So you've decided to upgrade your diving and purchase an underwater camera to record your experience. You have made a good choice. More than 25% percent of divers already use an underwater camera and once you use it, you will not understand what the point of your dives were without it.

When making this important purchase, you must ask yourself a few basic questions...

1) What is you level of expetise in photography ?

If all you know about photography is pushing the shutter button , I would suggest getting the simplest camera you can find BUT. make sure it has a manual shooting mode. This mode is very important underwater and sooner or later you will know how to use it and wish your camera had it.

If you have any knowledge or experience in photography and are familiar with terms like aperture , shutter speed , exposure and so on.. I would suggest that , depending on your budget, you should consider getting a prosumer camera. A good article about these can be see here : Best Prosumer Cameras 2011.

2) Where would you be diving ?

If your diving is in clear waters like the Red Sea or the carribbean then you would be able - and most surely -  want to shoot wide photos or coral rocks, wrecks and reef walls. For this, you should make sure the camera you purchase has a widest angle possible. Some point and shoot cameras have a 28mm wide lens (the basic one is 35mm) and there are even ones in the market that go as wide as 24mm. Of course a wide angle lens can normally be added but it will come at a price.

If you are diving in the Mediterranean or other lakes where water are unclear , you will most surely be taking only macro photos as a wide angle shot cannot be seen in these waters. In this case , make sure your camera has a good Macro mode and can focus easily and quickly on subjects 4-8 inches away.

3) What's your budget ?

The most basic underwater camera starts from 350$. A decent prosumer one is close to 1000$ and a DSLR is over 2000$. Your budget should be a good start point for looking to buy a digital underwater camera. Note that purchasing online can sometime expose you to more deals and better prices so this would be a good place to start looking.

4) Which accessories can be added to the package in the future ?

If this is the first underwater camera you are buying , I wouldn't suggest getting any accessories to start with. It is much better to start diving with your camera and only then understand what you are missing according to the nature of your dives. When purchasing your housing, make sure it can be extended with the necessary accessories such as a wide angle lens, red filter, strobe or video light.

It is always recommended to consult with one of the major retailers both online and locally and take some recommendations and tips from divers who have experienced with many different types of gear and accessories. The underwater photography industry if flourishing and there is a very large variety of cameras for you to choose from that would meet your budget.

 

-Tal Mor

Tal Mor is a diver and underwater photographer working for Mozaik Underwater Cameras