The Advantages of Digital Cameras for Underwater Photography

The Advantages of Digital Cameras for Underwater Photography

How do digital cameras compare with film cameras for underwater photography? Looking at the advantages of digital cameras highlights the new possibilities in underwater photography far beyond what was possible in the era of the film camera.

The Macro Advantage

Compact digital cameras are superior to film cameras in the same class for shooting close-ups in macro mode. While film cameras are subject to parallax on models with different sight lines for the lens and optical viewfinder because the viewfinder field is slightly offset from the actual area captured by the lens, digital cameras eliminate this problem by allowing you to compose with the LCD monitor, which uses the same sight line as the lens. Digital cameras also have more depth of field, making it easier to focus in macro mode.

More Photos, Rapidly Advancing Technology

Until the digital era, you couldn't see your photos until the film was developed. Now, digital cameras show the images the instant they are captured. Moreover, the right storage media significantly increases your photo-taking capacity, allowing you to shoot as many images as you like without worrying about missed photo opportunities. Digital Photographic technologies just keep on getting better.

Share the Fun the Instant You Shoot

With a Digital Camera, you donÕt have to wait for film to be developed. Since you can view your photos instantly wherever you are, you can share them with friends at any point during the dive or afterwards at the post-dive celebrations. You can also view previously captured images underwater, making digital cameras valuable communication tools for finding and identifying fish. If you maintain a logbook of your diving discoveries, you can use a card photo printer to print the images onto stickers to add to your dive entries.

Direct to the Internet

It was a laborious process to digitize an image in the era of the film camera. First, you had to develop it, then you had to scan it and finally retouch it. Now if you have a computer and a digital camera, you can send it by e-mail or upload it to a web page virtually instantaneously to share your beautiful images with the world.

Marine Techniques

Despite the advantages digital cameras bring to underwater photography, you do need to take note of a few differences between shooting on land and underwater. For example, light gradually becomes more diffuse the deeper you go underwater until you eventually end up in a completely blue world. To shoot colorful pictures at each depth, you need to compensate by employing supplementary light sources, such as flashes or underwater lights, or by using the white balance features of your digital camera.

If you use the cameraês built-in flash underwater, you may also experience the –marine snow phenomenon” where light reflects off plankton and sand particles in the water to create a haze over the entire image. You can avoid this by using an external flash or video light instead of the built-in flash for underwater photography. The exception is close-up macro shots where there is a relatively thin layer of water between the subject and the camera.

Also note that zoom settings behave differently underwater because light refracts at the boundary between air (in the lens) and water. This principle can be demonstrated by the bent appearance of a hand half dipped into a water glass. The same zoom setting on land will result in a narrower field underwater. To shoot wide angles, therefore, you must shoot the subject from a slightly greater distance than you would on land.

These techniques will soon become second nature to you if you use the digital cameraês endless photo capacity to learn by trial and error. Once you understand the differences between shooting on land and underwater, you can easily adapt to taking great underwater pictures. In the process, you can expect your digital camera to become a trusted partner in your diving adventures.

Oh, there is one more difference between shooting on land and underwater with a digital cameraÄdonêt forget to put the camera in the waterproof case before submerging it. It isnêt waterproof by itself. Place it in the waterproof case, then close and lock the cover. Before embarking on each dive, remember to inspect and service the waterproof case. That way your underwater photography will always give you great results and be a pleasurable experience.

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