Canon Powershot D10 –
The Canon Powershot D10 is a 2.3 inch, 12.1 megapixel CCD image sensor camera. It is waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof camera with a Canon -branded 3X optical zoom lens. When you set out for underwater photography it goes unnoticed in the swim trunks and cargo shorts. The power button of the Canon D10 is a bit large and hence it works great in wet conditions. D10 offers range of focal lengths from 35mm wide angle to 105mm telephoto lens. This helps in capturing great landscapes underwater. D10 also offers true optical image stabilization which help in capturing good fish portraits.
Fuji FinePix Z33WP –
The Fuji FinePix Z33WP is the world’s smallest waterproof camera. It is a 10 megapixel camera with a 2.7 inch LCD screen. The camera is a waterproof and dustproof one with trendy design. Having said that it is small and hence it easily fits into the pocket and it also produces fantastic images of great quality as well. The images captured are with nice details and colors. When it comes to underwater photography, shooting time is very crucial and Fuji FinePix Z33WP is fast, capturing the perfect shot. The Z33WP comes with a 35-105mm f/3.7 lens and offers good performance under fading light as well.
Olympus Stylus 1050 –SW –
The Olympus Stylus 1050-SW is a waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof compact camera from the makers of the toughest compact cameras on the planet. The Stylus 1050 SW performs very well underwater due to its lightweight, aluminum exterior matched with interior rubber gaskets as well as o-rings that seal out the elements. There is a preset underwater scene mode that makes the camera great while snorkeling. The camera makes use of a water repellant lens coating, which does not allow water droplets to form on the lens. This gives crystal clear images underwater. The Stylus 1050-SW features a shock absorbing technology that minimizes the impact on the lens when dropped from a height.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 –
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3, a 7.2 megapixel camera is also called as a Traveler Zoom camera. The Lumix TZ3 features a 28mm wide angle lens and 10x optical zoom. Panasonic should be credited for this, as the cameras with large zoom are large sized too; but Panasonic managed to keep the camera quite small. Hence, the compact size of this camera makes it perfect for underwater photography. The housing of Lumix DMC-TZ3 is made up of polycarbonate and hence the camera functions very well even in deep waters. The photos clicked by Lumix DMC-TZ3 reflect great levels of sharpness whereas the colors are more of a natural tone.
Sea & Sea DX-1200 -
The Sea & Sea DX-1200 has the largest monitor in the class of compact digital cameras, with the 3-inch LCD monitor even the smallest details can be worked upon. There is a LCD monitor hood which when used for the respective housing gives enhanced underwater visibility. At the same time one can keep an eye on the motion of the subject on the LCD monitor. The DX-1200 has the Image stabilization feature which works great on low shutter speed. It is a strong and durable camera with a depth rating of around 150 feet.
Macro photo – This macro photo is shot with Canon Powershot D10. The photo is simple and is shot from above. Some part of the background is out of focus. F8, 1/100th with matrix metering. The subject came out really good, but the camera was unable to blur some part of it.
Schooling sharks – This group of sharks is shot with Canon Powershot D10. F10, 1/125, ISO 200 at 35mm. There are a lot of blues in the shot, but it is due to absence of strobes. The background here is not strong enough as this was shot from a distance due to aggressive nature of sharks. But, still the blues blend really well and the shot came out nicely.
Anemone reefs- The anemone reef are from Fiji FinePix Z33WP. The settings were F16, 1/200th. The reefs were spread right across and the camera managed to fill the entire frame. Finepix Z33WP gives great image quality with brilliant colors even in low light which was the case here.
Mantis shrimp – This macro photo is shot from Fuji FinePix Z33WP. It is a shot from above with sharp, clear and colorful subject. F14, ISO 200, 1/160th were the respective settings of the shot. Once again the camera delivered great image quality with nice details and colors.
Bubble corals – This shot is captured with Olympus Stylus 1050 –SW by using F25. F25 was used as the subject allowed closer approach and the strobe was powerful enough. The camera does not allow water drops to settle on it and hence the corals came out brilliantly.
Tiger shark – This amazing Tiger shark is shot with Olympus Stylus 1050 –SW at F4, 1/90th and ISO 200. There are 2 other sharks in the background, but the focal plane was aligned to the subject – the nearer shark. The photo came out really well despite the fact that the tiger sharks were in very deep waters.
Devilfish – The devilfish is one of the most exotic underwater species and is captured with the most appropriate camera. The fish is found in deep waters and still the camera captured it beautifully with F13, 1/250th and ISO 200. Although the background has some backscatter, it gives a good effect to the entire photo.
Trumpetfish – The trumpetfish shot with the Lumix DMC-TZ3 came out very nicely. It was moving quickly, so the shutter speed here was 1/125th and ISO 250. The background is not much blurred but the green color of the fish glows against the background.
Pygmy seahorse – The pygmy seahorse is captured by the Sea & Sea DX-1200. This is supermacro underwater photography. There is hardly any scope of depth of field in this case and hence the alignment of the focal plane is very important to capture peretly. The settings were F14, 1/160th, and ISO 200.
Red lipped batfish – This is one of the exotic underwater fishes and one of the strangest looking too. It was difficult to spot the fish against the similar background, and the camera settings used were F13, 1/200th and the ISO was 100.