You can take fantastic photos with your smartphone, but is it possible to do so under water? Do you need expensive equipment, or can you do it on the cheap?
I bought an inexpensive cover and was very skeptical in the beginning, after all, a smartphone is not cheap and what would happen if the cover didn’t deliver on what it promised?
As you can see on the picture, I’m holding the iPhone under water in the ocean. And that wasn’t the first time I did it, nor will it be the last!
How does it work? The cover attaches like any normal case, however, there are screw-caps on the back. Both parts have additional rubber seals so that no water can get in once the screws have been tightened.
To get a good photo, you do have to practice under water and try different things. I like using the series function for things like this and then afterwards I choose the best photo. (For iPhones you just have to hold the shutter release for a little longer to do this.)
Here I tried to get some of the water surface into the picture. To do so, it is important to hold the smartphone still and go down until you are nearly under water.
But how about the handling?
It is vital to check that any underwater case is designed in such a way that you can easily use the other buttons on the smartphone (under water it is difficult or even impossible to use the touch display, on iPhones, you can take a photo with the buttons on the side of the phone).
How about the quality of the photos?
Most of the photos here have hardly been edited at all, or if so, only the contrast has been adjusted.
Naturally, you have to make sure that there is enough light and that you are not too deep when you take a photo, because otherwise it will be too dark.
The flash does not really work here.
On the whole I have to say that it is loads of fun and making videos is also something that is great to look back on… if you are still concerned whether the cover is really watertight, you could try the following:
Briefly hold the smartphone with the case under water and if you see air bubbles, take the smartphone out of the water. While the air is yet escaping, no water can come in. If there are no air bubbles, you can dive up to 30 m, depending on the case.
The other alternative are action cameras which usually come with an underwater case. There are many good alternatives for about € 100 (for those who don’t want to go and buy a Gopro straightaway). Check the megapixel (should also be about 10 -15 ) so that the photos and videos are sharp enough.
The cheaper cameras might not have a Wifi connection, but they often have a small display and the quality of the video is more than adequate for private use (HD video quality, you really don’t need anything better).
Conclusion: Dare to do it and have fun! The danger is not always under water 🙂
Photo software like Lightroom quickly produces single photos from video.
And those who want more can try, like I did here, to take a photo half in and half out of the water. And using the extension arm, you can even take cool underwater selfies. I can tell you that even I had heaps of fun taking selfies.
Just look online for action cameras and you will quickly find something.
Sylvia Matzkowiak