Chaostrain Loc: Hillsboro, Oregon

I read this little project article and found it rather interesting and something I'd like to give a go. It talked about using a fish tank to take underwater or partially underwater photos. Obviously you want to make sure the tank is waterproof. Then you set up your camera, place it in the tank with the lens against the glass, partially submerge the tank, and using a remote shoot away. It also crossed my mind that with a RF remote you could get a completely enclosed container and fully submerge it. Anyway, I thought I'd share.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I had to read this twice to understand what you were saying...duh on my part. Sounds like a decent idea to explore. I've been told that I can put my iPhone 8 Plus under water and shoot away but I have not yet tried that and most likely won't! But I am tempted.

Chaostrain Loc: Hillsboro, Oregon

I don't know about the iPhone but I do have the Samsung S5. It was advertised as 3 ft of water for 30 minutes. Mine spent 45 minutes in 4.5 ft of milk well over a year ago and is still going strong. So yeah, the thought has definitely crossed my mind too. The article mentioned a cell phone but for half in water shots it would be real hard because of the tiny lens.

sjb3

What kind of range would an IR remote have if the camera is fully enclosed and underwater? I'm asking because I don't actually know if an IR signal carries through water or not.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

Just holding an airtight tank underwater can take from a lot to a serious lot of effort, depending on the tank's size. Also, my mental image of a fish tank is one designed to resist pressure from the water inside trying to get out. You'd need to be sure that the mechanical structure is designed to resist pressure from the outside in before you pushed it underwater with something valuable inside. (Water pressure increases about 0.4 psi per foot of depth - you can figure the square inches of area and get an idea of the pressures that are going to be squeezing in on that tank's sides.)

Of course this is mostly academic if you're just looking to get a lens a few inches below the surface to get rid of the surface reflections and distortions. But pressures and buoyance build up pretty fast as you start go any deeper.

promfh Loc: Redwood City, CA, USA

I have done this in the past with both film and digital cameras. It works pretty well in still and clear water. The trick was finding a suitable tank that is large enough to hold the camera but doesn't displace a huge amount of water.

Of course you don't want to try this in waves or at the beach with rolling surf. The whole outfit (tank, camera, etc.) will be somewhat bulky to carry around and maneuver. Hopefully you have an LCD viewfinder so you can see what you're getting in the image.

In counter-argument, for the price of a reasonable sized fish tank there are numerous P&S camera available that can be submerged. I recently saw a plastic encased disposable camera for less then $10 US. I believe it was intended for use in casual "one time" situations that you could try out at the pool or beach.

Once you do this, however, you are in danger of getting hooked on the concept. That might result in a case of GAS that can be moderate to severe. I've got a drawer full of older model underwater cameras that have been set aside for newer, fancier versions. My current one is a second hand Olympus Touch 3 that was about $100. I carry it nearly everywhere and it works fine for shooting in the rain, surf, pool, or mud. it has a robust WiFi remote that connects to my iPad or cellphone. As a wildlife photographer it has allowed me to get close ups of critters you normally don't want to approach (Snakes and gators mostly). I mount it on an inexpensive tabletop tripod that can be pushed down into mud or sand to keep it in place.

Whatever you try, post a couple of images and let us see what you come up with.

Split above/below


Shot from in the pond.

Chaostrain Loc: Hillsboro, Oregon

I did a search and it looks like if the receiver can function with receiving 1/10 of normal the range calculates to from 8.5 inches to 7.4 feet. That's actually better than I thought it would. Interesting.

Chaostrain Loc: Hillsboro, Oregon

I fully agree. I was thinking fully enclosed would be a container just big enough for the camera and no more than than 3 or 4 feet of depth. With the fish tank you really don't want to go more than half to prevent water coming over the top. As for anything I'd use it would be fully tested in the situation I want to use it before I even start thinking about putting anything inside.

Chaostrain Loc: Hillsboro, Oregon

I'm actually lucky in that I already have a 10 gallon fish tank thanks to our dumpster. I found it before I read the article about taking pictures to make a terrarium. There's something to be said for living in an apartment and dumpster diving. Anyway, I've already done a water integrity test on it. I figure on finding someplace I can park fairly close to the water so I don't have to lug stuff too far. I'm also going to water integrity test on on site before placing the camera inside then use some towels to hold the camera in place.

Unfortunately I don't have an LCD viewfinder. That's were I'm grateful for having a digital camera. I'm planning to set it up and take several pictures, review them, make adjustment, and take more. I ordered remotes a couple of nights ago so it won't be until after they come in.

After I get some pictures I will definitely be posting a few.

I like your pictures. That gator is looking pretty scary.