Digital Camera Fiend - A Camera Review

Here’s some serious camera equipment for the scubadiving photographer.

Ikelite has created a heavy-duty underwater housing system for the new Sony A100, Popular Photography magazine’s 2006 Camera of the Year.

The waterproof DSLR housing system operates safely to 200 feet. It’s simple to install the camera and use, with controls right at the diver’s fingertips. A magnifier on the back of the housing enhances the diver’s view while wearing a diving mask.

The removable handle and tray allow for superb handling. The ports accommodate most macro, wide angle and zoom lenses. Creative control over strobe and flash light is easy too–just rotate a dial on the housing back and choose one of seven manual power settings in half-stop increments.

Quite a contraption–and an investment too. This underwater housing system costs $1,500, which is $650 more than the Sony A100 itself.

Canon promises you can “go anywhere” with its line of Digital ELPH cameras, like the SD600. Of course, you’ll need a little help if you plan to test that promise.

This Canon waterproof casing is a great buy for any underwater afficionados. The WP-DC4 will allow you to take your SD600 or SD630 camera up to 130 feet underwater. Like all good waterproof systems, the WP-DC4 has large buttons that are easy for the gloved hands of a scubadiver to use.

Priced at less than $200, the Canon waterproof housing is a great buy for anyone serious about underwater camera work.

Originally uploaded by rybchen at flickr.com.

This is a simple underwater photo taken just below the surface with a Pentax Optio W20 underwater digital camera. The Pentax is fully waterproof, but is only pressure resistant up to five feet, making it a perfect camera for snorkling.

Unfortunately for snorkler photographers, most of their photos will have a “looking down” vantage point since they are floating near the water’s surface and all of their subjects (fish and plantlife) will be below. This photo is unique in that it offers a “looking up” perspective.

The contrast between the darkness of the water and shimmering surface is striking. The jellyfish is also appropriately framed.

Underwater digital photography opens a new world–and an entirely unique set of challenges for the photographer. About.com offers five underwater camera picks, and the Pentax Optio W20, which retails at around $300, heads their list.

It isn’t a camera for professionals, and it’s not recommended to take this digital camera deeper than five feet. But it gets the job done. It’s one of the few digital cameras that doesn’t require extra underwater housing–just use it as is. It’s completely waterproof, which means it’s also great for above water activities tha could get messy.

This 7-megapixel digital camera also has a large 2.5-inch LCD display screen, blur reduction mode, and underwater video capabilties. All in all, a good buy.