Urban Vancouver

Advantages of Using Underwater Digital Cameras

By pamlablador on February 15, 2009 - 12:52am

Because of the very challenging conditions underwater, underwater photography is a very special and rare aspect of photography and it is only barely exploited. Whether in pursuit of a hobby or career related, most underwater photographers prefer the use of underwater digital cameras over underwater film cameras for many reasons.

Most underwater digital cameras can function as both still and video cameras, while equipped with audio systems to capture sounds, too. They can capture hundreds of images and store them in digital memory cards or internal hard disks, eliminating the need for the underwater photographer to resurface all the time in order to reload film as in the case of underwater film cameras. Moreover, the slide film is known to have very low exposure tolerance. The internal hard drive’s bigger storage capacity is also perfect for vacationing divers as there is no need to bring a computer and transfer files every time.

Underwater digital cameras are also provided with LCD screens and viewfinders through which instant review of images is possible, therefore, instant adjustments. The photographer can instantly delete unsatisfactory shots to save on memory space. He can also opt to save power by turning off the LCD screen and view the images rather through the viewfinder, if it is large enough. Because there is a significant loss of color and contrast as the diver travels deep underwater, the film photographer needs to balance between the available sunlight and the flash. Visibility which varies with depth and water turbidity pose great difficulties to this task. However, here is another area where the underwater digital camera excel, with the speed mode and aperture settings provided. Underwater photographers attest to the fact that underwater digital cameras offer much better shadow areas, which make for perfect images underwater.

For unusually large subjects such as whales and shipwrecks where the use of flash is not as effective to bring out color and supplement exposure, the underwater digital cameras’ color correction or color filter features are the perfect alternatives.

After all the shooting, processing is done not with the use of toxic chemical baths in the dark room but through the computer. Images can be easily edited, manipulated and contrast adjusted prior to printing and reprinting. The computer can print as many and in different sizes as required in no time at all. After downloading to the computer, files can be stored or archived in other storage media as a CD, DVD, flash drives, etc. or shared to friends or family from across the globe through the internet, etc. High resolution video footages can be best viewed through high resolution television screens.

All these advantages of underwater digital cameras make for them as the best choice for underwater photography and videography.