USVI-On-Line

I love all the pictures posted on this site! They are awesome and I especially love the underwater photos. I am thinking of buying an underwater camera and wonder what type you all use or have used in the past. Would it be cheaper to get a camera on island (we will be arriving in St Thomas on Thanksgiving) or getting it here and bringing it along? Thanks for your input.

Welcome to the forum. You will find great info here. There have been many discussions on underwater cameras here, I have nothing to add since I don't have one but here is a link to one of the threads.
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... ter+camera[/url]

Hi, Dianne. Welcome to the forum.

For underwater shots, I use a Canon SD850IS with its waterproof housing. I also have PhotoShop. Even without help from PhotoShop, I think it takes pretty good photos for a point-and-shoot camera. Of course, the conditions in the waters play a big role in taking underwater shots. Below are the photos my little Canon took when the conditions were ideal (plenty of light, good visibility, no noticeable currents, etc). The photos are originals and NOT touched-up by PhotoShop.






For comparison - this was taken in water with poor visibility on a cloudy day:



I am happy with my Canon but everyone has his/her own favorite. I'm sure you'll get more info from other folks here. Happy camera hunting!

We love our Canon camera with its underwater housing. Most of the Canon digital camera models have an underwater setting and a respective underwater housing that you buy separately. The housings are well engineered and give you access to all the knobs and buttons on the camera. When you are not using the Canon for underwater you can use it without the housing on land. Even if you already have a digital camera, we find having an extra one on hand is very handy. We used the camera with the housing on boats, river tubing and while skiing as well.

Other people on the forum have had great luck with digital cameras specifically made to go underwater without an extra housing. You can even buy some of these through this site. While we are not familiar with these, we’re sure those knowledgeable with be glad to share their experiences.

Either way you go you likely have great success. The key to good underwater photography is technic and using a digital editing software that allows you to easily remove the blue-green hue that you get with all underwater pictures. Here are some techniques we've gathered through this forum and elsewhere:

• Turn the flash off, unless you are shooting into a dark area.
• Shoot in bright sunlight of the midday.
• Shoot level or looking slightly up.
• Exhale as you shoot to help minimize your movement
• If you are able, put one finger down on something safe (rock or sand) while shooting to control your movement. Note, do not touch coral or other sea life.
• We use weight belts designed for snorkeling to help us stay down without popping back up so quickly (you still want to have a slight positive buoyancy). If you are interested in these let us know and we’ll give you our write-up on snorkeling weight belts.
• Take your shots as close as possible, generally within arms length.

Here a link to additional info:
http://www.scubatoys.com/store/joelarry/goodphotos.asp
http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_g ... rwater.htm


Have a great trip!

Thank you for all the info and again what beautiful underwater shots!!

We use an Olympus 790SW shock/waterproof. It does not have an underwater housing you need to purchase extra. I was hesitant to try it at first, but after I did, it was wonderful! We got the floating strap with it, so that it wouldn't sink! Here's a couple pics from it.




Good luck with your decision.

luvinsun wrote:

Ummm....what is that thing?

I can handle most anything in the water...but that snake-thing, that scares me!

Pianogrl wrote:I can handle most anything in the water...but that snake-thing, that scares me!

It's a snake eel, I believe. Don't worry, it's a fish (eel), not a snake .
Cool shot. Where was it taken, luvinsun?

I found him at Maho. We had found the turtles in the middle and weren't ready to stop snorkeling yet, so we started off to go snorkel the rocks on the right, and as we were getting there, I found it. I was really looking for star fish, and found him too!

luvinsun wrote:I found him at Maho. We had found the turtles in the middle and weren't ready to stop snorkeling yet, so we started off to go snorkel the rocks on the right, and as we were getting there, I found it. I was really looking for star fish, and found him too!

Note to self: stay clear of the rocks on the right at Maho

he wasn't that big... he won't hurt you!!!