First time pics-kinda disappointed. Pics and comments...

[SouthFla]

First off many thanks to all the great posters here-you've been an incredible wealth of information.

So, after spending weeks reading here, I researched an bought my first u/w setup via ebay etc: Canon A590 (8MP), Ikelite housing, Inon 100 lens and matching dome. I used a "Heinrichs" adapter in order to use my old Nikonos SB102 from my ancient (lol) Nikonos setup...

I went out yesterday in "ok" conditions. I wanted my first try to be in shallow water for good vis and optimal camera settings. I chose a 15' deep wreck, right around noon for maximum sun. The wind was kicking up however, and there was a fair amount of backscatter and the visibility was only okay...

After reading all the posts about recommended and optimum P-A-S camera settings, I don't see HOW you all are able to get anywhere near "optimal" settings (shutterspeeds in the 1/125-1/160, f/stops in the f/7 or so), at useable ISO's.

I practiced w/my setup in the pool before the dive, and right away, at least to me, I found that ISO 100 is "just" useable w/some PP noise reduction, and above that forget-about-it....So I'm stuck at 80 and 100ISO.

So using ISO 80 a bit, and mostly 100 with the camera on Manual and shooting RAW, very rarely could I muster 1/100 and f/6 or so. Usually it was around 1/80 and f/5.6.

Here are some of the better results (I know it's hard to tell much from a heavily compressed web sample...). A Wreck called the "Mandalay," built 1928, ran aground off of Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park, Florida during 1966:

The noise at 100 really bothered me, especially in all the dark areas of the wreck. Post processing did clean "most" of that up somewhat acceptably. But the 1/80-1/100 shutter speeds were really too slow for moving critters IMO. But if I increased the shutter speed then used larger f-stops the quality of the image wasn't great.

I shot about 50 pics in a 70minute dive, really trying all different settings and trying to focus on composition and lighting.

Out of the 50, maybe 25 were "keepers" (using that term very liberally). These had sharp focus, little motion blur, okay composition and exposure. The rest were awful, mostly from my inexperience, a too slow shutter, poor composition or just blurry.

I processed and made a handful of 13x19 prints of a few of my favorite ones. I just don't think the small camera sensor can handle the detail of all the underwater world has to offer. While the prints were "nice" they just weren't WOW. The lack of fine detail was pretty evident to me, and the noise reduction clearly took away from some of the detail.

Now admittedly I'm used to shooting with Canon full frame dSLR's, and I guess for what the setup is it really does pretty well (and the video I shot with this little camera was GREAT FUN). But I guess I was just expecting too much? Or perhaps I just need more practice?

Now I know with practice I can improve on the image quality, but I'm just concerned that the overall PQ won't be where I want it to be with this p-a-s setup, at least on wide angle lots-in-the-image shots. Perhaps macro would be a better option with this setup??

Or does someone have a housing for a Canon 1DsMKII they're looking to get rid of

Anyway, sorry to ramble. Comments or thoughts appreciated, thanks for listening to my yadda yadda yadda...

 

[Kellykins]

why disappointed?
Man they are amazing!!

 

[Interceptor121]

Some of the prosumer cameras introduce more noise using the full resolution. Though it seems a non sense try to shoot at less than the maximum to see if you get any improvements in the shutter speed

 

[Gilligan]

If this is your first underwater camera and these are your first set of shots you have nothing to complain about. They are very good.

50% keepers is also nothing to complain about. I usually keep about 10% or less. The more photos you take the more picky you will get and the less you will keep.

 

[deeper thoughts]

The pix are nice

 

[CheddarChick]

Come on..............Are you kidding???? Those are great.....And the best advice I ever got was "shoot 'till your fingers bleed.....

 

[NJ to FLA]

Those pictures are very good.. and for those being your first?! WOAH!

 

[weeksd]

Hi- i have a nikon d40x inside a sea and sea film housing. I have to shoot raw as i preset everything before putting camera in housing. I shoot manual. vivid color to lesson blue of underwater. f 11 or f16 if it is sunny or shallow water and my strobe is 1/2 power. I get 95% good shots with rich saturated colors and lots of depth of field. I do very little on the computer for color correction which amazed me at first. The camera always says underexposure but the camera does not know underwater. f11 or f16 will give you the depth of field for the whole wreck to be sharp. Digital cameras if you let them have a tendancy to shoot at f4 with high iso. Which is not good for any shot except for flower photography.

 

[alcina]

The images you have posted look very nice, well done.

I haven't noticed problems with noise or artefacting in my Canon 590s at ISO 100 so I'm not sure what's going on with that. Of course, I don't pixel peep at 400% either nor do I try to compare a shot from an underwater scene on my compact camera to something I've shot on land with my 1DIII They are totally different animals and there's no way you can expect an image from a compact to be the same as one from a full frame or even a crop slr sensor.

13"x19" is a big print, imho, so if you're getting nice images at that size from what you are doing, well done. Some of the WOW factor may be in the way you are processing so a little experimenting might let you dial in the settings that will give you awesome results from this new, small compact.

These examples look a little light to me and I'm wondering if maybe you didn't process them a bit lighter than they turned out? Processing compact images, especially shadow areas, will show noise a lot faster than slr images.

I would have upped my shutter speeds here to gain a nicer, richer blue but that's my preference. My strobes would have provided all the light I would need for the fish and the main subjects.

Have you put the RAW hack for the 590 (is there one LOL I just realised I can't remember if there is or not) on your card? if there is one available it would probably be well worth it to have a go and see if the results are more pleasing to your eye.

Remember that f5.6 in a compact is not the same as f5.6 on an slr lens

 

[scottfiji]

I think you are off to a great start. Composition and lighting look very good.

I think you're doing the best job you can be doing with the light you have. If you're used to a dSLR you might be expecting too much from this particular P&S.

and I completely agree with Alcina's points - they are spot on
#1 - I don't think you need to stop down more than F5.6, that's equivalent to F11 or smaller on your full-frame
#2 - ISO 100 should be fine in terms of noise on a Canon 590.. hope you are not brightening up the photo in photoshop, that will bring out lots-o-noise
#3 - the photos look a little bright/lite - if you're not brightening the photo, then try a little faster shutter speed

hope this helps, looking forward to seeing more shots

Scott