What is a wide-angle lens? Wide-angle generally reefers to the photographer using a lens or a lens adapter that either goes onto the camera itself or mounts on the housing and will significantly increase the field of view beyond what the human eye can see. How wide is a wide-angle lens? A wide-angle lens will generally be anywhere from 120-180 degrees. The red line indicates what a standard lens on a compact camera will capture. If I zoom all the way out with my compact camera will I be shooting wide-angle? Most likely no, unless you are using a Go-Pro or another action-cam type of camera. Most compact cameras will have a lens that's somewhere between 70-90 degrees. How do I know how wide my lens is? All lenses, whether it's on a compact camera or the interchangeable type will give you a number referencing its focal length in milometers. For example, the lens of the Olympus TG-6 has a focal length of 25-100mm. Basically, the smaller the number the wider the lens. Generally, you want your lens to be somewhere around 16mm, this will provide you with the best wide-angle results underwater. Can I buy an adapter for my camera to make it wide-angle? Yes, most compact cameras now as well as mirrorless cameras have wide-angle adapters that you can put either directly on the camera or housing. Backscatter is an awesome underwater camera shop in California and their website is an excellent source for finding out what wide-angle lens options your camera has. What's a wide-angle wet lens? Basically, it's what I just explained above. It's what “they” call an adapter lens that goes on the housing. Water will flow freely between the housing's flat glass port and the backend of the adapter lens. A DSLR or mirrorless
What is a wide-angle lens? Wide-angle generally reefers to the photographer using a lens or a lens adapter that either goes onto the camera itself or mounts on the housing and will significantly increase the field of view beyond what the human eye can see. How wide is a wide-angle lens? A wide-angle lens will
Before we talk about the benefits of taking wide-angle photos, I want to quickly explain what exactly I mean by “Wide Angle.” Wide-angle generally reefers to the photographer using a lens or a lens adapter that either goes onto the camera itself or mounts on the housing and will significantly increase the field of view beyond what the human eye can see. For example, most compact cameras will have a field of view when zoomed all the way out of about 70-90 degrees, this is roughly what the human eye sees in a fixed position. Interpretation of the differences in perspectives from a 'naked' compact camera lens and a wide-angle lens A wide-angle lens or a wide-angle lens adapter will increase the field of view to anywhere from 120-180 degrees, depending on the camera lens and or adapter. So, as you can see, most compact cameras, aside from the GoPro, really don't allow you to shoot true wide-angle photos. In order to do so, you'll need to purchase an after-market wide-angle lens. For wide-angle lens info, you can check out this blog. For now, let's talk about the benefits of shooting in “wide-angle”. 1. Closer Really, the biggest benefit of using a wide-angle lens underwater is the fact that with this increased field of view, we can now get nearly twice as close to our subject without cropping our intended composition. On land, where we're shooting through air, we can more or less compose the same scene regardless of whether we're using a wide-angle lens or a telephoto lens, we just need to back up further. It doesn't work like this underwater, unfortunately, the more water we have between our camera and the subject the more clarity and color we lose in the image, especially in water with a lot
Before we talk about the benefits of taking wide-angle photos, I want to quickly explain what exactly I mean by “Wide Angle.” Wide-angle generally reefers to the photographer using a lens or a lens adapter that either goes onto the camera itself or mounts on the housing and will significantly increase the field of view
Can I access all the buttons when the camera is in the housing? If you have a camera and housing combination, it's very important to know whether or not you can access all the buttons of the camera once it's in the housing. Don't ask me why, but quite a few housing manufacturers don't make it possible to access all the different buttons on your camera. This is a good question to ask before you purchase a housing. If you already have a housing and just realized you can't access all the buttons and dials, look online for other ways of accessing that same control, sometimes there will be an option in the cameras menu system to toggle the same function without the button. What is the maximum depth my camera and or housing can be submerged to? This one is pretty self-explanatory, you don't want to be diving down deeper than your camera or housing is rated for. How do I access the white balance and or underwater shooting modes? All cameras will have a white balance function, but only a few cameras—like the Olympus TG series, will have underwater white balance and or underwater shooting modes. In order to get the best underwater color correction, it's vital that you know what white balance options your camera has and how to use them. How do I set a custom white balance underwater? Many cameras don't come with a built-in underwater white balance setting, so, in order to get great underwater images full of natural colors, it's important that you know how to properly set and store custom white balance settings. Does my camera have a macro setting or mode, if so, how do I access it? For those of you who love shooting small critters, knowing how to quickly
Can I access all the buttons when the camera is in the housing? If you have a camera and housing combination, it’s very important to know whether or not you can access all the buttons of the camera once it’s in the housing. Don’t ask me why, but quite a few housing manufacturers don’t make
Location Description Belize is home to some of the Caribbean's best snorkeling sites, without a doubt. With the second largest barrier reef system in the world starting just 1,000 feet of the country's shoreline and extending for over 190 miles—the entire length of Belize, it should come as no surprise. Belize City is the main port for the country, despite not being the capital city. This coastal city hosts the country's primary airport, Philip SW Goldson International Airport, (BZE), and is also the jumping-off point for all snorkeling excursions to the great Belize Barrier Reef. While there are many smaller atolls, cays, and hundreds of islands within this massive reef system, there are three large atolls that sit just east of the main barrier reef where nearly all the snorkeling will take place. Liveaboard snorkeling safaris will primarily concentrate their time around the Glovers and Turneffe Atoll, while resort snorkeling safaris will spend their time around Turneffe Atoll and Lighthouse Reef. Lighthouse reef is where the famous Blue Hole is located. Snorkeling in Belize Snorkeling in Belize, regardless of the Atoll you are on, is the quintessential Caribbean snorkeling experience. Clear warm water with patches of pristine white sand intricately framing and wrapping around an undulating network of shelves, plateaus, slopes, and valleys plastered with brightly colored corals, fans, and sponges. Not to mention plenty of critters and schools of fish to gawk at as you float above this surreal landscape. The coral is absolutely exquisite in Belize, and at low tide parts of it will even breach the surface. Some reefs will be largely made up of expansive fields of hard coral colonies where the famous brain corals and elk-horn coral can be seen all over the place. Other reefs will be dominated by sea fans and sponges. The
Location Description Belize is home to some of the Caribbean’s best snorkeling sites, without a doubt. With the second largest barrier reef system in the world starting just 1,000 feet of the country’s shoreline and extending for over 190 miles—the entire length of Belize, it should come as no surprise. Belize City is the main
Muck snorkeling is a really unique type of snorkeling. For many people it can be an acquired taste, like certain types of aged cheese. And just like someone who's developed a pallet for Limburger cheese, for example, what once used to be a casual affair with muck snorkeling or something you would dismiss altogether, can quickly turn into an obsession. So what is muck snorkeling, well it's basically the same as your tropical reef snorkeling, only muck snorkeling typically takes place in areas where there is more sand—usually black—and where an assortment of sponges and different types of algae grow. Reason being, this unique environment is one of the best types of environments—most likely due to the nutrient-rich volcanic sand—for finding some of the most unique and interesting creatures. Frogfish, nudibranchs, a vast assortment of crabs and shrimps, moray eels, stargazers, and some of the most ornate and interesting types of cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish, and squids) can only be found in 'mucky' environments. If you've never been muck snorkeling before, it can seem a bit strange when you first jump in, simply because it's not your classical reef scene full of color. Floating over a black sandy substrate is not what people typically have in mind when they imagine a tropical snorkeling holiday. However, as I said, once you get in the zone and start finding these cool critters all by yourself, that dark sand punctuated by unusual colonies of sponges will quickly become a beautiful thing for you.
Muck snorkeling is a really unique type of snorkeling. For many people it can be an acquired taste, like certain types of aged cheese. And just like someone who’s developed a pallet for Limburger cheese, for example, what once used to be a casual affair with muck snorkeling or something you would dismiss altogether, can
