How to take top down pictures

[Ruth]

I have tried to take some top down pictures but between my lights and the surface water movement they are all crap. I don't have an underwater housing for my camera. Just wondering how people do it?

[Invigor]

turn off the pumps for the picture

[Ruth]

But isn't there a way to actually get closer? I don't know like maybe some kind of acrylic box or ??

[muck]

http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16042&highlight=camera+boat

[Andy]

Ruth

I just place a small sheet of acrylic on the water's surface and photograph down through that. No need to turn pumps off. You can angle the acrylic to reduce glare.

HTH

Andy

[EmilyB]

I have one of Kari's camera boats and it is fantastic. :cool:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

At OA, they have a couple of acrylic viewing cylinders and those work well for looking and taking overhead pics. Maybe someone can show a pic of one of these "camera-boat" contraptions to Ruth. They're fairly simple in design so it should be too hard to get made.

Anthony

[Ruth]

Thanks - you guys are great! I would love to see what one of those camera boxes looks like.

[OCDP]

Ruth, there is a pic in the link that muck provided :cool:

[Beermaster]

http://www3.telus.net/public/salomaa/ks/boat2.jpg

[Tman1973]

nice smokes :biggrin:

[OCDP]

booo smokes... just quit, 2 months and counting.... ahhhh

[Ruth]

That looks like it might work for me. I would be really really upset if I dropped my new camera in the tank!
BTW the smokes are not my brand!

[kari]

If you make one I would suggest adding some small acrylic pieces in the corners to act as feet because it seems like we all set them down on the clear bottom and it can scratch easily. Also, I think I would make it slightly deeper. If you let go of the camera by accident it apparently floats around tank (right Deb :rolleyes: )

The camera bolts on to the box.

Those aren't my smokes, must be Trevor's.

[Ruth]

How the heck would you bolt the camera on? With some kind of straps or something. My camera is pretty bit and heavy.

[kari]

Use one nylon bolt thru the acrylic box side into the camera's tripod bolt hole.

[Ruth]

Well isn't that a smart idea! Do you put a washer in to make sure it is waterproof too?

[kari]

I used a piece of 1/4" rubber

[Tman1973]

That's right they must be my smokes.....