can you explain the ins and outs of an underwater set up?

[ScubaScotty561]

I'm looking into getting an underwater set up but am a bit confused besides for the obvious like the camera and housing, what is everything else? I see things about diffusers, trays, all different strobes, dome ports or something like that, fish eye lenses, moisture munchers. What is the purpose of all this. I was looking at the Sony wx150 and the marine pack to go along with it and a sealife strobe but I dont know if a strobe can be mounted to the Sony housing >.< I looked at ikelite but the housing is about $125 more then the Sony and I'm on a student budget. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Costco is selling the wx150 with an 8gb mem card for $180 and online the Sony housing is about $208 so I think those are pretty good prices.

 

[chile7236]

Underwater Photography Guide

 

[HowardE]

I'm looking into getting an underwater set up but am a bit confused besides for the obvious like the camera and housing, what is everything else? I see things about diffusers, trays, all different strobes, dome ports or something like that, fish eye lenses, moisture munchers. What is the purpose of all this. I was looking at the Sony wx150 and the marine pack to go along with it and a sealife strobe but I dont know if a strobe can be mounted to the Sony housing >.< I looked at ikelite but the housing is about $125 more then the Sony and I'm on a student budget. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Costco is selling the wx150 with an 8gb mem card for $180 and online the Sony housing is about $208 so I think those are pretty good prices.

For digital point and shoot cameras. You really won't need any dome ports or fish eye lenses. Those are accessories for SLR type cameras.

The marine pack looks fine, or the Ikelite housing is probably a bit more robust, and can withstand deeper depths.

The tray is something you'll need if you want to put an external strobe on the camera (which I would recommend down the road). At first, you can just get used to taking pictures without a strobe, but really to get the best quality and color balance, you want strobes. Good strobes can go with you if/when you move on to more advanced cameras.

Moisture munchers will help absorb any condensation inside the housing, which is certainly a possibility with smaller point and shoot cameras. They generate quite a bit of heat, and the internal flash will also add to that.

This is just a basic overview.

 

[3D diver]

Diffusers: spread the light for wider coverage (but lower intensity) and soften shadows.

Dome ports, flat ports: affect image distortion and/or chromatic aberation due to refraction at water port interface. Probably not an issue with an entry level system.

Trays: used to connect strobes (via strobe arms) and other accesories to your camera/housing

Fish eye lense: a very wide angle lense.

Moisture munchers: absorb moisture in your camera/housing that might otherwise condense while diving in cooler water and fog your lense or get sensitive camera components wet.

 

[Larry C]

Most housings have a 1/4x20 threaded mounting hole in the bottom. Some have two. You would use this to mount the tray. The tray is a piece of metal or plastic bar drilled to fit under the camera and with one or two holes or handles on the sides to mount the strobe and arm(s) to. If you're looking at a Sea Life strobe, you can buy it with a tray and arm, but the tray is designed for a Sea Life camera so you need to make sure it's designed for the same mounting holes as your housing. You'll also need a fiber optic cable to connect the strobe to the camera flash. If you do choose a Sea Life strobe, make sure it's compatible with the flash on your camera. Some of the Sea Life models are for older cameras without a multiple flash signal and won't flash at the right time (sync) with your Sony. It's a bit more money, but you're probably better off with something like a Sea & Sea YS-01. There are two types of arms. Flex arms are made of a product called loc-line, which is versatile and pretty cheap. It works well for short arms, but is floppy when more than about a foot long. Ball type arms are solid and are connected together with special clamps. They're heavier and more expensive but stay put when your set them. When I got my first camera, I made a tray out of cheap 3/4" aluminum strap from the hardware store, using instructions on Gilligan's Website (if you find one of his posts, I think there's a link on his signature). You can buy Loc-line in bulk, but you end up paying about $30 for the adapter from the Loc-line to the strobe. You can also buy a ready made flex arm with a strobe fitting on it for about $50 from Reef Photo or Backscatter or other photo dealers who support Scuba Board.

 

[supergaijin]

Most housings have a 1/4x20 threaded mounting hole in the bottom. Some have two. You would use this to mount the tray. The tray is a piece of metal or plastic bar drilled to fit under the camera and with one or two holes or handles on the sides to mount the strobe and arm(s) to. If you're looking at a Sea Life strobe, you can buy it with a tray and arm, but the tray is designed for a Sea Life camera so you need to make sure it's designed for the same mounting holes as your housing. You'll also need a fiber optic cable to connect the strobe to the camera flash. If you do choose a Sea Life strobe, make sure it's compatible with the flash on your camera. Some of the Sea Life models are for older cameras without a multiple flash signal and won't flash at the right time (sync) with your Sony. It's a bit more money, but you're probably better off with something like a Sea & Sea YS-01. There are two types of arms. Flex arms are made of a product called loc-line, which is versatile and pretty cheap. It works well for short arms, but is floppy when more than about a foot long. Ball type arms are solid and are connected together with special clamps. They're heavier and more expensive but stay put when your set them. When I got my first camera, I made a tray out of cheap 3/4" aluminum strap from the hardware store, using instructions on Gilligan's Website (if you find one of his posts, I think there's a link on his signature). You can buy Loc-line in bulk, but you end up paying about $30 for the adapter from the Loc-line to the strobe. You can also buy a ready made flex arm with a strobe fitting on it for about $50 from Reef Photo or Backscatter or other photo dealers who support Scuba Board.

 

[je76]

I would suggest Underwater Photography Guide as well. This site is excellent and will answer alot of your questions which are, very good, but to long to answer here.