diver 85
Contributor
justleesa:
Ah ha....I know about how old you are.......It's called presbyopia........The good thing I tell my patients is 'you are alive & kicking & everything is going normal'.....hang in there, it only gets worse....lol......
Aggghhhh!!! Awful pix with SP350
- Thread starter CheddarChick
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Ah ha....I know about how old you are.......It's called presbyopia........The good thing I tell my patients is 'you are alive & kicking & everything is going normal'.....hang in there, it only gets worse....lol......
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CheddarChick:This one was Manual, F5.6, shutter 1/60, ISO 100
I would almost say that if you opened the shutter to 2 or so and sped it up to 1/125 it might have been a bit clearer...play around with it
Can you take the pics in raw?
marcienko
Contributor
Try to keep ISO as low as possible .
With the SP350, you can use the Scene Mode and shoot Macro or Wide Angle. Everything is preset for you. Laura has had some terrific luck with that mode. It gets you used to shooting pictures underwater.
As far as triggering the "shutter", there is a half way point at which the red focus light comes on to paint the object you;re shooting but the "shutter" isn't triggered, yet. Once you get the image in focus, you can press the shutter release all the way to take the picture.
Play around with this on dry land and get the hang of using the camera in the housing. When you've taken a few pictures and feel confident, put on your dive gloves and see if you can duplicate your efforts.
After you climb up the curve a bit and get used to takin gpictures underwater, you can try programnming in a few specific settings in the MY Modes and try using them under water.
I still need to review the photos I sent you to check the settings. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Business is almost overwhealming and I'm trying to clean up loose ends so we can go to Cozumel in two weeks!!!!
Hang in there Cheddar! It gets better. Btw, the shots you've posted are not bad at all. Although the last one is very blue and a really bad subject to use, too.
As far as triggering the "shutter", there is a half way point at which the red focus light comes on to paint the object you;re shooting but the "shutter" isn't triggered, yet. Once you get the image in focus, you can press the shutter release all the way to take the picture.
Play around with this on dry land and get the hang of using the camera in the housing. When you've taken a few pictures and feel confident, put on your dive gloves and see if you can duplicate your efforts.
After you climb up the curve a bit and get used to takin gpictures underwater, you can try programnming in a few specific settings in the MY Modes and try using them under water.
I still need to review the photos I sent you to check the settings. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Business is almost overwhealming and I'm trying to clean up loose ends so we can go to Cozumel in two weeks!!!!
Hang in there Cheddar! It gets better. Btw, the shots you've posted are not bad at all. Although the last one is very blue and a really bad subject to use, too.
gert7to3
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Cheddar...
If you were having trouble seeing your LCD screen, what are the settings you had it set at? It sounds like you had the brightness set too high.
Were you taking images in a coordinated sequential progression? The settings you show are very different. Why did you select those settings?
Did you have your mode set to macro?
You were using no strobe, correct?
What sort of processing did you perform on the images you posted?
The best way I have found to control background color is to select the aperture I want, then adjust the shutter until the background is underexposed, then use a strobe to illuminate the subject, adjusting the strobe for the most pleasing level of illumination. Without a strobe your images will be flatter, tending towards grey and lack much of the color spectrum.
Attached are a two Pearl Lake images. One is unprocessed the other was PhotoShopped. I used a Sony P-5 and a S&S YS25-DX. The Sony camera doesn't have manual settings, so it was hard to get a darker, more pleasing background.
If you were having trouble seeing your LCD screen, what are the settings you had it set at? It sounds like you had the brightness set too high.
Were you taking images in a coordinated sequential progression? The settings you show are very different. Why did you select those settings?
Did you have your mode set to macro?
You were using no strobe, correct?
What sort of processing did you perform on the images you posted?
The best way I have found to control background color is to select the aperture I want, then adjust the shutter until the background is underexposed, then use a strobe to illuminate the subject, adjusting the strobe for the most pleasing level of illumination. Without a strobe your images will be flatter, tending towards grey and lack much of the color spectrum.
Attached are a two Pearl Lake images. One is unprocessed the other was PhotoShopped. I used a Sony P-5 and a S&S YS25-DX. The Sony camera doesn't have manual settings, so it was hard to get a darker, more pleasing background.
Attachments
Cheddar - stick with it and you'll get there!
Here is what I see from your two shots:
#1 - lots of noise. I'm guessing this photo was way darker before you put it up? With a shutter of 1/800 and f8 you've got almost no light coming in to the camera.
Use 1/800 and such when you want a black background and have a light sourse (your internal flash or an external strobe) to light your subject.
F8 is great for those really close up macro shots. Otherwise it will often just be too smal to let in enough light for a good exposure.
Taking a guess at your conditions, I'd set up in M mode with 1/100 and f4.5 or f 5.6 if it was really bright. That should get you in the ballpark. Background water all wishy washy with those settings? Head for 1/125 to darken it, give it more oomph. I wouldn't drop below 1/100 or maybe just maybe 1/80 in a pinch - you might find you get camera shake with speeds less than that (1/60).
#2 - 1/60 was too slow. You have too much light here and it's all washed out. Personally I'd rather see it a tad darker, even at the risk of maybe losing a bit of detail. You're also a bit far away so any internal flash you had wasn't reaching your subject. Try a bit faster next time to see a bit less blown out bits. The ISO 100 is what I leave my rigs on almost all the time unless i really really need more light.
5.6 should be a good starting place for your aperture combined with a faster shutter. 5.6 should give you pretty crisp images on a variety of subjects; you might even try f6.3 or f7 if you've got a ton of light coming in.
I don't like opening the aperture up much beyond f4 - any wider and the images often look pretty soft. Most compacts don't do as well at their maximum apertures - usually around f2.8 or f3.something - so setting it slightly away from the maximum helps your lens work near its "sweet spot"
I know you'll get there! Keep shooting
Here is what I see from your two shots:
#1 - lots of noise. I'm guessing this photo was way darker before you put it up? With a shutter of 1/800 and f8 you've got almost no light coming in to the camera.
Use 1/800 and such when you want a black background and have a light sourse (your internal flash or an external strobe) to light your subject.
F8 is great for those really close up macro shots. Otherwise it will often just be too smal to let in enough light for a good exposure.
Taking a guess at your conditions, I'd set up in M mode with 1/100 and f4.5 or f 5.6 if it was really bright. That should get you in the ballpark. Background water all wishy washy with those settings? Head for 1/125 to darken it, give it more oomph. I wouldn't drop below 1/100 or maybe just maybe 1/80 in a pinch - you might find you get camera shake with speeds less than that (1/60).
#2 - 1/60 was too slow. You have too much light here and it's all washed out. Personally I'd rather see it a tad darker, even at the risk of maybe losing a bit of detail. You're also a bit far away so any internal flash you had wasn't reaching your subject. Try a bit faster next time to see a bit less blown out bits. The ISO 100 is what I leave my rigs on almost all the time unless i really really need more light.
5.6 should be a good starting place for your aperture combined with a faster shutter. 5.6 should give you pretty crisp images on a variety of subjects; you might even try f6.3 or f7 if you've got a ton of light coming in.
I don't like opening the aperture up much beyond f4 - any wider and the images often look pretty soft. Most compacts don't do as well at their maximum apertures - usually around f2.8 or f3.something - so setting it slightly away from the maximum helps your lens work near its "sweet spot"
I know you'll get there! Keep shooting
OP
CheddarChick
Contributor
Ah Help!!! Thanks to all who responded to my plea. I checked out the screen and it was very bright, Thanks Gert and I had programmed Mymode with 4 different setting proir to going under to see what the difference would be. Someone told me the UW settings wouldn't be good for the green pea soup of Pearl Lake. I did use the macro setting but the silly fish wouldn't stay away from the camera at all.
And since I am a idiot with new programs on the 'puter I used my trusty Microsoft Images 9 one touch to get the post production done.
Ian, LOL Yup bad subject but the only one who would hold still for me. poor suffering husband...
Leesa yes I did shoot some in Raw, but have NO concept of what to do with them afterwards. I was in OLY Master but it is not user (idiot me) friendly
Thanks so much friends, to help me with my tantrum..Now if you could warm Pearl Lake up to say, 65* instead of 54*
And since I am a idiot with new programs on the 'puter I used my trusty Microsoft Images 9 one touch to get the post production done.
Ian, LOL Yup bad subject but the only one who would hold still for me. poor suffering husband...
Leesa yes I did shoot some in Raw, but have NO concept of what to do with them afterwards. I was in OLY Master but it is not user (idiot me) friendly
Thanks so much friends, to help me with my tantrum..Now if you could warm Pearl Lake up to say, 65* instead of 54*
OP
CheddarChick
Contributor
Oh and my low battery sign flashed all the time, I never ran out of battery though. I am using rechargable 2700 mAh AA's, So I went to the web site and tried to download just the firmware up date for this, and I guess it looks for all updates, so I thought I got in in the upgrade, but it didn't take care of it. So now what? Can you download just that particular software?
Oh and boy is the housing slippery with 5mm gloves on, anybody use anything to make it less so???
Oh and boy is the housing slippery with 5mm gloves on, anybody use anything to make it less so???
gert7to3
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Read alcina's post and go to her thread, it's good.
If you have a PC here's the Olympus web address for the firmware update. It's the second entry and is specifically titled with the term "Firmware".
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/software_results.asp?id=1188&os=w
Here's the Mac version:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/software_results.asp?id=1188&os=m
You have to have the camera attached to your computer and operating through the whole upload. If something happens to the connection during the process, your camera may need a vacation at Olympus' service department.
To help manage your camera, consider buying a basic tray and handle. Even a simple strip of aluminum, bent into an "L" shape and screwed onto the tripod socket would help.
Here's the NRS website. They have gloves for kayakers. SOme of these could give you better tactile sensitivity, yet still keep your hands warm.
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=944
If you have a PC here's the Olympus web address for the firmware update. It's the second entry and is specifically titled with the term "Firmware".
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/software_results.asp?id=1188&os=w
Here's the Mac version:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/software_results.asp?id=1188&os=m
You have to have the camera attached to your computer and operating through the whole upload. If something happens to the connection during the process, your camera may need a vacation at Olympus' service department.
To help manage your camera, consider buying a basic tray and handle. Even a simple strip of aluminum, bent into an "L" shape and screwed onto the tripod socket would help.
Here's the NRS website. They have gloves for kayakers. SOme of these could give you better tactile sensitivity, yet still keep your hands warm.
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=944
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