Scuba Diving Camera Mask by Liquid Image

Underwater cameras are great for recording your diving adventures, but it means you've got to hang on to your camera for the entire dive, even when you're not using it. Liquid Image has come up with a better solution - a dive mask camera that allows you to take photos and videos without carrying an extra piece of equipment. The company manufactures several different camera masks made for scuba diving, as well as masks suitable for snorkeling at shallower depths. Here's a look at their innovative scuba diving mask cameras.

(Image courtesy Liquid Image)

Liquid Image's new wide angle scuba diving camera mask was released in December 2011. The new mask includes a 136-degree wide-angle lens, which is significantly wider than the 54-degree lens on the previous model. Both have the same focusing range of .5 to 3 meters. Customers like it; as of this writing, it has an average 4.5- out of 5-star rating on Amazon.

Liquid Image is known for integrating cameras into sports equipment, including dive masks and goggles for both offroad and snow sports. For scuba divers, they've released a series of masks good to 130 feet. These underwater camera masks can record still photos and HD video and are designed to be easy to use, even with gloves on.

The good thing about a scuba mask with an integrated camera is that you can keep your hands free. The bad thing is that, unlike underwater housings and diving cameras that are designed to be used with an external strobe, there's no light source on your mask. And that means you either need a separate light source or you better resign yourself to dark, flat, blue photos. Who wants that? Liquid Image sells a few underwater torches (aka flashlights to Americans) that can be attached to the mask with a single screw. Of course, you can also use a handheld light, but there goes the advantage of not having to carry any equipment. This light can also be used with any other cheap scuba diving camera you might want to select.

In addition to the dive camera masks shown above, Liquid Image also makes masks designed for snorkeling and shallow water sports. These masks are now rated for deep water and are cheaper than the models designed for scuba diving. Here are some of their products on Amazon.

eBay is always a great place to look for a deal on just about anything, including dive masks. Here are some current listings on the "world's largest marketplace."

This short video from Amazon shows actual footage shot from a Liquid Image mask camera.