Auto Magic Filter AM3 for digital Compact cameras

RM215.00

Blue to blue green water. Auto white balance.

The AM is a 50x50mm sheet of Auto-Magic filter. Given the massive variety of digital compact cameras being used on underwater, we offer this single size of filter for the photographer to trim and fix to their lens. Depending on the size of the lens on your camera you will get between one and four filters per sheet.

We made three types of filter for digital compact cameras. This filter, the AM - Auto-Magic, is designed for use in blue to blue-green waters. Unlike our other filters this filter is designed to work with the auto white balancing (default) setting on your digital compact camera to make great colour underwater photography point and shoot simple. The Auto-Magic filter works best at shallow depths, where you will have more time for photography. It is also excellent for turning your digital compact camera into a video camera.

If you are a keen photographer who wants more control over your camera and images then we suggest the CM filter, which is made from the original Magic filter. The CM filter requires the photographer to set the white balance manually (using preset, custom or manual WB) every time they change depth by a few metres during the dive.

Magic filters are designed for available light underwater photography. The Auto-Magic works best from the 3m down to 12m (40ft). All our filters are optical quality polyester gels, manufactured for us, to our recipes, by one of the world's leading filter companies. All Magic filters are supplied with detailed instructions.

Sample before and after photos with a digital compact camera.
Both before and after taken on auto exposure and auto white balance:

Fitting Filters Onto Compact Cameras

Given the variety of digital compact cameras on the market, we do not supply pre-cut filters. Instead we supply both the Auto-Magic and original Magic filters as 50x50mm squares. You then cut the filter to fit your camera, which can be done very easily with a pair of scissors.

There are several options for attaching the filter to your camera, which depends on your camera and your housing. The first time you cut your filter it can be a bit fiddly, but you will soon get used to it. Take care not to get fingerprints on the filters when cutting them.

The easiest cameras are those with internal lenses. Internal lenses make mounting the filter very simple because you can just cut a small square from the filter, slightly larger than the lens on your camera and stick it in place with a small piece of sticky tape.

For most other cameras the easiest way to attach a filter is to stick it onto the front of the lens surround. Cut a piece of filter that is slightly larger than the lens and then while holding it in place, trim the corners with a pair of scissors. Then simply secure it in place with some small strips of tape. Be sure to push the tape flat against the barrel of the lens so that it can still retract into the camera (if it is a retractable lens). You can see a video of how to do this here and there are pictures below:

On dives when you do not want to use the filter, you can peel the filter off the lens and store it easily by sticking it onto the body of the camera.

The alternative way to mount the filter is to cut it so it is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the port of the housing. We supply a stencil with the filter, which makes it very easy to cut them to size. Simply fold the stencil over the filter and while holding securely, cut round the correct size for your housing. You may want to practice with just cutting one of the stencils provided without the filter first, to make sure you have the correct size. Curved nail scissors are useful for cutting circular filters.

Then just drop the filter into the housing. As it is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the port is should be easy to add and remove. The lens should hold it in place, but if you want to secure it more firmly (especially if your camera’s lens retracts when it goes to sleep) it can be held in place with a small piece of blu-tack/sticky-tack at the top and bottom.