Sony offers a variety of products that can enhance your leisure activities in and around the water. In addition to our full line of waterproof and splashproof cases that enable safe underwater and seaside photo and video shooting, our Cyber-shot models incorporate “Underwater Mode” to help you take pixel-perfect pictures every time. For even more ambitious types, there is a full array of optional accessories from SEA&SEA Sunpack Co., Ltd., specialists in underwater photographic equipment.
Lightweight and convenient to use, the Marine pack, provides waterproof protection up to a depth of 40m/132ft, making it ideal for shooting pictures while scuba diving. And because the Marine pack is an exclusive Sony design, it complements Cyber-shot digital cameras beautifully in terms of form and function to make camera functions such as the lever-operated shutter and even the unique “Underwater Mode” readily accessible.
Why is it necessary to have a dedicated Underwater Mode? Because the deeper you go, the bluer everything becomes as water absorbs light from the red side of the colour spectrum first — in the order of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. This means that red will fade away at shallow depths, then orange, yellow and so forth as you go deeper in the water.
*Colour hues will vary depending on water transparency levels.
Improved white balance adjustment makes the red and orange colours brighter and clearly visible on the photo to the right.
The Underwater Mode works like a series of built-in colour filters to help compensate for the fading of colour hues underwater. It also automatically adjusts white balance to ensure that beautiful underwater images can be attained without an external strobe.
WB (Auto)
The camera automatically adjusts colour hues underwater so they appear more natural.
Underwater Mode 1
Compensates for underwater situations when blue hue is strong.
Underwater Mode 2
Compensates for underwater situations when green hue is strong.
If you own a Cyber-shot model offering simple camcorder capability then recording video underwater becomes less of a dream, more of a possibility because you can use the camera's Underwater Video Mode to take movies with the Marine pack attached. The latest T Series and certain W Series* Cyber-shot models are also capable of recording movies in 720p HD (1,280 x 720 pixels at 30fps), allowing you to easily record exceptional movies with high resolution and vivid colours via the Underwater Mode.
*Applicable models are DSC-T900, DSC-T90, DSC-W290 and DSC-W270.
With Cyber-shot models featuring 9-point AF (left), it was difficult to focus on just the subject matter in the centre. However, with the new AF (right), the centre has a larger area and is given priority. (Simulated pictures)
When your subject matter underwater is moving or swaying back and forth, you want a camera with wider auto-focus area. The new Cyber-shot cameras feature a two-step auto focus that prioritizes focus in the centre area first, and then expands the focus outward using the larger multi-frame.
The Macro Mode enables autofocusing from as close as 2cm/ 0.8in* away and is useful for taking close-ups of small subjects. When diving, this mode is indispensable for taking higher quality close-up shots of aquatic life such as small fish, shrimps and other small creatures.
*This feature varies depending on the model.
The Marine pack cases are designed exclusively for the Cyber-shot digital still cameras and they have a brand-new look with a stylish black housing that not only complements the camera body but is also inconspicuous underwater. And, because the Marine pack is perfectly matched with the Cyber-shot, most essential camera features can be operated even when it is housed in the case. What's more, the slim design of the T series Marine pack fits perfectly into a pocket on the BCD jacket.
SEA & SEA Sunpak is an independent manufacturer and distributor of underwater photography equipment including lenses, lighting apparatuses, cables, and more. Accessories can help to make shots taken underwater look more natural while giving them an added professional quality. Click on the icon below to visit the SEA & SEA website and learn more about its new line-up of accessories designed to enhance the performance of Sony's Cyber-shot cameras.
The Marine pack as well as other water- and dust-proof cases are designed to fit with virtually all Cyber-shot cameras. So click on the icon below, and go to the compatibility chart to find a pack that's just right for you.
