hi i'm intending to bring my dslr for my diving trip and yes i do understand that underwater housings for dslr usually cost way more than the dslrs themselves, so i'm asking if there are other alternatives (besides army ziplock and stuff). are those ziplock like packets that can fit a dslr in with the lens protruding out (sorry i dont know what are those called but i remember seeing them before) advisable? and if so where do i get them? cant seem to find them because mainly, i dont know what are they called :S
any other alternatives besides underwater housing?
- Thread starter dartlee
- Start date
If you are going no deeper than 5 metres... yeah, one of those Dicapac Bags ''SHOULD'' work.
http://www.gmmtechnoworld.com/servlet/the-118/dicapac-waterproof-case/Detail
But I won't bring my DSLR underwater in a bag even if my life depends on it... :nono:
Question to yourself... if you dive no more than 5 metres... are you even diving ?? :think:
http://www.gmmtechnoworld.com/servlet/the-118/dicapac-waterproof-case/Detail
But I won't bring my DSLR underwater in a bag even if my life depends on it... :nono:
Question to yourself... if you dive no more than 5 metres... are you even diving ?? :think:
limwhow
Senior Member
Hello diver-hloc,
You have provided a pretty important piece of information for me.
The reason is, I have never dived before, neither do I foresee myself diving in the near future.
But I am thinking of doing some snorkelling in Redang (perhaps in July). Unfortunately, not having snorkelled before (don't laugh at me.. haha... I am really not a sea person..) I was hoping that I could have some form of water-proofing or protection that does not cost an arm and a leg, if I were to bring my DSLR to snorkel.
Would you say this Bag is ok for snorkelling?
Erm... please pardon me if I sound ignorant, but when we snorkel, we don't go deeper than 5m, do we?
Thanks so much for your help.
limwhow
Senior Member
Sorry, my bad.
Just read this thread:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/904299-5dm2-uw-casing
.. and have come to understand that one of our CS members bought this bag for snorkelling.
But still would like to ask your opinion, diver-hlock, about snorkelling - is it common to stay less than 5m deep when one snorkels?
Thanks again.
Just read this thread:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/904299-5dm2-uw-casing
.. and have come to understand that one of our CS members bought this bag for snorkelling.
But still would like to ask your opinion, diver-hlock, about snorkelling - is it common to stay less than 5m deep when one snorkels?
Thanks again.
usually when doing the tourist-type snorkeling, you will be floating on the surface while wearing a life jacket. the bag would would just fine. however, you need to remember to use a lanyard to secure it to yourself, or you will find that it will sink quite rapidly if you lose grip of it...
if you are more confident in the water and am a strong swimmer, you can opt to go without the life jacket - which allows you to dive down for 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on how well you can hold your breath. How deep you go depends on yourself. I have free dived down to 10m before but I don't spend more than 10 seconds at that depth. Again, the bag would do just fine. Except that you may find that the pressure is depressing all your camera buttons at the same time, effectively locking it and you cannot operate the camera properly. that's why the instructions say that you should put some air in it to counteract this phenomenon. However, too much air and it will be too buoyant at the surface, and you cannot bring it down deep.
Anyway, as long as you follow the instructions and make sure it is watertight, it will work for your snorkeling trip. Good enough lah.
Can lend me after your trip? hehehe
if you are more confident in the water and am a strong swimmer, you can opt to go without the life jacket - which allows you to dive down for 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on how well you can hold your breath. How deep you go depends on yourself. I have free dived down to 10m before but I don't spend more than 10 seconds at that depth. Again, the bag would do just fine. Except that you may find that the pressure is depressing all your camera buttons at the same time, effectively locking it and you cannot operate the camera properly. that's why the instructions say that you should put some air in it to counteract this phenomenon. However, too much air and it will be too buoyant at the surface, and you cannot bring it down deep.
Anyway, as long as you follow the instructions and make sure it is watertight, it will work for your snorkeling trip. Good enough lah.
Can lend me after your trip? hehehe
limwhow
Senior Member
Antacid, why thank you so much for such a detail explanation! I haven't even touched the water yet leh... never ever done snorkelling before, both myself and my wife.
May I be so bold to ask one more question? For normal snorkelling, how deep do people usually find themselves at, on an average... say, 4m? 3m? or 7-8m deep?
you're welcome.. i was looking for an excuse not to do work, hence the long reply. haha
for normal snorkeling, average depth is 0m cos you're always at the surface! otherwise you might choose to dive down 2-3m for most people. 3m may not sound like much, but the equivalent is floor-to-ceiling of a HDB flat.
they will bring you to shallow sites where max depth is definitely less than 5-8m.. otherwise people might freak out!
when i was diving at sipadan, there were some snorkelers on the surface at the reef. they followed me out, and when they saw the drop-off that goes down to 600+m, they freaked out and dashed straight back to shore!
for normal snorkeling, average depth is 0m cos you're always at the surface! otherwise you might choose to dive down 2-3m for most people. 3m may not sound like much, but the equivalent is floor-to-ceiling of a HDB flat.
they will bring you to shallow sites where max depth is definitely less than 5-8m.. otherwise people might freak out!
when i was diving at sipadan, there were some snorkelers on the surface at the reef. they followed me out, and when they saw the drop-off that goes down to 600+m, they freaked out and dashed straight back to shore!
Don Marcaroni
Member
I would never ever trust my camera with one of those ziplock bag type cases. I recommend you stick with either a proper waterproof case or a dedicated waterproof camera. During my last vacation where I went snorkeling, I saw 4 people using dicapac type or similar cases and 2 of them ruined their cameras- all of them only stayed at the surface so at 50% odds I would never take the chance (I know it's a small sample size but well...).
Regardless of your decision: waterproof camera/ hard case/ soft case/ ziplock bag/ plastic bag, I strongly recommend you try out your setup here before you go overseas into the sea. I always make it a point to test my underwater camera/ housing in the swimming pool before bringing it for this sort of vacation.
Regardless of your decision: waterproof camera/ hard case/ soft case/ ziplock bag/ plastic bag, I strongly recommend you try out your setup here before you go overseas into the sea. I always make it a point to test my underwater camera/ housing in the swimming pool before bringing it for this sort of vacation.
i faced a similar situation,
in the end, i bought S95 with UW housing from Canon.
Works out to be about same price as an Ikelite UW housing for SLRs.
Like others have said, those 'ziplock bags' only have rating down to 5m.
in scuba diving, you usually go as deep as 30m.
i'd say always go for 'proper' housing, dont let accidents ruin your vacations.
in the end, i bought S95 with UW housing from Canon.
Works out to be about same price as an Ikelite UW housing for SLRs.
Like others have said, those 'ziplock bags' only have rating down to 5m.
in scuba diving, you usually go as deep as 30m.
i'd say always go for 'proper' housing, dont let accidents ruin your vacations.
