For many adventure junkies, scuba diving or deep diving is like meditation. The calmness underneath the water surface is not only pleasing but also enjoyable. Of course, before you can take your first dive, it’s important to learn the basics and buy a few things, and one such product is an underwater camera. If you check the market for options, you will find two basic choices – compact underwater cameras and DLSRs. Unless you are a professional, using confusing gear under the water surface might not be the best thing. In this post, we bring you a quick take on what it takes to buy the right underwater camera for diving.

The pros and cons of compact cameras

Underwater cameras need to be more efficient and should work well for first-timers and professionals alike. To be fair, some models are designed to be user-friendly, which means that you don’t need to have extensive technical expertise to operate the camera to take pictures or videos. Compact cameras are small enough to be carried along, and some are too simple to use, much like a flashlight. You don’t need to bother about changing filters, and compact cameras are also pocket-friendly.

On the flip side, not all compact cameras are the same, and the optics might not be of the same quality as you would get with expensive DSLRs. In some cases, battery life and control over depth can be aspects to consider.

What to check for?

Start with the basics first. Check the waterproof extent of the device, which should be at least 200 metres for diving usage. Next, compare models based on battery performance. You can expect around 2 hours of recording with decent cameras. Another aspect that needs attention is buoyancy control. Check if the product has Electronic Image Stabilization, so that you don’t have to put in extra effort to get smooth videos. Using filters isn’t something you would want to engage in, so the performance of the optics, especially in low light is another aspect to consider.

Points to note

Among other things, check the white balance of the device. Still resolution is also something that matters under water, and for most needs, a camera with resolution of 8 megapixels is considered enough. As with any camera, the storage is one of the major points of interest. Usually, cameras do have some onboard memory, but what you need to check is expandable memory, which should be 64 GB at the least to record high quality videos. Finally, let’s not forget about connectivity. The best underwater cameras have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options, besides basic USB.

With the right underwater camera, you would have a better time taking each dive. Make sure that you know about the camera operations in advance and have tried it out for smaller diving adventures. Check online for knowing more on products and do read a few user reviews to know how the product has fared for the public. Consider this as an investment and spend on a good camera that will last!