Medium Format Underwater: Nerves of Steel,
And A Wallet to Match

Medium format camera systems are no stranger to underwater photography. Indeed many of the pioneer underwater photographers utilized medium format; Hans Hass, Bob Kendall, Al Giddings, Jerry Greenberg, Jim Church, and Flip Schulke instantly come to mind. Thumb through the pages of vintage u/w photo books or Skin Diver issues and you find a plethora of images generated by medium format cameras.

What is medium format you ask? It is roll type film that is normally 60 or 70mm wide. The most common cameras will create an image that 6cm X 6cm, or 6cm X 7cm. This will yield a transparency or negative at least 4 times the size of a 35mm image. If you want to produce enlargements the fine detail will astonish you. If you are marketing your images, art editors will love you. The down side is 120 roll film will deliver only 12 exposures, and 220 film delivers 24, opposed to 36 exposure capabilities of 35mm. 70mm roll film can give more exposures, but there are financial prohibitions I will get back to.

New production underwater housings for medium format cameras will eat up your savings faster than the IRS on a witch-hunt. So if you have committed to the film format, the best way to avoid financial anorexia is to search for a housed system on the used market. Most u/w photographers will pick the camera system they love most, and purchase a housing for it. When searching for 120/220 systems you will avoid grief and frustration by locating a housing first, then purchasing a camera to fit inside. This is due to the much smaller numbers of housings produced in this format.

I will take this time to warn you that you are in deep (no pun intended) competition with collectors who are looking for pristine display pieces. This may drive the price up even higher than you wished to pay, but quality does not come cheap. I might also warn you to avoid the Healthways Mako, and Nemrod Siluro cameras. Though they can be obtained cheaply, are 120 format u/w cameras, and are easy to bring to serviceable condition; they are merely a Kodak Brownie with a bakelite u/w body. They are good for swimming pool snapshots and little else. The Internet explosion has made locating a quality u/w housing much easier via eBay and Amazon.com. The disadvantage of this resource is the possibility of purchasing a housing that may have wear or damage so great it cannot be repaired. Dealers in used photo equipment will offer guarantees that you may or not get on the auction sites. Caveat Emptor! The key is research, research, and research ! Read all you can find, ask questions of ANYONE that has any experience with the older stuff. Most divers love to swap ideas and info on their passions, and u/w photographers are the worst of the group. In the post-dive locker room (a.k.a. beach parking lot) find the group huddled around their u/w cameras and you can bet there is a lively discussion re: film brands, strobe outputs, lenses, TTL vs. mechanical, etc. This is partly due to their desire to impress each other with their own knowledge, and partly to find out what the other guy (or gal) is doing so they can beat them in the next photo competition. Use this display of U/W Photographer Darwinism to your advantage.

The 3 most common 120/220 systems I encounter are those for Hasseblad, Pentax 6x7, and my personal favorite: the Rolleimarin. If you find a housing for another type of medium format camera it will most probably be quite sufficient, just the result of lower production numbers. The Asahi/Pentax 6x7 housing are great if you desire wide-angle photography. The cost of the housing is a bit on the higher end of the spectrum, but the cameras and lenses are of a moderate nature. Bear in mind moderate pricing can be equivalent to much more substantial than 35mm cameras. No Pain, No Gain! The Hasseblad housing can also accommodate wide angle and macro lenses, but the cost is much greater. Also, 70mm roll film can be used with accessory backs that are necessary for both the camera and the housing. Difficult, but not impossible to locate for the latter. Do you smell your credit card smoking from the use? I can!

Lastly, the most common housing to find is the Rolleimarin, produced to be used with the Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera. This system was pioneered by the 20^th century's first underwater photographer; Dr. Hans Hass. It is smaller and lighter than the aforementioned systems, and much easier to handle underwater. The Model IV housings have a control turret that allows for either standard field photos, or close-ups at the turn of a lever. Unfortunately, wide-angle photos are not possible with this system. One significant advantage is the commonly available conversion kit to allow use of 35mm cassettes in your camera. This is quite handy on dive boats if you happen to run out of 120/220 film. I have post-dive beer, other photographers have 35mm filmÖ the only question is barter value.

The larger film uses lenses that are slower, f4 is most common, so big strobes are a must, and pairs are recommended. Can you once again smell your burning credit cards?

TTL is definitely not the norm here. So you will soon become a disciple of manual camera parameters. Mr. Ernest Brooks gives a wonderful lecture on underwater B&W photography in which all of his example photos have the same focus/aperture/shutter speed parameters, and all manipulation is done in the darkroom. Once again proving that knowledge and imagination are still the most valuable tools. The film itself and processing are only nominally more expensive than 35mm requirements. If you are looking for justifications of this format to give your mate, this may be the only one possible until you produce results.

So you have managed to purchase a housing and camera combination and you want to take it into the water to capture the photos you know you can produce. Not so fast! Ever see a Nikonos owner crying on the beach or boat because their beloved camera has flooded? Your own public display of grief will be proportionate to the cost difference between their camera system and your own. Before taking your 'new' camera into a hostile environment like the ocean, it will need a complete service, including a pressure test. This will correct any defects before major damage occurs. Bear with me as I take the time to stump for Sub Aquatic Camera Repair Co. We are one of the few companies that are willing to take on such an endeavor.

Once you have a complete, tested, and fully operational system you are ready to begin shooting medium format underwater photos. The hardest is yet to come; but well worth the invested money, time, effort, and patience to master the equipment. You may be hesitant to take such an expensive camera system underwater, but the potential results will offset the trepidation. And in the Underwater Photographer's Hierarchy; if you do so you will never have to prove your bravery otherwise.