Underwater
Shooting Tips/Guide
Video
Lights & Color Correction Filters: In
reasonably clear water and moderate sunshine, video
lights are of little use because natural sunlight
provides all of the necessary illumination for most
low-lux camcorders. Video lights are necessary for
night diving and can enhance natural colors and detail
to close-up shots (without the use of a filter),
especially at depths below 80 feet (24m). However, for
depths between 15 and 80 feet (4.6 to 24m), a color
correction filter is the best and most economical way
to restore the natural colors filtered-out by the
water (primarily reds, oranges and yellows). Go to
Accessories
page for more information on color correction filters
and other useful accessories. For more information on
Video Lights, see our FAQs
page.
Auto
Focus: Virtually all camcorders can be used in
Auto Focus mode, especially if they have a common TTL
(contrast-based) focusing system. Camcorders with a
Manual Focus control can be manually preset by
deactivating the Auto Focus system, zooming in on an
object about 20 feet (7m) away, manually focusing the
image, and zooming back out to full wide angle (not
macro). This Manual Focus method conserves battery
power by having the Auto Focus system
deactivated.
Zoom
- Wider is Better: Regarding zoom control, the
best results are achieved when the zoom is set to full
wide angle, because it allows a closer shooting
distance with less water between the camera and the
subject. The closer you are to your subject, the
better the image will be - better light, clarity and
color! You can occasionally zoom out of wide angle and
even shoot telephoto as needed, but most shooting
should be in full wide angle. Camcorder lenses
typically provide ample wide angle coverage (40 - 50
degrees of horizontal field-of-view (FOV) above water)
and are well suited for recreational underwater
shooting. If you desire to shoot wider than your
camcorder lens, you can attach a wide angle adapter
lens. We suggest using No wider than a 0.5 power lens,
which will provide a maximum FOV of about 70 degrees
above water, or 53 degrees underwater, depending on
the camcorder. Note that the FOV underwater is reduced
by about 25 percent through a flat port, making
objects like fish look larger and closer than they
actually are. Shooting Too Wide (over 70+ degrees FOV
above water) will produce a subtle optical distortion
(initially subtle) around the edges of the image. This
distortion is called lateral color fringing, and is
due to refraction through the flat port while shooting
too wide.
Flat
Ports -vs- Dome Ports: The AquaCam HDX video
housings are equipped with Flat Ports only. Flat ports
are superior to dome ports above water, and perform
extremely well underwater for telephoto, normal, and
moderate wide angle shooting - up to about 70+ degrees
of horizontal field-of-view (FOV). Note that the FOV
underwater is reduced by about 25 percent through a
flat port, making objects like fish look larger and
closer than they actually are. Most camcorder lenses
provide a 40 - 50 degree FOV (above water) and perform
exceptionally well through a flat port, even when used
with a 0.5 power wide angle adapter lens (yielding
about 70 degrees FOV above water, or 53 degrees FOV
underwater). Dome ports are necessary when using a
Super-wide angle adapter lens (typically over 90
degrees FOV) and are Not necessary for shooting in
moderate wide angle, normal, and telephoto (zoom
telephoto) settings.
Viewing
& Viewing Aids: The comfortable approach for
most shooting is to sight over the top of the housing
in a "point and shoot" manner, especially if your are
shooting in full wide angle. This method provides for
accurate framing and following of the subject, and
allows you to view the scene ahead and anticipate
where to shoot next. With a little experience, you can
get an accurate feel for the framing and coverage of
the camcorder/housing. Continuous viewing through the
rear port (using a monitor or viewfinder ) can be an
uncomfortable position to shoot in for an extended
period of time. Note that many of the smaller
camcorders can be positioned to allow the LCD monitor
to be open sufficiently for viewing (typically 50-75
percent open). This is useful for zooming, limited
viewing, and framing. If you must monitor what you are
shooting and are unable to use the monitor on your
camcorder, a small secondary LCD video monitor can be
mounted near the rear port on camera tray (if space
permits) or mounted directly to the rear port with
Velcro. Small 2.5-3.5 inch LCD monitors are available
from Ikan (ikancorp.com), Delvcam, or can be purchased
from importers on eBay for about $30 or less (will
require an external battery holder).