Last May took the helicopter tour and got some awesome Na Pali shots with my SLR. This May we are returning (not soon enough!) and this year finds me with a new digital SLR AND a new wide angle lens!! We are considering taking a sunset Na Pali catamaran cruise as a photo opportunity (and of course just the pleasure of it!) but I have some concerns. Am I going to have to buy a spendy waterproof case/cover for my camera in order to keep it safe? (After buying this lens there%26#39;s not much $$ left!). How many photo opportunities will I actually have, as I hear these trips can be a bit choppy at times. I am not willing to take a lot of risk with my camera and equipment...but really want another NaPali photo opportunity!
Any other photographers out there with some experience in this area, would love to hear your thoughts. Mahalo!
Photography and catamarans?I had the same concern about my digital camera. We toured the Napali Coast with Napali Explorers. They recommend your camera be in a waterproof case or bag. They take photos of the entire trip and put them on a CD. You get the view the CD and decide if want to buy the photos - cost was about $21.00 - the photos were excellent. Check with the company you want to tour with and see if they offer photos of the trip.
I also purchased waterproof bags from the waterproofstore.com
I kept our camera in a bag (just to keep dry and safe from sand) plus keys, money etc in another waterproof bag. Put all in a small nylon fanny pack - right in the water with me and NO PROBLEMS! No worries about leaving valuables on the beach unattended either. Their SLR case runs about 120.00
Photography and catamarans?You won%26#39;t need an underwater housing, but will need something like the bags from Ewa Marine or Aquapac. I have never used one but it is the minimum I would require before taking any of my DSLR%26#39;s out on a catamaran
copy %26amp; paste for a view of one of them.
http://www.waterproofcases.net/slrcamera.html
At that prcie, I%26#39;m going to leave the DSLR in the condo and go with th the trusty point %26amp; shoot in a ziplock bag.
At that price . . . . .
Another option might be to contact one of the dive shops on the island %26amp; rent an underwater camera. There weren%26#39;t many, but most likely one rents a camera. Do take the time to clean the lens or covering over it of water droplets from the spray on a regular basis, something I need to learn.
big50...I agree totally with dry-docking the digital SLR. Point and shoot can do some justice to the scenery...but it is a trade off I guess. I liked the idea above by the post that suggested you buy the company%26#39;s CD even tho I like to take ownership of my shots. I lost use of a digital when saltwater dripped off my forehead and found its way into the electronics. It was not an expensive digital, not an SLR, but nonetheless I had to spring for a new camera to capture the moments of vacation.
did the sunset cruise with capt Andy to the Napalli coast and got some great shots. Didnt get wet at all...guess it depends on the sea conditions but when we went this past dec. it was very calm. Saw whales...bonus with that amazing coastline - the most beautiful scenary I have ever seen!
I gather (correctly?) that the risk of exposing your camera to water increases as the size of the catamarin decreases - in other words, a calmer and drier trip in the larger boats (with more people, sigh).
I%26#39;m not interested in point-and-shoot or somebody else%26#39;s photos, though I appreciate the suggestions! The point of the trip in large part would be to take my own photos, as I%26#39;m a passionate hobbyist. So I%26#39;m seriously considering squeezing the wallet for a waterproof case as I%26#39;m sure I would have other occasions to use it.
Still torn about morning vs sunset, small cat or larger cat, out of Port Allen or out of Hanalei (this will be in May). Many decisions but fun trying to figure it out! Mahalo for the input!
big50----I understand your feelings. The catamarans I%26#39;ve been on are quite large and had a downstairs dry sitting area. I did take my digital SLR and had many oppurtunities to use it when they stopped the boat periodically. When the boat was moving, I usually had my camera in it%26#39;s carrying case and down in the dry sitting area. If I wanted to take pictures while the boat was moving, I used me Point and Shoot Canon digital with it%26#39;s underwater housing.
I would recommend the sunset cruise for pictures. In the morning, the sun comes up over the Napali and washes out a lot of the picture. In the late afternoon, the sun is behind you and you have a good chance of seeing pretty blue skies over the Napali. The sunset cruise left early enough that we toured the Napali before it started getting dark. When the sun was actually setting, we were almost back to the dock.
Basically this is going to depend on conditions you can%26#39;t control (weather %26amp; waves) and your choice of equipment, and just how important your gear is to you. From what I see regularily on one of my photography forums there are 3 classes of housings that may fit your needs, but 1 is very expensive %26amp; not required for shooting from the boat. You have the inexpensive bag styles (still not cheap for a good one), what are known as surf housings, designed for shooting in the wet, but not designed for diving, and more expensive, or true underwater housings like we use when diving. They run from $1000 and up for DSLR versions. I suggest you check the following web site for some ideas of what might be available, and the prices.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home;jsessionid=F33P074Trv!135294564?O=productlist.jsp%26amp;A=FetchChildren%26amp;Q=%26amp;ci=11585
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