Buying the best lenses - and ports to use them in, can be a long-term value investment. Lenses and ports can be used over and over as you buy new cameras. Buying high-quality lens solutions as you can afford them is the best plan. However, planning what lenses to buy and what format to invest in is a very important decision.

This year Sea & Sea added a new strobe to their underwater strobe line-up: the YS-D3 Lightning. While Sea & Sea’s most popular selling strobe model, the YS-D2J, is the go-to for many underwater photographers, the YS-D3 Lightning offers a notable upgrade for fast-action shooters and macro enthusiasts alike.

Sea & Sea’s new YS-D3 Lightning Underwater Strobe is a full-featured strobe, elevating Sea & Sea’s already stellar lighting range to a new level. A significant upgrade from the highly popular YS-D2J, the YS-D3 Lightning is equipped with high-precision circuitry allowing continuous shooting at Guide Number (GN) 16. With a long list of impressive features, this strobe is well-suited for the demanding underwater photographer.

Lizard Island – Luxury Access to the Outer Reef 

An exclusive luxury resort, Lizard Island Resort has access to over 1000 hectares of National Park and 24 private beaches. With both inner and outer reef experiences, Lizard Island and the surrounding area showcases the true beauty of the northern Great Barrier Reef.

With an abundance of amazing dive locations around the world, underwater photography enthusiasts are traveling remote destinations in search of the best subjects – but getting your photography equipment around the globe can prove to be a challenge. Here are some tips and tricks from the Optical Ocean Sales team to help ensure your gear gets there safe and sound.

Heron Island - The Reef at your Doorstep

Stretching along Australia’s Queensland coast for over 1400 miles (2300 km), the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef ecosystem in the world. At the southern extent of the reef lies the world-famous Heron Island. While the island itself is home to many natural treasures, the surrounding reef is renowned as a world class diving location.

OOS Photo Expedition Trip Report: Triton Bay Divers & Damai II Liveaboard

Although most divers are acquainted with Raja Ampat, remote outlying areas such as Triton Bay are not so well-traveled. In March of 2019, Optical Ocean Sales led a photo expedition diving in Triton Bay for 5 days, then joining the Damai II liveaboard for diving in Triton Bay, and continuing northwest to dive Raja Ampat, ending in Sorong. Over the course of 16 days, we would have close to 50 dives offered.

Triton Bay is one of three regions in Indonesia’s West Papua province that comprise the Bird’s Head Seascape (the other two are Raja Ampat and Cenderawasih Bay). It is now considered by marine biologists to be the epicenter of the Coral Triangle and contains more fish and coral species than anywhere else on the planet.

Whether you prefer to keep your rig as lightweight and compact as possible, or if you’re still saving up for that second strobe, there is no reason you can’t achieve high-quality imagery using only one strobe!

Release the Kraken!

How an eight-armed thief stole my one of my strobes and arms in a tug-of-war at 65'.

By Pam Treischel

The newly released Sony a7R IV is a megapixel powerhouse that includes all of the most recent advancements in autofocus (AF) capabilities and processing power. Sony listened to their customers even when it came to making small, quality of life improvements including a deeper hand grip and better weather-proofing. While there is no doubt that the a7R IV has been getting a lot of attention recently, the a7R III isn’t showing its age just yet!  

Looking to get started in underwater photography? Or are you planning to upgrade from your current system? Here are Optical Ocean's top underwater camera choices for the winter of 2019-2020.

Choosing an underwater housing for your camera in an important investment that should be an exciting step in your photography or video ventures. With different options in features, construction materials and a range in price points, it can be overwhelming to find the right housing to fit your needs. In this article we try and help simplify the decision-making process by compiling a list of what we consider the pros and cons of underwater housings made by some of the most popular manufacturers on the market. Recognizing what a housing will and will not offer can help tremendously when deciding which one is right for you. Realizing that there is not a “one size fits all” solution, our purpose is not to recommend one housing over another but to give you the information to make an informed decision for yourself.