Underwater camera equipment
Having been introduced to photography in 1961 by pioneer underwater photographer, Igo Oak, I am in the unique position of being able to reflect back to a time when there were no dive magazines, books, television shows, and certainly no commercially available underwater cameras. These days underwater photography is extremely popular and the sophisticated equipment available is quite amazing. Not only are the ranges extensive, but the cameras are considerably easier to use and beginners can achieve excellent results on their very first roll of film.Amphibious cameras are the easiest to use as they are much smaller, already set up for use underwater and a wide range of accessories is available. The choice, however, is not as varied as with housings for land-based cameras. Even though amphibious cameras are all rangefinder systems, it is certainly possible to produce outstanding work. The best known amphibious camera is the Nikonos which has been manufactured since 1963 and is probably the most widely used underwater camera. Sea & Sea also produce two amphibious cameras - The MX10 Explora and the MotorMarine II EX. They are useable down to 45 m and are available with a wide range of lenses and accessories to make them both excellent systems with the added benefit of being able to change lenses underwater.
The main difference between the Nikonos V and the IIEX is the Nikonos V's aperture priority automatic exposure. In this mode, you preset the aperture and the camera adjusts the shutter speed to give the correct exposure with available light. This opens up real possibilities in low light conditions and also when TTL flash is used. A range of lenses made by Nikon and independent manufacturers will enable you to take pictures of anything from under 1:1 (where the subject is the same size as the image on the film) right up to a fisheye lens that gives 167° full-frame coverage.
For professionals and keen amateurs, a reflex camera in an underwater housing is a better choice. Many use both the Nikonos with a 15 mm lens and an SLR in a housing rigged for close-ups enabling about 70 images to be exposed on a single dive.
Renowned underwater naturalist, Reg Lipson, is seen here using an underwater strobe with a diffuser attached. He has a wide-angle lens attached to his Nikonos and he wants some softened light to create a fill-in effect and to enhance the colour. I took this photograph with a Nikon RS, 20 mm, and used flash to add colour.
Macro underwater Macro photography underwater has fascinated me for forty years. Unlike macro on land, where there are certainly lots of subjects, working underwater has a special appeal due mainly to the dramatic and varied colours that occur among the many marine vertebrate and invertebrates animals. Macro underwater is generally achieved two ways.
For rangefinder cameras a close-up lens is attached to the camera's front optics. For composition and focus, a series of wire frames can be interchanged depending on the close-up lens's focusing distance. For SLR cameras a macro lens is fitted. The images shown here were taken with the Nikon RS underwater system, 55 mm, full flash.
The popular Nikonos fitted with a macro lens and focusing frame.