FAQ-What can I do if I can't attach a wide angle lens to my camera?

FAQ-I can’t attach a wideangle lens to my current camera, so what can I do?

We love it if we can chat with you before you make your choice of camera for use underwater, but very often folk already own a camera that they chose carefully.

So it would be wrong of us to suggest that what they own is of little use unless they can utilize wide angle lenses. It’s simply not true.We would much rather show them how to get the best from what they have before making any further expensive purchases.

So bearing in mind that you may have read my blog post Why Wide Angle? 

What is possible with just a basic camera and housing, and no extra bits and pieces?

Crocodile Fish at Ras Mohammed

Well, the most important thing is to understand that even in very clear water, clarity, colour and contrast, fall off very rapidly as you get further from your subject.

Bearing this in mind its best to shoot at very close distances,and try to pick subjects that are less than a metre or two away, to fill the frame.

Big reefscapes and the whole of a wreck are not going to be the best subject matter, so why not just concentrate on individual creatures, small sections of the reef, or close up bits of a wreck?

Hawkfish at Gordon Reef in Tiran

If there is sufficient light then use Custom White Balance preferably.

I have only chosen pictures,where I haven’t used any extra lenses, and only used functions that the camera already has.

Gonad Dermatobranch at Ras Nasrani

If you aren’t in such good light conditions as I was, then maybe use a strobe or video light which I will talk about how to use in a later blog post.

Paul “Duxy” Duxfield www.paulduxfield.co.uk