BUYING GUIDE – Best scuba diving camera for beginners
It is not easy to choose a diving camera, we must take into account some fundamental aspects before opting for one. I recommend you review this section of the buying guide and then choose the camera that best suits your needs.
Camera type
The type of camera is a factor to consider before buying our underwater camera, as each one adjusts in a way to underwater photography.
The first thing to keep in mind is that we will need underwater housing to be able to adapt our camera to the aquatic environment unless we use a sports camera at a shallow depth.
Sports cameras
GoPro, Garmin, SJCAM – Sports cameras are excellent underwater cameras because they are designed to handle different situations and take good video with movement.
They are the most affordable alternatives, making them the best diving cameras for beginners. Sports cameras are waterproof but you will need to use additional housing if you are going to dive.
The negative point is that GoPro-type cameras do not achieve good results in underwater photography and the images are usually not too good.
Compact cameras
Canon GX7, Sony RX100, Olympus Tough TG-5 – Compact cameras are often regarded as the most complete dive cameras because they generally offer a good combination of size, image quality, and price.
They are also very easy to use and we will not need advanced knowledge of underwater photography to take good photos. This can be a handicap for advanced photographers, who will miss more control of some features to increase the quality of their underwater photos.
Most compact cameras have small sensors, which do not adapt well to low light situations.
Compact dive cameras are usually waterproof and made to withstand shocks, making them ideal for scuba diving.
Mirrorless cameras
(Sony a6000, Panasonic GH5…) – Mirrorless cameras are at a higher level than compact cameras and are slightly below Reflex (DSLR) cameras.
They offer excellent image quality, portability, and ease of use thanks to their features and technology.
Unfortunately, mirrorless cameras are usually more expensive, since the underwater housings for these cameras do not usually cost less than € 500.
Reflex cameras
(Canon 5D, Nikon D7200…) – The diving reflex cameras are considered as the best option for professional underwater photography. They are very powerful, have great autonomy, and many objectives to choose from.
However, SLR cameras are large, heavy, and expensive for underwater photography.
The housings of these cameras are around € 1,000 and, in addition, their use is only recommended for photographers with some experience since otherwise, we can go bankrupt and not get very good images.
Size and weight
The size and weight of the photo sub equipment are also important when interacting with the camera underwater and when transporting it.
I advise that your diving equipment does not exceed 20 kilos so that you can transport it better and you do not have to pay an additional fee at the airports when you make a diving trip, so the underwater photography equipment should be as light as possible.

Keep in mind the size and weight of all equipment and not just the camera as additional accessories like strobe lights, extra lenses, and the case can make it uncomfortable to carry.
We will need a special bag or case to protect the underwater photography equipment. Here we leave you some ideal transport bags to avoid bumps and damage to our equipment.
The buoyancy and maneuverability are somewhat influenced by the size and weight of a team of underwater photography, but not much. Most of the camera housings are designed to be neutral in the water, so once we dive we won’t notice the weight of our photo sub gear too much.
Easy to use
When choosing an underwater camera, it is important to make sure that the controls and setup menus are easy to use.
If we have experience with several diving cameras, we will not have a problem but if we do not have the necessary skill, we will waste time and patience trying to get the correct settings for our photos or videos.
The best thing is to practice on the surface and know the appropriate settings for all kinds of situations, depending on the proximity and light.
Go around what you can at home and in the park to know the menus and then dive in, you will lose much less time if you take the lesson learned from home.
I recommend buying a camera with good manual controls and if you have difficulties with them, learn how to use them.
The underwater camera housings are designed to be able to use most of the camera controls. However, not all buttons may be available when we adapt a case, so you must make sure that the case fits perfectly to your model to avoid underwater problems with camera settings.
The usually manually it is much more advisable that the automatic modes when it comes to underwater photography. Most cameras are not intended for underwater photography, so autofocus often suffers when we have poor lighting conditions.
The white balance is another factor to consider in diving chambers and is usually a weak point in most of them. For this reason, a red filter is often used to compensate for additional blue colors resulting from poor white balance.
However, the diving cameras evolve and, luckily, we see how the new models improve in this regard.
Underwater housing
The underwater housing is as important as the camera, so we must be careful when choosing ours. The casing provides crucial protection against water, shock, and pressure. Underwater photography doesn’t hold up without a good cause, so let’s take a look at how it affects our gear.
Not all underwater shells are created equal and divers must know how to differentiate them. All sorts of features should be considered, such as maximum depth, construction materials, accessory ports, and internal components.

Each dive case is classified according to the maximum depth it supports and this has a lot to do with the manufacturing materials. Depths vary from 45 – 80m., More than enough for recreational diving.
The internal components of underwater housing can be physical or electronic. Electronic components are faster and more accurate but can fail more easily. The physical components are more uncomfortable, but they usually work better.
In addition, we must take into account if your underwater housing supports the adaptation of additional accessories, such as lights, floats, and lens ports.
materials
The underwater housings are made of high-quality plastic (polycarbonate) or aluminum.
Polycarbonate is lighter and cheaper but is more prone to breakage and internal fogging.
However, aluminum is the strongest and most durable material for an underwater case, but its price skyrockets. Aluminum housings generally offer more comfortable operation than polycarbonate housings, as the material and design are more optimized.
Underwater Housing Brands

Ikelite is the brand of underwater housings that offers the best value for money, as they are resistant housings and a little cheaper than Nauticam.
Fantasea is another classic brand of dive camera housings and offers good results at fair prices, similar to Ikelite.
The underwater housings SeaFrog has become fashionable in recent years for being cheaper, but the views of this brand tend to indicate that just breaking year or two years.
The Nauticam are of a higher level because they are made of aluminum and their price is usually around € 2,000. Pressure resistance, robust design, and an improved anti-breakage system make these housings the best on the market today.
Image / video quality
If you are just looking to take some photos of your dives and you do not mind having the best diving camera on the market, I recommend a cheap and easy to use a camera like the Olympus TG-6.
If you care a lot about the quality of your underwater photographs, you should bear in mind that the quality comes together with other factors such as the sensor, the lens, and the lighting.
Sensor
The camera sensors play an important role in the final result of the images. Larger sensors generally have a greater dynamic range and work best in low light situations.
Many mirrorless and DSLR cameras have large sensors, but they are also considerably more expensive options than the rest.
Lenses (Objectives)
Lenses also influence image quality and directly affect aspects such as sharpness, contrast, depth of field, and distortion. Choosing the right wet lens really often depends on the make of the lens and what is available.
illumination
The lighting is much more important in underwater photography of what we believe. Because water absorbs much of the light, water scenes are almost always subdued and colorless.
To really capture the essence of something underwater, you will need lighting equipment that complements your camera.
Artificial lights or strobe lights are the lighting accessories or accessories that will allow you to obtain more color and quality in your images. These underwater flashes offer us that artificial light that gives us color to what the water takes away from us.
For macro photography, you may only need a focus or strobe light. However, to get good wide-angle images, you will need two lights.
Other features
Many of the important features for terrestrial photography, such as autofocus, burst speed, and battery life, are just as important, if not more so, in underwater photography.
The best dive cameras have very good autofocus systems. We must keep in mind that visibility and contrast are limited in the water, especially when it is cold and visibility is affected.
The camera speed can be crucial to the creatures photographing fast-moving like sharks.
The battery life is also decisive, especially if we are going to link several dives.
The bulbs or strobes also have their own batteries. Depending on how long you are submerged, this may or may not be a problem.
Lens Selection
The lenses or objectives are factors that directly affect the image quality and greatly influence the nature of the photographs. Depending on the type of photos you want to take and what type of underwater housing you want to adapt your camera to, you should take into account what lens you use.
If you have chosen a compact diving camera, the lenses are not that important. Compact cameras already come with a built-in lens and their respective underwater housings are designed to fit them.
Compact cameras offer lower image quality and sometimes reduced fields of view (fields of view) compared to other options on the market.
Wide-angle photography and macro photography are the most popular underwater photography areas when diving, and most compact cameras only perform well in one or none of these areas.
To have a complete experience with a diving camera, you need a camera that allows you to change lenses. The best dive cameras have very good lenses for wide-angle or macro photography.
Budget
The underwater photography is not a cheap hobby, that’s the first thing to know. Between the camera, the lenses, and the underwater housing, you can easily spend more than € 1000, although they can be much more if you are looking for semi-professional underwater photography equipment.
The price is a very important factor for the quality of your images, but it is not definitive. Take a look at the sample images to see how real gems can be removed with non-professional underwater cameras.

If you are a beginner photographer, I advise you to start with an easy-to-use and low-cost option to explore the underwater world and see if you get hooked on taking underwater photos.
Once you have the experience, you can sell your equipment and move on to more advanced options.
I hope this best scuba diving camera for beginners helps you out! Now start making your decisions. Best Steel Toe Boots for Flat Feet