New Gear and Gadgets for Underwater Photographers
Underwater shooters love their toys. From advanced still-image photographers to casual action-camera users, this selection of gear has a little something for everyone.
Courtesy SeaLife Cameras$799.95 (light only); sealife-cameras.com
SeaLife Sea Dragon 5000F Professional Photo-Video Light
This 5,000-lumen video light can be used in conjunction with a strobe thanks to its Auto Flash Detect mode, which turns off the light for one second when a strobe is fired. The COB LED array is designed to mimic sunlight for naturally-colored still images and video. Brightness can be manually adjusted to 100, 75, 50 and 25 percent or controlled by the built-in photocell light sensor, which adjusts the brightness from 500 to 5,000 lumens based on the proximity of a subject.
Courtesy Bigblue$649.99; bigbluedivelights.com
Bigblue Dive Lights CB9000P
This powerful, all-purpose light has a warm 5,000K color temperature and wide, 120-degree beam that make it well-suited for video use. A secondary red-light mode helps retain night vision, assists camera auto-focus and lets you get closer to skittish creatures.
Courtesy Ikelite$2,045; ikelite.com
Ikelite SL3 Camera Kit
This starter kit includes a Canon EOS Rebel SL3 camera, Canon EF-s 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens and Ikelite 200DLM/C underwater housing. Incredibly compact and lightweight, the Rebel SL3 can shoot RAW images and 4K video. It’s a good option for divers looking for a travel-friendly camera rig with strong performance, or for compact shooters looking to step up their game.
Courtesy Polarpro$49.99; polarprofilters.com
Polarpro Fiftyfifty Dome
This optically-corrected dome can be used to create split-level shots with a GoPro. It does this by pushing water away from the camera, so you can capture what’s above and below the waterline at the same time. The camera fits right into the dome port, so installation is as simple as closing the latch.
Courtesy SeaLife Cameras$149.95; sealife-cameras.com
SeaLife Sea Dragon MINI 1000F
This small video light packs a bright, 130-degree beam. The 1,000-lumen light features full, half and quarter power modes and casts light evenly without hotspots. One-button operation quickly cycles between power levels, one-second signal flash and emergency SOS. The included YS adapter kit makes it easy to mount.
Courtesy Sea&Sea$1,799.95, $1,899.95 (limited edition orange); seaandsea.com
Sea&Sea MDX-A6300 Housing
This new housing is compatible with the Sony a6500, a6300 and a6000. It works with SA8 series accessories, but also features two ergonomic thumb grips on the rear of the housing so it can be held comfortably without a tray or grip. There are two accessory ports that can be outfitted with strobe connectors or a vacuum system.
Courtesy Olympus$449.99; $299.99 (housing); getolympus.com
Olympus Tough TG-6
The latest in a line of ultra-durable compact cameras features a number of updates. The TG-6 has three separate underwater white-balance modes for more accurate color. Microscope mode, focus stacking and focus bracketing have also been made more readily available for macro shooters, and the improved 1.04 million-dot LCD display makes it easy to compose shots.
Courtesy Ultralight Control System$128.85; ulcs.com
Ultralight Control System GoPro Tray (tr-gpd) and Handle (tr-dhb)
We’ve seen plenty of divers hand-holding their GoPros—but there’s a better way. This lightweight aluminum tray comes with two detachable handles to build the foundation of your underwater rig. Cameras with tripod threads can be mounted directly to the tray, but a tripod mount is included so you can easily attach a GoPro or similar action camera with little effort.