Upgrading from a compact camera or smartphone housing to an interchangeable-lens camera system involves consideration of many factors such as key features, price points and, most importantly, personal preferences.

It’s important to remember that good photos are about the subject, moment, light and composition. A skilled photographer can create excellent images with any of today’s popular cameras and housings, but at a certain point, it makes sense to upgrade.

I find there are two main reasons to upgrade: the desire to take manual control of the creative process and maxing out the capabilities of your current camera system.

Related Reading: A Beginner's Guide to Using Underwater Strobes

Manual Control

Most of us shoot photos and videos out of a passion for the process or a desire to share our experiences with friends. The learning process and the challenges in creating a great shot are all part of the fun.

Small camera systems are fun to use due to their simplicity. However, you generally need to upgrade to take full manual control of settings and pursue resulting opportunities like creative motion blur, crisp focus during fast action and advanced lighting. Both beginners and advanced shooters can spend hours honing techniques and pursuing challenging captures when using larger camera systems.

Behind creativity, interchangeable-lens cameras have larger sensors and incredible lenses that deliver better image quality in files with huge megapixel counts. This increase in quality can be visible in the image straight from the camera. It also provides more room for creative post-processing before the image quality degrades.

Related Reading: How to Take a Wide-Angle Photo Underwater

Pushing Your Camera’s Limits

Smartphones and action cameras perform best in great dive conditions but suffer as the conditions deteriorate. Think cloudy skies or low visibility. Interchangeable-lens cameras provide more flexibility in adjusting settings to compensate for challenging conditions. The higher image quality produced also helps deliver better results in these conditions. Managing noise while shooting at high ISOs is a great example of this.

I have always been extremely budget-conscious with my camera equipment and have homed in on one general recommendation regarding camera upgrades. When considering your upgrade, you should be able to explain why the upgrade will benefit your photography and how your current system is limiting your ability to achieve your photography goals.

This means you should understand how you will use the more sophisticated features of the larger camera system to grow past the specific limitations of your current system. You should be able to list examples of the images you’d like to create.

If you’re thinking in these terms, chances are you’re ready for the upgrade and will quickly feel comfortable using the new system. As always, talk to your local specialty underwater camera retailer; they can recommend the best gear for your diving and photo goals.