Buying Guides

Getting Your First Underwater DSLR / Mirrorless System

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Getting your first underwater mirrorless or dSLR camera. 

Today there are a lot of options available for shooting underwater. Many prefer shooting with a GoPro or waterproof all-around cameras which are terrific and great fun! But let’s face it – when it comes to professional photography, high end optics and good low light capability are a must such that can only be found in interchangeable lens cameras.

It is clear why many choose a compact system. It’s cheaper, much easier to carry around, and most of us don’t dive in our backyards…it produces good quality photos and video. It’s much easier to handle and operate BUT eventually, when you progress with underwater photography and get past the initial enthusiasm of “Look at me! I’m taking pictures underwater!”, you realize that your gear is limiting you and in order to get the shots you really want, you need a more capable camera. 

The first thing that I want to emphasize, is that getting a dSLR or mirrorless camera does not guarantee good photos! It really is the photographer that makes the shot. You need to be highly familiar with your camera above water to actually be able to control it well underwater. Remember that underwater is probably the most challenging environment for photography and there is no room for error.

Important to note that mirrorless cameras are rapidly taking the place of dSLRs. In fact, mirrorless cameras have more or less replaced DSLRs as the modern standard. There are still some TERRIFIC DSLR cameras – for example, the Nikon D850 is one of the best cameras available, period, but pretty much all new camera development is focused on mirrorless cameras and not DSLR cameras. 

That being said, let’s get down to business:

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Where to start?

Assuming you followed the path I mentioned above, you should already have a dSLR or mirrorless body and lens(es). This should be a good starting point. If however, you decided to jump straight to getting the whole system, camera and underwater equipment included, Canon & Nikon would be a good bet for older dSLR’s. Other manufacturers are rarely supported. Canon & Nikon are the most popular and have a wide variety of housings, lenses, ports and accessories.

With mirrorless it’s a different story – most cameras are indeed supported, including those by Olympus, Sony, Panasonic, Fuji, Nikon and Canon. This is another advantage towards mirrorless for underwater!

Full-Frame Mirrorless are especially popular in 2022.

In the past, full-frame dSLR cameras were reserved for those who could a) afford the high cost and b) afford the space constraints of carrying around very large cameras.

However, full-frame mirrorless cameras have broken new ground in making for physically smaller cameras with incredibly high image quality. And, their price has started to come down a bit as the technology has developed further. For example, check out the reasonably-priced and incredibly compact Sony A7C for an example of this incredible technology. 

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As you have probably already found out, camera housings aren’t cheap. They will, in most cases, out-price your camera body and lenses all together. This should lead your decision making -if you already are investing in a housing, don’t get one for an older camera.

If  you already have a camera, consider selling it and getting a newer body, so that you extend the life of your entire setup. If you are getting your first camera, we really do recommend a mirrorless camera – on balance, you will have more options. 

Choosing lenses

Once you decide on a camera body, the next step would be lenses. Not all lenses are good for underwater. Usually many photographers above water prefer traveling with zoom lenses such as the 18-200, 18-105 etc. These lenses are just too long to be useful for underwater (Due to the limiting lens port). UW photographers prefer prime lenses (fixed zoom), or Ultra-Wide zoom lenses such as the Tokina 10-17mm. Read our guide on Choosing the Best Lens for dSLR Underwater to help you decide. 

If you’re going for a mirrorless camera, read our Ultimate Lens Guide for Mirrorless Cameras Underwater.

It is not recommended to “force” your top-side lenses underwater because you won’t be pleased with the results.

Choosing a housing

Here is some good news! Most mirrorless and DSLR housings available from known manufacturers are excellent. These housings are built to fit like a glove to your camera and most have access to all the functions, command dials and buttons on the camera. They are built from strong durable materials and are top quality.

The leading options available are: Nauticam, Aquatica, Sea & Sea and Ikelite. Our most recent addition are the Isotta housings, which are also high quality housings made in Italy.

Fantasea produce popular housings for their line of compacts; the Sony A6XXX series is very popular. 

Nauticam, Aquatica, Sea and Sea, and Isotta are made of high-grade Aluminum, while Ikelite and Fantasea housings are made of Polycarbonate.

The Aluminum housings are considered more durable, and usually pack more features and excellent ergonomics, while the polycarbonate are lower in price, provide good value and support the most lenses.

Another option is the Nimar PRO housings which are made out of Delrin. Delrin is a rugged material that bridges the gap between plastic and metal.

When choosing between these, first consider your budget, then check compatibility with your lenses, warranty and service available depending on your location and read some reviews on forums by actual photographers using them.

Adding Lens Ports

ports

The housing itself is not enough for dipping your camera into the water. You also need a lens port, which is the additional tube on the front that covers your lens and completes the housing. Usually for macro lenses you will use a flat port and for wide angle you will use a dome port.

Some ports are made of glass and some of acrylic. Glass is considered better optically and costs more, but acrylic is easier for fixing scratches and weighs less.

Usually manufacturers will have several types of ports, and many types of extensions to fit various lenses. An extension ring is a basic aluminum ring that extends the port further from the housing.

The extension + port combination is pretty much unique for every lens supported, so each additional lens will require getting more parts, either another extension or a new port altogether. This is because every lens has different length, and its own “sweet spot” relative to the port itself to maintain optimal quality, sharpness and focus.

To figure out which combination is right for your chosen lenses, you need to use each manufacturers updated compatibility chart, and search for your lens.

These are a few compatibility charts for example:

Nauticam Port Charts

Aquatica Port Charts

Ikelite Port Charts

Nimar Port Charts

Fantasea FML Port Charts

Some are easier to look at than others, but in any case of confusion, we are here to help! Just Contact Us and we will figure out the right combination for you.

There might be several combinations for a single lens such as flat / dome port, or different size of dome. Generally speaking, dome port is for wide and flat is for macro. The wider the dome, the better sharpness on the corners and easier over & under shots.

Wet Lenses

With the evolution of mirrorless and dSLR cameras, the UW photographer can now choose between using native camera lenses under a compatible port or using one lens with a threaded flat port and switching between several wet lenses. We’ve written an entire article helping you determine which option is the best for you!
Read our comparison between native lenses vs. wet lenses.

Arm System and Mounting Options

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There are two major options for mounting lighting underwater – flex arms and ball-joint arms. The first is quite common with compacts and the latter being much more popular for dSLR’s and Mirrorless.

Ball-Joint arms come in many sizes and types depending on the manufacturer, but they are all essentially  the same – strong, light-weight, metal rods with 1″ balls on their ends. They are connected together using clamps that twist to fasten the grip. This method allows easy positioning underwater and as long as you have 2 arm sections, your strobe / video light can be placed almost anywhere you want it. Keep in mind that for macro shots you will want your strobes close and for wide angle you will want them far away to prevent backscatter and to achieve flattering lighting.

Housing are designed to have more or less neutral buoyancy, but once you add your lighting, you will probably start getting negative buoyancy. To help fix that, you can use Buoyancy arms instead of regular ones, or compensating float foams, which will help get it back to neutral.

Most housings include a top-mount or cold-shoe (similar to hot-shoe but no electronics) that can be used as an additional mounting point. Common accessories mounted on the the top-mount are focus lights or action cameras such as GoPro, to provide footage of the dive while taking still photos.

Strobes and Video Lights

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It’s safe to assume that if you decided on getting an interchangeable lens camera, you probably want some decent lighting options. Otherwise you won’t be using the full potential of your system. The importance of a strobe underwater cannot be stressed enough – strobes are the reason that awesome underwater photos are awesome! You can read more about strobes here.

The first thing you need to check is how you plan to sync your strobe. There are 2 options – either (fiber) optical sync or using pin cords and a bulkhead on your housing.

Keep in mind that some combinations might sync on manual mode only and some can achieve TTL sync (that means your strobe will put out just the right amount of light for your subject, read more about it here).

Usually when getting an Ikelite housing you would also want to get Ikelite strobes because they use their own TTL system that isn’t compatible with other manufacturers.

Sea & Sea strobes such as the YS-01 and YS-D3 work with almost every housing and can be optically triggered or the latter via 5-pin sync cords. Both have TTL abilities.

Ikelite housings usually cannot be optically triggered because they are designed so that the pop-up flash can’t be popped up. This is done to further reduce the size of the housing.

Important to note that Ikelite mirrorless housings usually do support fiber optics.

Conveniently, Nimar housings all include 2 fiber optic ports for triggering strobes via fiber optic cables, allowing you to use the YS-01, Inon S-2000 and other optically triggered strobes. Most of their housings also include LED triggers, so that you can trigger your strobes optically without using the slow-to-recycle pop-up flash. Nauticam and Aquatica housings will also come mostly ready for fiber optic cables, but may require an additional flash trigger if your camera doesn’t have a pop-up flash (or if you don’t want to use it).

Video lights are easier to choose since they don’t need to be synced in any way. Just attach them to your rig and point them forward. The more Lumens (Light units) the merrier. You can read more about video lights here.

Adapters & Accessories

Most camera systems are built to be versatile and adaptable to fit different accessories and add-ons.

There are quite a few relevant accessories: Focus lights, wet lenses, filters, lens holders, viewfinder, straps, handles and more.

Macro lenses

Even if you got a flat port with a dedicated macro lens such as the 100mm or 60mm, you can further improve your magnification using a wet macro lens. Macro lenses such as the Kraken KRL-05s, the Nauticam Super Macro Converter or Inon UCL-165 are quite common and can be fitted directly or via special adapters, depending on your port. AOI has a growing impressive lineup of macro diopters as well. Note that you cannot attach filters or wet lenses to dome ports! 

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Viewfinders & Monitors

Older DSLR cameras often lack the new EVF (electronic view finder) technology of the mirrorless cameras that are now dominating the market. With DSLRs, it can be difficult to see through the viewfinder, and doing so can have advantages. This is where  External Viewfinders, attached on the back of the housing, provide a perfect 1:1 view of the actual viewfinder and make it much easier to frame and focus on your subject.

External HDMI or SDI monitors, such as the DP4, also provide a similar solution for video, and significantly improve your framing while shooting underwater footage.

Small Adapters

You will notice that as your system grows, you will need very specific adapters, especially if you mix and match gear from various manufacturers. Adapters go by peculiar and random names so it’s not always easy to find them yourself. The best way to know which adapters you might need is to maintain a good relation with your supplier and trust them to remind you about parts that you might be missing. It’s incredibly annoying to receive your brand new strobe and not be able to attach it to you rig.

Some manufacturers such as Beneath the Surface or Inon specialize in adapters and usually have solutions for most mixed gear issues.

Oy Vey...
Oy Vey…

Secure your gear

Remember that after getting such a complex and pricey setup, you will want to secure it and make sure it stays in good condition. Neoprene Port Covers are highly recommended, so you don’t scratch your expensive ports.

It is also quite important to secure your gear so you don’t drop it to the ocean floor, or if you lose a fight with a curious octopus like this guy. So get a Lanyard!

That’s it!

You are now ready to construct your first DSLR setup. Remember that it’s very helpful to get advice from a professional and it will save you a great deal of headache. Chat with us (Little tab on the bottom right side of your screen) and we will gladly answer any question! All our agents are divers and photographers.

Read the FAQ below!

FAQ

Why are housings so expensive?

Good question. The ocean is one of the most harsh environments in the world. Making a reliable case to protect valuable gear while keeping it ergonomic, user friendly, versatile and lightweight is not an easy task. It’s also a matter of supply and demand. Read more about it here. And here.

Thankfully, mirrorless housings smaller, hence they are more affordable.

Will the XX-XXmm lens and the YY-YYmm lens fit under the same port?

As we specified before, you will usually need a specific port / extension combination for each lens model. That being said, there are similar sized lenses which may fit under the same port combination, requiring only a different zoom gear or not even that. Some lenses might just require a different extension. Some lenses might be recommended under a specific port but work fine under a different port, even if it’s not ideal.

The best way to figure that out is by contacting one of our experts via the online chat. Yep it’s the one on the bottom right corner of your screen!

Can I shoot with a macro lens under a dome port?

Usually, yes. It might not be ideal, but if it fits, it should work. Read more about it here.

Do I really need the Vacuum System?

All manufactures are now offering a vacuum detection system for their housings.

As you probably know, leaks are just about the worst thing that can happen to an underwater photographer. Until the release of the vacuum system, there was no way to guarantee that your system would never flood.

While nothing can give you true 100% guarantee, the vacuum detection system is the most reliable method of preventing floods on your underwater camera housing. The method is simple – create a vacuum inside the housing by pumping the air out. If that vacuum holds for 15-20 minutes above water, your gear is sealed and safe! Any loss of vacuum will be detected and an alarm will sound (and flash), giving you more than enough time to react, end the dive and save your precious gear.

Bottom line – Get it! You won’t regret it.

Do you have any more questions? Ask us in the comments and we will update the FAQ accordingly!

Ran Mor
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8 comments

  1. Casey Strong March 16, 2018

    Hello Ran, thanks for the great article, it comes at a great time because I am thinking of going full out and upgrading my G-15 bundle which I bought from you guys.
    I think I will be switching to Nikon and Aquatica housings interest me a lot, I also like that they are Canadian.
    The question I have is do you travel with a dedicated case like a Pelican for your camera gear.

    Thanks

  2. Casey Strong March 16, 2018

    Hello Ran, I am in the early stages of upgrading my G-15 set up (which I bought from you guys) I am thinking of switching to Nikon and an Aquatica housing, I like that Aquatica are great housings and Canadian to boot.
    My question is, do you travel with a dedicated case like a Pelican for your gear and if so what size does it take for a full body DSLR and all associated gear.

    Thanks

  3. Avatar photo
    Ran Mor March 19, 2018

    Hey Casey!
    Great to hear from you again 🙂 Glad you found the article useful!
    Sure, that would be an amazing upgrade.
    I’m not a big fan of those bulky pelican cases. I prefer taking my housing and dome in a standard carry-on, that I bring with my on board, including my laptop and putting the rest of my less sensitive items in my checked luggage, well padded. In addition, I have my actual camera and lenses with me in a shoulder bag which passes for a personal item on most flights.
    I find that combination to work best for me!

  4. Hugo May 23, 2018

    Hello Ran,

    Excellent articule. I am currently using gopro hero 6 with a Ikelite tray to record video (i dont have any video lights). July i will be traveling to Maldives for some night diving. I need to purchase lights for my setup, what would you recommend? In the near future I am thinking about buying a underwater housing for my GH5, hopefully i can still use the same set of light for the GH5.

    Thanks

  5. Avatar photo
    Tal Mor May 23, 2018

    Hi and thanks for contacting us,

    Video lights range from $200 to over $2,000 and many options are available. It will be helpful to know what your budget is but let me direct you to some of the best and most popular choices:

    http://www.housingcamera.com/id3927-dual-big-blue-vl3500-package.html
    http://www.housingcamera.com/id3926-dual-big-blue-black-molly-3-package.html
    http://www.housingcamera.com/id4961-hydra-2000-package.html

    I would recommend a minimum total of 4000 lumens for taking decent wide angle video.

    All our Gopro packages can be sen here:
    http://www.housingcamera.com/packages/uw-video-light-packages/uw-action-camera-gopro-lights

    Let me know if you need any further assistance, I’ll be happy to help.

  6. Avatar photo
    Tal Mor May 24, 2018

    Video lights range from $200 to about $2,000 depending on their quality and power level. The popular choice is usually between $400-600 and I would suggest looking at the below lights in that range:
    http://www.housingcamera.com/id4908-kraken-hydra-3500-wsru-video-light.html
    http://www.housingcamera.com/id3371-light-and-motion-850-0306-a-video-light.html
    http://www.housingcamera.com/id4330-kraken-hydra-5000-wsru-video-light.html

    Please email us for further consultation and your future housing order.

    Regards, Tal

  7. Matt July 22, 2018

    Hey, i am looking at purchasing an Olympus OM-D em5 mark 2. Not sure whether to buy the Nauticam or Olympus housing. Have you ever shot with this camera? Any recommendations? I scuba and also free dive, a lot of my shots will be around reef.

    Thanks
    Matt
    Australia

  8. Avatar photo
    Tal Mor July 22, 2018

    Hi Matt,

    Yes, we do have experience shooting with this camera and with both housings. This all comes down to budget, Nauticam is better, smaller, more ergonomic but if budget is an issue the Olympus is a great housing as well.

    Please send us an email for more detailed information and if you have specific questions.

    Regards, Tal

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