Underwater/waterproof cameras, cases and housings

[Kelly Grannell]

I tried automatic color balance and wasn't happy with the results. It overdoes the contrast, still has an overly blue cast to it, and the colors are too oversaturated (something I'm sensitive too because Canon digital cameras produce so very rich blues and greens).

Thats just me though.

True,

what I usually do in full is as follows:

1. ctrl-shift-B
2. ctrl-L and make sure the left and the right sides of the histogram are perfectly pointed, and then move the middle slider to 1.2 up to 1.4 depending on the scene
3. add orange photo filter with 35% intensity.

While the action is very good, it gives the unnatural look (to me) of taking picture in an aquarium. Of course this is purely subjective.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

PS: I tried the underwater action for many of my underwater pics, only one or two came out great, the rest are really really bad. Dunno why.

 

[Anewman]

PS: I tried the underwater action for many of my underwater pics, only one or two came out great, the rest are really really bad. Dunno why.

IMO all AUTO(anything) or ACTIONS will be hit or miss, that is why I tend to do everything manually. Unless all pictures were exactly the same there can not be one exact setting to correct them all...

I have never taken underwater photos, so I would be curious to see how adjusting in raw could work.

 

[Anewman]

underwater color correction (requires free registration to download)

Not sure if the link will work or not, if it doesn't, visit Adobe Studio Exchange and search on "underwater correction".

How about we try a little leaching??

try this link

Please give feedback if the link works or does not.

 

[skr8pn]

I'm heading to hawaii for my honeymoon in sept and I started looking at the cost of a water proof case for my A70. It's a little, OK a lot, higher than I thought. Being as it is so much I wondered does somebody else on here have one they would like to rent for a nominal fee. I know I wouldn't use it all that much and I'm sure you don't either, why not get a small return on the investment?

Or any other ideas?

 

[boBQuincy]

Does a "nominal fee" include beverages that normally come in packs of 6?
If so, I have a EWA-Marine soft case for a Canon A70 that is available for loan!

It's only rated to go to 15-30 feet, but I am only rated for surface use so it worked out well.

 

[skr8pn]

I may be able to accomadate such a trade. I've also heard a rumor there may be an open bar at a certain upcoming wedding.

 

[bazzanoid]

Hi all!

I'm bringing my lowly P&S on vacation with me this year since i don't want to carry the dSLR & lenses around - mainly because i'm also carrying my camcorder. DW refuses to use either of them so i get the fun job of filming and shooting at the same time

Anyway, I'm after waterproof housings for both the camera and the camcorder but the only ones i can find over here in the UK are generic cases made by Greenaway - the Seapro marine range - and they're blinkin' expensive for what i need them for. All i'm doing is maybe diving 5 metres max at discovery cove, and taking pics/film while there. so naturally i'm not willing to spend tons on one day's shooting.

Anyone know where i can get my hands on casings for them, either in the US or the UK? Thanks in advance for any help.....

Camcorder - Sony TRV-238E
Camera - Panasonic DMC-LS2

Cheers!

Barry

 

[Jeanne B]

You might find what you need here...

www.aquapac.net

 

[Judge Fudge]

You might want to see if EWA-Marine makes an enclosure for them. They make a pretty varied amount.

 

[bazzanoid]

Excellent thanks for the replies guys - aquapac looks to be the way to go - floaty and non-bulky, at an outstanding price!

cheers!

 

[VAgal76]

I have a Canon A95 camera and was looking into waterproof housings for our upcoming cruise. I came across two of them.

One that is pretty heavy duty.

http://www.digitalfotoclub.com/from-froogle.asp?id=964594808&rf=froogle&dfdate=09_01_2006

One that goes up to 33 feet which would suit my needs and the price is great but makes me nervous that it would leak.

http://goshotcamera.zoovy.com/product/WPC005WP500_CAN_4

We are not divers nor do we plan on becoming scuba divers. Has anyone used any of these devices? I didn't want to go into this blindly and end up ruining my camera. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

TIA!

 

[Jeanne B]

I have the heavy duty one for our A610. We spent 10 days in St Thomas and St John in late June, took TONS of underwater pictures and had no problems whatsover. We just made a point to take the o-ring out every few days, clean it thoroughly and reapply the silicon grease.

The aquapac is another cheaper option and I've seen it recommended by others.

www.aquapac.net

We love to snorkel so for us the investment in the heavier duty Canon housing was worth it since we'll get a lot of use out of it in the future. I also let my brother use it for his trip to Belize and he had no problems with leaks either.

 

[Judge Fudge]

The first link appears to be the OEM canon model, which would be a good investment if you ended up having a leak you might have more recourse with Canon.

I had one for my Pentax Optio 5Si, oem model, and it worked great in Hawaii.

 

[VAgal76]

Thanks for the responses. It sounds like I should make that initial investment. We are going to Hawaii next year.

Where did you guys end up buying yours? I always worry about places I'm not familiar with (like the one I linked to).

 

[tinksdad]

Those baggie cases make me nervous! I would opt for the Canon UW case, for $158 you have a good case that will protect your investment.

FWIW, I've flooded a Olympus camera in an Oly case in the camera dunk tank. My point is that you don't have to go down very far to have water enter the camera case. Be very careful with the o-rings and set the camera up in a clean, well lit area.

 

[lsayd]

We were in the same position last year - spend the money for the canon housing (I have an S70) or go the budget route. Luckily, we had a dive shop locally that had the bag types in the store, so we bought the camera there to test them out (picture quality wise, not water proof wise). The pictures all looked like they had been taken inside of a bag - like there was a film over them. Needless to say, we spent the money and bought the canon housing which works perfectly and have since taken hundreds of great pictures in rivers, pools, and down in the ocean in the Keys (and more to come in a few weeks when we head back to the Keys!). My vote is to definitely spend the money and get the housing made for your camera. Have fun with your underwater picture taking, whichever way you decide to go!

By the way, I bought mine through digitalfotoclub.com and received it the day after I ordered it with regular shipping! I've ordered 3 cameras and lots of other accessories from them and have always been pleased.

 

[VAgal76]

Thanks, guys!

I thought our disposable underwater camera did "OK" but not what I've seen here on the boards. That's what made me start researching this.

 

[Jeanne B]

Where did you guys end up buying yours? I always worry about places I'm not familiar with (like the one I linked to).

I bought mine from Amazon. I was going to suggest checking resellerratings.com for the website you mentioned because I've never heard of it before but they actually have a higher rating then Amazon (I checked their overall rating). But still I've never heard of them.

 

[allyn]

we always buy underwater housings for our cameras (canon s230, canon s400) and now we have to buy one for our new canon sd700is.

we added up what we were spending on disposable cameras and developing and it wasn't too hard to justify the high-quality canon cases, which are built like tanks. we sell old our old ones on ebay when we get new cameras and need new cases.