Underwater photography requires skill and is not a cakewalk for every photographic eye. There are special cameras available for underwater photography and these cameras have an external protective covering that protects the camera from getting spoiled or damaged. These protective casings are known as housings. Housings are waterproof casings or boxes designed to hold a camera such that it can be used underwater.
Housings are designed specifically for specific cameras and can be made of plastic or aluminum cases. The plastic housings are inexpensive when compared to those made of aluminum cases.
The photographers can select the housings that are suitable to their camera as well as to the lens in use. Wide-angle lenses or macro lenses are preferred by most of the photographers since they provide much closer focus, eliminating the presence of excess water between the lens and the subject.
The housings have control knobs on their surface that allow the photographers to control the camera settings from outside. Connectors to attach the external flash units are also provided on the housings. Since they are used underwater, they are made waterproof using silicon o-rings at the joints. They even protect the cameras from the pressure differences created, when underwater.
A drawback that most of the photographers face when using housing for their camera is that of refraction, along with other optical issues. The refraction causes distortion of images especially when using wide-angle lens. Using a dome-shaped or fish-eye port can however solve the problem of distortion to a great extent. These domes can be manufactured specifically for the specific lenses to maximize the effectiveness. Some housings permit the use of wet-coupled lenses for increased field of view and others have supplementary optics to widen the angle of view.
Some of the points that should be studied before using an underwater housing are:
- The housing should be waterproof.
- It should be able to withstand external pressure and pressure differences.
- It should have a depth limit of at least 150 feet.
- They should have openings for the installation of camera.
- The silicone rings that make them waterproof should be lubricated with silicone grease when they are disturbed. This however depends on the manufacturer.
- An aluminum base plate should be used to hold the camera solid and firm within the housing.