While travelling over the past year, my partner Lisa and I took a lot of GoPro video, and used it to make professional-looking underwater videos. As an underwater photographer, I am always thinking about lighting – more importantly, how to light up my subjects in a way that shows the brilliantly beautiful colors of the underwater world. Just as in photography, with video, the most important ingredient is lighting. GoPros can and do take exceptional, high-quality video when provided with the right lighting conditions. The problem with most underwater GoPro footage is not the GoPro itself, or the subject matter, but rather the lighting.

How Light Behaves Underwater

Water absorbs light very quickly, starting with the slowest wavelengths – red, then orange, then yellow. After passing through only 15 ft of water, light loses all red wavelengths, and then the other colors follow.

GoPro Version Matters

Before I go too far, let me qualify the piece about lighting. Great lighting with an old GoPro will give you decent footage, but old GoPros can’t compete with the latest GoPro image quality. The performance step change from the GoPro 5 to the GoPro HERO6 Black was massive. Check out the underwater photography guide’s review of the GoPro HERO6 Black. The improvement from the 6 to the 7 was not very big for image quality, but it was huge for image stabilization. So to get nice image quality from your GoPro, upgrade to at least a 6. If you want incredibly smooth, professional-looking footage when shooting handheld, the 7 is by far the best choice, as you can see in the GoPro HERO7 Black detailed review.

What Lighting to Use?

My partner Lisa, being new to underwater imaging, was at first very resistant to using any lights with the GoPro. Lights are big, heavy, and expensive. Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of the GoPro? So we started off with a Light & Motion Sidekick Duo, which is a very compact underwater light designed to be connected directly to the GoPro mount, thus not adding much in the way of size or weight. In some situations it added some nice color, but overall we found it was just too limited in terms of positioning, power and beam angle. Some videos it would add some nice color, but others it would create a hotspot on the subject, or just light up a ton of particles in the water, making it look like it was snowing.

We also used a Sealife Aquapod Mini, which gave us extra reach with the GoPro, theoretically allowing us to get closer to subjects without scaring them. It was useful when snorkeling with sharks in French Polynesia, and for dipping in the water from a boat to capture action at the surface. However, for day-to-day use while diving, we found that the benefit of getting closer to subjects was outweighed by the disadvantage of having the GoPro on a long stick; stability. It was very hard to get stable video, especially in any kind of current. Not to say a setup with a Sealife Aquapod and Sidekick light are bad; I would say it is a pretty decent setup for casual snorkelers who just want some videos of their trip so they can remember things. However, we were interested in higher quality video.

Our current GoPro rig – Hero 7 black, Macromate mini flip diopter, tray with ball mounts, 2x Kraken 3500+ WRSU lights.

As it became apparent that we had outgrown our video setup, and wanted something better, we decided to go for it. We bought a tray with handles and two small video lights. This is when things got good. The tray helped us get stable video – holding the GoPro close to the body with two hands was a lot more stable than holding it on a long stick with one hand. And we could not place the tray down on a rock or on the sand to get it really stable. We tried some different lights, including SeaLife Sea Dragon 2000 lumen lights, which gave us some nice results. Now we have landed on the Kraken 3500+ WRSU lights, which provide a ton of power, as well as versatility of modes: flood beam, spot beam, red light and UV light, all with different power settings available.

Check out our sample footage using the Sealife Sea Dragon 2000 lumen lights below, and you can read more about these lights on the UWPG’s Sealife 2000 lumen video light review. The review also contains a comparison video showing footage taken with two lights vs footage taken with just a red filter, vs footage taken without any lights or filters.

How Many Lights? How Many Lumens?

For wide angle video, having one light is much better than no lights, and also much better than a filter. However, having two lights will allow you to position them further away from the GoPro lens, which means you light up less particulates in the water and get cleaner video.

The amount of lighting power you need depends on the conditions you will be using them in. The brighter the ambient light, the more powerful the video lights need to be, if you want to overpower the dull blue ambient light and restore the colors. Though if you go really shallow, you can capture nice colors with ambient light, especially with the sun at your back. So with that said, a good starting point for light power is the 2000-4000 lumen range. Under 2000 lumens and you really don’t have enough power or reach for many situations, and over 4000 lumens you are starting to get into higher end, more professional light systems. With 2000 lumen lights, you can get very nice colors, but only if you are no more than 1-2 feet from your subject. Anything more than that and you’ll want more lumens…but even with really powerful video lights you won’t see much effect beyond about 5 ft.

On the other end of things, if you really want the best quality underwater video you can get, then go for the 10,000 lumen + range – it sure will look nice! The store recently got in the new Sola Pro 12,000 and 15,000 lumen lights, which will give you some amazing video quality.

For macro video, you have to bring the lights in close anyway, so one light should do the trick. A second light does give you more lighting options, but you can make very nice macro video just using one. If you want to learn more about shooting GoPro macro video, check out our beginner’s guide to GoPro macro video, up on the UWPG. Additionally, since you will only be a few inches from your subject, 2000-3000 lumens is more than enough light for nice, bright colors and sharp details.

The below sample macro footage is shot with a GoPro 7 and Macromate mini, and a variety of video light powers (2000, 2500 and 3500 lumens).  Without lights, macro video tends to look quite colorless and flat, as expected…it really loses its magic. So I would not recommend trying your hand at macro without a light!

The Bottom Line

We have used our GoPro with tray, video lights and macro lens to create promotional videos for a few dive resorts, and they have all been very happy with the results.

As they say in the movies…lights, camera, action! With just the camera, and no lights, you can get some decent footage under ideal conditions (ie at or near the surface of the water). But if you really want to get consistently great underwater footage, you need all 3. Sufficiently powerful video lights, a GoPro 6 or 7, and some great underwater action!

Hit me up at bryan AT uwphotographyguide.com if you have any questions!

The post Getting professional-quality video by using video lights with a GoPro first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

In January I had a chance to take the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera  and PT-EP14 housing out for a spin while on vacation in Iceland. We were diving Silfra, famed for its extremely clear water. This dive falls on many must do lists, and I would highly recommend it, just not in the dead of winter! It was about 17° Fahrenheit (-8° Celsius) outside, making the 40°F (5° C) feel really inviting! If interested, definitely hit it up during summer, when the warmer air makes getting into and out of your drysuit easier, and the long summer sunlight will add to your photo taking experience!

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II however performed admirably! Even with the low light conditions of winter, the quality from shooting at a higher ISO is not noticeable, and the image stabilization for shooting at a slower shutter speed worked well. I was impressed with the Olympus housing in particular. It was comfortable and easy to use. Controls were placed where they were easy to access and the housing offered full camera control. The locking bayonet ring to attach the ports is so much nicer than the old push and turn style of the PEN housings, making port changes a breeze. All in all the camera was laid out well and the housing matched that.

With a full line of lens options to choose from and even a new dedicated macro port for the 60mm, the Olympus housing is a great option for someone looking to get shooting on the new E-M1 Mark II, but not ready for the expense of the higher end aluminum housings like Nauticam and Aquatica.

Here are a few sample images from the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II from Silfra!

A diver cruises through the chasm between two tectonic plates (ISO 800, F5, 1/80)

A silhouetted diver floating in the channel. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Carefully a diver fins across the shallow sandy lagoon. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Entering the shallow lagoon area. (ISO 250, F5.6, 1/500, no strobes)

Get the Gear!

• Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II Camera
• Olympus 8mm Fisheye Pro Lens
• Olympus PT-EP14 Underwater Housing
• Olympus PPO-EP02 Dome Port
• Ultralight Control Systems Tray, Arms and Clamps
• Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2 Strobes

Contact us at sales@bluewaterphotostore.com with any questions or to get a full OM-D E-M1 Mark II quote!

The post Diving Silfra with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Wide angle compositions are often the hardest to nail perfectly. During the SoCal Shootout participants have to do just that. There is very little editing allowed, so getting correct lighting, exposure and above all, that striking composition is key. Ben Hofilena succeeded with his first place image in our open wide angle category. While he claims just a lucky shot, he at least knew the most important part of luck, which is preparation. Proper settings and being ready for the moment allowed this excellent shot to get captured. Here’s the details on our first place winner.

Title: Ocean Bouquet

Location Captured: Eureka Oil Rig (off the coast of Long Beach, CA)

Camera / Housing: Canon 70D with Tokina 10-17mm Lens, Sea & Sea Housing

Strobes / Lights: Dual Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobes

Camera Settings: F8, 1/125th, ISO 200

The Story: The first time I took a camera underwater was about a year ago. Prior to that, my topside photography was limited to point and shoot cameras in AUTO mode and taking pics on my iPhone. That being said, I’m a newbie to underwater photography and this was a lucky shot. This photo was taken on the Sunday of the SoCal Shootout while aboard the Pacific Star. We were lucky to have good visibility and a bait ball at the Eureka Oil Rig. I was able to get really close to a section of the bait ball and compose my shot. It was awesome to be able to capture what I saw as a solid wall of fish and bouquet-like image in the middle.

The post SoCal Shootout: Story Behind the Shot, Ben Hofilena first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

We’re all addicted to our phones these days, so what better way to keep connected than to have your phone with you underwater?

For those folks who love taking photos with their phone and want to be able to upload to social media right away or share with friends and family, taking your phone underwater might be the perfect solution.

Check out the new iPhone 6 & 6+ housing from iTorch. This housing allows you to take your iPhone under the sea to use as a camera while diving, snorkeling, playing in the waves, or even in the pool… anywhere it might get wet! Through the use of the custom iPix app you have the ability to take photos and video.

I took this new housing down on a dive the other day to test it out and really enjoyed it. Paired with the extremely tiny iTorch V10 light I was able to get great portrait shots of different fish and critters while diving. The only drawback I found is that currently the app does not allow you to review photos, meaning you can’t check what you just shot. Luckily you can easily take multiple photos quickly, so shooting a couple extras “just in case” is easy to do. (Hopefully this will be fixed with a future update)

The V10 light has a very wide beam angle and an even bright beam making it a perfect addition to the iPhone underwater. When you’re within 2-3ft of your subject it brings back all the vibrant colors beautifully. If shooting something further away, I recommend adding on the red filter to help counter the loss of the red spectrum at depth.

In addition there are both a wide angle lens and a close up lens that you can screw into the housing to get more creative. The wide angle lens gives you more field of view and the close up lens allows the camera to focus closer than it normally would.

Comparison of with and without the wide angle lens. The photo on the right is much wider, allowing you to see more of the bow of the shipwreck and even the diver in the distance.

Overall I was really happy with the use of the housing. The app was extremely easy and the iPhone takes great quality pictures for a very simple auto only camera. I also did a short clip of video, and with the V10 light was very happy with the results.

Example of the shot straight out of the phone, and then the same shot after being edited in Lightroom. 

The post Take Your iPhone Underwater! first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Welcome to the Sea of Cortez. Dubbed by Jacques Cousteau as the “World’s Aquarium” this living sea definitely lives up to the name. Abundant life swimming through warm waters provides a unique diving experience where temperate and tropical worlds collide. From the tiniest skeleton shrimp to the giant whale shark, the Sea of Cortez provides a variety of marine encounters and incredible diving. For one week, I lead a great group of people on a photo workshop organized by Bluewater Travel.

After an easy flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix followed by a comfortable shuttle ride through the Head Out to Rocky Point service we arrived at the Rocio del Mar liveaboard.
The 110ft vessel stood waiting at the end of the dock as the crew made final preparations for our voyage. Once on board we were shown our cabins for the week and set up our dive gear on the dive deck. This is a large deck offering a spacious camera table in the middle where there was plenty of space for our group with many large cameras. Shortly we were on our way. Due to a storm that had just rolled in we had a bit of a rough crossing the first night, but after a fitful night’s sleep and a few folks with sea sickness we woke up to a beautiful morning with bright sunshine and calm seas.

Our first two days were spent at Isla Angel de Guardia where we explored various dive sites including Piedra del Angel, Los Nidos, and La Vela. Water temperatures were a little cooler, around 79º on average. With the macro lens on I hunted for the many unique and colorful critters. Spread out with my fin tips resting on the sand I spent minutes watching the little blue spotted jawfish dart in and out of holes and the orange throated pike blennies dance for mates by pushing out of their tubes and showing of their large dorsal fin and brightly colored throats. Within seconds they were back to being just a small black head poking out of the sand. Tiny gobies, wrasse, sea stars, arrow crabs, small stingrays and more were everywhere. Divers also found sea horses, vibrantly colored nudibranchs, octopus and small blennies hiding out among the rocky reef.

Between dives there was time for relaxation, photo talks and food. Quickly we fell into a fantastic schedule of dive, eat, dive, eat, etc. The chef on board, Joshua is definitely talented in the kitchen and provided our group with delicious meals prepared with a creative flare. Consistently happy to help, the crew took requests and did their best to accommodate all dietary restrictions. They were even happy to let us order “half portions” for those of us who just could not finish the full plate provided. Meals varied from traditional american style to delicious Mexican fare. From breakfasts of sausage, eggs and waffles, to chilaquiles and beans, or lunches of fresh fish filets bought from local merchants to cheeseburgers. Pork tenderloin and incredibly flavored lasagna for dinner. Everyone agreed that the food was top notch, and of course, each dinner was followed by a delicious dessert! Twice they provided dinner up on the top Sun Deck as a fantastic BBQ with steak topped with a basil sauce one evening and carne asada tacos another. On these evenings they spread out the sides and toppings along a built in bar and everyone served themselves buffet style then sat along tables and enjoyed the colorful sunsets. Beer and wine are included with the trip and they offered Tecate (light or regular) and a variety of good white or red wines.

With the exception of the first day of diving, we completed four dives per day including two night dives. Krill was very abundant around the islands, so the nights dives were an interesting dance of krill in front of your lights which made photographing critters difficult. Many of the animals found in the Sea of Cortez are more active at night, and these two dives gave us a chance to find octopus moving around, anemone’s fully stretched out and other fish that often hide during the day swimming around.

After two days of fantastic macro diving around Isla Angel de Guadia we woke up at the tiny speck of an island called San Pedro Martir. This little rock is well known as a home to thousands of sea lions. With clearer water and the chance for larger animal encounters, I switched to the wide angle lens and off into the water we dove.

Diving from the Rocio del Mar is easy. Don your gear aboard the boat and walk down to the large dive deck. This deck sits right at water level making it easy for the “panga” (rubber inflatable dinghy) to pull up alongside so you can step from the large vessel to the small one. Sitting on the inflatable tubes we donned fins and zipped off to the dive site. Our longest ride was possibly ten minutes. The crew was always very helpful assisting you into and out of the pangas, getting fins and camera gear aboard. Once back from the dive they would bring up your gear and start filling tanks.

Speaking of the crew, they were excellent. All extremely helpful, pleasant and ready to assist. Not only were they helpful and friendly, you really felt as if they truly cared that your experience was exceptional, not that they were only doing their job. They made conversation and were happy to answer all questions, and most spoke English extremely well. Several of the other divers remarked on how great the crew was throughout the trip. One thing that I loved were the intricate dive site drawings the two divemasters, Gilberto “Gil” and Esteban “Pato” would create before each dive briefing. These really helped you know what to expect and plan the dives.

Diving in the very warm waters around San Pedro Martir, with temperatures varying between 82-86º, we explored large walls with sweeping fields of black coral (named so because once dead after harvesting the dried shell of this coral is black, however alive and well underwater is is bright yellow). Some sites had currents running, so we would drift along taking in the sites. While we did not get to experience the big groups of sea lions all playing in the water with us thanks to several large and dominating males who trumpeted along the perimeter of their territory, keeping the inquisitive adolescents and females inside, we did have a variety of sea lions join us in the shallows, dancing and swimming circles around our group. In addition to the sea lions we saw sea turtles swimming through, large moray eels and even mobula rays swimming in the blue.

We spent two days at San Pedro Martir before moving for a day at Sal Si Puedes Island. Further north again, this brought us back to the cooler waters, around 76-79º around this island, and back to the macro lens. We had excellent dives at El Lavadero and Los Cuervos, both teeming with life. On these dives our divemasters instructed us to gently settle on the bottom once they spotted a giant jawfish poking his head out of a hole. These fish, with heads about the size of a grapefruit live in a network of holes in the sand, swimming out to grab food before sliding back inside. Armed with pieces of fish and shrimp the divemasters would entice the jawfish out of their homes so we could watch them in action. It was great to watch them lunge for the fish and then slide back into their burrow. Once finished we carefully added a bit of air to our BCD’s so we could float up and away from their homes without destroying the sensitive burrows with a misplaced fin kick. The rest of these dives was spent exploring along the rocky reefs hunting for more critters to capture through my lens.

The final two dives, El Caballo and La Corona were not as great as previous dives. With stronger current and cloudy visibility we wrapped up the diving for the trip. Once more the captain and crew jigged for humbolt squid, our third attempt after the first night was cancelled by the wind and we were skunked the second. Unfortunately we had no luck luring one of these giants up to our boat.

One more move during the night and we woke up on Friday morning just outside the Bahia de Los Angeles, home to many graceful whale sharks. With an early breakfast we headed out for a day on the water following these giants around the waters of the bay while they cruised and fed on the abundant krill and plantkton. Encountering these creatures in the water is mind blowing, they hang vertically while sucking in large amounts of water and food, then swim with long slow movements deceptively moving faster than we could keep up. The Bahia de Los Angeles is a Mexican National Park, and the locals are working to turn the fishing town into a port of touism, with the local whale sharks as the main draw. The Rocio is required to rent local boats to take us into the bay and snorkel with the sharks, and our guide, Marco Blanco, was excellent. My group braved the beating sun and capitalized on our time, staying out the full 6 hours.

Friday night as the boat prepared for the long haul back to Puerto Peñasco our group enjoyed our last dinner, then gathered upstairs in the lounge for a slideshow review of everyone’s favorite images and video clips from the trip. We reminisced on the fantastic week of diving and commiserated about having to return to reality. The crossing back was calm, and Saturday morning we woke up in Puerto Peñasco, our trip at an end.

 Interested? Join us in 2016!

July 30th – August 6th, $2395

August 6th – August 13th, $2395

Click the dates above for more information on our two group photo workshops for 2016.

The post Trip Report: Sea of Cortez first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

In addition to the new Olympus 8mm Fisheye PRO lens, Olympus has also released a fabulous new rectilinear wide angle lens, the Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO. This new PRO version completes the lineup of PRO lenses that also include the 12-40mm PRO and 40-150mm PRO giving photographers a full range of PRO focal lengths. Underwater we are most interested in wide angle or macro, and the 7-14mm works great when you don’t want to use a fisheye.

It gives users the ability to zoom making it easy to adjust composition a bit when you just can’t get as close to your subject as you would like. With 110º angle of view the Olympus Pro lens offers an edge over the popular Olympus 9-18mm lens, but the improved optics and weather sealing really make this lens stand out. Its direct competitor is the Panasonic 7-14mm which many underwater photographers having been using when they want something a little wider than the 9-18mm.

Let’s look at the differences:

Panasonic Lumix G 7-14mm F4

• $898
• 110º Angle of View
• F4 – decent speed
• Minimum focus – 9.84″
• Weight – .66 lbs
• Length – 3.27″

Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm F.28 PRO

• $1,299
• 110º Angle of View
• F2.8 – fast!
• Minimum focus – 7.87″
• Weight – 1.18 lbs
• Length – 4.17″

The new Olympus PRO lenses are definitely larger than other micro four thirds lenses, which is mostly due to the fast speeds they offer. The 7-14mm Pro lens feels much more professional than the Panasonic with an aluminum alloy body and splash proofing. In addition the new Olympus Pro lenses are the first micro four thirds lenses to have actual focus markings on the lens. Olympus has created a unique focus control system on their PRO lenses. Sliding the focus ring down changes the lens to manual focus and shows the focus scale on the lens. This position disables autofocus, so be sure when taking the lens underwater you have this ring in the proper autofocus position. For those wanting access to both auto focus and manual focus don’t fret – you can still set the camera to auto focus and turn the focus ring for manual focus as with any other micro four thirds lens. So we get the best of both worlds in the new 7-14mm PRO.

After shooting with the Olympus 7-14mm PRO for a week in the Sea of Cortez on the new OM-D E-M5 Mark II I was very pleased with the overall quality, focus speed and detail that this lens produces. I own the Panasonic 7-14mm and have always loved the wide angle of view it provides, but on my Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera there would sometimes be weird abberations with a purple glare (corrected in newer Olympus bodies). I also found that in my Zen glass port I would get lens reflections underwater, having to spend time in Lightroom removing the shadowy ghost of my lens make from the captured image. Using Nauticam’s glass dome over the week in the Sea of Cortez, both shallow and deep, I had no reflection issues on the new Olympus 7-14mm PRO. Compared to the 9-18mm this lens will feel much nicer, offers a wider field of view and much improved quality. I have also had problems with lens reflection in the 9-18mm underwater.

Sample Images:

Would I recommend this lens? Most definitely. I loved the quality of images this lens produced, and the bright F2.8 aperature offers improvements for shooting ambient light, and for video recording. While it is more of an investment than other similar lenses, those looking for the best possible quality will love this lens.

The biggest drawback I found when using this underwater (with Nauticam housings) is that the N85 port size opening of all Nauticam Micro Four Thirds housings is too small for this new PRO lens. This means that you’ll be spending a bit more to house the Olympus 7-14mm Pro lens. You’ll need the Nauticam N85-N120 adapter and the best port option is the 7″ Glass Dome Port. In addition, installing the lens requires first putting the camera without the lens in the housing, then attaching the lens from the front. This is easy to do and doesn’t require much time, but can be a pain when you want to remove a memory card or change the camera battery as you will need to first remove the port and take off the lens before you can pull the camera out of the housing.

Purchase the Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm PRO lens here.

The post New Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Underwater first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Olympus created the M. Zuiko 12-50mm lens a few years back, which has been super popular for underwater photography. This lens features a built in macro mode and two zoom mode options (manual and electronic). For underwater photographers it was a first, basically two lenses in one, which allows shooters to have a nice mid-range zoom lens and a great macro lens built into one! Paired with the high quality Olympus and Panasonic micro four-thirds cameras this gives users a much more flexible single lens system underwater.

The 12-50mm lens shoots macro at 43mm, so while its not as strong as the Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm Macro, it is still a great option. We recommend this lens for those folks wanting a single lens system with a focus on macro, for video shooters wanting the smooth electronic zoom option and overall for anyone wanting a quality mid range zoom lens.

Nauticam is the only manufacturer to create an intensive multifunction zoom gear for this lens. While other housing brands offer a zoom gear which will control the manual zoom, Nauticam’s gives you control over both zoom (electronic only) and the ability to move into the macro mode. Due to the unique style of the lens, this zoom gear is larger and much more complicated than any other. It involves full installation on the lens which takes between 10 and 20 minutes depending on how well you can decipher the instructions.

To help make this process easier, we’ve created the video below. Bluewater’s support expert, Tommy, walks you through the installation step by step so you can follow along. Make sure to have the Nauticam instructions with you for reference and we recommend laying out all pieces prior to beginning as several of the pieces ship put together and they need to be split out prior to installation.

If you still have trouble or any questions installing the gear after watching the video please feel free to contact us and we can help you out.

The post Installing the Nauticam 12-50mm Zoom Gear first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Olympus’ mirrorless cameras have become extremely popular over the past couple of years thanks to the high quality construction and ever improving features. Here’s a quick tip that you may not yet have heard about.

With some of Olympus’ higher end bodies (including the OM-D E-M1, OM-D E-M10 and I believe the PEN E-PL7) there is a new feature buried inside the bowels of the lengthy custom menu that proves to be extremely useful underwater. This mode is the “Electronic Zoom”. When paired with a newer EZ function lens (including 12-50mm and 14-42mm EZ lenses) this feature allows you to control the zoom via the rear arrow key buttons on the camera body. *Currently not available on the OM-D E-M5.

Extremely useful with the Olympus 12-50mm, it allows folks with the Olympus housing or those not interested in purchasing the expensive Nauticam zoom gear the ability to use the full zoom range of the lens. Without this function users are limited to using the built in “UW Modes” which will automatically set the lens at 12mm or 50mm, but gives no access to the intermediary focal lengths, in addition to changing other camera settings you may have preset.

How to Activate:

On a PEN camera make sure to activate the “Custom Menu” which is hidden by default. If using an OM-D Camera, skip to the next step.

Menu -> Set Up Menu (wrench icon) -> Menu Display, click OK. The custom menu is the small cogs icon, click the right button, then the down button followed by OK to activate the menu.

Once the Custom Menu is active you can use it to assign the Electronic Zoom function to one of the arrow keys (either right or down).

Menu -> Custom Menu ->

B: Button/Dial -> Button Function ->

Specific Arrow (right or down, choose which one you prefer) -> Electronic Zoom -> OK to confirm.

Once the Electronic Zoom is assigned to one of the rear arrow key buttons you can engage it by simply pressing that button. Once activated using either the up /down or right / left arrow keys will allow you to zoom in and out respectively. Once you’ve zoomed to the focal length you prefer select OK to close the controls.

NOTE: One major benefit for the 12-50mm lens underwater is the built in macro mode. Currently the Nauticam zoom gear is the only option that allows full access to the macro mode underwater. None of the built in zoom control options from Olympus allow that mode to be activated.

The post Olympus’ Secret Zoom Function first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Recently I had the chance to jump in the water with the new Fantasea RX100 III housing. This affordable housing option is a great choice if you’re on a budget. All major camera controls are easily accessible. The housing is made from organic polycarbonate, with a clear back so it’s easy to see your o-ring seal and camera inside the housing.

I was very happy with how easy it is to change settings and control the housing while underwater. The buttons are tiered to make them easy to press, even if wearing gloves. There are two dial controls on the housing to control the front and rear dials on the camera. These were easy to manipulate and I could quickly adjust camera settings underwater. The only issue I found when using the housing was the shutter button. Since it is set up as a simple button, its a bit harder to manipulate while holding onto the handle of a tray. If using the housing on a tray I recommend sliding it more to the left so that you can fit your hand around the housing itself (inside the right handle). This will make it easy to press the shutter down, and use the housing single handed for photos. The shutter is nice and sensitive making it easy to get the half shutter focus lock before snapping the photo. Fantasea changed the port from the more square, snap on style that we’ve seen in previous housings to a threaded port with 55mm threads. Unfortunately this is not a standard thread size for any wet lenses so a step up ring is required for 67mm wide and macro lenses. This simply screws into the port and you’re good to go. I used the Dyron Super Wide Angle lens with the housing and it seemed to work great overall, with no vignetting when all the way zoomed out. The housing includes ports for the fiber optic cables, but I did find them to be a little loose with my Sea & Sea cables, so I had to be careful to make sure they did not come unplugged. One nice feature that is not often found on small housings is a leak detector which flashes red and beeps if water is detected inside of the housing. I also got a chance to test out the video quality with the housing, just shooting with available light and was pleasantly surprised at how well the Auto white balance performed in about 30ft of water on a rainy day in California. Try it out wherever you think the diving is best!

Example Images:

Learn more about the housing and purchase at Bluewater Photo.  

The post Fantasea RX100 III Underwater first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.

Aquatica just announced an exciting new development and partnership between them and Ikelite. Starting with the upcoming housing for Canon 7D Mark II camera, the two companies will be partnering to bring the world renowned Ikelite TTL control circuitry in the Aquatica housings. This new development means that you can have the high quality aluminum housing, known for its rugged construction and nice ergonmic design complete with full TTL control when using Ikelite strobes and sync cords.

Using sync cords allows you to take advantage of the lightning fast recycle rate on the strobes, and Ikelites TTL circuitry keeps up with that fast recycle rate, providing accurate flash metering to give you a well exposed image automatically.

TTL is great when you are shooting in situations where taking the time to adjust the strobe power and dial in the shot may mean you miss a fast moving or shy subject, so the pairing of the excellent Aquatica housings and Ikelite TTL looks to be a very promising solution.

The first housing to have this built in will be the Aquatica housing for Canon 7D Mark II which should be shipping at the beginning of 2015.

The post Aquatica Announces Ikelite TTL Control first appeared on In Focus Underwater Photography Blog.