Whenever you begin scuba diving, it gained’t be lengthy earlier than you need to share your adventures with everybody round you. An underwater digicam is the important thing to capturing the fantastic thing about the underwater world, however that are the most effective underwater cameras for newbies?
We’ve partnered with our mates at Scuba.com to create the last word information. We’ll assist you determine your wants, and direct you to the most effective underwater digicam for you!
Are you prepared for an underwater digicam?
We get it – as quickly as you are taking your first breath underwater, you need to present this magical atmosphere to your entire household, mates, and any on-line followers. However are you really able to wield an underwater digicam? Right here are some things to think about first.
Buoyancy
Getting your buoyancy underneath management is an important issue for deciding whenever you’re prepared for an underwater digicam. That is for quite a lot of causes – your individual dive security, defending the marine atmosphere, and lastly (however least importantly), the standard of images or movies you’ll produce. Higher buoyancy will make you a safer diver, and also will imply that you may seize a lot better images.
Situational Consciousness
This goes hand in hand with having your buoyancy in verify. Earlier than you spend money on a newbie underwater digicam setup, it’s best to have accomplished sufficient dives to have a superb degree of consciousness of your environment underwater.
Carrying a digicam underwater provides a component of activity loading, which could be a lot for newer divers to deal with. You must be at some extent in your diving the place you’re already assured in your skill to control your individual dive parameters, corresponding to your depth, no decompression limits, and gasoline consumption.
You additionally want a robust consciousness of things outdoors of your self and your digicam. Maintaining a tally of your buddy and information comes earlier than being attentive to your digicam. Having consciousness of marine life, and being respectful in your interactions, means we will defend the underwater world. Once more, taking higher care of marine life additionally means you’ll create higher photos in the long term.
In brief – your diving comes first, the digicam comes second. If these factors have you ever doubting your readiness, think about levelling up your abilities first. Taking an superior course, taking a buoyancy course, or simply merely logging extra dives, will contribute to this.
What do you need to acquire from having a digicam?
In addition to assessing your readiness, determining why you need to take a digicam underwater can be an enormous assist in selecting which digicam is best for you. The most effective underwater digicam for a newbie is the one which fits their objectives.
So what do you need to obtain from taking a digicam underwater? Maybe you’re searching for a fast technique to share snaps with household and mates or on social media. Are you desirous to largely take images, or movies, or a mix of each? Do you have got any expertise in pictures on land? Are you trying to develop your abilities as an underwater photographer or videographer?
Fortunately for you, we have now suggestions for all of those wants! Verify them out under.
Finest for Social Media Sharing
Instagram lover? TikTok creator? Or simply desirous to share your snaps rapidly and simply with a message to household and mates? We’ve bought you – you want an underwater smartphone housing!
Underwater instances for smartphones have gotten more and more fashionable, and so they actually could be the most effective underwater cameras for newbies. You’ll be able to share your dives as quickly as your floor interval begins, with out the trouble of SD playing cards, cables, laptops, or bluetooth transfers.
We love the DIVEVOLK SeaTouch 4 Max. In contrast to some other smartphone housing, the SeaTouch case permits you full entry to your contact display when in use underwater. This provides you the liberty to make use of no matter digicam app you’d wish to create your underwater photos, in addition to accessing all settings while in your dive.
The case will preserve your system secure to a depth of 60m (197 ft), and is suitable with nearly any smartphone. There are additionally accent packs together with filters, lights, and lenses to boost your underwater photos.
Finest for Video
There’s a cause that GoPro cameras have dominated the journey sports activities video world for thus lengthy. Their cameras are simply that good. Should you’re desirous to seize crisp, top quality video with little fuss, you’re in the fitting place.
These BCD-pocket sized motion cameras really pack within the options and high quality. You’ll be able to document video as much as 5.3K, seize extremely easy sluggish movement, and depend on the inbuilt stabilisation to banish any shaky shark footage.
This one’s not for the macro lovers, although. GoPros are higher fitted to huge angle footage, which makes them perfect for dive locations with larger, pelagic life. Should you’re all concerning the macro, desirous to movie nudibranchs and crustaceans, this gained’t be the one for you.
The GoPro HERO12 is waterproof to 10m (33 ft) with none housing, so can be utilized alone for snorkelling or shallow freediving. You’ll have to add a dive housing for many dives, nevertheless.
Maybe the most effective advantage of a GoPro is the worth – even the most recent mannequin, the GoPro HERO12, is reasonably priced so far as underwater cameras go.
Finest Level & Shoot
If you would like a bit extra photograph energy however the phrases “aperture, ISO, and shutter velocity” nonetheless go over your head, a punchy level and shoot digicam can be your new finest buddy. The OM Methods Powerful TG-7 is a perfect place to begin and the most effective underwater cameras for newbies.
The OM Methods (beforehand often called Olympus) TG-5 and TG-6 have been long-standing underwater digicam favourites. With easy-to-use settings and inbuilt underwater modes, these cameras will permit you to snap nice photos and seize spectacular video, while not having an excessive amount of technical pictures data.
While you may obtain nice photos straight out of the digicam, you can even shoot in RAW enabling you higher freedom to edit your images.
The “Powerful” within the title refers back to the digicam physique itself, boasting some spectacular credentials. It’s waterproof all the way down to 15m (49 ft) with out the housing, making it one other contender for snorkelling and shallow freediving, and it’s powerful sufficient to resist some other adventurous out of doors pursuits you might need. Nevertheless, we’d strongly advocate investing within the housing to guard the digicam from constant strain when diving.
With the flexibility so as to add a tray and lights to the housing, it is possible for you to to develop with this digicam to a sure level. Nevertheless, you gained’t have the ability to shoot absolutely guide. Should you’re searching for an underwater digicam which you’ll be able to actually develop your abilities with over time, learn on!
Finest for Rising Your Expertise
Maybe you already know a bit about pictures above land, or you recognize you need to have the ability to develop your underwater pictures abilities in future. A compact digicam with the flexibility to shoot manually may very well be the choice for you. Some fashionable choices embrace the Canon G7X Mark II or Mark III, or the Sony RX100 vary.
These are undoubtedly extra of an funding, each when it comes to the digicam itself and in addition buying the underwater housings. Nevertheless, they’ll actually allow you to get extra inventive as you study extra. It’s going to take lots much less time to outgrow a setup like these!
Fantasea create underwater digicam housings for an enormous vary of cameras, together with for the Canon G7X Mark II and the G7X Mark III, and for the Sony RX100 vary. Choosing a digicam like this with a terrific housing provides you the flexibleness so as to add equipment as your abilities and wishes develop.
What do you assume are the most effective underwater cameras for newbies? Should you’re constructing your digicam setup, be a part of the dialog in our Fb group!
Disclaimer: This text is sponsored by Scuba.com, nevertheless all views are our personal. Sponsorships assist us develop the Ladies that Scuba group and frequently supply useful and galvanizing content material.
