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Ocean Optics Thinking On Aluminium Housings For Compact Cameras
The first housings we dived with using compact cameras were own label polycarbonate models over a decade ago. The cameras were quite basic and underwater accessory lenses, like INON's range, and ways to fit them weren't readily available. When Nikon brought out the Coolpix 990, which accepted a dedicated Nikon fisheye lens, we invested in a UK Germany aluminium housing to fit it. This let us use the fisheye inside the housing behind a dome port and fire our existing underwater flashguns. This was important because underwater slave flashguns that worked well with newly developed digital cameras didn't really exist. The 990 wasn'ta great camera - 3.34 MP and a tiny monitor, but it got us onto a fast learning curve. Then we went backwards and housed a Nikon Coolpix 5000. On reflection, it was a dog. You needed to be Mathew Broderick in "War Games" to hack that camera and make it do what you wanted it to do. You fought with it every time you used it. And the shutter lag was infernal. We took it to South Africa on a white shark trip with Andre Hartman and never took it in the water.
But the aluminium housing for it was fantastic. A brilliantly conceived, superbly executed Arnold Stepanek designed Subal. And, like any Subal, constructed from the best materials to last through hell and salt water for decades. We could not get rid of that camera fast enough. We went back to using compacts in inexpensive, own label, polycarbonate housings and accessorised them with INON dedicated strobes and lenses. We were up and running, speed dating Olympus Camedia C1's, 960's, C50's, C60's, 5050"s, 5060's, Fuji F30's and 50's and Canon A570's, to name just a few.
And that was the whole point about compact cameras. They needed to improve. Back then, we were still using film cameras for most of our photography. Issues with shutter lag, noise and poor dynamic range meant digital compacts had real limitations. So we shot compacts in order to learn about digital with one eye to the future. Each time we upgraded the camera, we got a small but important improvement meaning we could use the camera for increasingly serious underwater photography.
Aluminium housings for compact cameras are always much more expensive than own label polycarbonate models. The materials and manufacturing process is much more costly and because the only market for these housings are underwater photographers, you can't make volume sales to wet weather and beach photographers to lower costs. Until now, Ocean Optics has not recommended aluminium housings for compact cameras, figuring the expense for a stop gap camera wasn't justified. So why are we changing our position now?
With cameras like the Olympus XZ-1 and Canon Powershot S100 (this was written in February 2012), compact cameras for underwater photography have reached a level where the still images they can produce are excellent and will satisfy many serious underwater image makers.
Versatility through a choice of lighting and lens options enables them to handle most popular subjects very well. This means that underwater photographers can now invest in one of these systems with the full expectation of using it for many years to come. As we start looking at compacts that may be used underwater for the next ten years or so, more rugged, more easily serviced housings start to become much better value and more attractive investments.
Does this mean compact cameras are now perfect and an aluminium housing should be your automatic first choice? No. There are still limitations in the best compact cameras such as shutter lag and limited control when shooting video. These are areas where improvements can still be made. But many of our clients won't necessarily be too concerned about these issues or can live with them. For them a modern compact might be something they really won't ever feel the need to change. And, for them, an aluminium housing may be the perfect choice.
As always, get in touch with Mark or Steve to really talk through the pros and cons of polycarbonate versus aluminium housings for your own specific underwater photography needs.
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