Any tips would be greatly appreciated...

[wench]

Have a passion for photography above water; been shooting with my Canon T3l. Just purchased the SeaLife 1400. Don't plan on using the video much, Pyratediver has that part covered.

My stills will mostly be, starting off, shooting from 3-4 feet of my subject. Once I ace that shot, then I'll move to some macro shots.

We're going to Cozumel again early March for 8 days so I'm hoping to get lots of practice down below.

I dive with a Zeagle Zena, any suggestions regarding properly securing it to my BCD?
Secondly, we will be diving multiple depths; any tips yall can give me about using the1400 would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your help!

 

[DandyDon]

I wouldn't want to attach it to a BC, myself. I've always used the wrist lanyard. I've added an orange float strap so if I ever lose one, it'll be easier to find on the surface. I did have to reinforce the float strap, but I think they make a better one now. With Coz currents tho, it might be hard to catch up to it before it floats out of site, but I've never lost control of one strapped to my wrist. I hold it carefully when I approach the boat and make sure the skipper has it before I turn loose.

Coz is usually drift diving so you generally have to line up your shot and go for it quickly.

 

[wench]

I appreciate your reply. The problem is, the wrist lanyard is too big for my wrist. It slips right off - above water. We dive in Cozumel quite often - hence the concern. You just reminded me-- I'll have to pick up a float strap tomorrow at Scuba Toys.

Due to the currents in Cozumel, is there a seting you find yourself using more often?

Thanks again.

 

[DandyDon]

Ah, I guess the wrist strap could be too big for some. Some like the spring & retractor cables that hook up to BCs.

I'm just a fumbling auto shoot guy for fun. I bet some others will chime in soon.

 

[James R]

For that distance from your subject, I would suggest getting the wide angle lens for the camera: Fisheye Wide Angle Lens | Sealife Cameras

You can make your own wrist strap with some parachute cord and a simple bolt-snap, which works very well and costs very little.

 

[divingpyrate]

Ah, I guess the wrist strap could be too big for some. Some like the spring & retractor cables that hook up to BCs.

I'm just a fumbling auto shoot guy for fun. I bet some others will chime in soon.

Now you are telling my story, how do the fumbling auto shoot pictures come out?

 

[DandyDon]

Now you are telling my story, how do the fumbling auto shoot pictures come out?

Haha, not so good. The last two trips, I screwed up my strobe. :silly: Training & experience are nothing without attention to detail, and I am creative in my screwups. So I kept shooting for fun without the camera, cleaned up some in Irfanview, and saved them as mine anyway. :blush:

 

[wench]

Well, have the wrist lanyard issue resolved.

Sure was hoping more folks would chime in with their tips. We are planning multiple dives so I´m sure I´ll figure it out!

 

[Tailspin]

I purchased a DC-1400 Pro unit last year, and have been frustrated getting consistently good shots because of the unbelievably long shutter delay. After you achieve focus, and press the shutter, it can be a second or longer before the flash and shutter trip. If you and/or your target are moving even a little (a good possibility all the time in Coz) your shot will be blurry, or just not quite right, because of this long delay.

I WILL say, when conditions are perfect the camera gets great pictures and video, and I love the ease of using the housing, and the design and functionality of the whole package, but I was previously using a simple Casio point and shoot in a Casio housing, and it would lock focus almost instantly in all but the poorest of lighting conditions, and when I pressed the shutter button the flash and shutter immediately tripped, almost as fast as my big Nikon on land. It consistantly gave me great shots, even in the Coz currents ... I have really regretted selling that unit when I decided to 'upgrade'.

Just my $.02 ... play with it on land a bunch before you go to get a feel for the shutter response on your unit. Maybe you will have different results than I have been experiencing.

 

[Pillpusher]

Sorry for the lack of responses... I know I haven't been on here much myself lately. As for the shutter lag, yes, this camera can take a little longer than some others to focus. You mentioned that most of your shots will be from 3-4 ft away though, so I recommend setting the focal length to infinite. This dramatically cuts down on any shutter lag, and the camera will focus on the subject just fine from 3'+.

You didn't say much about your setup. Any strobes at all? Hopefully so, and two is way better than one. If not, be sure to bring a white balance card and manually set it every 10-15 feet of depth change. The "dive" white balance preset is pretty worthless beyond 40' for so. Unfortunately, this camera doesn't shoot in RAW, so, other than some minor Photoshop tweaking, you get what you get.