Epoque USA Frequently Asked Questions, Underwater Photograpy, Underwater Video

A camera that offers good imaging quality, easy handling and full function operation, reliable performance in the water, and can accept add-on accessories for expanding the creative process. Since you are just getting started, the cost is most likely an additional consideration. There are good starter systems that offer all the required beneifts without breaking your budget. You may want to buy just the essentials at first, and then add optional accessories as you gain experience and your skills expand.

What is the difference between an underwater camera and camera/housing systems?

Technically, an underwater camera is one that can go in the water as it is, without any additional protection. An example of this is the Nikonos underwater camera system, which was the standard in underwater photography for four decades in the film category. There are not many of these systems available today, and most are very low end in functioning, and image quality. The great majority of underwater camera systems today combine a good quality camera with a protective housing that has external controls to access the camera functions easily. Some of these housings are designed and manufactured as a simple waterproof case that is modified to fit different cameras, while others like the Epoque sytems are dedicated to one camera and designed as a form fitted housing with precise control location for easy use. These housings also offer a wide range of accessories for expanding your creative underwater photography. So when using the term "underwater camera" think of it as a camera and dedicated housing set.

If I buy an inexpensive underwater camera to get started, will I have to eventually buy another, more capable one in the near future, when I get some experience?

If you buy one of the very low end inexpensive cameras, such as the single use film cameras, or the limited functioning cameras, you will probably need to buy another more capable camera in the near future. However, do not confuse inexpensive with affordable, when you are doing your research. For example, Epoque underwater camera systems can provide an affordable starter set which will stay within your budget, and offer a tremendous range of expandability, with strobes, wide angle annd macro lenses and other accessories, as your skills improve. This type of system can meet your creative needs for many years to come, without needing to invest in a more expensive system. And all of the accessories are able to be used on most other underwater camera systems.

Why do underwater photographers use strobes?

Color is lost underwater due to "Selective Light Absorption". Reds begin to fade and lose their intensity immediately below the surface, and at 15'- 20' they are almost gone. Orange and yellow hues soon follow, and the underwater world takes on that familiar blue, monocramatic look, and lacks in contrast. Without light (or even some components in the spectrum) there is no color. To restore this lost color, you need to bring some light underwater with you. Filters can not replace strobe light for effective restoration of color. Underwater photographers learn quickly that a simple accessory strobe is the best single tool for capturing great underwater images.

Will a red filter replace a strobe as a less expensive alternative for restoring color underwater?

No! A filter can not restore color. Only artificial light can do that successfully. A filter can enhance what color is there but that is all. Filters can be useful in combination with strobes for warming up the background blue water ambient light, or by adding color correction to some foreground subjects that are exposed primarily with artificial light. Experimentation is recommended since the effect of using filters is a creative and subjective matter.

When are two strobes used at the same time?

Contrary to most beliefs, the primary reason for using two strobes is not to obtain a greater quantity of light. It is true that two equally powered strobes provide twice the amount of artificial light than one, and this may be advantageous in some special circumstances. But the primary reasons for using two strobe is to either provide more coverage for wide angle photography, or to create a second angle of artificial light for softening or eliminating harsh shadows that can result with the use of one only strobe. Some wide angle lenses can capture images with an angle of view of 90 - 180 degrees. One strobe may not have a sufficient angle of coverage to properly light this type scene, and so the addition of a second strobe can insue good edge to edge coverage. In close-up and macro photography, where subjects are frequently obstructed by part of the reef, lighting with one strobe can result in a harsh shadow in the main area of the image. The addition of a second source of light from a different angle will fill in this area and reduce or eliminate this unattractive result.

Are underwater strobes expensive? Can they be used in air for regular photography?

Underwater strobes can range in price from a couple of hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars. For most recreational underwater photographers, small and inexpensive strobes are all that is needed. The more expensive ones offer advanced functions that appeals to professional photographers. Even the smallest, compact, inexpensive underwater strobes can provide plenty of artificial light for most novice and intermediate photographers and will be easy to handle as well as easy on the budget. Underwater strobes can be used for topside photography, but are usually not as effective as a dedicated strobe that is made for a digital camera, because it is a bit larger and in most cases does not have all the bells and whistles that the dedicated strobes have.

Which is the best strobe for beginning underwater photographers?

Stay within a budget, and buy a compact, easy to handle strobe, arm, and tray system. This is important because while diving, buoyancy control is essential. The added factor of a camera system's weight, plus the added concentation on using the camera properly, can compromise buoyancy control. As you get experience, this will become second nature, but at first, the lightweight and compact features will be a big factor for easy operation. Many photographers ask if they will become unhappy with smaller strobes and will they eventually want a bigger strobe with more power. If this is the case, the smaller strobe does not get discarded as an inferior option. Instead it can be used for many reasons including as a second strobe in combination with the begger one, or when more power is not needed in macro and close-up photography, or for times where the light and compact system is a better choice.

What is the best way to physically connect an underwater strobe to the camera to make a system?

First you need a camera tray for the camera to set upon. This requires that your camera have a tripod socket in which to insert the tray's screw. The tray should have an adapter that mates with the shoe on a strobe arm. The most common strobe arms fall into three categories; fixed arms, flex arms and ball joint arms. Flex arms and balljoint arms provide user adjustment of strobe positioning and are much preferred to fixed arms. Flex arms are easier to use and less expensive, while balljoint arms provide a greater range of movement. Both type strobe arms come in different lengths. In the case of flex arms, the choice of length is simply a matter of which one to buy for your needs. Shorter arms are easier to handle, and longer arms give the strobe more positioning ability. Ball joint arms include a universally ball joint movement and the number of joints and the lenth of each connecting arm can be modified at any time by the user with additional component parts. Finally, the strobe head must be able to connect to the top of the arm. Usually, strobe heads include some type of fixing bolt and ability to connect to an arm. The arm must be compatible with the strobes physical connecting design.

Is it better to use a fiber optic cord to trigger a slave strobe or use it as wireless slave?

If you can position your slave so the sensor has a line of sight on the camera's built-in flash, the wireless function should have no problems. The one exception to this is if you are shooting in an area of high ambient light, such as in shallow water, where the sensor may have trouble decifering the flash from the ambient light. If you can not position the slave strove strategically so it can reliably see the burst of flash from the camera, then the use of a fiber optic cord is hightly recommended. There is no substitute for artificial light underwater. If your slave does not fire, any you miss the opportunity to expose a great subject with the strobe, the image will not be nearly as good. The Epoque system requires the use of a fiber optic cord with slave strobes because these housings block the light from the camera's flash from entering the environment. The reason for this design is to eliminate the ugly affects of backscatter common to most camera systems that use the built-in flash near the lens, for exposure. The Epoque system offers a fiber optic connection instead, which picks up the camera's flash internally and delivers it reliably to the slave sensor, triggering the strobe for a highly efficient exposure without backscatter.

Can Epoque strobes be used with any underwater camera system?

Generally Yes. Epoque strobes can use standard Nikonos cords to connect to cameras. This is the standard on which all strobe sync is based. You can use Epoque strobes on even the most sophistaicated SLR housing sytems if desired. But Epoque stobes are also slave strobes, which means that they also operate on just sensing the bust of light from a master strobe, which can be the camera's built-in flash, or another external strobe. Epoque strobes also have a setting for use with different pre-flash systems in digital or film cameras. These design elements make their use with other brand underwater camera systems possible. Even if you have another system, you can still take advantage of the benefits of the Epoque strobes.

I am a new diver, should I be concerned with my buoyancy controls skills if I carry a camera system?

Yes. All divers should be concerned with buoyancy control skills and be careful to adjust for the added weight of a camera system, and the concentration required to use it. Often, photographers will lose their neutral buoyancy and accidentally land on a delicate coral head as a result. Also, many subjects dwell in the nooks and crannies of the coral reef and can be difficult to get close to without bumping the reef. It is essential that photographers remain in control of their buoyancy and maintain complete respect for the environment. There are courses and article written with tips on the best way to perfect these skills. The one consideration you can make as a concerned consumer is to use a lightweight and compact system, that can be easily operated with one hand, keeping your other hand free in the event you need it to correct your buoyany.

When are wide angle lenses used underwater?

Generally, large subjects or wide underwater scenics require wide angle lenses. This is because the increased angle of view of these lenses can fully frame and capture the subject or scene without the need to back up. Underwater this is especially important because when you increase your distance to the subject, you are introducing more water between the subject and the lens. The increased distance produces more suspended particles that will reduce sharpness, and reduces the effectiveness of your strobe for restoring warm colors lost in the blue water. Wide angle lenses have a greater angle of view for including more and usually have a minimum focusing distance that is closer than normal lenses, so you can reduce the water column even more for sharp focus and colorful exposures.

What is macro and close-up photography?

Basically they are the same thing. Some people make a technical distinction, with macro being a super close up technique with larger image magnification. In either case, the image is captured with a high degree of magnification by getting super close. Most of the time, this requires an accessory lens, or in many digital cameras, switching the focus mode to macro. The minimum focusing distance of the lens is reduced dramatically and ususlly stated as a matter of inches, and by moving within this focusing range, the subject is captured at a much larger size within the frame. Some camera systems offer a macro focus mode, and additionally will accept secondary conversion lenses with the ability to magnify the subject even more for a "Super Macro" effect.

What is meant by Full HD Video?

High Definition has become a common term in describing the image resolution in video. But the term can be better quantified by the number of lines (pixels) of resolution vertically and the number of lines horizontally. 1020 X 1280 is gernerlly considered as HD. But better standards have be developed and with considerably more lines of resolution. So the term Full HD has been used to describe the 1280 X 1920 lines of resolution captured with the Sanyo Xacti VPC 1000 video camera. This is the model that is housed inside the Epoque EHS-1000 HD Underwater Video Housing.

Can I shoot underwater still images with the Epoque EHS-1000 HD Video Housing?

Yes! The Sanyo Xacti VPC-1000 Full HD camera, which is housed inside the Epoque EHS-1000 HD video housing, offers a 4MP still image option. The unique nature of this option is that it is not just a simple frame grabber. It is a completely seperate file, and not a part of the video file; and it can be shot simultaneously with the video recording in progress. The Epoque EHS-1000 HD housing has a control to access this feature of the Sanyo Xacti VPC-1000 camera and all the other camera functions as well.

Are filters useful in underwater videography?

Yes. The do not take the place of an underwater video light for restoring color lost through Selective Light Absorption, but they do enhance the video image considerably. Color correction filters are available in Cyan for use in blue, tropical water conditions, commonly found in the Caribbean and South Pacific, and Green for use in green, temperate water conditions, like New England or the Pacific Northwest.

Is it important to use a video light for good videography?

It depends on what you are shooting. If you want to restore the vivid colors of the coral reef that have been lost to Selective Light Absorption, you will need artificial light. If you are shooting footage of large pelagic subjects in blue water, the use of the video light for color is not as critical. However, you should still consider using one for improving contrast and details in the subject.

Is it possible to use accessory wide angle and macro lenses for videography like I do with my still underwater camera system?

Yes. It is not only possible but well advised to do so when shooting large subjects or expansive reef panarama shots. The Epoque EHS-1000 HD Video Housing has a 67mm threaded port for accepting these lenses. You should consider this feature on any housing that is being considered for purchase.

What functions of the video camera should be accessible through a good housing?

There are some functions that are obviously important, such as record and zoom. Other functions depend upon both the specific camera and the needs of the individual videographer. The Epoque EHS-1000 HD housing is dedicated to the one video camera with Full HD resolution, the Sanyo Xacti VPC-1000. With the high quality of this camera, the decision to access ALL camera functions through the controls was an easy decision. Everything you can do with the camera on land, can also be done underwater. This is an important connsideration in choosing a video housing.

What depth are Epoque products rated to?

All Epoque products are rated to a depth of 150' (45m) underwater. It is important that underwater photographic products have the ability to withstand the pressure of regular sport diving depths, for preventing water leakage. The 150' rating exceeds the established safe limits of recreational sport diving. The need to rate a product any deeper does not have any value in recreational diving.

What maintenance is required to keep Epoque underwater products functioning properly?

Epoque's products, constructed with ABS plastic, require minimal maintenance.The most important maintenance procedure that photographers should take is to soak the camera system in fresh waater and dry all products after each dive. Products such as cameras or strobes also require maintenance for the O-ring seals that are accessible to the user. This is a simple matter of a visual inspection to check for cracks or flat spots on the O-ring, or sand and other debris that should be cleaned off the surface. Cleaning requires a short fresh water soak and drying with a clean soft cloth. Then the O-ring should be lubricated lightly with silicone grease before being put back in place. If any cracks or flat spots are observed, discard the O-ring immediately and replace with a new one. The only other maintenance recommendations that should be considered is to send the camera in for annual maintenance and tune up once a year. All O-rings will be replaced, camera and housing parts lubricated and adjusted, and a pressure test performed .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best underwater camera for a person just getting started?