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Archive 2014 · Underwater Camera Question

  
 
canerino
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Underwater Camera Question


Greetings Alt Folks!

This forum has been tremendously helpful to me over the years!

The focus of my personal photography is my family (www.growingupanerino.tumblr.com) and my Sony RX1 has been awesome over the past 7 months. The other day, I borrowed a lifeguard's underwater camera. It was a Fuji but I dont know which model. It was really an unenjoyable experience. I literally couldnt see the LCD and the camera left a lot to be desired in terms of useability.

But I had a lot of fun doing it It got me thinking about buying an underwater camera for messing around. Then I thought one step ahead about an underwater housing for my DSLRs...saw the price and shot that idea down. More thinking lead me to an option that I think I'm close to deciding on. I have a RX100 that I hardly use anymore. Upon some google searching, this little gem is uses a lot by underwater photographers due to its size, affordability, and image quality. I found a relatively cheap housing that rates well.

So my question is: Would a RX100 in a housing yield a better user experience and image quality over a dedicated point and shoot like the Olympus Tough (or another underwater point and shoot)?

Thanks!



Jul 28, 2014 at 06:44 PM
millsart
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Underwater Camera Question


It works well for the money, though if your talking about the $175 Amazon/Ebay one, the rear control dial can't be turned, you have to reassign it to the front, which also can slip some, but its usable.

Housing is fine and good for the money, HOWEVER, the camera is pretty big in the housing and I don't suggest putting it in/out at the beach. Do it where sand etc can't get into it.

Downside to this size of course is that you no longer have a camera you can slip into the pocket of your swim shorts, hide in your shoe (thieves never will think to look there ) etc.

A waterproof P&S won't take as good of shots, but its much smaller and pocketable.

I personally found the housing annoying the moment I was done using it as I was then stuck with it during the rest of the day. I switched to a P&S, Olympus TF850 and still have the Lumix TS20 as well. IQ is lacking, but, for the type of family stuff I shoot with them, it works fine.

Don't rule out the Nikon AW1 either, decent 1" sensor, fast AF, and waterproof without a housing.



Jul 28, 2014 at 06:51 PM
JohnBrose
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Underwater Camera Question


I have a Panasonic ts model and it's very nice being able to use the camera without a housing. The underwater ps with the small sensors do suffer from lower image quality, but they are plenty good for family snapshots. If you want a larger sensor model, I'd probably go for the Nikon underwater camera.


Jul 28, 2014 at 07:12 PM
canerino
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Underwater Camera Question


millsart wrote:
It works well for the money, though if your talking about the $175 Amazon/Ebay one, the rear control dial can't be turned, you have to reassign it to the front, which also can slip some, but its usable.

Housing is fine and good for the money, HOWEVER, the camera is pretty big in the housing and I don't suggest putting it in/out at the beach. Do it where sand etc can't get into it.

Downside to this size of course is that you no longer have a camera you can slip into the pocket of your swim shorts, hide in your shoe
...Show more

Thanks Millsy! That's the exact housing I ordered I found that it is branded under several different names. They are the same housing and range from the 'polaroid' brand at $119 to 'megagear' at $199. Just ordered the Polaroid.

I appreciate you taking the time. Since acquiring the RX1, the rx100 has seen virtually no action. Great tip on loading up in controlled situations. I really just plan on using it at my pool and the occasional beach trip, so I dont mind the added bulk to much. It'll pretty much be a dedicated underwater cam now!

Here are my two shots that I felt were OK from the Fuji...hopefully the rx100 will make it a bit easier:

http://31.media.tumblr.com/c69c32abc985dd3cfa93dd57c7c61ea4/tumblr_n911jtYpri1qfs74po1_1280.jpg

http://38.media.tumblr.com/1977d45913f4b4487e137a642bbc1b04/tumblr_n91g5eu53t1qfs74po1_1280.jpg




Jul 28, 2014 at 10:40 PM
J.D.
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Underwater Camera Question


Hi Canerino!

Your question sounds very much like one I had to answer for myself about 12 months ago.

I recently went to a very small island in French Polynesia called Maupiti and since I wanted to dive with manta rays, the question of what camera to use was high on my list of priorities.

Like you, I had a compact camera which I was no longer using much and I decided that this would be a better basis for underwater use than the purpose-built offerings from the major manufacturers. I had also heard some horror stories about leakage - obviously the biggest concern for any underwater photographer - which may have been limited to individual cases or might be of general concern.

Either way, the decision was basically made because I already had a camera which would be well suited if I could find a housing for it.

My old camera is a Canon SD850 IS, also known as the SD800 IS in the USA. Original Canon housings for these cameras are still available but cost around $250 for a new one. I decided that a used one from eBay was a better option. This was much more complicated but in the end, worth it.

It took 6 months to get what I wanted and I missed out on a lot of sales. I was starting to despair that I would have to fork out $250 and get a new one when, about a month before I left for Maupiti, a near-new WP-DC9 housing popped up for $44 US and I bought it immediately.

Research pays off with these things and having familiarised myself with the tricks of other similar Canon housings, I also got hold of a new O-ring and gasket grease, along with the appropriate button lubricant. I gave the housing a full service and was satisfied it was good to go. You need to do this every time you dive and you need to make sure you clean and rinse everything thoroughly when you get home. You also need to remove the main O-ring and store it carefully, coiled up in a zip lock bag inside the empty UW housing.

The camera was a slightly different story. I converted it to work with the Canon Hack Development Kit:

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

and tested to make sure I could extract raw files and that they would work with Adobe Lightroom.

The results were really very satisfying, especially when you consider the effort to make it all work. The SD850/800 IS is not an ideal underwater camera because the lens is simply not wide enough. That doesn't mean you can't get good shots out of it but it makes it less than ideal. No matter, I am not an experienced underwater photographer anyway.

I also made sure the flash diffuser was attached and that I got a white balance every time I dived. The results were pretty good, all things considered. I was in about 9 metres of water and the visibility wasn't too good.

Here's the kit I used, which I also adapted to work with a GoPro slung underneath it:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f356/Mirag3/untitled-0815_zpsacd5f79f.jpg


Here's one of many shots I took:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f356/Mirag3/Maupiti/Manta1_zpsde6edeae.jpg


In summary, the RX100 with an underwater housing is probably a cheaper, better and more reliable option than a purpose-built job. I recommend you go with what you know and get a housing. I suffered the same viewfinder problems you had and it actually did affect my pictures to a limited extent. Me being not a very good diver also affected the results.

This is Jeff Mullins' guide to servicing:

http://www.divephotoguide.com/getting-started-with-underwater-photography/underwater-camera-maintenance/

He has also written stuff specifically for Canon housings regarding the removal of flashing which compromises the security of the seal. That may or may not be useful for Sony.

The other thing that's important to remember is that no manufacturer has a warranty on housings. You use them at your own risk.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you if I can.

Edited on Jul 29, 2014 at 12:18 AM · View previous versions



Jul 29, 2014 at 12:16 AM
Scott T
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Underwater Camera Question


I'm not sure about the housing you're referring to, I recently lucked out and found an ikelite housing for the rx100 on ebay. It's big and heavy, so it's not inconspicuous by any means.

The rx100 is awesome underwater, it is light years ahead of any dedicated underwater camera. We did a night manta ray snorkel trip, that is as demanding a scenario as I could imagine, and it really did a great job. Here's a gallery with a few pics and video.

I have owned a series of the Panasonic underwater cameras through the TS4 currently, and they are ok for what they do, the IQ is passable at best. But given the shots above with a camera you just picked up, I don't think that will limit you. Those are awesome shots given that you didn't even like using it.

There are many cheap options (around $200) for meh IQ underwater cams, just seems like a waste to have an RX100 sitting around that is so great.







Edited on Jul 29, 2014 at 12:28 AM · View previous versions



Jul 29, 2014 at 12:17 AM
J.D.
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Underwater Camera Question


Totally agree Scott. I also recommend the OP do a search regarding the viability of whatever housing before they buy it.

You need to know as much as you can before you risk it.

From what I've heard, the RX100 is and excellent choice for underwater work and I'm sure you would be happy with the results.

Nice shot Scott!



Jul 29, 2014 at 12:23 AM
Scott T
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Underwater Camera Question


Thanks JD. The pic looks better viewed in aperture than posted on the forum, not sure what's going on.

It's better on smugmug for some reason.
http://3travers.smugmug.com/Travel/Hawaii-2014/i-jqhCpQ6/A

I like your gopro rig, did you get any good video or photos from it? very creative!

Looks like you had challenging conditions, I underestimated how important visibility was to good pics and took me a bit to figure that out. Underwater photography is a steep learning curve. Moving from a uw cam and getting pics that are good memories, to a good P&S to get GREAT pics is way harder than I expected, though the ikelite and sony combo makes even an amateur like me look decent.



Jul 29, 2014 at 12:39 AM
J.D.
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Underwater Camera Question


I know your pain! Happens to me all the time. Let's see how these look:

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f356/Mirag3/Maupiti/CRW_1732mod_zpsb99b95c0.jpg


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f356/Mirag3/Maupiti/CRW_1907mod_zps5b43f13a.jpg


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f356/Mirag3/Maupiti/CRW_1764mod_zps9cea2a9e.jpg


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f356/Mirag3/Maupiti/CRW_1887mod_zps628e01c8.jpg


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f356/Mirag3/Maupiti/CRW_1884mod_zps5e68a08c.jpg


http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f356/Mirag3/Maupiti/CRW_1883mod_zps5813569d.jpg


Yeah, I had a few challenges but I managed okay. The video wasn't as good as yours though. I'm still going through it to find the best bits.



Jul 29, 2014 at 01:15 AM
canerino
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Underwater Camera Question


Awesome awesome awesome info (and pics) fellas!

The RX100 was given to me by a friend of mine who is a Sony rep. I have the RX1, so I almost never use the rx100. I had so much fun trying to get some underwater photos (despite the shortcomings of the UW cam I played with).

I dont have a money tree and this will be a pure luxury for me, so I settled on a cheap housing that rates pretty well. I will be using this at my swim club 95% of the time in a controlled environment and I wont be any deeper than 9ft

This is the housing (sold under four different names): http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-Waterproof-Underwater-Cybershot-DSC-RX100/dp/B00BXPOMVY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406638262&sr=8-2&keywords=polaroid+underwater+housing+rx100

It's definitely not ideal, but I think it offers good bang for the buck. Great advice about the O rings and lube. I'll be sure to maintain it after every use!

It should be here by the end of the week and I should be in the pool by Friday with it! Thanks again guys! Now I need to get a decent scuba mask so I can see



Jul 29, 2014 at 07:55 AM
J.D.
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Underwater Camera Question


Hey, no worries. I did my whole housing thing, not including the GoPro, for about US$60. Cheap as, I say!

Do all the research you can to find out what can go wrong with these things. Learn from other people's disasters. They are supposed to be good for about 40 metres. The Canon housings revealed their problem at about 10 metres where the pressure is enough to create a leak. Below that the housing seals up tight because of the pressure. Above there's not enough. I was able to fix mine and it worked perfectly.

As far as I know, that one you bought is fine but I'm no expert. I did actually look at a similar one for my G11. They can usually be fought into some sort of shape but do as I did: test it (without a camera) at depth if you can. 9 feet should be no problem.

There are leak sensors and *cough* absorbent pads which you can put inside to soak up any minor leaks. Major flooding is obviously your biggest worry but any leak is a potential disaster.

Before you dive, make sure there are no moulding lines in the O-ring grooves. If there are, you will have to file them off extremely carefully. Use the grease sparingly. It only needs a smear. Don't leave your housing in direct sunlight either. You'll cook it and its contents. At least throw a towel over it.

BTW; I found the easiest way to get the O-ring out is with a thin piece of plastic or a guitar pick. Just be careful you don't nick it.

Have lotsa fun! You'll love it.



Jul 29, 2014 at 08:29 AM
deoredx
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Underwater Camera Question


Sounds like you already made your decision but I thought I would add my two cents anyways

I picked up one of the small Olympus Tough models and it's simply a fantastic point and shoot. One thing about my particular use of an underwater camera is that I'm always outside and it's always nice and sunny when I use the camera. In those conditions a larger sensor in the RX100 looses some of it's advantage over the small point and shoot waterproof cameras. My Olympus while a little limited in controls is simple to use and easy to use underwater. It's also nice and compact and easy to slip into a pocket while at the beach or pool. It's actually quite handy to have.



Jul 30, 2014 at 06:12 AM





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