How to get proper looking White Balance underwater (a7sII,a7rII,A6300,a6500,RX100MV)

[Felipe Chacon]

Video tutorial:

So I've been shooting with the a7sII in Cocos Island for a year know as my underwater camera and one of the main drawbacks I had was the color accuracy.

You can get:

-Everything in washed out blues

-Blue water appears purple

-White balance shifting mid shot

-Or you need to use ultra bright lights (5000+) lumen and sharks stay away

 

So I started trying different things and my final solution is a combination of elements used by other people.

 

First, you will need to get a red filter to use in front of your lens (can be a hard one screwed on the housing or can be put inside the housing like a gel one). There is a site: http://www.magic-filters.com

I find his filters of good quality and they are tested for underwater use (different tones produce different results that's why a filter made for underwater use is better)

 

Second, You need to get the EOSHD Pro Color for Sony. http://www.eoshd.com/2016/11/now-available-eoshd-pro-color-for-sony-cameras-including-a7s-ii-a7r-ii-and-a6300/

This is just a picture profile is not an update and you can make one yourself, some people were offended by what they got when they paid but if you don't have the patience and the time to go diving multiple times until you perfect your own picture profile then just pay the 15 bucks it cost.

 

When you use the filter you are bringing back the reds you lose under the water. But using a filter darkens the image so be wary of your camera ability to see in the dark...

Then the picture profile further boosts the reds and takes away some of the yellowish greenish look of the Sony cameras and your image will start looking a bit more like Canon colors underwater.

 

Third and finally is the White Balance settings of the camera:

When shooting ambient light from the surface to 30ft/10m deep you can use auto white balance.

When shooting below 30ft/10m you can use