Best Digital Camera for Underwater Housings

Choosing the best digital camera for underwater housings is often a confusing task for many people. An ideal digital camera for underwater photography should have a good performance in low light conditions. Since there are a couple of good cameras in the market, many people are not sure which camera they should buy. When it comes to underwater photography, a compact camera and a professional SLR camera do not have huge difference because SLR cameras can't be used with many lenses under water.

SLR vs Compact Cameras

The first problem in choosing the best digital camera for underwater housings starts with professional digital SLRs and compact cameras. Many people are not sure if a DSLR is far better than a compact camera. There are some advantages when you decide to go with professional digital SLRs. Some of the important advantages are

•  

• Lenses - Even though the underwater housings do not offer great flexibility in using a variety of lenses, SLRs are still open to the option of choosing a couple of good lenses. The photographer can choose from a range of wide angle and zoom lenses that can cater his need best.

•  

   

• Large Range of Housings - Since digital SLRs are largely focusing professional photographers, finding a housing is not a tough task. Every major manufacturer makes housing for most of the SLR models.

•  

   

• Better Control Over Light - Since photographers have the option of choosing lenses with higher apertures that can send more light you always have the option of choosing different lenses to meet different underwater lighting conditions.

•  

However, if you are using a top end compact camera, you can compensate these drawbacks to a large extent. Many top end compact cameras comes with very good lenses and have a great control on light. SLR cameras also have some drawbacks when you use them under water.

•  

• Weight - Professional SLR cameras are very heavy compared to compact cameras.

•  

   

• Lenses - While interchangeable lenses have many advantages, there are some drawbacks as well. If you have a wide angle lens attached but you want to shoot something interesting but a little bit farther, you will find it difficult. The flexibility of changing lenses is not much of a use.

•  

Some of the major drawbacks of compact cameras are that not every camera has a custom made housing available in market, lack of RAW format and shorter battery life.