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Buying an underwater video system Jonathan Bird
So, you're in the market for an underwater video rig? With the incredible variety of cameras, housings and features, it's hard to know which is right for you. In fact, there is no perfect system, because different people want to use them differently. What follows is a rough guide to picking out an underwater video system. Before you worry about picking a housing, you need to think about the kind of features you need in a camera. This is possibly the most complex part of the process. Digital cameras have now replaced analog Hi8 formats, however, you still can choose between the miniDV and Digital8 formats. Essentially, both formats record the same kind of high resolution digital signal on tape, but they use different tapes. The Digital8 camera uses a tape that is the same size as a Hi8 tape, so it's backwards compatible with Hi8 (it can play back your older Hi8 recordings). If this is important, Digital8 is a good choice. However it should be added that Digital8 is considered a low-end consumer format, so Digital8 cameras as a general rule do not have the kind of sophistication you can get with miniDV cameras. The miniDV format has a wide range of cameras from sub-$500 models to units over $3,000. What are the differences? The high-end "prosumer" camcorders like the Sony VX-2000 have three CCDs (image sensors) instead of only one. This contributes to a better image but makes the camera larger and much more expensive. Many less expensive single-CCD cameras now have very large megapixel CCDs that produce an image on par with a three-CCD camera in a smaller, lighter package. It used to be that if you wanted the very best picture, you had to buy a three-CCD camera, but this is less and less the case. Most people even on a very expensive production monitor cannot see the difference between a megapixel single-CCD camera and a three-CCD camera, with all other variables being the same. The other variables however can make a difference. The "prosumer" three-CCD cameras also have many other high end features that allow them to make better images, such as better manual control, built in neutral density filters, better white balancing, etc. Most cameras these days have some form of image stabilization that helps the shooter get a steady picture even when moving. Underwater, this technology is incredibly helpful since we're often swimming while shooting. No image stabilizer is perfect. You will always have some camera and picture movement when the camera is handheld, but with practice and a little help from the image stabilization, you can learn to shoot like a pro. My opinion is that optical image stabilization works better than electronic stabilization. The manufacturers seem to agree and all seem to use optical stabilizers now. It has become so ubiquitous that most cameras have it. One of the most important tools for shooting good underwater video is being able to see what you are doing while you are shooting. Many people don't look through the viewfinder, but just point and shoot. The results are usually terrible. It is imperative that you keep your eye glued to the viewfinder and constantly be in control of the composition of your shot. This means that you need to be able to see through your viewfinder. I have worked with cameras where I could not see through the tiny viewfinder well enough to be sure the camera was in focus or I couldn't see tiny bubbles on the lens. In general, you can tackle the viewfinder situation in one of two ways…a traditional viewfinder or a flip out LCD screen. Flip out screens are quite common now, and they are very handy in dim light where they can be seen well. The problem is that in bright light, they can be very hard to see. If you get a camera/housing that allows use of the flip out screen, you will need to find a way to shade it in bright light. Several housings include shades for this purpose, and other companies make shades you can add. Personally, I prefer the good old fashioned viewfinder because it seems more natural to be looking through the back of the camera when I'm shooting, as if I were looking through the camera and out the lens. I find it easier to predict the camera angle that way. For this, I prefer a nice viewfinder. Problem is that since so many cameras come equipped with a great flip-out screen, they often shortchange you on the viewfinder, figuring that most people won't use it. Sometimes they even make the viewfinder black and white instead of color. There was a time when I preferred black and white viewfinders, but I'm so used to being able to see what my white balance looks like on a color viewfinder that I can't go back. When you look for a camera, don't forget to check out that viewfinder and really think about how you are going to be monitoring the camera underwater. You can't really pick a camera completely independently from the housing because housings are not available for all cameras, and often one housing allows use of some camera functions that others don't allow. So to really do this, you need to pick a camera with a housing already in mind. In general though, camera housings can be broken down into two rough categories: mechanical and electronic. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Mechanical housings are simple. They have mechanical controls that operate the buttons and dials on the camera though o-ring sealed shafts accessible on the outside. They have no batteries, no circuit boards and very little that can go wrong. However, the controls are usually more difficult to use underwater because you have to manipulate a button on the inside of the housing that you can't always see easily. Even if you can see it through a clear housing like the Ikelite, you still may have to take your eye away from the viewfinder to direct your attention to a control in order to adjust it. Besides being simple, reliable and cost effective, mechanical housings are easier to modify if you need to have a special control added. The two most popular manufacturers of mechanical housings are Ikelite and Gates. Electronic housings allow control of most camera functions though the LANC port, an electronic interface that allows the camera to be controlled by buttons on the housing. These housings are more complicated and expensive, but much easier to use. They are also more vulnerable if flooded. While a flooded mechanical housing can be rinsed out and re-used the same day (with a new camera, if you have one!) an electronic housing will need to have the electronics replaced in the event of a flood. This can make a flood even more expensive than just a new camcorder. (A flooded video housing always means that the camcorder is toast…the is no repair for a flooded video camera). The most popular manufacturers of electronic housings are Amphibico and Light & Motion. Size of the housing is important to most people. On the one hand, the bigger and heavier the housing, the easier it is to shoot smoothly. On the other hand, smaller housings are much easier to pack, travel with and handle in the water. The quality of the cameras these days no longer means you need a large camera to get a good picture. If a small, easy to carry video system is what you want, by all means get a tiny camera with a small housing, but be prepared to work extra hard at getting those steady shots. If getting the very best shots is important, my advice is to go with a larger system and pay the price in excess baggage fees! No matter what you get, the best thing you can do is get out there and shoot. Nothing makes a better underwater videographer than practice! Learn more! 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Last Update 12/14/03