Best Settings for E-PM1 + 60mm macro

[merxlin]

I have an E-PM1 and will soon be getting a 60mm M.Zuiko lens. I am due to receive the lens the day before a dive trip and would like to have a good starting point for settings. I will be using 2 x 2000 lumen video lights (no Strobe) and shooting in So Cal water. Subjects will be nudibranchs, small fish etc (normal macro stuff). I appreciate any suggestions you may have for the initial set up.

 

[fmerkel]

Since you skunked me on this lens I shouldn't even try to help you....
Since you are using video lights.....I can't help you. I only use strobes. I only use manual settings.

The lens is slow to focus. After you practice in a dark room a bit, then find a rock or something on the first dive and get some basic functional settings.
Don't even bother with fish unless they are stationary for a good while.
Smaller f-stops will improve the depth of field. Being back a bit will improve it a lot, instead of trying to get as close as possible. OTOH, that puts more water between you and the subject, eating up light and putting particulate in the way.
Expect a half dozen dives to sort it out.

 

[merxlin]

I appreciate the advice. I have a strobe but was going to try getting focus and DOF down with the new lens first, and the video lights can give me pretty consistent lighting in addition to the natural light (hoping for sunshine) we should have on these dives.

Sorry I beat you to the lens- I'm usually on the other end and just miss out.

 

[Cali_diver]

Use your strobe!! ...and use one light for focus. If doing any video take any both lights and the strobe!!!

You will love the 60mm

 

[fmerkel]

Yeah, if you have a strobe, use it.
A buddy in the club picked up an EPM-* and 2 decent video lights. IMO the lights have not served him well for photography. Might be different if he did video, but he doesn't. Never tried my EPL-1 with video. I should do that sometime.

 

[merxlin]

These were all taken in low viz with video lights and the stock 14-42 lens, and my first time in the water with the camera. Lots of surge so a bit soft on the focus and I realize it does not allow the black background type shots using this kind of lighting. A good friend of mine also shoots with video lighting and has achieved some very nice results (I'll be picking his brain this weekend).

 

[Cali_diver]

Well I think that is the problem, the pictures tend to be a bit soft. I think if you increase your ISO enough and get the light close enough to the subject without scaring it away you should be able to get some acceptable results. Just curious why you don't want to use the strobe you have? Usually it is the other way around... people using lights don't have the strobe yet.

 

[merxlin]

I may change my thinking and take it. I don't expect Nat Geo pix out of the gate and wanted to play with DOF and focal distances and the constant lighting would remove one variable.

 

[Divealpha]

I think your photos have some color cast to them. Shooting macro with one strobe are usually enough, if you don't want to experiment...
Here is an example with PM1:

 

[merxlin]

Thank you everyone. After shooting this weekend I agree that a strobe is the way to go, so I will go that direction. I got a few reasonable shots but not what I am looking for.

The lens is amazing but despite having 4000 lumens of light I had some focus issues. Many photos ended up out of focus (very close but not quite right) even at f22 and 1/160. In particular, if I set the camera to P (program/auto), A or S priority I can control the shot. However, in full manual all shots are virtually unusable and extremely dark (almost black). I was set at ISO 400. This was true even if I set the manual settings at what the settings were in one of the priority settings. I tried this above water and got the same results. Its almost as if the camera was compensating for low light in every mode but manual. Any idea why that would happen?