Sealife DC2000 User manual

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Great Pictures
Made Easy
with the Camera

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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 oat 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 underwater camera will help
divers and non-divers to experience and see a part of our world which is essential
to our survival. We hope that you will enrich and enlighten your life by capturing
valuable impressions in the underwater world with your SeaLife Camera.
Over the last 25+ years of developing underwater cameras and lighting systems,
we have received countless images - many of which have been posted to the
SeaLife website Photo/Video Gallery.
While underwater photography certainly has its challenges, we found that most
poor pictures are the result of not following a few simple and basic principles.
When you understand and apply these basics, your results will greatly improve.

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I. Basic Camera Settings
II. Underwater Basics
III. Restoring Lost Colors
IV. Taking Underwater Photos without a
Flash or Photo/video light
V. Taking U/W Photos with a Flash or with a
Flash and Underwater Photo/video light
VI. Taking U/W Photos with a Photo/Video light
VII. Focusing Tips for Taking Sharp Pictures
VIII. Basic Tips for Taking Great Pictures
IX. Underwater Video
X. Using Manual Mode Underwater
XI. Alternative DC2000 Camera Modes
XII. Recommended Menu Settings
XIII. Take Your Photography to the Next Level
Table of Contents
Photo by Tobias Friedrich

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I. Basic Camera Settings
II. Underwater Basics
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.
Download the Instruction Manuals Here
Follow this link to a helpful video about the DC2000
There are a few important differences between underwater and land photography
that you should know.
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.
The diagram to the left demonstrates
the effect water has on light and color
as depth increases. That is why many
underwater pictures turn out blue. There
are a couple of ways to restore lost colors,
which are explained later in this guide.
a. Light and Color

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Coral, sponges and most other underwater
sea creatures are bursting with colors.
Brilliant reds, vivid orange and bright yellows
highlight the underwater world. These intense
colors help to camouage the sea creatures.
Since red and yellow colors are absorbed by
the water, the sea creatures appear colorless
unless you bring a light with you and uncover
the hidden treasure of colors.
b. Effects of Water Refraction
Water has a magnifying effect. Objects underwater appear 33% larger and closer
than they actually are. It tricks you into underestimating your shooting distance. One
important rule for achieving colorful and sharp underwater pictures is to keep your
shooting distance within 6ft/2m or within the effective range of your ash or photo-
video light. 4ft/1.5m or closer is better. An adult’s arm is approximately two feet long,
so if your subject is more than one and a half to two arm lengths away, it’s too far for
your ash/photo-video light to be effective. Get closer or change the camera to the
Dive or Snorkel mode (See Page 9).
This Angelsh appears 2ft/60cm
away but is actually 3ft/1m away This sh appears inside of 6ft/2m,
but is actually 8ft/2.4m away
Expand your viewing angle with a SeaLife 0.5x Wide Angle
Dome Lens or the 0.75x Wide Angle Conversion Lens that
compensates the underwater magnifying effect and allows
you to get closer to the subject and still t everything in the
picture. These lenses are ideal for shooting still images as well
as videos. They can be installed or removed underwater.
Using a Wide Angle Lens allows you to get closer to the
subject so that you will be within the effective range of your
external ash or light.

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The above two pictures demonstrate why you should not use the camera’s
internal ash unless you are taking close-up macro (within 12”/30cm) pictures
in crystal clear waters. The camera’s internal ash is not very powerful and
positioned too close to the camera’s lens, so it’s only useful for close-up pictures.
No matter how clear it may look underwater, there are always plankton and tiny
particles suspended in the water. You may not see the particles with your eyes, until
you light them up with a ash or photo-video light. The small white dots that appear
in your underwater pictures are called “backscatter”. The closer the ash or light is
positioned to the camera lens, the more backscatter you will see.
c. Backscatter
The external ash is positioned very close to
the camera lens. Notice all the backscatter
in the top of the image.
Here, the external ash is positioned away
from the camera lens. There is practially no
backscatter.
The DC2000 features a built-in Flash Diffuser into the housing. The same
location allows you to mount the included ash link adapter and optical
cable(s) when shooting with an external ash.

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Underwater photography using an external ash (strobe) or photo-video light with
a Flex-Connect Arm results in the brightest, sharpest most colorful pictures, with
minimal or no backscatter because the light source is positioned away from the
camera lens.
Positioning the ash or light next to the lens (Figure 1) illuminates the front of the
particles facing the lens. Positioning strobe away from lens (Figure 2) illuminates
the sides of particles not visible to the lens.
Figure 1 Figure 2
How to Avoid Backscatter
• Avoid using the camera’s built-in ash unless shooting close-up macro
pictures in clear water.
• Use an external ash or photo-video light positioned away from the lens,
which produces the brightest, sharpest and most colorful pictures while
minimizing backscatter.
• Keep your shooting distance within 10% of your visibility. If the visibility is
30ft/10m, limit your shooting distance to 3ft/1m.
• ISO settings of 200 or higher are much more sensitive to backscatter when
using an external ash and/or photo-video light.
• Don’t stir up the sand and debris on the bottom. Control your buoyancy.

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III. Restoring Lost Colors
Blue pictures are the most common complaint among beginning underwater
photographers, but it’s easy to improve. Here are two primary methods to bring
back the lost colors absorbed by the water:
Method 1
Use the SeaLife Sea Dragon Digital Flash and/or Photo-Video light accessory
(sold separately)
Taken without ash - image
lacks color
Taken with ash to reveal the
vibrant colors
From left to right: SeaLife DC2000 Pro Flash Set (SL745), SeaLife DC2000 Pro 2500 Set (SL744),
SeaLife DC2000 Pro Duo Set (SL746) with ash and 2500 lumen photo-video light mounted
on Flex-Connect dual tray.

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Method 2
Use SeaLife underwater color-correction modes
If you do not have an external ash or photo-video light, you can use the DC2000
camera’s built in color-correction lter to restore lost colors. Set the camera to
Dive Mode for depths greater than 25ft (8m) or Snorkel mode for shallower wa-
ter. Dive mode will add a little more red and yellow to the image than Snorkel
mode. These color correction modes work well in water depths less than about
60ft, where the ambient light conditions are not so dark. At greater depths, there
is a complete absence of reds and yellows, so color correction modes/lters are
not so effective. An external ash or photo-video light is the most effective way to
restore color at any depth or ambient light condition.
What’s the difference between an external ash and photo-video light?
• A ash (or strobe) can only be used for still photos, not video. A photo-video light can be
used for photos and videos, as well as viewing in low light.
• An external ash is typically brighter and has longer range than a photo-video light. The Sea
Dragon Digital Flash has an effective range of about 6-8ft, while the Sea Dragon 2500
Photo-Video light range is about 4ft, depending on visibility and ambient lighting conditions.
• A photo-video light is easier to use than a ash because the camera “sees” the effect of the
light and automatically adjusts exposure accordingly. What you see is what you get. With a
ash, the camera won’t see the light until the ash res, which typically requires some
ne-tuning of the ash brightness to optimize image exposure.
• A photo-video light can also be used as a focusing light to assist the camera’s auto focus
system in lower light conditions.
Normal underwater picture at 25ft without Dive Mode
With Dive Mode color correction - restores lost colors

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IV. Taking Underwater Photos Without an
External Flash or Photo-Video Light
Now that you have learned how water affects underwater pictures and how
to restore lost colors, let’s learn how to take the best underwater pictures
without an external light source. Even if you are using a SeaLife external ash
or photo-video light, this information will be useful for taking photos and video
with subjects further away.
1. Set the camera’s scene mode to Dive Mode [or Snorkel Mode] –
a. Turn the Mode dial to the icon
b. Push the Menu key
c. Scroll down to “Underwater Scene Modes” and push “OK” button
d. Scroll up/down to select Dive (or Snorkel) mode and push “OK” button. The
Scene mode is saved when powering off the camera.
e. The rst thing you will notice is that the viewing image on the LCD display
appears red in color. That’s the effect of the underwater color correction
lter. Underwater, the viewing image will look natural. In Dive/Snorkel mode,
the camera automatically turns the Flash off to help avoid backscatter.
Picture taken at 25ft/8m without Dive Mode Picture taken at 25ft/8m with Dive Mode
Photo by Tobias Friedrich

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Auto White Balance (AWB) – The camera will do its best to automatically detect what the
correct WB balance should be, but this will not work underwater. Only use the Auto WB for
land pictures. It offers no color correction for underwater photos.
<25ft/8m – This WB setting is the default used by the Snorkel mode and is referred to as Blue
Water Shallow. This setting adds some color correction and is most effective for shallow
water at depths less than 25 ft/8m. This setting is ideal for use in clear tropical water.
>25ft/8m – This WB setting is the default used by the Dive mode and is referred to as Blue
Water Deep. It adds more color correction and is effective from 25 feet to approximately
60 feet. This setting is ideal for use in clear tropical water. Note: In dark conditions (e.g.,
underneath a ledge) or at depths greater than about 60ft/18m, the color correction will not
be as effective and may result in dark or grainy pictures – consider using an external ash or
photo-video light accessory, which works well at any depth.
“Green Water” or “Blue Water” – Ocean and fresh water will take on a greenish color if it
contains a high concentration of algae. If the water contains little or no algae, it will take on
a blue color tone. Just look at the water from the surface and you should be able to see if
the color tone of the water is blue or green. If you are diving in water with a greenish tint, use
the color corrected WB setting referred to as Green Water.
Manual white balance – The color tone of water varies depending your depth or local
diving conditions. You can achieve near perfect color correction by manually adjusting the
camera’s white balance. Remember that the color tone will change as you change depth.
To manually set the white balance, go to the White Balance menu and select “Custom”.
Aim the camera at a white slate [card] and push the OK button. The slate should now
appear white on the camera’s LCD display.
2. Built-in Flash setting – We recommend keeping the camera’s built-in ash OFF
when taking underwater pictures using the Dive or Snorkel modes. Turning the
ash ON will increase the backscatter and cancel the color-correction effect.
3. Fine-tuning the White Balance color-correction Setting – Adjusting the White
Balance (WB) setting will compensate for undesirable color casts, so that
white objects appear white in your pictures and videos. Selecting the Dive or
Snorkel mode allows you to correct for the underwater “blue” effect. The White
Balance setting is located in the camera’s Main MENU and applies to both still
images and videos. Here are some common ones you will nd in your SeaLife
camera:

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V. Taking Underwater Photos with an External Flash
or External Flash with a Photo-Video
Now that you have learned how
water affects underwater pictures
and how to restore lost colors, let’s
learn how to take some great pictures.
This section covers how to take the
best pictures with the external ash. If
you are using a photo-video light and
without external ash, skip to the next
section VI.
Photo by Chase Darnell

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1. Setting the camera’s scene mode to Ext Flash Auto
With the Mode dial set the “Fish” icon, select the Ext Flash Auto Mode
This is a SeaLife exclusive exposure program that takes properly exposed
pictures when using one or two external strobes.
NOTE: If you are using an external ash and a photo-video light (pictured
above), select Ext Flash mode and continue on with the following
information.
a. Turn the Mode dial to the sh icon
b. Push the Menu key
c. Scroll down to “Underwater Scene Modes” and push “OK” button ( when
in menu mode, the focus key will be the up key and the ash key will be
the down key)
d. Scroll down to select Ext. Flash and push “OK” button
e. Push the menu key to get out of the menu mode
f. Your camera is now set to Ext. Flash . The Scene mode (Ext. Flash) is saved
when powering off the camera.

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The Sea Dragon Flash auto brightness feature works by measuring the amount
of ash reecting off the subject into the light sensor located on the front
face of the ash. If the ash measures a high amount of light reecting off of
the subject, it will cut-short the ash before it deploys the full ash and over-
exposes the subject. If the ash measures a low amount of light reecting off
of the subject, it will deploy the full ash.
The light sensor may be ne-tuned on a scale of 1 to 10 to match the
camera’s exposure sensitivity. For the DC2000, we recommend calibrating
the light sensor to 1, which is ideal for camera’s with better light gathering
capabilities. Follow these steps to calibrate the auto brightness sensitivity to
“1”:
1. Turn the ash power to ON
2. Set the brightness dial to #1 (or #2)
3. Push and hold the TEST button down for 4 seconds
4. The ash-ready light will blink a few times indicating the new Auto bright
setting is saved in memory
After calibrating the ash, set the Auto Brightness setting (A) and take a few
test pictures. You may re-calibrate the light sensor to a higher value if you nd
the pictures are under-exposed.
2. Exposure Control: Using the Sea Dragon Flash Auto Brightness Setting
Brightness
Control

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Brightness set to “10”
Brightness set to “7”
Brightness set to “4”
3. Exposurecontrol:Adjustingtheexternalashbrightness
Adjust the brightness control on the back of the
strobe head away from “A” to a number setting.
Turning the brightness control dial to a lower setting
will reduce the ash brightness and result in a darker
picture. This is very useful to prevent over-ashing
the picture.
Turning the brightness control dial to a higher setting
will increase the ash brightness and result in a
brighter picture.
If you prefer, you can cancel the Auto Brightness setting and manually control
the ash brightness.

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6. ColorandWhiteBalancewhenusinganexternalashaccessory
There is no need to make any color correction when the camera is set to
ExtFlash Mode. The external ash accessory produces “white” light mimick-
ingsunlight. The default white balance when shooting in Ext Flash mode is
called“AWB” (Auto White Balance). No matter what setting you choose in
theDC2000 White Balance menu, when the ash is turned on, the camera us-
esa special white balance (locked at 5500K) to match the color temperature
of the external ash.
Tip: When shooting beyond the effective range of the ash, change the UW
scene mode to Dive or Snorkel depending on your depth.
5. Edge Lighting: Direct ash head slightly away from the subject
Aim the ash head(s) away from the center of the target so just the outer
edge of the ash reaches the subject. You can also point the ash at a
nearby object and bounce the light towards the subject.
4. Using a diffuser for better close-up pictures
The Sea Dragon Flash includes a diffuser that
attaches to the front of the ash head. The
diffuser helps to soften the light, prevent over-
exposure of close-up subjects, and results in
richer color balance. We recommend removing
the diffuser when shooting distance is greater
than 4ft/1.2m for maximum ash brightness.
Flash aimed at center of picture frame Flash aimed at edges of picture frame

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VI. Taking Underwater Photos
With a Photo/Video Light
When shooting with one or two Sea
Dragon Photo-Video lights (i.e. no
external ash), set the camera’s
scene mode to Ext Light .
In this mode, the camera’s ash
setting will be turned OFF and the
white balance setting will be “AWB”
to match the color temperature
of the photo-video light. Since the
ash is turned off in this mode, you
can choose to use Daylight white
balance depending on your personal
preference. When shooting beyond the
effective range of the photo-video light,
set the white balance to one of the color-
correction modes (See section IV, page 9)
Photo by Chase Darnell

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Controlling the image exposure is easier when using photo-video light(s) because
the camera automatically adjusts exposure based on the ambient lighting
conditions and amount of illumination emitted by the light. What you see on the
LCD display before taking the picture is how the picture exposure will turn out.
Just make sure to limit your shooting distance to within the effective range of the
photo-video light, which is about 3ft to 4ft depending on visibility, ambient lighting
and the light’s lumen specication. The closer your shooting distance the better
the results.
a. Turn the Mode dial to the sh icon
b. Push the Menu key
c. Scroll down to “Underwater Scene Modes” and push “OK” button ( when in
menu mode, the focus key will be the up key and the ash key will be the
down key)
d. Scroll down to select Ext. Light and push “OK” button.
e. Push the menu key to get out of the menu mode
f. Your camera is now set to Ext. Light. The Scene mode ( Ext. Light) is saved
when powering off the camera.
Setting the camera’s scene mode to Ext Light Mode
Photo by Mark Guinto

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When you take images underwater
during the daytime and use an external
ash or photo-video light, the ambient or
surrounding light often competes with the
articial light. Sea Dragon photo-video
lights have multiple brightness settings (full,
half power, quarter power) that can be
adjusted by pushing the Power Button. For
daylight use, we recommend the full power
setting. For images created in deeper water
where ambient light is not so great, the half
power setting works very well. For night dives
(and other darker dives where ambient light
is reduced), use the quarter power setting.
Reduced light settings result in longer
battery life.
Since photo-video lights are turned on for extended periods of time, it is useful
to monitor the battery status indicators. The Sea Dragon photo-video lights
feature three battery status indicators. Three solid (blue) indicators represent
100% battery power remaining. Two solid (blue) indicators represent 75% battery
power remaining. One solid (blue) indicator represents 50% battery power
remaining. One blinking indicator represents 25% battery power remaining.
Power
Button
Battery
Status
Indicators
Photo by Tobias Friedrich

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The Sea Dragon ex arm accessory is a very useful accessory for limiting
backscatter in your photos and videos, especially at night. The ex arm can
be used by itself as a replacement for the grip or connected to the top of the
grip as an extension.
A nal word of advice. Remember to use the proper white
balance settings. If your DC2000 is set in the Dive or Snorkel mode,
the camera is adding color correction. If you use the photo-
video light in these modes, the still images and videos will
record with a very red tint.
Remember to match your camera’s white balance setting
to your primary light source. If you are using
ambient light(sunlight), choose the Dive or
Snorkel mode to add color correction. If you
are using a ash accessory (with or without
photo-video light), choose the External ash
mode. If you are using a photo-video light(s)
only, choose External Light mode.
Photo by Tobias Friedrich