Sealife DC1400 Tips & Technique Manual
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Sealife DC1400 Tips & Technique Manual

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See also: Instruction Manual , Quick Manual
Photo by Annie Crawley
Over the last 20+ years of developing underwater cameras and lighting systems, we have received
countless pictures - some great ones that we post on the
not-so-great pictures along with your request for help and advice.
While underwater photography certainly has its challenges, we found that most "bad" pictures are the result
of not following a few simple and basic principles. When you understand and apply these basic principles,
your results will greatly improve.
Photo by Karl Lauderback

Great Pictures Made Easy

with SeaLife DC1400 UW Camera
Capture the Magic
As a scuba diver, you have encountered coral reefs teaming with strange
creatures and vibrant colors that appear as if they were from another planet.
You know what it's like to float effortlessly without gravity. You have learned
to use your eyes to see and experience the underwater world, one of the
greatest miracles on earth.
You capture these treasured moments with your underwater camera to relive
the adventure and share your experiences with friends and family. Of course,
there is no better way to tell your story than with pictures and videos
As the manufacturers of SeaLife, we believe that an easy to use underwater
camera will help millions of divers and non-divers to experience and see a
part of our world which is essential to our survival. And we hope that you will
enrich and enlighten your life by capturing valuable impressions in the
underwater world with your SeaLife Camera.
SeaLife website Photo/Video
Photo by Nadia Aly
Gallery, and some

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Summary of Contents for Sealife DC1400

  • Page 1: Great Pictures Made Easy

    As the manufacturers of SeaLife, we believe that an easy to use underwater camera will help millions of divers and non-divers to experience and see a part of our world which is essential to our survival.

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Backscatter or “Marine Snow” III. Restoring lost colors a. Use the SeaLife Digital Flash and/or Photo-Video light accessories b. Use SeaLife underwater color correction modes Taking underwater pictures without an External Flash or Photo-Video light a. Set the camera’s scene mode to Dive Mode [or Snorkel mode] b.

  • Page 3: Know Your Basic Camera Settings

    This guide will teach you the basic principles of underwater photography and how to take great underwater pictures with your SeaLife camera. Before you start, you should read through the camera’s instruction manual and become familiar with the basic camera settings and button controls.

  • Page 4: Underwater Basics

    Underwater basics There are a few important differences between underwater and land photography that you should know. a. Light and Color – Water is about 800 times denser than air. As you descend deeper into the water, the light conditions become darker. The water absorbs red, orange and yellow color, which makes everything look blue.

  • Page 5: Effects Of Water Refraction

    This fish appears inside of 6ft/2m, but is actually actually 3ft/1m away 8ft/2.4m away The SeaLife Fisheye Wide Angle Lens compensates the underwater magnifying effect and allows you to get closer to the subject and still fit everything in the picture.
  • Page 6 The external flash is positioned very close to the camera lens. Notice all the backscatter in the top of the image Here the external flash is positioned away from the camera lens. There is practically no backscatter.
  • Page 7 DC1400 shown with Flash Diffuser attached Underwater photography using an external flash (strobe) or photo-video light results in the brightest, sharpest most colorful pictures, with minimal or no backscatter because the light source is positioned away from the camera lens.

  • Page 8: Restoring Lost Colors

    Taken with flash to reveal the vibrant colors From left to right: SeaLife DC1400 Sea Dragon Pro Set (SL735); SeaLife Sea Dragon 2500 Photo-Video light; SeaLife DC1400 Sea Dragon Pro Duo Set (SL736) with flash and 2000 lumen photo-video mounted on Flex-Connect dual tray.

  • Page 9: Use Sealife Underwater Color Correction Modes

    Method 2: Use SeaLife underwater color-correction modes If you do not have an external flash or photo-video light, you can use the DC1400 camera’s built in color-correction filter to restore lost colors. Set the camera to Dive Mode for depths greater than 25ft (8m) or Snorkel mode for shallower water.
  • Page 10 “blue” effect by selecting the appropriate WB. The White Balance setting is located in the camera’s MENU. Here are some common ones you will find in your SeaLife camera: o Auto White Balance – The camera will do its best to automatically detect what the correct WB balance should be, but this will not work underwater.

  • Page 11: Taking Underwater Pictures With An External Flash

    Setting the camera’s scene mode to Ext Flash Auto – The Ext Flash Auto Mode is a SeaLife exclusive exposure program that takes properly exposed pictures when using one or two external strobes. NOTE: If combining external flash with a photo-video light, select Ext Flash + Light scene mode and continue on with the following information.

  • Page 12: Exposure Control - Adjusting The External Flash Brightness

    Far Flash - Sets the camera exposure to take brighter pictures. This is ideal for longer shooting distances beyond 6ft / 2m. Macro Flash - Sets the camera exposure to take darker pictures and prevents over- flashing close-up subjects. This is ideal for close-up distances within 3ft / 1m shooting distance. Normal Flash [No icon] –...

  • Page 13: Using A Diffuser For Better Close-Up Pictures

    d. Using a diffuser for better close-up pictures A diffuser snaps onto the flash head to help soften the light, prevent over-exposure of close-up subjects, and results in richer color balance of pictures. The Digital Pro Flash Diffuser (Item SL9618) is available as an optional accessory for the Digital Pro Flash (Item SL961), and the Sea Dragon Flash (Item SL963) includes a diffuser.

  • Page 14: Taking Underwater Pictures With A Photo-Video Light

    Taking underwater pictures with a Photo-Video Light When shooting with one or two Sea Dragon Photo-Video lights (i.e. no external flash), set the camera’s scene mode to Ext Light In this mode, the camera’s flash setting will be turned OFF and the white balance setting will be “Ext Flash”...
  • Page 15 In order for the camera to quickly and accurately focus, there must be sufficient light to illuminate the subject. The camera cannot focus on something it does not “see”. In low light conditions, use the SeaLife Sea Dragon Photo-Video Light accessory to help the camera focus in low light conditions and produce brighter, more colorful results.
  • Page 16 Remember to turn Quick Shot OFF if you want to resume using the camera’s auto focus. Quick Shot mode is also very useful when shooting with the SeaLife Fisheye wide angle lens accessory (SL975) because the lens has an extremely wide depth of field. Set the camera to macro focus and take a picture of something at 3ft/1m shooting distance, which represent “infinity”...

  • Page 17: Basic Tips On Taking Great Pictures

    VIII. Basic tips on taking great pictures Now that you know the major effects of water on shooting underwater pictures and how to adjust the camera controls, let’s learn some basic tips on taking great pictures. a. Control you buoyancy – Be very calm and patient, and let that curious fish get closer and closer.

  • Page 18: Shoot Up, Not Down

    c. Avoid backscatter - Don’t stir up the sand and debris on the bottom. Avoid using the camera’s built-in flash. The built-in flash is very close to the camera lens and illuminates all the particles in front of the lens. If using an external flash accessory, aim the flash towards the outer edge of the picture from, not towards, the center of the image.
  • Page 19 e. When taking pictures of your buddy, he or she should be no more than 6ft / 2m away for a good picture. Use the wide-angle lens accessory for group shots, so you can get everyone in the picture and still keep your shooting distance within 6ft / 2m. Photo by Dan Johnson f.
  • Page 20 Underwater video Taking video with your SeaLife digital camera adds the element of motion and action to your underwater adventure. DC1400 Camera with Sea Dragon 2000 Underwater Photo/Video/Dive Light. Here are some tips to shooting great video: a. Hold the camera steady. Hold the video camera steady on a particular scene. Avoid panning left, right, up and down unless you are following a subject.
  • Page 21 A great place to start is the free Underwater Photography Made Easy iBook from SeaLife that covers positioning, macro, wide angle, video, buoyancy and more with easy to apply instructions. You can download the iBook or a PDF version on the SeaLife website.

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