10 replies to this topic

[nirkarpel]

hi all

i am going to take uderwater photographs with my new Nikon D100 camera, i also bought the Sealux housing. i am now looking for a tripod for the camera. do you know of a tripod that would be good for underwater use.

nir

[nirkarpel]

tt

[TedJ]

Seems to me I remember one from ULCS or Aquatica. Check their sites, I don't have links at the moment, sorry.

[scorpio_fish]

Tripods can be constructed from ULCS or TLC parts. Contact Dennis at Helix Photo

[Cybergoldfish]

I suggest you consider a monopod rather than a tripod - Less prone to causing harm to the reef.
Can I also suggest mastering buoyancy control before you consider either, as this is the most practical and causes less harm.

[mattsh]

I don't know why you would want a tripod for most uses. With good bouyancy control and a reasonably steady hand, you should be able to hand-hold all but the most negative camera/housig systems down to 1/30 or 1/15. That being said, I would recommend a composite or aluminum tripod. However, I doubt it the internal nuts and bolts are made of stainless steel and it would pretty quickly get trashed. If you were handy, you could construct a monopod from non-corrosive materials (stainless steel, wood, composites, etc.) fairly easily.

I don't condone this activity, but an underwater photographer on another board posted a shot he took with natural light in a cavern that required a very long exposure. He rigged a support made from ropes and pitons for that sigle shot. The shot is wonderful and I believe that he rigged the system up with enough care not to damage the environment, but doing things like this sets a bad example for others who are not as careful in picking to what they choose to anchor.

[Rob Esaw]

Wouldn't it be great to take a series of shots, to be stiched together later for a reefscape panoramic??

You could set the tripod up on a sandy substrate to avoid damage.

I imaging it would be very difficult to stich these shots together what with the moving subjects...

How about putting an 'ipix' type of virtual tour together, for those of us that can't afford PNG, or Truck Lagoon???

[tshepherd]

I'll give the pseudo-IPIX tour a shot next week in Truk if I find a suitable subject, maybe a brightly lit wreck interior. No guarantees it will work though as I'll be doing it without a tripod.

[TedJ]

Didn't we have someone here several months ago who was doing pan shooting? I haven't tried it yet but on my next dive I will.

[woody]

How about these for some wonderful wreck shots taken using natural light and a tripod

http://www.divernet..../0203bishop.htm

[sully]

Hi nirkarpel,

I use a tripod on many occasions for wrecks, reefs and any shots where more than a 1/8th of a second is requird.
Just go and buy a nice cheap regular tripod, a second hand one is a good idea.

Make sure it is sturdy enough for your camera set-up and you can use all your camera functions in both portrait and landscape positions. Then go for 'it'.

Just make sure you give it a good soak in fresh water when you have finished and lubricate all moving parts before packing it away.
I have done this for years and have only wrecked one tripod because I didn't give it any lubrication after use. Salt water is after very hard on steel and aluminium.
Hope this helps.
Sully