[cprobertson1]

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So, I do a lot of SCUBA - I used to enjoy going round with a little £30 action-camera in a case but the quality was never great, and one day it got knocked over the side of the boat and now lives, somewhat fittingly, at a depth of ~30m in a random stretch of the Firth of Clyde.

I decided yesterday that I want to replace it and actually get into underwater photography instead of just doing it and forgetting about it... and then losing it over the side of the boat.

I want the equivalent of a point-and-click camera, with decent macro ability, suitable for depths up to 30m. Budget is, say... <£200 - which rules out GoPros (which I've never been terribly fond of anyway).

I would settle for ~20m (~66ft) depth limit, but 30m (~100ft) is preferred as it covers every depth I'm likely to operate at in the near future. I'd prefer to avoid using my K-50 in a hard-case in the off-chance of anything happening to it :P

Might anyone have any suggestions?

[edit]
https://www.divingsquad.com/best-underwater-camera/cheap-budget/

This was my go-to source on my own research - figured I'd ask around here as well since I can't be the only diver wanting to do some scuba

Note - I can, to some extend, make my own rig for holding an underwater enclosure - I have access to 3D printing and machining and whatnot, so if I want to strap an enclosure to something and add in some flashlights and duct-tape for good measure, it's not terribly difficutl

[shyrsio]

You can get used WG cameras for a fairly decent price. I have a W90 myself and its alright!

[Belcik]

I was recently looking into that. It seems that the DIY case is the only option out... or changing the system.

[othar]

I went to a speech about underwater photography last year. In the speakers opinion the cheapest way to start that kind of photography was/is with some kind of action cam.
The next step would be finding a used underwater casing and buying the fitting camera for it (much cheaper than doing the other way around in his opinion).
Don't forget you also have to fit some lights into your budged.

[timb64]

I’ve done a bit of scuba diving and looked into various options you mention.The most cost effective solution I ended up with is a p&s in a cheap Chinese housing from fleabay.My recommendation would be to scour the web for a secondhand camera which fits the bill and has housings available.RAW capability is essential to correct for colour cast.

These were taken with a first generation Sony RX100 in a cheap housing

Indonesia Underwater 2018 | Flickr

I would also add it is time consuming and frustrating trying to achieve anything like acceptable results without investing $$$ and I’ve often thought the whole process does slightly detract from the diving experience.

[officiousbystander]

Nikon made a waterproof housing for its J1/J2 cameras. The lenses had a fault with a ribbon cable which needed to be replaced. Refurbished standard zooms are cheap.
There's an example here:
Nikon WP-N1 (3689) Underwater Housing Scuba Diving Bundle 0018208036899 for sale online

[RoxnDox]

I don't dive anymore, but I've been in your shoes...

Your best bet is going to be a P&S camera plus dive housing. Sea&Sea, Olympus TG models, etc. When a camera maker says the camera by itself is good to 30m, DO NOT BELIEVE IT. Add a real dive housing - for these cameras they're pretty affordable.

As noted, scour the used listings. Best bet is to find a diver who is upgrading their kit. More likely to have it well cared for.

The next thing you will need (note the choice of word, need not want) is lighting. You'll need at least one, preferably two strobes if you want decent images. Which means you will also want a grip bar to mount them and the camera on. And a focus light to give you continuous output so the camera can see well enough to focus.

Put. The. Camera. On. A. Strap. To. Your. Harness. DAMHIK

Finally, SAFETY WARNING. Do not allow yourself to focus on the photography at the expense of checking your gages and/or losing your buddy. Again, DAMHIK... I will just say that when you're at 75 ft in cold, dark water and all of a sudden your tank is not giving you air to breathe, it is a very unpleasant experience. Fortunately I had an experienced buddy right there, but doing an emergency surface is not a good thing. I was a brand new diver, just certified, and I wanted to get some practice in with pictures before a trip to Hawaii. In retrospect, not my best plan...

[peggers]

Yes, I was wondering if you could get a housing for the K1? That would be awesome!

[DWS1]

Yes, I was wondering if you could get a housing for the K1? That would be awesome!

I don't know what the market is now, but I do remember the underwater housings for most slr cameras back in the 70's. I seem to recall them being very expensive.

[othar]

Yes, I was wondering if you could get a housing for the K1? That would be awesome!

Sure you can, but for the same money you can probably buy 5 of the more expensive lenses available new for Pentax. Because of the low to non-existent demand it would have to be custom-made.
It will be more cost effective to buy a existing housing and the matching camera system (speak CaNikon)

[Billk]

I'm on a couple of underwater photography FB pages. EVERYBODY uses TG6 or TG5, including a professional photographer.

[cprobertson1]

You can get used WG cameras for a fairly decent price. I have a W90 myself and its alright!

I'm on a couple of underwater photography FB pages. EVERYBODY uses TG6 or TG5, including a professional photographer.

On their own (with no additional housings) they seem to be alright for up to 15m (~50ft) which would certainly be alright for shallow dives - the problem is a lot of the local dive sites have points-of-interestin the 15-25m region (and a few closer to 30m) - so I'd need an enclosure.

IF I can get a bundle with an enclosure, maybe secondhand, that's certainly an option though!

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Yes, I was wondering if you could get a housing for the K1? That would be awesome!

I'm not seeing much on the forums or interwebs. Ikelite made housings for the K5 but I'm pretty sure they're discontinued now... also they cost about as much as a K1.

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I don't dive anymore, but I've been in your shoes...

Your best bet is going to be a P&S camera plus dive housing. Sea&Sea, Olympus TG models, etc. When a camera maker says the camera by itself is good to 30m, DO NOT BELIEVE IT. Add a real dive housing - for these cameras they're pretty affordable.

As noted, scour the used listings. Best bet is to find a diver who is upgrading their kit. More likely to have it well cared for.

The next thing you will need (note the choice of word, need not want) is lighting. You'll need at least one, preferably two strobes if you want decent images. Which means you will also want a grip bar to mount them and the camera on. And a focus light to give you continuous output so the camera can see well enough to focus.

Put. The. Camera. On. A. Strap. To. Your. Harness. DAMHIK

Finally, SAFETY WARNING. Do not allow yourself to focus on the photography at the expense of checking your gages and/or losing your buddy. Again, DAMHIK... I will just say that when you're at 75 ft in cold, dark water and all of a sudden your tank is not giving you air to breathe, it is a very unpleasant experience. Fortunately I had an experienced buddy right there, but doing an emergency surface is not a good thing. I was a brand new diver, just certified, and I wanted to get some practice in with pictures before a trip to Hawaii. In retrospect, not my best plan...

Oooh! Lots of good stuff there!

I think used is the way to go - or an action cam+housing. Most of the folk in my club have upgraded from cheap action cams when they failed or broke or got lost, but I've not been able to skadge one off them I'm afraid! Not yet anyway

Depth: don't believe spec, get hard housing - will do!

Lighting: absolutely - my initial plan was to DIY a rig using a profiled stainless steel base, 3D printed handles, and jointed hose to support the lighting... which to be honest will probably consist of two el cheapo diving torches... not ideal, but better than just my main torch on its own. From there I can upgrade it with better lights, rig, etc. [update] I can actually get cheap fill lights from china in the £15-50 region, and rigs to attach them - so there isn't much reason for me not to do that. Sure, the quality might suffer - but I can live with that!

Strapping: pretty sure all my gear is strapped to my BCD in one way or another! Only time its not is when we're getting back on the RHIB and we're passing gear up to folk on the boat... ::shudders:: Lost one of my integrated weights that way... Whoops! I've got 6 or so D-rings in various spots on my jacket, so there's plenty of space to clip in on - I'll just need to take extra caution passing it up to the boat (like making sure they're holding it before I unclip it, etc)

Safety: for me, safety is the absolute number-one priority. I'm still a relative newbie and I have a healthy terror respect for the water. It's a dangerous world down there! I've not had any near misses yet - unless you consider an overexitable buddy knocking your mask right off your face while trying to point out a seal to be a near miss - talk about getting sucker punched!

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I’ve done a bit of scuba diving and looked into various options you mention.The most cost effective solution I ended up with is a p&s in a cheap Chinese housing from fleabay.My recommendation would be to scour the web for a secondhand camera which fits the bill and has housings available.RAW capability is essential to correct for colour cast.

These were taken with a first generation Sony RX100 in a cheap housing

Indonesia Underwater 2018 | Flickr

I would also add it is time consuming and frustrating trying to achieve anything like acceptable results without investing $$$ and I’ve often thought the whole process does slightly detract from the diving experience.

Thats an option too! I shall look into it - see if I can't find a decent point and shoot somewhere.

Photo-quality-wise, I'm not expecting wonders; rather a way to capture memories and the more interesting flora and fauna - which makes me wonder if an action cam is an idea, since I can literally strap it to my chest if I want to just record whatever I was doing, rather than using it as a photography platform. When combined with a handheld rig with lighting, picture quality might not be terrible.

There, that's a good description of my end game: photos that "might not be terrible"

I went to a speech about underwater photography last year. In the speakers opinion the cheapest way to start that kind of photography was/is with some kind of action cam.
The next step would be finding a used underwater casing and buying the fitting camera for it (much cheaper than doing the other way around in his opinion).
Don't forget you also have to fit some lights into your budged.

I think I may be leaning towards the action-cam route at the moment. Decent price, good specs, quality that "might not be terrible", and when combined with lots of lighting, I suspect it may take decent pics. Obviously I wont be getting featured on NatGeo - but if I can show my family and friends the sort of life I see down there, I'd call that a success.

Lighting-wise, as I mentioned earlier, I was planning on using cheap torches on jointed hose for lighting - but having just had a quick look on ebay... I can actually just buy chinese fill lights. Sure, they might fail at some point - but I have electrical engineering experience... I can rebuild them! Better! Stronger!

---------- Post added 2020-12-15 at 04:03 ----------

Side note: how cool would it be to have a Ricoh Theta in one of those diving enclosures - 360 video dives, ooh, wish I had £££ to spare.

[AstroDave]

Depending on how much of this you hope to do, check on rentals. Just about any serious dive location (my experience is mostly the Caymans) will have rental possibilities. I tried it once back in the film days (Nikon SLR+ housing + strobes), that was enough, for various reasons mentioned somewhere above - it did more or less detract from the overall experience, and you had to get really close and concentrate on focus and framing for any decent results.

[RoxnDox]

Oh yeah - first rule of getting good pictures is “Get close. Then, when you think you’re close enough, get closer!”

That applies up here in our cold, dark, murky waters of the Pacific Northwest, anyway. Unlike the tropics, when the viz here is over 20 ft it’s a good day, when you can see 40 ft it’s an amazing day, and when you can barely see your hand, it’s just Tuesday...

[Belcik]

I'm on a couple of underwater photography FB pages. EVERYBODY uses TG6 or TG5, including a professional photographer.

"Waterproof to depths of 50 feet / 15m"
And they add housing to them - correct?
Seems pretty decent approach, 700-900 USD for a whole scuba set.