Underwater Photography and Scuba Diving in the world of Cayman's Cathy Church

Nikon D3--this is top of the line. The large viewfinder (similar to the D2x) makes aiming and composing easier than with the smaller viewfinders of the D300. Also, the full frame 12MP cmos sensor allows us to return to using the 60mm micro Nikkor at its full width. I missed this NikonD3

feature on the previous D2x where the 60mm lens "becomes" a 90mm lens and I have to shoot further away from my subjects. The downside, of course, is the cost for the camera and housing.

Since I have the D2x I will probably continue to use my D2x until a D4 comes out with even more megapixels.

D3 lens choices: We are back to the original film format lenses, so you will want the Nikkor fisheye AF 16mm f/2.8D to get full 180° of coverage.

For a wide zoom lens, the main choice is the Nikkor AF-S Zoom 14 - 24mm f/2.8G ED lens with an angle of 114° to 84°.

Nikon D300 is a wonderful camera. At 12 MP, you can make fine enlargements. It is fast, has the usual wide range of Nikon lenses, and the large 2 1/2-inch LCD screen makes reviewing your photos much easier. Like all pro Nikon cameras, the f stop and shutter speed are single controls, easily accessed through a housing. Changing the point of focus is also a single button control for fast changes.

Like all pro Nikons, you can view the highlight warning while the photo is at full size. Many other cameras reduce the playback image to show the highlight warning and the histogram side by side, making it difficult to study your photos. The ability to study your photos is the whole key to taking advantage of shooting with digital. Without seeing your image clearly, you are more likely to miss flaws in your photo that you should correct and this slows your progress underwater while shooting.here are no disadvantages that I can think of to the D300 except the size of the viewfinder when compared to the D3.

Olympus SP350 in Olympus housing (October 19, 2006, still pertains May 2, 2008)

The 8 MP Olympus SP350 has full manual f-stop and shutter speed control. It allows four preset menus called "My Modes" which let you pre-set all of the functions that you would like to start with when taking four different types of photos. For example, we set the first one for wide-angle photos, second for close-ups, the third one for program mode, and the fourth for above water. You may choose whatever the four most common scenarios you wish to set for. These are just your starting points from which you can make changes. It makes switching from wide to close a one-step action.Herb took this photo of me in PNG. He used the SP350 with the add-on wide-angle lens and two YS90DX strobes on TTL, using the add-on TTL system in the housing.

We program the short cut key to toggle through the My Mode settings. This key (labeled AEL) sits right by your right thumb as you hold the camera. It is very easy to use. The Super macro setting focuses about an inch away so that a tiny subject about an inch and a half across will fill the frame. The photo on the left is a full-frame, untouched photo of a pregnant male pygmy seahorse, about the size of a grain of rice. It is sharp and I cropped it, edited it in photoshop, and it looks TERRIFIC in the full resolution size.

The housing is reliable and the controls are easy to work, even with average gloves. (Mittens, of course, would be hard, but not impossible as the keys are tiered downward to the right. Raw shooting is available, although it does take several seconds to record and not recommended for the majority of your shooting. This small camera is great for above-water photography, too.

This is from their spec sheet as I have not personally handled this camera yet.The new SeaLife DC800 offers a great deal--camera, housing, wide angle lens, lens dock and adjustable strobe and arm for under $1300.00. DC800

Pro: Low cost; 8 MP, auto-focus, rugged easy-to-hold housing rated to 200 feet, adjustable easy to use strobe, wide angle lens, built-in macro, and video with sound. There are three underwater color correction settings and they list MANUAL exposure control. I am waiting to find out just what that means in terms of f stop and shutter speeds.

Sea and Sea 1G--has one big issue: Although it has lots of great features, the screen always shows the ambient exposure--which presents a problem for underwater photographers. When you are shooting macro with a strobe where the ambient light is not a major part of the exposure, the screen goes dark and you cannot see the image to aim and focus. When you push the shutter part way, the screen does brighten briefly, but the delay is an unbearable problem.

These great cameras are perfect for watersports enthusiasts--they are shockproof, sandproof and waterproof WITHOUT a housing! The maximum depth limit of the 8 megapixel Stylus 850SW is 10 feet so it's perfect for snorkelers; free divers and SCUBA divers who keep it shallow will appreciate the 10.1 megapixel Stylus 1030SW which can go to a depth of 33 feet. Both cameras have the traditional plastic Olympus housings available if you plan to exceed the cameras' maximum depth ratings and they come in a variety of jazzy colors.

Olympus Stylus 1010 in Olympus housingThis system is terrific--excellent value. Ten megapixels and 7x optical zoom along with a slim size makes this a great above water

camera that has an easy-to-use, compact, low-cost housing (PT-042)for your underwater photos.

Pros of Olympus housing and compact digital cameras: The small cases are easy to handle--the large shutter control, color coded buttons are clearly labeled and stacked at different heights for easy use even with cold-water gloves. T

here are ergonomic aids to allow easy one-hand use. The large 2 1/2 inch screen is incredible. As with many digital cameras, the screen can be difficult to see in very bright conditions, but at average depth when the sun is not shining brightly on to the screen, it is easier to see. There is a hood which helps shade the screen.

The built-in flash (used in the photos here) produces plenty of light for close-ups, and the diffuser is easily removed for longer shots (although I have not yet tested this). But, as with all underwater cameras, an external strobe should be added. After 68 photos with full flash, the battery was still fine and the housing did not fog up.

Sea and Sea MDX. Sea and Sea has upgraded their housing style for the D300. The

solid block aluminum housing shows many improved features. The f stop control is now a large gear on the corner of the housing which is easily reached while your index finger is on the shutter lever. The shutter speed dial is large and easy to turn with your thumb, and the focus point navigation buttons are shifted to the right and enlarged for easy use. The menu buttons are slanted to the left so that you can push them easily from the left handle. The focus CSM switch is now an easily accessible gear on the left.

Add the Sea and Sea TTL converter, and you have fine, modern, improved, easy to use digital system. Ergonomically, this is about as good as it gets compared to Canon and to many other housings for Nikon.

The Subal housings are still the Rolls Royce of housings, but even they do not have the buttons angled quite as conveniently as this one. I have not received the Subal housing yet, and have only handled the Sea and Sea above water where it feels fine in the handsse bigger lenses.

Be careful with plastic housings. Sometimes screws have been over-tightened at the factory and they develop stress cracks. I recommend that you loosen all screws at least very slightly. Some people even remove the accessory fitting on the top. Beware of using the Ultralight trays with a riser on the back. If not positioned clearly away from the edge of the back door, they will cause a major flood. Be sure that the lip of the tray is either fully between the two rear feet and the tripod foot (i.e. under the housing) or outside of the door completely, holding it shut, but not under the door pressing the door upward. Also, watch the red back-door o-ring. It can jump out of its groove and cause a major flood. Visually check the seating of the O-ring as you close the door, and again after it is closed, especially if you have any difficulty closing the latches. As with all cameras, check it carefully in a tub of fresh water before heading underwater.

Sigma 10 - 20mm lens for Nikon and Canon SLR cameras This award-winning lens is slightly wider (102° to 64°) than the 12 - 24 mm Nikon lens (99° - 61°), but not as wide as the 180° Nikon 10.5 mm fisheye. Thus, it is easier to use as an all-around wide lens for large subjects. Compared to the 10.5 lens you don't have to get quite so close to medium-sized subjects like large pelagic rays, whales and sharks, and still have them fill the frame. Sigma Lens

The Sigma 10 - 20mm is a good choice for dives where the scenery is not large and lush and when you are not certain what size subject you will be dealing with. Because it is not a full 180° diagonal lens, like the Nikon 10.5, it is easier for many beginners to handle. They will be less likely to get their strobes in the photos, and it is easier to control image composition.The Sigma is sharper throughout than the Nikkor 12 - 24mm zoom lens. I found it to be a great lens on the last Solomon Islands trip. Check with your housing manufacturer to be sure that they make a zoom gear to fit. So far, Sea and Sea does not, but Subal does.

Pros: 180° diagonal at widest setting to 100° at narrow setting. Focuses to a close 5.5" (just like the Nikkor 10.5 fisheye lens). The zoom allows the beautiful creative features of a fisheye lens, yet you can zoom quickly for those shy pelagics. When ultra wide includes too much extraneous scenery (like divers right beside you) you can zoom partially until they are gone.

Cons: This a slower lens, (the Nikkor 10.5mm lens is f/2.8 which allows easier focus in dim conditions). It is not as sharp as the Nikkor and suffers from more chromatic aberrations. (Chromatic aberrations occur more at the corners and show up as a rainbow of colors on one side of the white areas in the photos. On one side of the lens they may appear as a blue border along light areas and may produce a yellow border along white areas on the other side of the photo.)

For a wide zoom lens, the main choice is the Nikkor AF-S Zoom 14 - 24mm f/2.8G ED lens with

an angle of 114° to 84°. However, it does not focus closer than 1 foot and it costs around $1600.00.

I do not currently have this lens in stock, so let me know in advance if you want one.

This lens was meant to be wide and is sharp corner to corner at wide apertures. It will be beautiful for dark wrecks and replaces the 14mm full-frame rectilinear lens. It is a large lens but the new Subal housings have a larger port opening to accommodate this lens.

Ikelite has introduced a good system for TTL. Although I am not a huge fan of the Ikelite housings, (the ergonomics can be cumbersome), their TTL has been an asset for use with many cameras.

The Nikon D200 is a 10.1 MP camera well-suited to being housed for underwater use in a variety of housings, such as Subal, Sea and Sea, Ikelite, and Light and Motion. My favorite is the Subal for its reliability, durability and ergonomics. The Light and Motion housing is certainly the most ergonomically designed to offer electronic controls at your thumb and fingertips. However, I am often shy about too much dependency on electronic controls. I have heard one negative problem with the controls, but I have not thoroughly investigated that. The combination of their digital ROC strobe controls, and four programmable menu settings for different photo techniques, and a large screen on the back showing the controls that you are adjusting are powerful advantages that are worth the price tag. I do not see a magnifying viewfinder, so I shall have to research that as well. Of all of these items, it is the magnifier that counts the most to me as that is in use during every photo taking moment.The Subal is strictly manual, but the controls are easily worked. With the Sea and Sea TTL adaptor, you have full TTL rather than having to make adjustments. The large high eye point viewfinder is stunning, albeit pricey at a thousand dollars just for the finder. That makes the Subal more expensive than the Light and Motion.The Ikelite has built-in TTL, but I find their arms and handles uncomfortable. It is easy to add UltraLight arms. The ports are specific to the lenses, so sometimes you need several ports to fill all your needs.

Nikon D2x and Subal housing--currently I love the Nikon D2x in a Subal housing. It is beautifully balanced. With my dome port and three strobes on buoyancy arms I can set the system in mid-water, write a note on my slate and pick the housing up again after it has risen just an inch or two! The controls work smoothly with one modification which is easy to do, and the screen on the back is large and easy to evaluate. The D2x has a lovely, large LCD monitor with an incredible enlargement capability so that you can really check the focus on the smallest detail. It is fast, of course, and the 12 mp allow great enlargements, even up to a 30 x 40 inch print!

The YS110DX has a pre-flash setting for use with digital cameras that put out a pre-flash or red-eye reduction flash. The strobe can ignore the first signal and just fire when it is supposed to on the second signal. If the camera does not have a pre-flash, then set the strobe for normal.But more importantly, these strobes have a dial to adjust the output over a six-stop range. With digital, take a picture and look at the result on the screen. If the flash is too bright, (and you don't want to fool with settings, or you can't change settings due to camera or creative reasons), you just dial the strobe to a weaker setting. You can reduce output from full power by 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, 3, 3 1/2, 4, 5, 6 or 7 stops. (Actually there is not much difference between the -6 and -7)

Fiber Optic Cable to Slave external strobes with Digital Cameras in clear housings:
If you have a housed digital camera that does not have a direct strobe connector but it does have a clear port in front of the built-in strobe, you can attach many types of strobes, such as a Sea and Sea YS110, Inon strobes, or a Sea Life strobe via a fiber optic cable. The cable comes with an attachment system that can be used on housings in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. With the slave feature, you can hold the external strobe further from your lens and get more color and texture and less backscatter in your underwater digital photographs. You may think that you can adjust these problems in photo shop, but believe me it is MUCH easier to do it right in the first place!!!

Miscellaneous housings: We have not had great success with several of the less expensive varieties in odd-brand plastic housings, but will let you know when a good one comes along. Some flood if you cry near them, others just don't offer reasonable controls.

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