Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text:
Français I travel to do underwater photography. So in my luggage, in addition to the clothes, I take all my photo and diving equipment. Namely a reflex camera (Canon Eos 7D) and its waterproof case to take it underwater with two underwater flashes, as well as a complete diving equipment!
Precision: I am not sponsored by ANY of the brands I list below when I detail my photo and diving equipment. I have equipped myself little by little, over the years, according to my needs and budget.
Camera and lenses
My current camera is an SLR, the Canon Eos 7D, that I bought in 2010. So I've been using it for quite a few years now, both on land and underwater. I'm very happy with it. Its only drawback is that it's a bit heavy.
I take this camera underwater, in an adapted waterproof case, to make my underwater photos and videos. The accessories below allow me a wide angle configuration or more exactly fisheye (10-17 mm) and two macro configurations (60 and 100 mm):
- Waterproof housing : Ikelite for Canon 7D
- Flashes: Ikelite DS161 (I acquired the second one in 2016)
- Macro porthole 1 : Ikelite Flat Port #5502
- Macro porthole 2 : Ikelite Flat Port #5505.45
- Wide angle dome : Dyron Cristal 4.8 inches (not very bulky, ideal for travelling)
- Macro lens 1 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
- Macro Objective 2 : Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM (top)
- Fisheye lens: Tokina AT-X 107 DX 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 (Re-top)
On land, when travelling, I mainly use the following objectives:
- Canon 15-85mm f / 3.5-5.6 (IS USM) (supplied with the 7D at the start, zoom rather practical for most situations when travelling)
- Canon 50mm f / 1.8 (STM) (light fixed lens, cheap, bright, top for portraits)
- Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM (cheap wide angle, very correct, good for traveling)
Yes, I lug all this little world with me! ! ! Not to mention, of course, all chargers, batteries, cords, memory cards, etc. who are well ...
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My first underwater camera
My photo equipment before 2010 was much more modest... This compact, the Canon Powershot A95, accompanied me everywhere, for several years, before To dieIn 2009... I took it underwater for my underwater images, with the waterproof housing designed for this model: the WP-DC50.
I did not have additional lighting at the time, I only used the built-in flash. What therefore limited me most often to macro photography underwater.
But I was pleasantly surprised, from the beginning, by the quality of the underwater images obtained with this minimum equipment. I used it for 4-5 years and learned a lot with it. All the underwater pictures below have been taken with this small DSC (digital camera)...
On Similan Island # 8. I'm so happy: my camera is working ... for a few minutes, again.
Ornate ghost-pipe fish
Grouper and cleaner shrimp
Photographing with a SLR AND a smartphone
The advantage of a smartphone for terrestrial photos: it is much more discreet and less cumbersome than a SLR. Everyone has this kind of phone in their pocket, now it can be unsheathed at any time without attracting attention ...
I invested in an iPhone X a few months after its release and I am amazed by the quality of the sensor, really more than enough for the photos as memories for those to illustrate this blog. The iPhone allows me to make images when I do not have my 7D on hand, for example on the boat, between two dives, because the SLR is in its box. Or for all the times I prefer to walk light, because the 7D still weighs its small weight ...
I had offered myself a compact emergency device, early 2012: the Canon Powershot S100. It allows the manual mode, it also shoots in Raw and makes excellent quality video. But since I got the latest fashionable smartphone, I don't use it at all and I don't take it with me on trips anymore. That's good, that makes one less thing in the bag !
Diving equipment
Regulator : Aqualung Legend LX ACD in caliper + legendary Octopus + mano base (super comfort of inspiration and expiration, ACD system which prevents water from entering the first floor, which is a bit heavy (2.1kg). The nice little lightweight Mikron model was not yet out when I invested at the time, and the stirrup mount was the most common in Asia, but today I would adopt a DIN.
Diving computer: the Quad of MaresIt is not too expensive, with large, easy to read characters, switchable to nitrox mode and you can change the battery yourself. It replaced my Puck, of the same brand, which I unintentionally left somewhere at the bottom of the water in the Red Sea in October 2016... I had had it for quite a few years, it worked fine. (For the veterans: my very first diving computer was a good old Aladdin from Uwatec, with its famous "fridge" look, it started to unlock all of a sudden, leaving to dive dry in a drawer by itself...)
Stabilizing vest: a basic Seac Sub (it does not even figure anymore on the stabs page of the brand), found a long time ago, for cheap, in a big chain of sport shops (Décathlon). Very sturdy, it's been working fine for years (it's my first one, I've never changed it). It weighs 2.8kg so I plan to invest one day in a lighter and less bulky travel stab, with integrated plumb bags.
Fins: Mares Volo Power. I've got them in duplicate, in both footwear and adjustable versions. Their suppleness suits me well (and I make sure I never find myself flipping like a fury against the current). They allow a very fine approach and stabilization when I have to come close to a subject to be photographed.
Boots: for a long time, I kept testing new ones... All of them hurt me, there was always a seam or a reinforcement that would create a light bulb in the long run... Except for the Ellie Ergo from Aqualungwhich I have definitely adopted since 2015. No stitching on the inside and no zipper. The neoprene is super-soft, they slip on like socks! But they are fragile: after a few dives, the inner lining frays and the reinforcement on the top of the foot comes off. So I replace them regularly.
Mask : Aqualung Micromask Technisub (very small, comfortable, easy to empty, I love it).
Combination : I do not dive in hot water these days (rarely below 25-26 ° C except thermoclines). So I'm always wet 5 mm (I even add a shorty on top when the temperature drops to 20-24 ° C). I currently have the Focea Comfort by Beuchat for women: I acquired it in July 2015, replacing an old Aqualung, and the cold woman I am has been delighted with it for a long time, she kept me warm and was super comfortable. But it's worn out, I have to change it...
Accessories : a stick or "pointer" (a metal rod that can be used for a lot of things, very useful to have a point of support on the sand when taking pictures underwater and to avoid touching anything), a neoprene mouse of 2,5mm and a lycra that I systematically put under the suit (very cold I am), hook, parachute, small lamp, whistle, mirror, knife, attachment for the octopus, various and varied carabiners, hoods and headbands for the hair ...
And to carry all this?
I equipped myself little by little, both for diving and underwater photography. As a result, my luggage has also grown little by little. I am no longer a backpacker diver anymore...
I reviewed my logistics to transport all my little junk and opted for the wheels! I invite you to read the two articles below where I talk about it:
→ Luggage: which diving bag to choose for travel?
→ No more backpacks, long live the wheelie bag!
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