Underwater photography made easy with the Fuji XP150

As a diver, I’ve never been drawn to underwater photography.  For many years, I’ve watched as divers prepare their cameras before getting in the water.  It always seemed complicated and far too much like hard work.  Confusing terms like ‘white balance’ left me cold.   And  many divers seemed so obsessed with taking that one perfect shot, they forgot to look around them and see the sharks silently cruising behind them in the blue.

But that was then.  I’m now the proud owner of a Fujifilm FinePix XP150 Digital Camera which is waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof.  I used it on a trip to Queensland as one of a group of 10 bloggers invited to sample the delights of holidaying in the Tropical North.  With an itinerary which included scuba diving, kayaking and zip lining, this camera seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

So, my first challenge was that I don’t read manuals so I had to learn to use the XP ‘on the job’ and I have to tell you that, for a digital device, it is very intuitive, quick to change settings and is proving to be a perfect intro camera for my budding interest in underwater photography.

By the time that I got to dive, I’d had a good few days to become more confident with my new best friend but the thought of taking it underwater was slightly worrying. Everyone I spoke with seemed to have a scare story of cameras flooding so I did a full backup of the SD card, threw caution to the wind, set the camera to underwater mode and took a giant stride with the XP150 looped around my wrist.  However, I did wait until the third dive of the day which was going to be shallow, not more than 15 metres.

The results were better than I could ever have hoped for (see the gallery).  It really is just point and click. So, I’m hooked.  I see the XP150 as my first foray into what, I know, is going to give me years of enjoyment. Thank you Fuji!

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