Topic: Camera on a kayak (Read 2948 times)

Alexandre Buisse · « **on:** March 10, 2009, 06:03:02 am »

Hi,

I will be going to the Galapagos in a bit more than two months. This promises to be a very exciting trip, and photography should play a big part in it. However, the trip is going to involve a lot of water: it is based off a catamaran and almost all the transportation is done on kayaks (to be more specific, inflatable sit-on-top vessels), though there probably will be a zodiac for support as well. And of course, it being the galapagos, a lot of snorkeling.
My current equipment is not tropicalized (main camera is a Nikon D90, I will also take my Nikon FA if I manage to revive it, or buy a second hand FM if I can't, and I'll probably take the large format for some landscapes) and I very much doubt it will appreciate being that close to that much water.

So, my questions are: which solutions do you recommend using? Are there waterproof bags that you could vouch for, to the point that a drop in the sea would not damage the content? Should I forget entirely about bringing the DSLR on board and only take a P&S? What about ambient humidity, then? If it can kill 5D MkII in Antarctica, it probably can kill a D90 on a tropical island.
And are there any cheap solutions for low-depth underwater shooting? I have nowhere near enough money to invest in a good SLR casing, but are there maybe dedicated P&S that actually work for that kind of things? Or miraculous film-based solutions?

I have never shot that close to water (my thing is mountains), so any help would be very welcome here!
Thanks.

eleanorbrown · « **Reply #1 on:** March 10, 2009, 10:36:31 am »

I just returned from an Antarctic Expedition and took my Canon 5D Mark II on a kayak and i used a Simms dry bag. Camera got damp while shooting but I personally didn't have any problems with it....worked fine. Have a towel with you to wipe the camera off now and then. Eleanor

Quote from: Alexandre Buisse

Hi,

I will be going to the Galapagos in a bit more than two months. This promises to be a very exciting trip, and photography should play a big part in it. However, the trip is going to involve a lot of water: it is based off a catamaran and almost all the transportation is done on kayaks (to be more specific, inflatable sit-on-top vessels), though there probably will be a zodiac for support as well. And of course, it being the galapagos, a lot of snorkeling.
My current equipment is not tropicalized (main camera is a Nikon D90, I will also take my Nikon FA if I manage to revive it, or buy a second hand FM if I can't, and I'll probably take the large format for some landscapes) and I very much doubt it will appreciate being that close to that much water.

So, my questions are: which solutions do you recommend using? Are there waterproof bags that you could vouch for, to the point that a drop in the sea would not damage the content? Should I forget entirely about bringing the DSLR on board and only take a P&S? What about ambient humidity, then? If it can kill 5D MkII in Antarctica, it probably can kill a D90 on a tropical island.
And are there any cheap solutions for low-depth underwater shooting? I have nowhere near enough money to invest in a good SLR casing, but are there maybe dedicated P&S that actually work for that kind of things? Or miraculous film-based solutions?

I have never shot that close to water (my thing is mountains), so any help would be very welcome here!
Thanks.

bernivd · « **Reply #2 on:** March 10, 2009, 11:59:32 am »

used the ewa marine bags quite a lot. They are a bit bulky but after you get used to them they work great. Recently used the bag snorkling in the Red Sea with a 5d. Managed even to zoom with a wide angle zoom.
Just throw a lot of silika gel in there and avoid opening it during the shoot - it might fog up.

http://ewamarine.de/index.php?id=7&L=1

Regards

Bernard

Lisa Nikodym · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2009, 12:17:56 pm »

Last year I was kayaking in Polynesia, and my solution was to take my Fujifilm digicam and get a Fujifilm-made waterproof housing (it was something like US$120 at B&H). I dunked it directly in the water to take photos underwater, and it worked fine. It had a wrist strap so even if you drop it you won't lose it. It did take several minutes of maintenance (greasing the O-rings, etc.) before and after using it each day. Not the image quality of a DSLR, but I wasn't about to take my DSLR on a kayak.

Lisa
P.S. The waterproof housing was an amazing little piece of technology - a little knob & spring to each of the camera's controls, like something a 19th-century inventor would come up with, all mechanical.

Yves Gaudet · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2009, 03:04:01 pm »

Hi would go with one of these

olympus tough 6000: http://www.lozeau.com/Product.aspx?nav_id=...0&lang_id=E

olympus tough 8000: http://www.lozeau.com/Product.aspx?nav_id=...2&lang_id=E

Pentax Optio w60: http://www.lozeau.com/Product.aspx?nav_id=8562&lang_id=E

Alexandre Buisse · « **Reply #5 on:** March 11, 2009, 10:30:49 am »

Thanks for your replies. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the solution of a dry bag (from Simms or whoever else has one near where I live) and a submersible P&S for snorkeling (Pentax W60 or Olympus 1030SW look ok). But more opinions would be very welcome.

JDClements · « **Reply #6 on:** March 11, 2009, 06:33:56 pm »

I have used a Pelican case on a sea kayak. Directly in front of the cockpit, there are usually integral bungy straps in an x-pattern. I sat the Pelican case right on the deck, and pulled those straps over top (they go corner to corner). I got in some wicked wind (and waves) on Georgian Bay (the "Sweet Water Sea") with no problem.

To use the camera, I would just flip the bungees off the corners and flip the lid open. Because the bungees were still running along the sides, the case is held in place even when open. Pull the camera out, shot, replace, close the lid, and slide the bungee cords back up, continue paddling.

I have also used dry bags, but the Pelican case offered quicker and easier access. Also, the Pelican case is unaffected by the spray skirt.

ChrisS · « **Reply #7 on:** March 12, 2009, 04:17:33 am »

I have an Ewa housing for my SLR which is probably OK for diving, but rather big and clumsy on the surface, and I even find it hard to find the shutter release in a hurry. I also have an Olympus Mju, which is good with plenty of light, but has a long shutter delay (so you can easily miss action), and it's pretty noisy in low light.

I do images in surf, and think my next purchase will be a solid SLR housing - you can now get decent ones for under 1000 USD, with port, I believe. If I'd not bought the Ewa and the Mju, I'd be half way there now!

pixelpixcomau · « **Reply #8 on:** March 12, 2009, 08:05:06 am »

I am about to take a camping trip on my jet ski tomorrow and my solution to the wet issue was a Canon G10 and underwater housing. It's compact, but packs a pretty big punch in RAW image quality so that I won't be too concerned about leaving the DSLR at home.

Author Topic: Camera on a kayak (Read 2948 times)