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DSLR
Canon Powershot A 570is -
Point and Shoot Simplicity For Getting
Started Full Manual Control When You Need It
Ocean Optics London believes that Canon's Powershot A570is represents the best of the current range of Canon digital compact cameras for underwater photographers. Canon is one of the most respected companies in digital photography. Canon professional level digital SLR's are used by Ocean Optics clients including wildlife photographer Steve Bloom (Steve's book "Elephant!" features stunning underwater images), commercial underwater video and stills photographer Andrew Sutton and diving photojournalist John Wallis.
The Canon Powershot A570is is a very small and lightweight camera, yet is packed with user friendly features for underwater photography. The 7 megapixel sensor yields bitingly crisp images and is complemented by Canon's F2.5/35mm to 140mmm (35mm equivalent) 4 x optical zoom lens. A 2.5 inch LCD panel makes composing your image and reading information displays easy and fast. The large screen also makes it easy to focus manually - a feature that the Canon Powershot A570 is also offers. Pre focusing can significantly reduce shutter lag by eliminating the time auto focus may take to lock on. For surface photography, an optical finder is also provided. In bright light levels, this can be invaluable as LCD screens can be hard to see.
The Canon Powershot A570is has an ISO range that runs to 1600, so low light photography is straightforward. You also get image stabilisation. This feature reduces shake when the camera is used at slow shutter speeds. Wreck divers, cavern divers and others shooting scenes by available light will love this combination.
The Canon Powershot 570 sports a built in flash unit. Underwater, like all built in strobes, it's use is really restricted to gin clear water or close up and macro photography. In automatic mode, the flash has a compensation feature that allows some deliberate under and overexposure. This helps you properly light difficult subjects whose tones confuse the cameras built in light meter. You can also use your built in flash gun manually, adjusting the power levels to suit yourself. There is a caveat here that's little known. When your Canon 570 Powershots flash fires in auto, it puts out a pre flash. When fired in manual, it doesn't. If you want to switch between automatic and manual flash modes underwater while using an external strobe, you'll need a strobe with underwater switchable sync modes. Inon's Z- 240 offers this feature. If you plan to use only an auto mode, such as aperture priority, you can use Inon D2000s, D2000 and the Z-240 strobes for automatic TTL exposure or select the Inon strobes power output manually. This gives you the choice of point and shoot strobe photography or full creative control - it's always up to you. Ocean Optics London can readily advise you on features and benefits of Inon strobes and also show you through your choice of Inon strobe arms and camera trays.
Essential to good underwater photography with digital compacts is a choice of white balance settings. The Canon Powershot A570is excels in this department. You have auto white balance for convenience, along with a choice of pre set white balance settings for more difficult lighting conditions. Underwater photographers will find the ability to use custom white balance to set the white balance for different depths an invaluable feature. You can use this to correct colours in camera or when using the Magic Filter's that many underwater photographers are choosing to use. Another option is the underwater mode that Canon provides. This helps reduce the blue cast associated with underwater photography. This setting can also be used when shooting in the video mode. All of this makes the Canon Powershot A570is a very capable camera underwater.
The Canon WP - DC12 underwater housing is perfectly matched to the camera. It's supremely compact and all of the Canon A570 Powershots controls can be operated through the casing. The Canon WP-DC12 housing may safely be taken as deep as 40 metres. The combination of a Canon Powershot 570 and its DC12 underwater housing can be greatly enhanced by adding Inon accessory lenses from Ocean Optics London . Inon provide the UFL165 fisheye lens for the Powershot 570/DC12 underwater housing. The Inon UFL fisheye lens is your best choice for wreck photography and is a superb performer in low visibility conditions, such as the UK. With an expansive 165 degree field of view, it encompasses an area around four times that of the Canon 570's standard lens. Another option is the Inon UWL105AD wide angle lens. This ultra compact, high performance optic gives you around three times the field of view of the Canon Powershot's own wide angle. This is a good choice for diver shots in moderate visibility and for turtles, napoleon wrasse and turtles. Both the inon UFL165 fisheye and Inon UWL105 lenses also let you shoot dramatic forced perspective shots. For stunningly detailed macro images, choose the Inon UCL165AD close up lens. All of the Inon underwater lenses from Ocean Optics London are a wet lens design - this means you can change between them at any point during your dive.
Naturally your Canon Powershot A570is camera and Canon WP-DC12 underwater camera housing come complete with everything you need to get started including an SD card, software, cables, manuals and straps as well as O ring grease. We would always recommend that you invest in spare O rings and grease, a suitable clip that will allow you to safely attach your Canon Powershot A570is and WP - DC12 underwater housing to your harness and, last but not least, a book on how to take underwater pictures!
If you can collect your Canon Powershot A570is and Canon WP-DC12 underwater housing from Ocean Optics London Strand showrooms, we'll be pleased to spend half an hour showing you the tips of the trade we use in the field to keep our cameras safe....
Canon A570is Powershot Mark's favourite
"All through 2007 I've been shooting with my Canon Powershot A570is. I was in Dubai for my honeymoon and then onto Atlantis Dive Resorts in the Philippines to check out the diving there. I'm now planning 2009's photo safari to Puerto Galera and Dumaguete.. Next it was over to the Maldives for our Whale Shark and Manta safari. So my Canon Powershot A570is has been used for everything from super macro to super wide-angle subjects. It's a fantastic camera. I like manual settings and the 570 lets me take full control of my photography. I can control the exposure to get exactly the lighting effect I want. I also like the video mode. I'm able to combine this with the cameras built in colour correction for movies with proper tones and hues".
Mark Koekemoer
Ocean Optics - Mavericks Diving London's manager