The video equipment in those days was analog and there were continuous breakdowns of the cameras and the wire for the video feed to topside. The darkroom was fairly straightforward, and worked quite well, even when we did color printing, but the still cameras were a nightmare.

We started the job using Nikonos III underwater cameras, made by Nikon. There was only one problem; the cameras were rated to 160 feet (49m) and the bottom depth in the Forties Field went down to 425 feet (129m). We knew that the true depth capability of the Nikonos was probably deeper than its rating, we just did not know how deep it would go. One day we got a call from the office that we should test the Nikonos to see exactly where it would fail. I had the chance to blow one of the cameras down in a decompression chamber until it imploded, which it did at exactly 320 feet (97m), twice the rated depth, but still inadequate for our needs.

To get around the depth limitations of the Nikonos, we drilled out the bottom of the camera body and installed a small brass ball valve to equalize the pressure. In theory, this was a great idea, because the divers could take the camera inside the bell with the valve open, equalize the pressure, close the valve, and use the camera at whatever depth was needed. In practice, the idea was a miserable failure, because the only place to hang the camera inside the bell put the body upside down and as soon as the divers opened the valve, salt water sprayed inside the body.

The second season of the inspection job, somebody came up with the idea to take a Nikonos and build a housing for it that would handle the bottom depths that we needed. This was a good idea that worked, but we were still tied to the film development processes of the day. This meant that for every 12-hour dive, we wouldn't know whether the photos were any good until at least an hour after we got the camera back to the surface.

In later years, I went on a number of Gulf of Mexico jobs where I would fly out to an offshore structure, shoot the pictures, complete my decompression, and process the film in the bathroom on the rig. It still wasn't the best answer, but it was the only answer we had at the time.

Fast forward to today, with digital cameras available in a widening array of sizes, styles, and capabilities. Although the first digital cameras on the market produced mediocre images, today's electronic wonders produce photographs that are every bit as good as film, if not better.

Digital photography allows you to store, catalog, and retrieve images more easily than ever before. In addition, digital images save time and money, and are environmentally-friendly since they eliminate the chemicals used in photo processing. Besides making prints, digital images can be instantly transmitted via email and used for computer-projected presentations or websites.

Selecting the Right Digital Camera
Most of the digital cameras available now have capabilities that far exceed the needs of the average user, but may have features that will be important to the commercial diver performing underwater inspection work. You will probably want a camera that is able to do more than produce nice photos of your son's baseball team.

When you evaluate most digital cameras, you will find that the price of the camera is usually directly proportional to the image size the camera is capable of producing, i.e., the more expensive the camera, the larger the image size the camera delivers. Of course, there are other features that also relate to the price of the camera, and these will all affect your selection.

The following are a list of recommendations for the diving contractor who wants to make the switch to digital underwater photos:

• Select a camera that will produce a large enough file size that you can produce at least an 8-by-10-inch image. If you're doing inspection work, your clients may very well want prints of this size. You should purchase a three megapixel camera at a minimum.
• Choose a camera that allows you to adjust the for the light level by adjusting what's known as the ISO setting. Underwater you will want to set your ISO setting at 400, 800, or even 1000. An ISO setting of 1000 will capture more light and be better under darker conditions than an ISO setting of 400. You really need to be able to shoot in the manual mode to get good photos underwater.
• Select a camera series where the design has remained relatively constant. This will allow you to purchase a housing for the camera that will, hopefully, work with the next generation model. For example, the Olympus C2020, C3030, and C4000 cameras are similar enough that you can use the same housing for all three cameras. Similarly, in the digital single lens reflex (SLR arena), the Olympus E10 and E20 bodies are nearly identical. These cameras are also widely available and easily replaced.
• To produce optimal photos of platform nodes, pipelines, or pier pilings underwater, you will need a camera with a wide-angle lens capability. Wide-angle lenses allow you to get close to your subject when the visibility is low. Even in relatively clear water, a wide-angle lens is still desirable to get the most detail and vibrant colors in your photos.

  Most digital cameras, unfortunately, do not provide as wide an angle as you may need to take photos of large subjects like wrecks, platform nodes, or pipelines. This is due to the fact that the image-capturing chip in all but the most expensive digital cameras reduces the lens image to a fraction of what the lens sees. In situations where wide angle is essential, you will need either a lens adapter for the camera or a lens adapter for the housing.

• Check to see if some type of macro adapter is available for either the camera or the housing. Close-up shots are essential if you need to provide inspection photos of welds, or cracks in concrete.
• You will want a camera that allows you to manually override the automatic settings and adjust the exposure settings for underwater use.
• Most importantly, be sure there is a housing available for the camera you choose. There are more digital cameras than there are housings and, generally speaking, you will only be able to find a housing for the more popular cameras.

Selecting the Right Housing
To date, no one has produced a digital equivalent of the discontinued Nikonos camera, so if you want to take digital photos, you need a housing for a topside camera. Fortunately, there are many different housings on the market, but for a commercial operation you will want something built for rugged use. Inexpensive housings will not stand up to the rigors of commercial diving. They may be fine for a recreational diver exploring a reef in tropical waters, but they will not perform under demanding conditions.

Your housing should reproduce most, if not all, of the controls that are available when you operate the camera topside. You will need to be able to change camera settings as conditions change underwater, so you must have access to as many of the control as possible.

One of the greatest things about shooting digital underwater is the ability to see your results instantly. Your housing should have a window that allows you to see your images while you are still underwater, enabling you to tweak the settings if your exposures are not perfect.

While you may be tempted to use this feature to allow you to see which pictures you may want to delete, it is usually wise not to delete any of the photos until you have had a chance to view them topside on a computer screen. Many times you can correct some, if not all, of the problems with a particular photo by manipulating it in your computer by using a photo-retouching program such as Adobe Photoshop.

You want a camera and housing combination that allows you to turn off the camera's built-in flash and use one or more external underwater flash units that connect to the housing through a waterproof bulkhead connector. Unfortunately, the built-in flash units that come with most digital cameras are worthless underwater and you will need an electronic underwater flash to properly light your subjects.

Look for a housing that has a double o-ring seal for the back and lens. This arrangement will give you greater reliability and help reduce the chance of leakage.

Be sure to check the depth rating of the housing. Good ones will generally go to at least 200 feet (61m) and many will go even deeper. Some housings feature a lens system that will allow you to change external lenses underwater, so you can switch between wide angle and close-up. By changing between lenses, you can shoot an overall photo of a weld and a defect in the weld on the same dive. Obviously, this can be a desirable feature, depending on the type of work you do.

Check the warranty and service capabilities of the manufacturer, as well as their reputation for standing behind their products. Some manufacturers are notoriously slow in providing service.

Putting It All Together
The ideal package for a commercial underwater digital photography system would include the following equipment:

• Camera, housing, strobes, and strobe arms - all small enough to fit in a waterproof case that will fit under an airline seat.
• Plenty of batteries and several large-capacity compact flash cards (256MB).
• Laptop computer with high-speed modem, a PC card slot, and a compact flash card adapter.
• Adobe Photoshop software.

With this package, you could go out to a job virtually anywhere in the world and send photos back to the client immediately after the dive. What could be better than this?