Best Underwater Cameras for Beginners

The Best First Underwater Cameras - A Comparison

Beginner Camera Guide

GoPro Hero9 Black | Olympus TG-6 | SeaLife Micro 3.0 | Canon G7X Mark III

Smart Phone Housing | Other Camera Options

You’ve just completed your open water certification, you’re getting more and more comfortable in the water, and you think it’s time to invest in your first underwater camera to record your dive adventures. The question is, which camera is best for entry level photographers? At Bluewater Photo, we’re happy to share our expert advice. Here are our top beginner cameras and briefly lay out the pros and cons of each.

GoPro Hero9 Black

Best for Video

	PROS	CONS
	Ergonomic - Easy to operate	No complete manual control settings
	Front & Back Touchscreen Display	No viewfinder
	Expandable Mods System	No zoom capabilities underwater
	5k video at 30 FPS - great for slow motion playback	Requires wet macro lens for subject closer than 12 inches, macro capabilities still not effective as TG-6
	Hypersmooth 3.0 Stabilization
	Horizon Leveling
	Removable battery - 1720mAH lithium-ion
	WiFi capabilities
	Low price point for camera and housing - $450
	Water resistant to 30 feet without housing; with housing (only $50) - rated to 196 feet

If your emphasis is video and not stills, the GoPro is a great choice.

Recommended Accessories

PolarPro Divemaster Filter Kit for Hero9 Black Protective Housing

Polar Pro Shutter Collection for Hero9 Black

GoPro Sale!

Olympus TG-6

Great Option for Stills with Good Video Quality

	PROS	CONS
	Best option for still photography	Larger size vs. GoPro and Paralenz
	Optical zoom ability	No viewfinder
	More sensitivity to light - ISO 100-12800	No manual control settings which limits creative wide-angle options
	4k video with super macro autofocus	$750 price point for camera and housing makes it the most expensive of the “starter” options
	4k timelapse video
	LCD screen
	Raw and JPEG shooting
	Action track sensors record location, temperature, direction and altitude data
	WiFi capabilities
	Works well with wide angle wet lenses - Kraken KRL-02, AOI UWL-04
	Only requires housing below 50 feet
	Housing ($300) rated to 147 feet/45 m

Hint: You can save money and get the Olympus TG-5

Recommended Housings


	Olympus PT-059 Housing	Nauticam NA-TG-5, TG-6 Housing

	Ikelite TG-5, TG-6 Housing	Isotta TG-5, TG-6 Housing

Recsea TG-5, TG-6 Housing

SeaLife Micro 3.0

Best Image Quality & Solid Wet Lens Options

	PROS	CONS
	1” 16MP Sony sensor	No zoom capabilities
	RAW and JPEG shooting	When shooting in RAW, frames per second is limited
	4K Video @ 30fps	When shooting in RAW, frames per second is limited
	Full manual mode, great for wide-angle	64Gb Internal Memory
	Good wide-angle wet lens available	$600 price point
	2.4” LCD display
	WiFi capabilities
	Camera includes housing rated to X feet
	200ft depth rating