A Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dolpheini) mother is tending to eggs in her den. The eggs hang in bunches from the roof of the den while she keeps the water moving for months until they hatch and she expires.

Nikon Z8 w/24-50mm, WWL-C, f10@1/160s iso160, Pair of Inon 330 strobes

What is the best underwater camera under $500?

I shot this jellyfish in Raja Ampat, Mioskon dive site today and it turned out to be one of my best shots ever made.

Any idea on jellyfish ID?

ISO200, F16, 1/60 on 24mm, two YS-D3 strobes

I recently bought my first mirrorless camera (GH5s) and UW housing setup (AGH5) used and I am a little confused about the vacuum pump.

The pump I received with the housing and the bulkhead adapter are very different than what is shown in the manual and available online. To add to the confusion, what is shown in the manual vs. what I find online when I look up the part number are different. As far as I can tell, there are three different designs that can all work with my housing.

1. My current setup works by taking off the 1/2" port cap and putting on one that where a vacuum tube sits over the top and connects to a pump. To release the seal, I move the little red moisture sensor thing to the side, and the pressure releases (images below).
2. The manual shows a setup with a one-way valve, just like Backscatter's Airlock system (https://www.backscatter.com/Backscatter-AirLock-Vacuum-Manual-System-Bulkhead). This item (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1158099-REG/aquatica_19228_a7d_surveyor_a7d_vacuum_valve.html) has the same model number (19228) and looks exactly like what is shown in the manual, but the description here says the valve is only for Canon EOS 7D housing.
3. The current Aquatica product page shows this for the model number listed in my manual (19228): https://aquatica.ca/product/19928/ - I see they refer to this as "Surveyor type II", so it looks like they had a redesign at some point. I don't know why they would have went away from the one-way valve, though, as it seems like it would have some advantages over removing the cap and attaching a pump directly.

Now, as far as I can tell, the pump I have works great - I've tested it out and that sucker is nice and sealed after 8-10 pumps and the LED indicator turns solid green to indicate full pressure.

It seems like the big advantage to having the one-way valve is that it's just easier to connect and use (I also really like that Backscatter's pump has a gauge), but I'm not sure it's worth spending money on an upgrade if what I have will work just fine. Am I overthinking this and should I just use what I've got? Or is there a good reason to switch to a different vacuum pump system?

1/2\" vacuum port with cap unscrewed, showing red moisture sensor.

Pump, tube, and 1/2\" cap attachment for vacuum sealing the housing.

In my quest for a good compromise for a shallow water 4k 60p camera that can take decent stills and doesn't break the bank a used GH5 with a Seafrogs housing with Glass dome is the choice I've gone down with. Considered a cheaper small mirrorless with 20+ mp for stills and just couple that with a GoPro for a video but couldn't find a suitable housing for it to make sense over the bulky GH5-option.

At the moment I'm just looking for ONE lens in addition to the 14-42 kit lens (for above water use). Been looking at the Olympus and Panasonic 8mm Fisheye, the 7-14 Panasonic or Olympus as well as the 8-18 options. Not sure which would play nicer with the dome and in and underwater setting. Visibility ranging from OK to great, location being rocky coast or open water and subjects being medium to large.

Would appreciate your input and thoughts if you have any to share!

Check out this blog I wrote about the Manta Ray Dive in Kona Hawaii. I highly recommend it if you find yourself in this part of the world! I wrote about photography settings, what to expect

Manta Ray Night dive

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I planning to get the sony a7cii in the next two weeks and wonder that which lens and housing brand should I go for. Also, looking for other options within the same budget of the a7cii that might provide a better result in underwater photography than the a7cii. I also considering getting the a7iv, but with the new processor of the a7cii I think it would be better. Also, I don’t need the two cards slot on it and feels like when I got enough money for housing the a7v would probably come out.

I've been shooting with a TG6 for a couple of years now but lately I've been frustrated not having a manual mode and felt I needed more than 12 mpxs. Don't get me wrong, I think the TG6 is great but, well, I stumbled across a used Sony a6500 with housing. It was such a good deal with the housing I bought it even though I was looking for a camera to use on land. I decided two cameras were just too complecated and I REALLY like the Sony. So...I'm going from a set up that weighs 1.2kg to one that is 3.2 (on land) I have it set up so that it should be more or less neutrally buoyant but it's going to take some REAL getting used to!!! Feeling a bit nervous about the first dives. Anybody been there? 😊

Hey everyone!

I'm gearing up for a trip to Australia and Fiji where I'll be guiding a couple trips. We've got snorkeling and diving on the agenda, and I want to capture high-quality photos of these adventures. Currently, I've got a GoPro 11 and a Sony A7III with a Tamron 28-200mm at my disposal. There's a tempting offer on the table for housing my Sony, but I'm wondering if it's a bit much. Is this overkill, or does the GoPro suffice for capturing those underwater moments?

Would love to hear from anyone who's juggled between these two options, especially in diverse underwater conditions. What worked best for you?

Hello, I'm currently shooting macro with a tg6 on a seafrog housing and a single strobe. It's time for me to try some wide angle shooting and I would like to hear your opinion about the wet lens. So far I am between the weefine wfl02 and the Inon uwl 95 with a dome. Which setup do you find better with over-under capabilities?

This is the battery compartment of a Sea & Sea YS-D2J strobe that had some water ingress. Batteries were ruined but strobe initially continued to work. Now after about a year of storage, it seems the corrosion has continued and the strobe doesn’t work. Anything I can try before pitching it?

Hi! I recently got an Olympus tg-4 with a housing, and noticed that my pictures with the housing are really dark compared to when i use it bare (the housing has a flash diffusor) I am new to underwater photography and am on a TIGHT budget, so i have no opportunity to buy strobes right now. I will try wind up the exposure next time but i am afraid that the pictures are doomed to be dark. I own a handheld underwater flashlight, and i was thinking i might be able to use it as an external light source? Do you have any tips on this?

I've read a bunch of online guides that insist it's doable with ISO 200. That's pretty much for BRIGHT sunlight shooting in air. I tried it anyway, my pics turned out like trash, even with my rig lighting.

I've been shooting on 800-1600 depending on the ambient conditions but am always looking for ways to get better shots. Am I doing something wrong?