera for up coming dives to Cozumel, Marathon, and Bonaire, In Jan and Feb. I think I've narrowed it down to a Canon s95 or the new s100. Also would like advice on Ikelite or Canon housing.

Thanks Mike

 

[TheYellowSubmarine]

I have 51 dives in now and am feeling pretty comfortable, also have, night and limited vis, navigation, deep, and nitrox, and am in the process of stress and rescue class. So I think I would like to buy a camera for up coming dives to Cozumel, Marathon, and Bonaire, In Jan and Feb. I think I've narrowed it down to a Canon s95 or the new s100. Also would like advice on Ikelite or Canon housing.

Thanks Mike

S95 is a great camera to start with that you can later on add wet lenses (wide angle and macro) and strobes later on to take fantastic photos. Learn a bit about ISO, shutter speed and aperture and use manual mode as soon as you can. Automatic settings are usually not the best underwater.
The Canon housing doesn't give you full access to all the controls on the camera. I'm not sure about the Ikelite (I think the S90 housing didn't have a freely rotating knob for the front bezel, but not sure about the S95 model). FIX and RecSea make the top of the range aluminum housings which cost more but are absolutely fantastic. They are also designed to take some great lenses once you're comfortable with the camera.

The S100 might be a great camera underwater too, but it's still unproven as it has a few changes which might affect how well it works as an underwater camera compared to the S95.