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Last updated: 12 Jan 2004
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Notes for novices to diving & photography
This page was created in October 1998, and last updated in September 2001
For divers who plan to try
underwater photography, this page is for you!
Many a novice tries to take on underwater photography in a big way from the start, often buying an expensive full set, do a couple of dives with it, then give up shooting altogether... a serious waste of money and resources that can easily be used to buy something more meaningful, like scuba regulators, buoyancy compensators or the like.
Underwater photography is can be a rewarding experience: you get to share what you see and enjoy in the water with your land-lubber family and friends. Sometimes, if the you are lucky, the photo is even good enough to enter into magazine or competition. But that's besides the point.
Underwater photography, unlike photography
on good-ole-dry-land, has one big hazard: sea
water!
Sea water is terribly corrosive to metals. Good cameras aren't cheap. Neither are underwater cameras. Whether you choose a housing for your (land) camera or an purpose-built underwater camera, there is always the odd chance of it flooding.
So if you bring a fabulous and expensive camera down, always be prepared to trash it. It takes a lot of money, commitment and effort to keep your investment from becoming a worthless pile of scrap.
My advice:
- Try it out with a rental unit, or use (beg, borrow, steal) an economical set first - at least if you make a mistake, it won't cost so much to repair or replace
- Get a feel for the cost first, the effort needed to keep it water-tight.
- Then, if you like it so much, feel free to splurge as much as you want, but start small - from the minimum set first (camera body, wide-angle lens, strobe) then add on from there if you want
Here are some initial suggestions on underwater cameras. I've ranked them here by estimated cost.
The AquaShot from Ikelite is a cheap and simple gadget for
beginner-photographers. You simply pop in a one-use
disposable camera with flash from Kodak or Fuji.
Consisting of a simple housing/box with levers that
allows the diver to manipulate the switches and buttons
from the outside, it is relatively cheap to buy.
The full set comes with carrying case, strobes and a
couple of adapter lenses.
Though it is cheap to buy, it can be expensive to operate, especially if you shoot a lot of pictures: disposable cameras are more expensive than standard 35-mm rolls of print or slide film. But if the housing ever leaks (floods), you need not squirm too much. Simply dry out the case, check and grease the O-rings, pop in a new camera, and off you go. That's all. The photo processing shop will scream at you when you present a flooded camera for processing (they have to rinse the film with fresh water first), but at least your pictures will still be intact.
The newest one, the Aquashot 3e (shown here) is worth a look as uses a reusable camera, the Fuji Fotonex 10. Instead of a whole dispostable camera, pop a roll of APS film into the Fotonex, then pop in the whole camera as you normally would. You save because it is using just a film cartridge, and if it floods the Fotonex 10 is a really cheap and simple camera (costs only S$90) with a good quality lens.
The MX-10 from Sea & Sea
is the next best thing to the Aquashot. It is a
purpose-built amphibious camera (i.e. there is no
housing, the whole thing goes into the water).
Being a fixed focus camera, it is quite simple to
operate: just aim and shoot. As long as the target
is a minimum distance away from the camera or more, the
target will be in focus. The strobe (land-lubbers
call them "flash") is also quite interesting
because it is cordless, so no probability of flooding
because one didn't screw the connector properly.
The basic set consists of the MX-10 and the strobe.
Though
more expensive than the Aquashot, it could work out to be
cheaper to operate because it uses standard 35-mm film
and AA-size batteries. Maintenance is also quite
simple, with only one big O-ring at the back (if you buy
the set, the strobe battery case also has an
O-ring). It also works well on land, functioning as
a camera with a medium-wide 35-mm, so you need only carry
one camera on your diving vacations. There are also
a couple of adapters for macrophotography (shooting small
objects at close distances) and wide-angle photography
(shooting big object as relatively close
distances). These adapters are quite handy because
one can attach them and remove them in the water.
This is quite handy for most divers who want a
general-purpose camera system that covers most
situations.
The MotorMarine II EX, also from Sea
& Sea, is a
full-blown amphibious camera system. Like the
MX-10, it is a purpose-built underwater camera.
However, it offers more control for the avid
photographer: focusing range control, shutter speed
control, aperture control, TTL-flash photography, and a
whole motlet of accessories, including macro adapters,
wide-angle conversion lenses, viewfinders, multiple
strobe adapters, a range of strobe arms, etc. For a
start, the basic set consists of the MM-II EX, the YS-50
strobe and the strobe arm.
Like
the MX-10, but definitely more costly, but it offers
considerable flexibility. It is essentially a
camera with a watertight body and a 35-mm standard
lens. Lens options (macro and wide) can be attached
and detached in the water! They simply modify the
magnification, taking into account the water between the
lens and the convertor. Using a lens caddy attached
to the strobe arm, one can carry a couple of lenses into
the water to allow for opportunity for creative
photography options. One can also put two instead
of one strobe, allowing for more lighting options,
etc. Using 35-mm film and AA-size batteries, it is
relatively economical to operate and will meet the needs
of most amateur photographers.
The Nikonos-V from
Nikon is very
much like the Sea & Sea MM-II EX. It offers the
full range of options and accessories. Of course,
being a Nikon, it also means higher price for everything
else. Sea & Sea and Ikelite also produce a
range of accessories for the Nikonos, offering similar
capabilities at lower price (relative to Nikon).
The only thing hobbyists may not appreciate is the lens options: once you've fitted it with a macro lens for shooting nudibranches, you can only sob when a manta goes by. One fitted, the lenses can only be changed on the surface. The exception is the wide-angle convertors that can be screwed on to the standard 35-mm lens. However, the Nikkor optics are well-known for its high quality, producing sharp and crisp images.
The best results tend to be from housings that protect standard high-quality land cameras, like the Nikon or Canon, from the elements.
The housings are available from a number of different manufacturers, including Ikelite, Subal and Sea&Sea. The investment is high, and the risk is even higher, especially if the housing leaks! However, the quality of the images that can be obtained is unquestionably high, and most professional underwater photographers have at least one of these in their stable of cameras.
For more information about underwater photography, you check out the following websites:
- Rodale's Scubadiving magazine - it has a photography section
- Fabio's Underwater Photography Links - it has links to just about every manufacturer and diver.
Divers with Mako Sub-Aquatics can buy or rent Aquashot housings on a daily-basis.
Source URL: http://www.nikon-image.com/eng/news_release/2001/nikonos-v.htm
| September 2001 NIKONOS-V camera body to be discontinued Nikon Corporation will stop making the NIKONOS-V camera body in the near future. Regional Nikon distributors and importers can be contacted for details as to when the product will be discontinued. A customer base of divers and underwater photographers have favored this camera since it was introduced in 1984. In light of relatively low sales volumes for this niche product in an age of growing operating cost-consciousness, however, Nikon determined that it could not continue to justify the cost and effort of specialized production required to manufacture it in small quantities. We are sorry for any problems that this may cause, and ask you to understand our need to make this decision. Nonetheless, Nikon remains proud and appreciative that the NIKONOS-V has enjoyed a long, distinguished product life. Although the company has no current plans to introduce new underwater photography products, we will continue to stay abreast of the market for next-generation underwater cameras. About NIKONOS-V interchangeable lenses and accessories Although Nikon will discontinue manufacture of the NIKONOS-V camera body, it will continue to supply accessories for the NIKONOS-V, including interchangeable lenses, speedlight, close-up outfit unit, etc., at least until the end of 2002. At a later date, the company will decide whether or not to continue offering these accessories in 2003 and beyond. |
Also see the Nikon
Singapore discontinued products webpage:
http://www.nikon.com.sg/PRODUCT/slrcamera_discont.htm