Just as on land, digital cameras are taking over the world of diving - the camera's are cheaper and the technology is improving. Higher resolutions and larger, cheaper memory means that good quality digital photography is accessible to lower budgets.

Digital underwater photography has many benefits over film. Firstly, there's the immediacy - you can see what you've shot even on the dive. Although the small screens are not completely reliable, they give you a reasonable idea of composition and exposure. Once you get used to the way that the camera behaves and the information on screen then you quickly get superb results.

What to look for

Besides lens quality (which is an issue with any camera) it's got to be resolution. 5 and 6 megapixels are now the norm, which will give good results up to A4 size on a good inkjet printer. Much less than this resolution is probably not worth the bother. Underwater detail is less clear, so you need go for the best resolution you can.

Shooting Tips
The standard underwater principles still apply - get as close as you can (or dare!), frame the subject and shoot upwards.
Resolution is the key - shoot at the highest available. Memory is pretty cheap and it's worth investing in a few large cards 528 - 1 gig are ideal.
More sophisticated cameras will have a manual white balance - carry a white slate and set the w/b under water. This will help add colour back into the image - especially useful if you're not using a strobe.

Professional Underater Digital Cameras

Underwater Cameras