How to Choose an Underwater Housing for Your Camera?

Purchasing is a good camera housing is essential before you venture underwater to satisfy your hunger for good photos. Housing is a waterproof jacket in which your point-and-shoot camera or DSLR sits while you are underwater clicking photos.

If you do not have a special underwater camera, then you can use your normal camera provided you buy a good housing for it. You don’t want your quest to find fantastic underwater photos to take you to the camera shop to buy a new camera, do you?

Here are some pointers you must watch out for while buying a camera housing:

1. Waterproof: The reason one needs to use housing is to give a waterproof covering to the camera. That is the whole purpose of housing, so make sure the one you buy is of good quality and does not compromise your expensive camera.

2. Depth rating: It’s important to choose a camera housing with a depth rating that meets or exceeds your intended diving depth. Pressure is a major force underwater and housing also needs to withstand the increased pressure. The deeper you go into the sea, the water is going to exert pressure.

3. Ergonomics: It’s important to make sure that the housing’s controls allow you to conveniently access the features you use most often. You need to be able to adjust camera settings underwater easily. If you are shooting in cold water, then is it easy to reach the buttons with gloves on?

4. Plastic housing: The majority of compact camera cases, and some DSLR housings, are constructed of high-strength plastic. They tend to be a little bulkier and less durable than aluminum housings, but they’re a lot less expensive. So it is up to you to decide, but in most cases, plastic housings work just fine.

5. Lens port: A lens port is a window in the front of the underwater housing that the camera lens shoots through. Non-DSLR cases generally come with an integrated port, so there’s no extra expense, although you may have the option of purchasing a wide-angle correction lens that can be attached to the outside of the housing.