Using a digital video camcorder under water

If you want to use a digital video camcorder under water, you have two options, one option is to buy an underwater digital recorder and the other option is to buy a waterproof housing for you regular digital recorder.

There are a number of options when looking to by an underwater video camera.If the camera will be your only camera, you will probably want to be able to use it on land and in the water.This is a pricey feature however, and if you are buying the camcorder to just use under the water, you will not want to pay for this feature.Other, more technical features deal with lighting.If you are not a skilled photographer, you will want automatic lighting functions.If you will be diving deeply or in dark water, having an exernal flash is also a good idea.

If you already have a camera that you would like to use underwater you can buy a waterproof housing for it.The options for the waterproof housings aren't as broad as the options for waterproof cameras.Most cameras that have a housing option will only have one option that will fit.Before buying a video camera, you might consider if there is an underwater housing available.If, in the future, you decide you want to take underwater video you will have no choice but to shell out for an underwater camera if there is no housing option.

Once you have your waterproof camera or your waterproof housing, it's time to go out and use it.You will discover that there are some differences in using a camera under water and on land.

One difference is that it is much harder to get a nice steady shot under water.Because you are constantly moving in the water, it is hard to hold the camera still.Practicing buoyancy control is the key to steadying your underwater video.Another key is to change focus very slowly.If you want to zoom in on something do it very slowly.Similarly, if you want to pan around to different images move slowly.To shooting enjoyable underwater videos is to stay slow and steady.

Another difference when using an underwater camera is the use of light.You will be able to shoot in much lower light underwater than you will on land.Your techniques for using the light underwater and on land will be quite different.On land, you want to avoid a bright background because the camera will "read" the lightest portion of the scene and make everything else darker.In the water, it's just the opposite.Your very best videos will be those that you take with the camera pointed up toward the water surface.Unless you are very close to the subject (like within five feet), video that has the bottom as the background will loose clarity.

When shooting underwater it is important to think about red filters.As you go deeper into the water, the depth will filter out the red. This is the reason that deep water appears so blue; only the short, blue wavelengths are able to escape being lost in the deep.To return the red colors, you should use red filters.You will not be able to bring back all of the color that is lost but the shots will look much more vivid if you do use a red filter.

After your video is complete, practice editing the video.You can use any computer as long as the it has a firewire board and at least a 30GB hard drive.Setting underwater video to music is a particularly nice effect.Any digital editing software will allow you to dub sound over your motion pictures.