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Get Wet

Cameras and housings perfect for poolside

Olympus Stylus PT-038 Housing

SNORKELING AND SCUBA
For those who want to spend time in and under the water, Olympus offers a number of options. A combination that's both rugged and compact is the FE-280 with the companion PT-038 housing. The FE-280 is a slim, 0.65-inch camera with a 3x optical zoom and 21 shooting modes, including three underwater modes; this 8-megapixel camera also includes three movie modes. The PT-038 housing allows the FE-280 to be used to a depth of 110 feet with access to all camera controls.

The compact size of the FE-280 and the PT-038 housing make it a perfect travel companion for those exotic trips to faraway tropical destinations. Estimated Street Price: $179 (Olympus FE-280); $139 (Olympus PT-038 housing).

Canon WP-DC21 Housing

The Canon PowerShot G9 is a feature-rich digital compact that gives the user a near-D-SLR experience. With its large, three-inch LCD, 6x optical zoom, full manual capability and RAW capture mode, the 12-megapixel camera serves well as both a primary body and a backup to a D-SLR. As an underwater camera option, the PowerShot G9 can be housed in its companion WP-DC21 housing to a depth of 130 feet. Estimated Street Price: $469 (Canon PowerShot G9); $179 (WP-DC21 housing).

Sea&Sea YS-27DX

For serious underwater work at depth, flash photography is almost a must. While most compact cameras include on-camera flash units, the lower power and close proximity to the lens make them difficult to use. Off-camera strobes underwater help overcome the need for more flash power in water and help to minimize backscatter caused by lighting particles in the water caused by flash/lens proximity. The Canon PowerShot G9 and its housing can be outfitted with a dedicated flash like the Sea&Sea YS-27DX. Using a fiber-optic connection, the PowerShot G9's on-camera flash is blocked, but triggers the YS-27DX to provide the lighting power needed for high-quality exposures at depth. Estimated Street Price: $409 (Sea&Sea YS-27DX).

For dedicated TTL functionality with external strobes, there are housings for the PowerShot G9 with TTL strobe connectors. An example is the Ikelite #6147.09 Canon G9 housing. Combined with an Ikelite DS-51 strobe and TTL connector, the Canon PowerShot G9 can be a powerful underwater imaging system. Estimated Street Price: $600 (Ikelite G9 housing); $400 (Ikelite DS-51 strobe).

Ikelite #6870.40 Housing

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY WITH D-SLRS
Some scuba divers want the many benefits of digital SLRs with them when they're capturing images underwater. The variety of lens options, shooting speeds and larger-format sensors are just a few of the features sought by serious amateur and pro underwater photographers. While larger, heavier and substantially more expensive, they offer many options for these photographers.

Ikelite produces a variety of housings that give complete control of the D-SLR to the underwater photographer. An example is the Ikelite #6870.40 housing for the Canon EOS D40 D-SLR. This polycarbonate housing is rated to a depth of 200 feet, allows unrestricted access to all camera controls and includes built-in circuitry conversion for true Canon e-TTL exposures with external-TTL submersible strobes.

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