The camera I use is a Sony HC-7 (and HC-9) high definition (HD 1080i) digital handycam, it's a compact camera (with a 6.1 megapixel CCD) which takes standard miniDV tapes and shoots in 1080/50i HD widescreen or standard DV in normal or widescreen.


The reason from choosing this camera was simply the cost, it's a relatively inexpensive digital handycam and since I wanted to get a camera with a purpose built housing this was a simple option. The housing I use is made by Gates Underwater Products.

When shooting video, it is vital to make sure that the optical path is good, and quality lenses are very important to get a good result. We use a 120 degree distortion free wide angle lens on our video housing, like the one pitcured right.

Sony HC-7 camera along side the Gates HC7 Housing and wide-angle lens

This allows full zoom through as well as <1mm focus, so you can have your subject touching the glass of the lens without focussing problems, good when you really want to get up close to a nudibranch.

Adequate lighting is very important when taking still photographs underwater, equally correct lighting while filming deep underwater is essential, especially when filming in the UK where the sea can be dark and the visibility restrictive.

HC-7
Greenforce Squid HID lights, the HC-7 housing and the Gates Tripod


I use Greenforce Squid 100 HID video light system. It's based on two 35W high intensity discharge (HID) bulbs giving the equivalent of 280W of light at a 5500degree colour temperature with a very wide angle of coverage (120 degrees). These video lights provide a clear diffuse light source perfect for video work.

HID lights are extremely fragile and are notoriously expensive to replace, so if you are considering HID lighting make sure you look after them. Although manufacturers understand this and most HID lighting system are built to last.

There are a great number of new video lights appearing on the market uncluding those using multiple LED arrays, they're tough and have low power consumption, but at the moment cannot rival the light emmited by HID bulbs.

Video Lights & Color Correction Filters: In reasonably clear water and moderate sunshine, video lights are of little use because natural sunlight provides all of the necessary illumination for most low-lux camcorders. Camcorders are far more sensitive to low light conditions that the average digital stills camera and are far more forgiving when shooting in low light. Video lights are necessary for night diving and are useful for bringing out natural colors and detail to close-up shots (without the use of a filter), especially at depths below ~25 m. However, for depths between 5 to 25 m, a color correction filter is the best and most cost-effective way to restore the natural colors filtered-out by the water (primarily reds, oranges and yellows).

You can get red colour filters for blue tropical waters and orange filters for green Atlantic waters. We use a red filter for tropical waters and an orange filter for UK waters, these enable the use of ambient light for almost all videography applications.

Auto Focus, Zoom & Optics: All camcorders can be used in Auto Focus mode, especially if they have a common TTL (contrast-based) focusing system. Some very old camcorders have an IR (Infrared) focusing system which usually works fine for close subjects. Camcorders with a Manual Focus control can be manually preset by deactivating the Auto Focus system, zooming in on an object about 20 feet (7m) away, manually focusing the image, and zooming back out to full wide angle (not macro). This manual method conserves battery power by having the Auto Focus system deactivated. Regarding Zoom control, the best results are achieved when the zoom is set to full wide angle, because it allows a closer shooting distance with less water between the camera and the subject. The closer you are to your subject, the better the image will be (better light, clarity and color)!

A standard port is perfect for macro work and close up shots of wildlife. Many such ports will allow full use of the zoom of the camera.
A wide-angle port is essential for getting good shots of wrecks, large wildlife and divers. The lense we use allows very close focussing.

Most people will find that their camcorder's lens provides ample wide angle coverage. However, if you desire to shoot wider than your camcorder will go, you can attach an additional wide angle lens. I suggest using no wider than a 0.5 power lens (at 75-100% wide angle zoom setting). Shooting too wide will produce a subtle optical distortion around the edges of your picture, which is due to refraction from extreme wide angle shooting. This type of refraction is generally corrected with a dome port, which is an expensive piece of optics that is necessary only for extreme wide angle shooting. Experiment with the zoom control to see how wide you can shoot without noticeable distortion.

Viewing & Viewing Aids: Aside from periodically checking a status indicator or getting a frame reference, Continuous Viewing through the rear port/viewfinder is difficult with most camcorders and is an awkward position to shoot in. The housing I use for filming (made by Gates Underwater Housings) allows the use of the LCD screen to view the action as you film which is both convenient and helpful when trying to get small, distant object correctly in the frame. However, the more natural and preferred approach is to sight over the top of the housing in a "point and shoot" manner, especially if your are shooting in full wide angle.


Getting a green turtle on film in the Red Sea
(Photo by Tim Bond)

This method provides for accurate framing and following of the subject, and allows you to view the scene ahead and anticipate where to shoot next.

With a little experience, you can get an accurate feel for the framing and coverage of the camcorder/housing. If you need to monitor what you are shooting, a variety of small waterproof color video monitors can be mounted on the outside of the housing, but these will also require power and more cabling.

 
©2009 Dory Productions