Underwater/surf photography. Help! Questions about lag time and underwater housing

[Ryguyinlj]

Ok, I am an avid surf photographer and I want to start shooting from the water.

Even if you have never shot from the water or have any experience in surf photography, I have some questions about tech that I am sure you can help me with.

As for film vs digital, I am ruiling out film because it is just too hard to swim in and paddle back out past the breakers every time you have to get a new roll. Convenience is key when in the water.

I currently shoot with a digital rebel. However, there are two reasons why I do not want to get a housing for it. 1) if my SLR ever got damaged it would be a BIG loss. 2) It is just too expensive for me. So, I am looking to get a point and shoot digital camera and housing. Prefferably canon. Here are a few things I need:
1) at least 1/1000th of a second max shutter speed
2) little or no shutter lag
3) it needs to have good wide angle zoom, at least down to 25mm (as a 35mm equivilant)
4) It has to be at least 4 megapixles

I would prefer it to be as inexpensive as possible, or mass produced, so it would be easy to find on ebay or elsewhere used. I would also prefer that it use a compact flash card, as I already have some.

Any help or suggestions for reaching these goals is greatly appreciated. I know it might not be able to be done, or it might not be able to work exactly as I had planned, but I am willing to try.

thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

[TEMPESTboy]

Ok, I am an avid surf photographer and I want to start shooting from the water.

Even if you have never shot from the water or have any experience in surf photography, I have some questions about tech that I am sure you can help me with.

As for film vs digital, I am ruiling out film because it is just too hard to swim in and paddle back out past the breakers every time you have to get a new roll. Convenience is key when in the water.

I currently shoot with a digital rebel. However, there are two reasons why I do not want to get a housing for it. 1) if my SLR ever got damaged it would be a BIG loss. 2) It is just too expensive for me. So, I am looking to get a point and shoot digital camera and housing. Prefferably canon. Here are a few things I need:
1) at least 1/1000th of a second max shutter speed
2) little or no shutter lag
3) it needs to have good wide angle zoom, at least down to 25mm (as a 35mm equivilant)
4) It has to be at least 4 megapixles

I would prefer it to be as inexpensive as possible, or mass produced, so it would be easy to find on ebay or elsewhere used. I would also prefer that it use a compact flash card, as I already have some.

Any help or suggestions for reaching these goals is greatly appreciated. I know it might not be able to be done, or it might not be able to work exactly as I had planned, but I am willing to try.

thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

I found this site from the Canon website that shows all the Canon underwater housings and cameras that go with them. Check out the X50 from Konica-Minolta too, but it uses SD cards instead of CF. All your preferences are pretty easily fulfilled by newer cameras except for the wide angle lens. I don't know of many that go as wide as at least 25mm. I know you can put wide angle adapters on some of the Canons, but I'm not sure if they will fit in the housing if they have it on. You might have to get along with the usual 35mm!

[Ryguyinlj]

thanks. that site had a lot of great info. Do you have any experience in underwater photography?

[Outdoorsman]

B&H, my boy, B&H! They offer kits for water photography and also have a decent selection of water housings for digitals. Just check out the specs on the cameras until you find one that works. And then let me know how your images turn out 'cause I'm ready to get wet as well! Though I'd be looking into an 18mm or 20mm w/a for my SLR and a housing. The film problem you mention might not be so bad, since you won't be shooting like when you're on the beach. The action up close will be good only for a few moments, and you can only fire off so many frames even if you just let the camera run. I'd rather wait for the right moment to pull the trigger rather than just burning off the roll--- this technique would certainly make a 36-exposure roll last longer. And there's always the problem of just not seeing action worth shooting, meaning you'll be waiting just as long as on the beach to shoot some good stuff. And you've got to consistently be in the right place at the right time every time or you'll have either too-close shots or little surfers in a big frame.
But the digi with a big card will let you stay in the water for as long as you can keep swimming. Make sure to have a good PFD and some fins and be safe!!! Not only is the drowning risk very real but also those boards (skim or surf) don't forgive mistakes.
Lastly, you have to accept that at some time or another, the seals will give out on the housing and you'll lose your camera. So keep fresh seals in it. There was a pic in Surfer mag a while back that showed a photog, Grambeau or Divine or someone with his 1V half underwater in the housing. He was smiling, but I can't imagine why!!!
Good luck and let us know how everything works out.

[Ryguyinlj]

I will be careful. I grew up in la jolla and that is where I shoot most of my surfing, as well as where I learned to surf/skim/bodysurf and I am used to reef breaks and pounding shorebreak. Me and my friends have messed around with disposable water cameras before, with mixed results. I shoot more skimboarding when I am up in orange county. It's really tough to be in the right spot for shooting pictures from the water. I plan on taking advantage of consistant reef breaks where I can sit right at the best part of the reef, or places like the wedge (for skimming) where its easy to be in the right spot with a decent pair of swim fins.

But as far as equipment goes, I want to go with a point and shoot with a seperate water housing rather than buy a housing for my digital rebel. The smaller digital camera and the housing together would be cheaper than buying just the housing for my SLR, and if the housing got flooded it would be the cheap camera that got damaged and not my rebel.

[jewels]

Hi there, a photo beginner/hobbist here, but a surfer in Hawaii. I bought a A70 with the DC7000 housing just for surf photos. Cannot recommend it for several reasons. 1- shutter lag tooooo slow 2- very large to handle whie in the water 3- fogs/spots of water on lens 4- it FOGS up in humid weather.

We brought it on our last trip to indo, but only ended using IN the water once. Just used it this week for tiny surf shots, but will get rid of it for something smaller and faster.

I may consider a smaller higher MP camera (like the Ixus) and same housing. I haven't given up on Canon just yet. Fins only or boogie board seems to be the ticket. Handling the camera on a board is tough unless there's a clear channel (but that too far away) or tiny surf (but what's the fun it that?!) Good luck I'd like to hear what you decide. We've actually had a few lucky shots with disposible 35mm cameras. It's all luck, lighting and chance for us anyhow.

-julie

I'll try to attach a couple from the trip. They are unphotoshoped just reduced size...can look much better after PS adjustments. these are *unfortuanely* the good ones that came out!

I will be careful. I grew up in la jolla and that is where I shoot most of my surfing, as well as where I learned to surf/skim/bodysurf and I am used to reef breaks and pounding shorebreak. Me and my friends have messed around with disposable water cameras before, with mixed results. I shoot more skimboarding when I am up in orange county. It's really tough to be in the right spot for shooting pictures from the water. I plan on taking advantage of consistant reef breaks where I can sit right at the best part of the reef, or places like the wedge (for skimming) where its easy to be in the right spot with a decent pair of swim fins.

But as far as equipment goes, I want to go with a point and shoot with a seperate water housing rather than buy a housing for my digital rebel. The smaller digital camera and the housing together would be cheaper than buying just the housing for my SLR, and if the housing got flooded it would be the cheap camera that got damaged and not my rebel.

[Ryguyinlj]

those waves look really fun.

It sounds like that route is not the best one to use for equipment. I was looking at the A75 or A85 but I think they would have the same problems. My main thing is trying to find a small digital camera without shutter lag that can be used with a housing. Do you have any suggestions?

[jewels]

I'd look at maybe the SD200 with a canon housing. It doesn't use a CF like my A70, rather a SD card. Can be had for under $300 a another $125ish for the housing, could be a good start. Shutterlag will still be a problem (steve's digicam calls it 3/10 AF mode)

Also looking at the Fuji finepix e550 4x optical zoom, for around $350. FAST and if you can get a universal underwater housing cheap, that might be a good route. It also has 6MP so you can crop it and still retain a little bit of resolution. It's so hard to get close.

The great thing about the canon housings, the button allow FULL control of all your functions, so when you are comfortable with your dig camera, the housing setup is a breeze to use. I'm selling my setup, so I'll keep up you updated on what we decide to replace it with. -julie

those waves look really fun.

It sounds like that route is not the best one to use for equipment. I was looking at the A75 or A85 but I think they would have the same problems. My main thing is trying to find a small digital camera without shutter lag that can be used with a housing. Do you have any suggestions?

[Ryguyinlj]

I am a big fan of canon water housings for consumer level cameras. I used to work in a camera shop, so I got to see how all of the functions and buttons are accessable. But I do not remember too much about the shutter lag of the various canon consumer models. Was it shutter lag caused by the autofocus, or by the lag caused by the buffer?

I guess I need to look more into the shutter lag of these cameras. Canon makes water housing for most of their consumer level cameras, so I am most interested in canon's cameras.

[jewels]

I'm sure you've seen this, but this is the dp700 that I have. Yep, it gives full control of all function. Don't know if it's AF or buffer, but seems very long, not the 3/10sec claimed. I guess you have time to prefocus and set up shots on land, just too long when you are moving and subject is moving too.

I am a big fan of canon water housings for consumer level cameras. I used to work in a camera shop, so I got to see how all of the functions and buttons are accessable. But I do not remember too much about the shutter lag of the various canon consumer models. Was it shutter lag caused by the autofocus, or by the lag caused by the buffer?

I guess I need to look more into the shutter lag of these cameras. Canon makes water housing for most of their consumer level cameras, so I am most interested in canon's cameras.

[Ryguyinlj]

even if it was actually 3/10 of a second that can make or break a good action shot.

You mentioned that you had problems with the housing fogging up. Was that because of small amounts of water seeping in, or do you think that it was just the water in the atmomsphere? Did you ever have problems with the housing flooding or water seeping in?

[jewels]

nah, no seal problems for me. The fogging had to be due to the humidity, maybe that won't even be a problem in California.

even if it was actually 3/10 of a second that can make or break a good action shot.

You mentioned that you had problems with the housing fogging up. Was that because of small amounts of water seeping in, or do you think that it was just the water in the atmomsphere? Did you ever have problems with the housing flooding or water seeping in?