Hand held system for close-range underwater photography composing and focusing

A system for composing and focusing a hand-held underwater camera system includes a first light source and a second light source which each emit a beam of visible light through the water. The two visible non-laser light beams converge at a light intersection within the field of view and the depth of field of the lens. The camera system and a photography subject, such as a fish, are moved with respect to each other until the two light beams, which converge at a beam intersection, converge on the photography subject to indicate that the photography is in focus and within the picture area. A mount holds the lights in relation to the lens, and the mount is readily removable for use on hand-held underwater cameras for close-up and macro photography within fifteen inches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to underwater photography and more 
specifically to a system for composing and focusing and aiming a hand-held 
underwater camera system for close-up and macro photography. 
Underwater photography can provide excitement and challenge for scuba 
divers in capturing on film the myriad of life forms and other photography 
subjects underwater. Several underwater camera systems are commercially 
available including Nikonos brand systems, Sea & Sea brand systems, and 
other systems for still and video cameras including those using an outer 
housing encasing a land camera. Close-up and macro photography offer 
exciting opportunities for the underwater photographer since many of the 
fish and other subjects are better formatted using close-up and/or macro 
equipment. 
Typically, close-up and/or macro equipment includes supplementary lens 
systems and/or extension tubes as are known in the art. However, such 
systems have a notably shallow depth of field and, due to parallax 
problems with the viewfinder, present difficulties for a scuba diver 
wearing a scuba mask in composing and focusing on underwater photography 
subjects. It is believed that a substantial percentage of underwater 
photographs which are taken are not suitably focused or composed due to 
these problems, resulting in the loss of a considerable number of 
potentially quality photographs. 
The prior art approach is the use of a system utilizing either a wand and 
framer, a wand and goal post, or simply a wand to provide a physical 
reference point to define the picture area for the underwater 
photographer. For example, the Nikonos system uses a wand and framer. The 
wand is mounted to the underside of a close-up lens, projecting forwardly 
the focusing distance of the lens. The framer is attached to the distal 
end of the wand and provides a rigid frame around and defining the picture 
area. 
These focusing and composing systems, while providing acceptable results in 
some circumstances, create significant problems. For example, such framers 
and/or wands are by design readily visible under water and, accordingly, 
tend to frighten sensitive tropical fish, making it extremely difficult to 
take their picture. Literature in the industry suggests a great deal of 
time and patience is required to lure such subjects into the framer, such 
as with bait, to be photographed. Accordingly, it would be desirable to 
have a system which facilitates luring the fish into the picture area 
without spooking the fish. 
Additionally, these wand and wand and framer systems are typically rigid 
structures. There is a problem caused by underwater photographers jamming 
these rigid devices into ecologically fragile coral reefs, sponges and 
other life forms. This results in damage to the environment and/or bending 
of the rigid framers. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a 
system which does not utilize rigid structures which damage the system or 
the delicate undersea environment. 
Some literature indicates that these shortcomings are significant enough 
that the wand and framer should be completely removed, and the 
photographer instead should rely on various estimates (such as using the 
photographer's arm length as a substitute wand) to avoid these problems. 
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages while providing an 
excellent system for aiming, composing and focusing a hand-held underwater 
camera system at close range. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to one embodiment, the present invention provides a focusing and 
composing system for underwater photography with a hand-held waterproof 
underwater camera system having a lens, wherein the lens has a field of 
view with a central point of focus located a focusing distance in front of 
the lens, and wherein the lens further has a depth of field in front of 
and behind the point of focus. The system includes a first waterproof 
light source mounted in a predetermined location with respect to the lens, 
wherein the first light source emits a substantially focused first light 
beam of visible light having a wavelength between 400 and 700 nanometers 
through the water in a predetermined direction with respect to the lens, 
and a second, similar waterproof light source. A common support member 
which is readily mounted to and readily removable from the hand-held 
camera system mounts the first light source and the second light source 
thereto in the predetermined locations with respect to the lens. The first 
light beam and the second light beam converge together at a beam 
intersection, wherein the beam intersection is located in the field of 
view of the lens and within the depth of field of the lens enabling 
composing and focusing of the camera system on a photography subject prior 
to taking a photograph by moving the camera system and the subject with 
respect to each other until the first light beam and the second light beam 
converge on the subject at the beam intersection. The hand-held underwater 
camera system has a viewfinder system without through-the-lens viewing, 
the viewfinder system having parallax with the camera system lens 
rendering the viewfinder system significantly inaccurate for composing the 
camera system during close-range underwater photography. The lens is for 
close-range photography within a focusing distance less than fifteen 
inches for use by an underwater diver holding the camera system in close 
proximity to the photography subject, wherein the beam intersection of the 
first light beam and the second light beam is located a distance in front 
of the lens ranging between four and fifteen inches. 
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved system for 
aiming, composing and focusing an underwater camera system. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system which is 
more environmentally safe, resulting in little or no damage to underwater 
coral reefs and the like. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system which 
eliminates, or at least reduces, the propensity for spooking sensitive 
fish during composing and focusing. 
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be 
apparent from the written description and drawings herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the 
invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the 
drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will 
nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the 
invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications 
in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles 
of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would 
normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, composing and focusing system 21 is shown in 
connection with a hand-held underwater camera system 23. In the 
illustrated embodiment, camera system 23 consists of a Nikonos-V 
underwater camera including lens 25. As shown, lens 25 includes an 
exterior close-up lens attached to the 35 mm lens mounted in the camera. 
Camera system 23 also includes a strobe-flash unit 27 attached to the 
camera by bracket 29 (see FIG. 1). Note that in FIG. 1 flash 27 and 
bracket 29 are shown only partially and are shown cut away. Such bracket 
and strobe systems are well-known such as the Nikonos SB 102 or the 
Nikonos SB 103 systems. This overall type of camera system is well-known 
in the art and this type of system is further described in a book entitled 
"The Nikonos Hand Book" written by Jim and Cathy Church, ISBN 
#0-9616093-0-3, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Of course it is 
to be understood that camera system 23 is merely illustrative, the present 
invention also being utilizable with other underwater camera systems 
including systems made by Sea & Sea, such as for example the Motormarine I 
and the Motormarine II. 
Camera system 23 includes shutter release 31 which is pressed to expose 
film within the camera system to produce a photographic image. Viewfinder 
32 is separate from the camera system's lens and does not provide 
through-the-lens viewing. Also, while viewfinder 32 is useful for general 
photography with standard lenses, when close-range photography subjects 
are in focus close to the lens, there is significant parallax between the 
viewfinder and the lens, rendering the viewfinder inaccurate for aiming 
and for composing the camera system. Moreover, in some systems such as the 
illustrated Nikonos-V brand system the close-up lens mounting obstructs 
viewfinder 32. Lens 25 in the Nikonos-V system as illustrated includes a 
base lens 25B and close-up lens 25A mounted on the outside of the base 
lens. Lens 25 and more specifically close-up lens 25A includes a shoe 
receiver 33 secured to the bottom-side of lens 25, and more particularly 
on the bottom-side of the close-up lens attachment portion of lens 25. The 
shoe receiver provides a female receptor to receive a male shoe slid from 
front to rear for mounting therein. The present invention may be 
permanently mounted to close-up lens 25A which in turn is removably 
mounted to the remainder of the camera system. 
FIG. 7 illustrates and exploded view of camera system 23 with camera body 
34, lens 25 including close-up lens 25A and base lens 25B, shoe receiver 
33, shoe 99, set-screw 97, and support member 95. Alternatively the 
invention may be mounted to an extension tube accessory mounted between 
the base lens and the camera body. Close-up lens 25A may be omitted and an 
extension tube inserted between camera body 34 and base lens 25B with a 
shoe 33 on the bottom side of the extension tube for macro photography and 
with the focusing distance varied accordingly. 
Lens 25 has a field of view illustrated by the phantom line vectors A, B, C 
and D (see FIG. 1). The volume within these vectors constitutes the field 
of view which defines the picture area to be taken by the camera system. 
Under optimal focusing conditions, plane Y defines the picture area. Plane 
Y is located a focusing distance "FD" (see FIG. 2) in front of lens 25 
which, with this particular system, is 9.25 inches. Note that point of 
focus F is located in the exact center of the picture area plane Y, lying 
along the central axis defined by lens 25 in front of the lens. 
Plane Y lies in between plane X and plane Z within the field of view of the 
lens. Planes X and Z define the outer limits of the depth of field of lens 
25 both in front of and behind picture area plane Y and point of focus F. 
As is known generally in photography, the depth of field will vary 
depending on various factors such as the f-stop of the lens, the focal 
length of the lens and the focusing distance of the lens. Note further 
that in a strict sense planes X, Y and Z are believed to more precisely 
constitute spherical or quasi-spherical surfaces, but are referred to as 
planes herein for simplicity of illustration. Accordingly, the field of 
view defined by vectors A, B, C and D and the depth of field defined by 
planes X and Z defines a three-dimensional volume of water within which 
the camera system 23 will take a picture of a photography subject in focus 
(the "focus volume" ). 
The present invention provides a first light source 100 and a second light 
source 200 which are mounted in a predetermined location with respect to 
lens 25. First light source 100 emits a substantially focused beam of 
visible light 101 into the volume defined by the field of view and the 
depth of field of the lens, and preferably directed at the point of focus 
F. Similarly, light source 200 emits a substantially focused beam of 
visible light 201 into the volume defined by the field of view and the 
depth of field of lens 25 and to intersect light beam 101 at beam 
intersection 300. Preferably, beam intersection 300 coincides with point 
of focus F. However, beam intersection 300 may fall within other locations 
within the field of view and the depth of field of the lens to utilize the 
present invention, and may even fall within the fringes of the focus 
volume. Beam intersection 300 provides a reference point in free space 
from which the photographer may compose and focus the camera without 
having to look through viewfinder 32. 
Light sources 100 and 200 may be of a variety of designs to actively emit a 
beam of light visible to the human eye with wavelengths ranging between 
400 and 700 nanometers. In the illustrated embodiment, the light sources 
comprise independent underwater flashlights, preferably compact and less 
than six inches in length, having a substantially focused beam and 
containing their own batteries, light bulb and switching circuitry. One 
example of a suitable flashlight is the Q-40 model offered by Underwater 
Kinetics of San Marcos, Calif., U.S.A. Other light sources may be used 
including ones with a common battery pack and switching circuitry, 
fiber-optics including focusing lenses for focusing the light beam, and 
the like. Light beams 101 and 201 are substantially focused. Although 
there is some latitude in the degree of focus, a spot caused by the beams 
on the photography subject ideally is not greater than about two or three 
inches across, although this may vary so long as the beam is sufficiently 
focused to allow identifiable convergence on the photography subject for 
composing and focusing. Preferably, the beams are not laser beams, but 
instead beams having multiple wavelength, multiple color light such as 
white light. In this way, when the beams remain on during exposure of the 
photograph, there is more even coloration if any residual light from the 
beams, over and above the illumination by the strobe flash, appears in the 
photograph. Also in this regard, the intensity of light beams 100 and 200 
is relatively low enough that they would not provide sufficient 
illumination for proper exposure without the significant added light from 
strobe flash 27. 
Light sources 100 and 200 are waterproof and are each located in a 
predetermined position with respect to lens 25. In the preferred 
embodiment this is accomplished by having the light sources mounted in 
common support member 95. FIG. 8 shows a detail of one example of such 
mounting. Light source 100 is mounted in yoke 90 of support member 95. 
Such yoke may completely or partially surround light source 100, and 
mounting may include the use of a set screw 92 as illustrated, friction 
fit, rubber straps, or any other form of attachment. Support member 95 may 
have a multitude of configurations, the important feature being that it 
holds the light sources fixed during photography in a predetermined 
location with respect to the lens and orients the light sources so the 
light beams 101 and 201 each point in a predetermined direction with 
respect to lens 25 to provide convergence at beam intersection 300. The 
housing or mount 95 may be constructed of a variety of materials, such as, 
for example, aluminum or other metal, or plastic, such as 
acrylic,--transparent or otherwise. In the illustrated embodiment the 
light sources are mounted to support member 95 which in turn is mounted to 
lens 25. Such mounting to the lens is accomplished by shoe receiver 33 on 
the bottom side of the lens for receiving shoe 99 (See FIG. 6). Set screw 
at 97 is rotatable about a vertical axis to hold shoe 99 and shoe receiver 
33 in snug relationship to one another. Such shoe and shoe receiver 
configuration may be identical to the shoe/shoe receiver/set screw 
configuration used by the Nikonos system for mounting a wand and framer 
with respect to the lens. The shoe receiver generally has a frontal 
cross-section of a downwardly pointed "C" to provide a female receptacle 
for the male shoe 99 to slide therein. Of course, other mounting systems 
may be utilized. For example, mounting may be accomplished directly to the 
camera, such as into a threaded hole on the bottom side of the camera 
adapted for flash bracket 29, or mounting to a shoe on the top-side of the 
camera. The mounting system may be integrated into the strobe-flash 
bracket. Other camera systems may be adapted as well to provide for 
mounting of the light sources with respect to the lens. 
FIG. 2 illustrates a top-plan view of the present invention illustrating 
angular relationships between lens 25, light sources 100 and 200, and 
point of focus F. Note that in FIG. 2 the strobe flash is not shown for 
drawing clarity. The configuration may be treated as right triangles with 
three sides generally referred to as the lens axis side (lens to point of 
focus), the support offset side (lens to light source), and the light beam 
side (hypotenuse, light source to point of focus). With such 
configuration, the inwardly directed angle between the support offset side 
and the light beam side of the triangle is determined by calculating that 
the sine of the angle equals the length of the lens axis side divided by 
the length of the light beam side. The system is hand-held and preferably 
compact with light sources spaced apart not more than about twenty-four 
inches. 
Referring to FIGS. 3-5, a series of views is shown from the prospective of 
lens 25 showing the field of view defined by plane Y. FIGS. 3 and 5 show 
the photography subject S, a tropical fish, out of focus. FIG. 4 shows 
subject S in focus. FIG. 3 illustrates subject S too far away from the 
lens, or in other words beyond the outer depth of field as defined by 
plane Z illustrated in FIG. 1. Accordingly, in the illustrated embodiment 
light beams 201 and 101 are separated, with light beam 201 being to the 
right of light beam 101. Conversely, FIG. 5 shows photography subject S 
too close to the lens, or in other words, proximal to the depth of field 
as defined by plane X illustrated in FIG. 1. Likewise, light beams 201 and 
101 are separate, with light beam 201 being to the left of light beam 101. 
Note that several techniques are available with the present invention to 
allow the photographer to determine readily whether a non-converging light 
beam is too close or too far. One technique is to have the light beams be 
slightly divergent beams, resulting in the light beams appearing larger in 
FIG. 3 than they do in FIG. 5. The photographer may also move the 
hand-held system with respect to the photography subject and observe 
whether the light beam dots on the subject move together or apart, and 
thereby increase or decrease the distance until the subject is both in 
focus and aimed and composed without using the viewfinder. 
FIG. 4 shows light beam 101 and light beam 102 converging on subject S, 
indicating that the subject is within the focus volume, and preferably is 
at point of focus F. Although preferably light beam convergence consists 
of exact beam convergence, it is possible to embrace the spirit of the 
present invention overall even if the light beams are oriented in near 
proximity to one another, such as directly vertically above one another. 
Furthermore, it is to be understood that the mounting positions of the 
light sources do not have to be symmetric with one another so long as they 
intersect as described. Additionally, the light sources may be placed 
above and/or below the lens, although in the preferred embodiment they are 
located in a horizontal plane with lens 25 for geometric simplicity. Also, 
more than one light source may be utilized, such as for triangulation. 
The present invention provides an additional advantage beyond reducing the 
propensity to spook fish and beyond being ecologically safer. In 
particular, the present invention provides the photographer with greater 
creative control. In conventional framer systems, it is generally 
understood that the strobe flash unit must be placed more or less directly 
above the lens and in axial alignment with the picture area, otherwise the 
framer will cast a shadow on the photography subject. With the present 
invention which has the field of view and focus volume free of wands and 
framers, there is no physical object to cast shadows on the photography 
subject. Accordingly, the photographer has greater latitude in selecting a 
flash angle to provide desired lighting effects. Note also that light 
sources 101 and 102 are sufficiently bright to allow focusing and 
composing, but are considerably dimmer than the light produced by the 
strobe-flash unit. Typically, the difference is at least a factor of ten. 
In this way, the light spots caused by the present invention are washed 
out by the strobe flash so that the photograph does not show a light spot 
where light beams 101 and 201 were present on the subject. The light 
sources may also provide illumination generally and for composing during 
night dives, reducing the need for additional lights carried by the diver. 
The present invention is especially well suited for close-up photography as 
well as for macro photography. Such photography can include magnification 
with a film size to picture area size (image size) ratio of 1:11 or less 
and with a focusing distance FD of between about four inches and fifteen 
inches. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the 
drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as 
illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that 
only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all 
changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are 
desired to be protected.