Capturing the Deep: Underwater Videography & Photography Essentials

I don’t consider myself a photography or videography expert—just an enthusiast. Like many, I’ve always loved photography, and more recently, I’ve been drawn to underwater videography. It’s an incredible way to capture and share the magic of the ocean.

Thanks to today’s advanced yet affordable camera technology, capturing stunning underwater footage is more accessible than ever. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned diver, the right gear and a bit of knowledge can bring the ocean’s beauty to life.

Keeping things simple, staying present, and being ready are the fundamentals of capturing great underwater footage and photos. Now, let’s dive into what makes up the key elements.

How Water, Light, and Colour Affect Underwater Photography and Video Best Camera Systems for Underwater Photography and Videography Underwater Lighting Systems - Video, Macro and Focus Camera Rigs - What To Know and How To Buy

Seeing Differently: How Water, Light and Colour Affect Underwater Photography and Video

Ever noticed how things look bigger, closer, and bluer underwater? That’s because water bends light (refraction), making objects appear larger and nearer. At the same time, it filters colours, removing reds and oranges first, leaving everything looking bluer the deeper you go. But why does this happen? Let’s break it down.

---

Light Refraction

The Science - Understanding Refraction : Light travels super-fast in the air, but as it enters water it slows by about 25%, this causes the light to bend, what we call light refraction. This is why a straw in a glass of water looks bent or broken—your eyes are seeing refracted light!

So how does this affect divers: Refraction happens at a Air-Water Boundary – Light bends when it moves from one medium to another with a different density. In this case, light travels from water into the air inside our mask, causing refraction. Result - Objects we see appear 33% bigger and 25% closer than they actually are.

What about our underwater cameras: Yes! light refraction affects the camera just like your eyes. A flat lens port or front element act similar to the glass on our divng masks, light moves from water to air and causes objects on our view screens to appear 33% bigger and 33% closer. This in turn reduces the cameras field of view (FOV), a camera with a 120-Degree FOV can shrink in water by as much as 25%, to 90-Degree FOV

---

How Depth Affects Light and Color Underwater

As you dive deeper, water absorbs light at different rates, causing colors to disappear one by one. Red fades first, followed by orange, yellow, and green, leaving mostly blue and gray at greater depths. This is why underwater photos and videos often look washed out without artificial lights or color correction. Below is a table showing how different colors vanish as you descend:

---

Key Takeaways: Water, Light & Colour

Refraction: When considering a camera lens FOV, take into considerations that FOV are reduced in water. Generally speaking wide angle lens in the range of 120-Degree to 180-Degress are a good all round choice, allowing you to get closer to your subject while remaining in frame (less distance means, sharper images). These wider FOV can also help compensate for light loss, distortion and refraction.

Light & Colour at Depth: It can be seen that light and colour drastically diminish with depth, impacting our images and video footage. Upgraded camera lenses and camera sensor sizes do bring some benifits, however this can be at a very high cost. In the first instance we should understand the limitations of filming at depth and what techiques we can apply to compensate for light and colour loss.

Back to Top

Best Camera Systems for Underwater Photography & Videography

Now that we have a better understanding of the underwater environment and its impact on our equipment, we can make more informed decisions when choosing our camera systems.

Today’s market offers a wide range of options, from high-end professional setups with dedicated lenses, housings, and rigs to compact, budget-friendly systems for recreational use. While these affordable options are more accessible to enthusiasts and beginners, they still deliver impressive image quality.

---

Choosing an Underwater Camera Systems

For most of us, underwater photography and videography are about capturing the beauty of the ocean as part of our diving experience. Since professional setups can be complex and expensive, we’ll focus on practical, reliable camera systems that suit recreational divers.

Now, let’s take a logical approach and explore the top contenders in this category.

---

Best Three In Category

Back to Top

Underwater Lighting & Camera Rigs

Before diving deeper into lighting and rig options, it's important to recognise that our choice of an underwater camera already allows us to capture outstanding footage and images, without adding lighting or rigs—provided we understand the limitations.

Like most things, underwater videography and photography are more about evolution than revolution. I’ve found that steady improvement comes naturally as your skills grow, along with the quality of your images and videos. So lets breaks down essential lighting and rig options into practical, easy-to-follow advice—without unnecessary complexity.

Underwater Lighting

Underwater lighting restores lost colors, improves visibility, enhances image quality, and reduces noise in videos and photos. It compensates for light absorption at depth, making subjects appear more vibrant and detailed.

We should break this down into two categories of lighting, video lights and focus/macro lights

Video Lights:Provide a wide beam (100°–120°) for illuminating large underwater scenes like reefs and wrecks. They restore colors, enhance visibility, and ensure even lighting for clear, vibrant footage.

Macro/Focus Lights: Use a narrow beam (10°–30°) to illuminate small subjects like nudibranchs or shrimp. They enhance contrast, reduce shadows, and minimize backscatter by directing light precisely where needed.

---

Key Specifications for Underwater Camera Lights (and Why They Matter)

It's important to understand that underwater lights are specifically designed for this purpose—they are not standard flashlights or dive lights. Before exploring different options, let's first break down the key light specifications.

---

Best Underwater Video Lights

Underwater video lights can become expensive quickly, as lumens and battery size directly impact cost. With a wide beam angle, video lights spread lumens over a large area, requiring high output—typically between 5,000 and 10,000 lumens—for effective lighting and to ensure even illumination and a natural, balanced look, a set of two lights is recommended.

Now, let's explore some top contenders to make the right choice.

---

Best Underwater Macro & Focus Lights

Macro and focus lights serve a different purpose than video lights, emphasizing precision over power. These lights typically have a narrower beam angle and lower lumen output to avoid overpowering small subjects while enhancing details and contrast. A high CRI (Color Rendering Index) is crucial for accurate color representation, especially in close-up shots. Many macro and focus lights include red modes to avoid startling marine life. Unlike video lights, a single well-placed light is often sufficient for macro photography and videography.

Now, let's explore some top contenders to make the right choice.

---

Best Underwater Lights Summary

The market is filled with options for both video lights and macro/focus lights and the list provided in the tables, simply strike a strong balance between specifications and price, offering the reader a solid foundation for any future search. While lower-priced options exist, in my opinion, these represent the budget-friendly limit, while still maintaining the specifications needed to enhance our footage and images.

Underwater Camera Rigs

Once you start adding accessories to your camera system, such as dedicated underwater lights, a camera rig becomes essential, providing:

Stability & Control - Water resistance makes it hard to keep your hands steady. A rig reduces shaky footage, allowing smoother, more cinematic shots. Handles and trays provide better maneuverability, especially in currents.

Expandability - You can attach multiple accessories like video lights, external monitors, and filters to improve video quality. Arms and brackets allow flexible light positioning for optimal exposure.

Buoyancy & Comfort - A well-balanced rig can be adjusted with buoyancy arms to achieve neutral buoyancy, making it easier to control underwater. Reduces fatigue by distributing weight more evenly.

Fortunately, the aftermarket offers plenty of options for this type of equipment, and a quick search is all it takes to find what we need for a basic setup. Lets look at what I currently use and look at cost

---

FEICHO Double handle Tray - Lots of adaptabilty in this tray, standard 1" ball connection: Cost $45

---

Butterfly clamp for 2 ball connection x 2: Cost $8

---

Butterfly clamp for 3 ball connection x 2: Cost $13

---

Mounting arms, 1 x 9" 2 x 7": Cost $43

---

NiteScuba Jumbo Float Kit x 2 packs (4No Floats Per Pack), Providing neutral bouyancy: Cost $83

---

Camera Rigs - Summary

The total cost for my rig is $192, which shows that with careful selection, you can build a solid setup without overspending. While premium rigs can cost significantly more, assembling your rig piece by piece allows you to customize it to your exact needs. By researching different options, you can find quality components that enhance stability, lighting, and comfort—helping you capture smoother, more vibrant underwater images and footage without breaking the bank.

Back to Top