The equipment must be waterproof and prepared for the changed properties of light and colors. For example, you should know that water works like a filter for colors: the deeper you dive, the more the colors lose their effect. The red tones are noticeably lost from a depth of 5 meters, and orange disappears from around 15 meters. And then Nemo & Co. no longer look colorful and cute, but rather boring.

Anyone diving deeper than 30 meters will no longer see any yellow tones, green loses its effect from around 50 meters. If you want to show corals and fish in full color, you have to stay on the surface of the water – or take countermeasures with a red filter. From a water depth of 10 meters, it makes sense to use additional lighting such as a flash or a lamp.

Incidentally, waterproof does not mean that a device must also be suitable for underwater recordings. Although many current smartphones are waterproof to IP67 or IP68, this does not apply to salt water or under the increased pressure conditions when diving. If you want to take photos in the sea, you should either leave your smartphone on land or use a special diving case. Thanks to the integrated buttons, sufficient operation is also possible. Usable models are available for some smartphones and promise a tightness up to 50 meters water depth. But we wouldn’t rely on that. If you don’t just want to snap a few snapshots on the surface, you’d better get an extra camera for sharp pictures. The risk of water damage on a smartphone that costs 800 to 1200 euros appears to us to be too high.

Some cameras like the Gopro Hero 7 black (test report) or the DJI Osmo Action (test report) are waterproof without an additional housing, but the manufacturer’s guarantee does not cover water damage. This also applies to most of the underwater housings available for compact cameras, smartphones or camcorders. The reason is easy to understand: In order to really hermetically seal the device, seals are used. If these O-rings are dirty or damaged, they do not hold tight – and this is the sole responsibility of the user.

In case of doubt, a lint pinched in the sealing ring is sufficient to let water penetrate – we have seen this ourselves. Gopro and other manufacturers point this out in the small print and give tips on how to care for the camera and housing in order to maintain the tightness. If you want to work with your equipment underwater, you should follow the advice and handle all flaps and seals very carefully. If you want to know how an underwater camera or an underwater housing is cleaned, you can find it on YouTube matching tutorials.

Basically, it is only worthwhile to film and take photos underwater when the light and visibility conditions are good. If the lighting is poor, the ISO value goes up in automatic mode, which promotes image noise. The recordings then appear washed out, dark and unclean. If you are still not satisfied with the colors and the brightness, you should post-process the images on the computer.

Action cams with underwater housings offer the cheapest entry into the world of underwater photography. These are available in numerous variants and for a manageable budget. In order to take reasonable pictures with it, the camera should film in a resolution of 1080p (and higher) and be equipped with an electronic image stabilizer. Our purchase advice for 4K action cams up to 200 euros shows that it does not automatically have to be the most expensive action cam on the market for sensible recordings.

If you opt for one of the top models Gopro Hero 7 black (test report), Hero 8 black (test report), DJI Osmo Action (test report) or Insta360 One R (test report) due to the best image quality, you can do this without an additional housing up to a depth of Use 10 meters. However, caution is advised here. This is theoretically sufficient for snorkeling tours, but the waterproof cameras are usually not equipped for use in salt water. With regard to the above-mentioned exclusion of water damage, we also recommend using a special underwater housing for these models. Should the camera housing fog up slightly under water, so-called anti-fog inserts can help. These absorb moisture reliably and cost only a few euros. Based on experience, the purchase is worthwhile.

If you want to use the action cam mainly under water, you should take a look at the diving cameras from, for example Actionpro or Paralenz throw. These are specially designed for use below the surface of the water.

In addition to the action cams, there are a number of alternatives for taking pictures under water. These include outdoor cameras from Nikon, Olympus or Lumix. Their maximum diving depth is in part below that of action cams with underwater housings; but they are ideally suited for snorkeling tours and dives at shallow depths. Here, too, the seals should be checked before the dive and, if necessary, cleaned. However, you often have to do without an optical zoom here. In principle, this has no effect on high image quality. We would not find the analogue single-use underwater camera, which is still often offered at holiday resorts, because the quality is usually disappointing.

If you want, you can even go to a diving station with its 360-degree camera in a waterproof housing. The prerequisite is a really tight housing and trust in the sealing rings. If you don’t plan to go deeper and take care of the case, you will get real VR and 360-degree recordings from the underwater perspective. In addition to the fact that you can’t film past the action with it, this type of camera offers another advantage: Current models, such as the Insta OneX (test report) or One X2 (test report), have excellent image stabilization on board. This also transforms restless recordings into attractive video material. As an alternative to the special housings, universal housings for 360-degree cameras (test report) are also available. However, we have not yet discovered suitable color filters for 360 cameras.

Very well stabilized videos under water should also be possible with the Osmo Pocket from DJI (test report). The combination of 4K camera and gimbal can at least convince on land. The underwater housing from DJI, which has been announced for several months, is still not available. If you want to accept the risk of water damage, you can get suitable housings from third-party manufacturers on Ebay. Our tip: wait until the original accessories are available.

Underwater housings for compact cameras are also a promising way to get pictures below the surface of the water. However, reasonable and high-quality cases are not exactly cheap. The special housing for the Sony Cybershot DSC RX100 III, for example, costs more than half the price of the actual camera. Or in other words. There is also a brand new Gopro Hero 6 for the price of the case.

If the photo quality is crucial, you should still invest the money. Action cams take photos and videos, but the real strength is clearly in the video area. Compact cameras are much more suitable for photos.

There is a huge selection of underwater accessories, especially for action cams. If you don’t want to lose the compact action cams under water, you should get a buoyant handle or at least an arm loop. To keep your hands free, snorkel masks or diving goggles with an action cam holder are also suitable.

If you want to record what is happening above and below the surface of the water at the same time, you should purchase a so-called dome housing. The effect basically works without this extra, but the handling is then much more complicated.

For recordings below 5 m, a red filter should be used in front of the lens. This ensures much more natural colors. If you want to film in lakes and rivers instead of in the sea, you need a magenta filter. This improves recordings in waters with a high proportion of green. The following video shows what recordings look like without filters, image stabilization and anti-fogging insert.

A filter is no longer sufficient, especially for close-ups and diving depths below 10 m. An underwater lamp ensures good results. These are already available for a few euros, but you shouldn’t expect too much from the cheap models. A perfect illumination under water is extremely difficult. This is mainly due to small suspended particles that reflect the light. The lighting should be stable on the camera but as far away from the lens as possible. Without expensive brackets, this is difficult to implement in practice.

Recordings under water are possible at a reasonable cost. Your own smartphone is sufficient for the swimming pool, while snorkeling or in the swimming pool you can get away very well with an inexpensive action cam and underwater housing. If you want to dive properly, there is no avoiding special equipment – technically it is also cheaper, but colorless, dark and shaky shots do not pull anyone under their spell.

Regardless of whether it is cheap or expensive, equipment should always be properly checked and maintained when diving. Otherwise, a grain of sand in the seal can quickly lead to a nasty surprise and unnecessary costs.