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Summer is in full swing, and for the lucky ones that means diving to cool off from the heat. 

This year has given us lots of gear to lust over and we've chosen some of these to add to our 2013 Summer Buyers Guide. 

Take a look and see what you need to get geared up for the summer dive season.

Camera & Housings:

GoPro Hero3 Black Edition & Backscatter Flip Filter
The new GoPro Hero3 is a true travel camera.  With weight restrictions on the rise, the GoPro becomes more and more attractive to the already overloaded travelling diver. 

Although the Hero3 can shoot 4K UltraHD video at 15fps, switching the camera to shoot 2.7K at 30fps will allow for smoother video when downscaled to 1080p, which can be done with the free CineForm software.  By activating the ProTune feature, the camera uses a lower loss compression to give higher quality video results and also more control over white balance. 

Unfortunately, manual white balance underwater is not yet an option, but with the addition of Backscatter’s FlipFilter, excellent results can be achieved.

Nikon D600 SLR
Nikon’s latest full frame, the D600 is truly a great value for an FX-capable camera.  This SLR features a 24-MP CMOS sensor that can capture 1080p HD video at 30fps. along with a 39-point AF system and a 100 percent coverage viewfinder.

Paired with a housing from Sea & Sea or Ikelite, there’s a setup available for different budgets.  Sea and Sea's housing can integrate with the new AirLock system as well as the entire Sea & Sea port system and after market viewfinders.  Ikelite’s features a built-in TTL system and a wide range of affordable ports.

The Nikon D7100 was one of the most anticipated cameras of the year and rightly so.  With an impressive list of improvements over the already awesome D7000, this new DX offering from Nikon is sure to be popular with underwater shooters this summer. 

The 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor has a 51-point autofocus system and features an optical low pass filter (OLPF) removed to offer sharper images.  Paired with Sea & Sea’s newest MDX-D7100 housing (available this month) shooters will have access to the optional built-in Optical YS-Converter/N that will allow for true TTL control. 

In addition to being compatible with the full line of Sea & Sea MDX ports, the housing also allows for the use of their VF-180 and VF-45 viewefinders.

Lighting:

Light & Motion Sola Night Sea
If you’re looking to add some additional awesomeness to your underwater macro images, fluoro diving may be for you.  Light & Motion and NightSea have teamed up to bring us the NightSea Sola.  This compact LED video light illuminates your dive with a special blue light that stimulates fluorescence.  Covering your camera port and mask allow you to see and capture the scene in all its trippy glory. 

FIX Aquavolt 7000 LED Video Light
For the serious video shooter, more is better when it comes to lumens.  FIX’s AquaVolt 7000 features 42 individual LEDs to form an even 115-degree beam.  The AquaVolt’s battery packs, which last 55 minutes at full power, can be changed out between dives and removed for flying.  The color temperature is a daylight 6,500K and the light is only 510g negative underwater.

Sea & Sea YS-D1 Strobe
Sill shooters can reduce the weight of their Pelican cases even more now—without sacrificing power.  The powerful YS-D1 strobe features a guide number of 32 in a feather-light package that is 10% smaller than the YS-110 predecessor.  The strobe features DS-TTL II with exposure compensation of +/- 4EV and autosensing slave sensor.  The DS-1 uses AA batteries and has 11 steps of exposure control.

Accessories:

The must-have accessory of the year is Nauticam’s Flash Trigger for Canon.  This little beauty removes the need to wait for the internal flash to recycle when shooting strobes controlled via fiber optics.  Mounting to the camera’s hot shoe, the flash trigger emits an LED flash to trigger the strobes. 

The trigger can output up to 5,000 consecutive flashes on its internal battery source.  Currently the trigger is supported in Nauticam’s housings for the 5DMKIII, 1DX & 1DC, and 6D.

When purchasing underwater photography equipment like the product mentioned in this article, please support DPG by supporting our retail partner -- Backscatter.com.