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Friday, August 15, 2008

The Genuine Marine Digital Camera

By Steve Milstone


The art of underwater photography is only carried out using special marine digital cameras operated by professionals from many scientific disciplines. Using an marine digital camera requires skill as you are operating in a foreign environment Many waterproof cameras are ok but they cannot be submerged for more than a meter below the surface of the water

Now if you're really serious about using an marine digital camera to capture those wacky and funny moments underwater, I suggest that you buy a specialty camera.

There aren't that many manufacturers of these specialist cameras owing to the problem of water ingress into the cameras case and the pressure they have to work under. Some of you may have seen or tried the cheap solution to this problem that comes in the form of a plastic casing. This type of casing will turn your conventional digital camera into an marine digital camera.

There are a few things you need to be aware of if you are taking photos underwater.

Water diffuses the light and the farther down you go the more this diffusion occurs. This means that your marine digital camera will produce images darker than those images you took while on land so to avoid this, use white balance adjustment to help with natural colors. You will also notice when you see the pictures taken underwater that they appear larger than they should; this is part of the magnifying effect water has. Many novices make the mistake of not checking the viewfinder carefully to make sure they are going to take a picture containing exactly what they want in the final shot.

It is a good idea to make sure that the camera won't leak whilst you are diving so just hold it under the water for a few seconds to be on the safe side. which will allow water to access the case so look for this as well. It is also advisable to put a silica gel pack or two inside the case of your marine digital camera as long as they don't disturb the camera's operation.

Optional lenses are often available so if you can add these to your marine digital camera then do so. It is possible to get really close to some subject for great close-up shots using a macro lens.

When you have finished using your marine digital camera be careful to wash it thoroughly to make sure all the salt water is removed as the salt will crystallize and this can cause leaks. The best way to rinse of an marine digital camera where grains of sand are present in particular is with a flow of clean water.

For more information, check out Sony, Nikon and Canon's website for available underwater cases for your digital cameras.

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