Class Shot
Schooling Fish – Black
and White: Fisheye lenses
are great for creating really
eff ective shots. They give
a beautiful round eff ect to
large groups of schooling
fi sh
The BIG picture
How do you photograph a 6m-long whale shark or the entire bow of a wreck with a compact camera? Maria Munn
explores the wide-angle lens options available to underwater compact users and off ers essential advice.
A wide-angle lens is an absolute must for those wanting to capture When purchasing a compact camera for underwater use, it is vital to
images of the famous wrecks and caves of the Red Sea, as well as make sure that the housing will allow for the attachment of an external
those summer month, big pelagic encounters in places such as Sharm, lens if you are planning to do any kind of big subject shooting. Always
Hurghada and southern sites including Elphinstone and the Brothers ensure that you know exactly what kind of lenses that particular housing
Islands. A wide-angle lens is also an essential for shooting smaller can take, as you will fi nd some housing cases may only fi t a few of the
subjects, such as turtles or Napoleon wrasse. By getting closer to your many wide-angle lenses available.
subject with the wide-angle lens, the water column is automatically
reduced. This creates a sharper fi nal picture as well as allowing more of
There are two kinds of wide-angle lenses that can be used with compact
the creature to fi t in the frame.
cameras: standard wide-angle and a fi sheye lens. Standard wide-angle
lenses give a fi eld of view of between 80 and 105 degrees, whereas a
For split-level shots where you record a scene both above and fi sheye lens will give up to a 165 degree fi eld of view. A fi sheye lens
underwater at the same time, a wide-angle lens is a great tool. This can also add an extra artistic element to underwater photographs by
way you can capture the classic split-level shots of coral gardens in the distorting straight lines created by the wideness of the lens. It can be
shallows together with Egypt’s beautiful sandy beaches. Just remember used to shoot down on divers who are swimming around large pinnacles
to turn the lens a little when underwater to let out any trapped air, thus – this often gives a moon-shape eff ect. Alternatively, looking up from just
avoiding wavy lines in your pictures. beneath the surface of the water can create a ‘Snell’s Window’ style eff ect
(where an almost perfect circle can be created). An extra bonus is being
40
www.cdws.travel
Issue 5 March - April ‘10
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