Digital SLR

Digital SLR
Digital SLRs or D-SLRs are by far the best choice when it comes to digital underwater photography. The D-SLR allows the user much more control over the photograph than a digital compact camera, but a D-SLRs, and their accessories are more expensive than the digital compact camera. It is good to buy a camera system that you can grow into instead of saving a little money and limiting your potential as an underwater photographer.

D-SLR Housing System

Once you decide on a D-SLR, you need a housing system. There are a growing number of manufacturers that provide good D-SLR housing systems. Here are a few of the more popular housing systems and their websites:

· Aquatica http://aquatica.ca/

· Epoque http://www.epoque-japan.com/e-index.htm

· Ikelite http://www.ikelite.com/

· Sea & Sea http://www.seaandsea.com/

· SeaCam http://www.seacam.com/en/profil/secam_heute.htm

· Subal http://www.subal.com/index_en.php



D-SLR Lenses

D-SLR lenses come in many shapes and sizes. Underwater, a 35mm lens is approximately is the focal length that is closest to that of your vision. But the majority of D-SLR use a 20mm or less because with those lenses, it is especially easy to get very close to your subject and minimize the amount of water that is in-between the camera and the subject.


D-SLR and Housing: A Canon EOS 300D SLR in an Ikelite housing with a dome port.

The other useful lens in digital underwater photography is the macro lens. The macro lens allows the camera to focus on extremely small and close subjects, of which the marine environment has no shortage of. Macro and wide angle photography will be discussed in greater depth in following sections.

Ports

A lens port is essential for digital underwater photography in that it covers the lens and corrects for refraction. There are two types of lens ports: a flat port, and a curved or dome port. The flat port is primarily for lenses over 28mm focal length. There is no need to correct the refraction effect on these lenses because no distortion will occur, because they are not wide-angle. Plus, because things will appear 25% larger through the air/water interface, it can be helpful for macro photography.

A dome or curved port is needed when a wide-angle lens is used. This will eliminate distortion due to refraction, and will maintain the viewing angle of the lens that you are using.