I’m going to go scuba diving for the first time.  I’m going to take get a point and shoot, and a manufacturer’s underwater housing.  I’m getting the Fujifilm Finepix F31fd which has good low light reviews.

Since it’s my first time diving, I don’t want to spend too much on equipment and I don’t expect to go scuba diving very often.  But I heard that wide angle lens attachements and macro lens attachements are a must to get good pictures.  I do have a macro setting on the point and shoot, is that the same as a macro lens?  And do I really need a wide angle lens to make good pictures?  I heard Inon make a cheap attachment kit for their wide angle and macro lenses.

I really don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars for something I don’t do very often, but if I was going to do this once, I’d like to capture some good pictures while I’m at it.  Are those lenses necessary?  And if so, which one should I get?  Since it’d be my first time diving, I don’t want to juggle multiple lenses and equipment.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Simon

Before you do anything you really should get some dives under your belt before using a camera.  Buoyancy and learning how to multi task underwater is a skill that takes a bit of practice to get used to.  Good buoyancy is needed for taking photos and even more importantly to make sure you do not damage anything underwater.

WAY too often I see photographers (and divers in general) hit coral, touch things that they should not, etc.

Okay, I am now coming off my pseudo soapbox, sorry about that but to me the subject is an important one .

That being said, a point and shoot with good built in Macro capabilities can get some nice photos and the Inon WA Lens can be screwed on and off during a dive when needed.  It is failry quick to do.  A P&S;will not be quite the same as a dSLR with an expensive lens, but on the other hand I have seen incredible photos with P&S;by people who really get into knowing their equipment, its limits and how to work around those limits.

You could hold off on the Inon lens for a bit and still get good photos (not sure which housing you are looking at) and when you dive a bit and determine thaat you rteally like diving andd taking photos you can add the lens at that time.  If you go the Inon lens route, take a look at the Digital Lens Dock which works very well in holding the lens and preventing it from dissappearing into the blue.  I have one that I used for a long time and it did save my lens once when it slipped.  There are also similar items out there.

i think you should rather wait a bit. you don"t NEED a wetlens to take good pictures. i think your results will in the beginning be even better without these lenses. with the macrowetlens you have a lot of magnification and a very short working distance and small depht of field. for a beginner diver it is close to impossible to use them and learn diving at the same time. fo wide angle it is a bit easier ... but also with a wide lens you have to come close to get dramatic perspectives. and then its very likely to damage corals as a beginner ...

what i recommend you is to do your diving course and use the camera just with the housing for normal photography. maybe you could add a magic filter for nice colours with ambient light photography ...

enjoy your course!

serge