Anyone else as dumb as me?

[Warren_L]

I just completed a 10 day cruise to Tahiti, followed by 8 days in Hawaii. I had a total of 11 dives, 5 and 6 respectively. I took along my camera, etc. with the new Inon D2000 flash and Inon WAL, that I bought from Ryan about 2 months ago. I also started out shooting RAW for the first time. I even bought Photoshop CS so I could work with these photos when I got home. I practiced with the camera/flash, etc. diligently, sent photos to Ryan for analysis, implemented his recommendations, and started doing pretty well. All this seemed to go down the drain when I boarded the plane to leave.

1. After my first dive in Rangiroa, I downloaded the photos to my laptop. I expected to see files that were labeled .RAW but rather found something there labeled .ORF. Thnking I might have done something wrong and lost the photos, I stopped shooting in RAW. Now that I'm back, I find a post letting me know that .ORF is what it should be, so I blew it there.

2. Now shooting in SHQ, rather than RAW, my photos started turning out dark and I couldn't figure out why. However, I was so excited about the new flash unit that I didn't bother checking the photo results (afterall, they should be perfect, right?) to find this out until I shot about 20, mostly black, photos. Dumb!!!!!!!

3. I opened up the f-stop, from the setting Ryan proposed, and the photos improved. However, what I did not realize was the flash was not firing. I knew I wasn't seeing a flash but didn't think anything of it, since I didn't know exactly what I should see. I knew I could see it on land but wasn't sure how it should look in water.

4. Once I knew the flash wasn't firing, I opened the f-stop even more and slowed the shutter speed and took some reasonable "blue" photos. I hope I can revive the color since several of the photos were of my first Frogfish, a large one about a foot long.

5. The flash unit seemed to be fine, and since it fires optically, I checked the camera. The camera's internal flash was not firing. I must have changed a setting somewhere along the line, but I was not aware I could actually turn it off. I frogged around again and got it working.

6. Finally, everything seemd to be in working order and I reset Ryan's proposed settings. However, I shot three photos before I figured out I forgot to turn the flash on. Sheesh!!! Dumb or what?

All was not lost, since I actually had the camera working properly at different points during the 11 dives. I have a great photo or two of a large Napoleon Wrasse that appeared during a shark dive in Bora Bora. I also got a few good ones of some smaller fish that have eluded me in the past, a nudibranch and a flatworm.

In spite of all the practice, I seemed to be overwhelmed by the new set up once underwater. I'm going back to the drawing board and start over, especially as to why my internal flash wasn't firing. All-in-all, I'm greatly disappointed in my performance with the new equipment. I actually shot better photos just using the C5050 and PT-015 with internal flash only.

Has anyone else started out this way or am I the sole idiot onboard? If I'm the sole idiot, I might have some almost brand new equipment for sale, cheap!!!!

Denny

Yes, I've done all that before at one point or another. But it's part of the learning experience. You're bound to make mistakes and you're probably going to continue to do so, but I find that I learn something from each one of them and generally don't do the again, at least not vert often.

 

[Jetwrench]

Wanna talk dumb? I've got one. Ever pressed the shutter button for that perfect shot(in my mind), only to find out you never took your finger off the power button and instead turned the camera off? I did it several times, and more than once on a single dive. And I'm not sure if I know how many times one has to do that before they(I) learn that lesson. I hope I find out real soon.

Jet

 

[limeyx]

Yes, I've done all that before at one point or another. But it's part of the learning experience. You're bound to make mistakes and you're probably going to continue to do so, but I find that I learn something from each one of them and generally don't do the again, at least not vert often.

Yup, been in same boat (but it does get easier -- 5 dives with camera and I managed to shoot some video today

I have had:

1) With disposable U/W camera -- turning the knob the wrong way and thinking the camera was busted
2) the power-save function of the camera turning on mid-dive and then going to take a photo only to realize the camera is off!
3) focusing so hard on what I am taking a pic of that I lose buoyancy and start to sink
4) a whole collection of
- black (blue)
- out of focus
- seemingly nothing useful in frame
pictures also. But I do have some good ones (maybe 3 in 10) and when you get a good one, it's definitely a good feeling.

 

[limeyx]

Wanna talk dumb? I've got one. Ever pressed the shutter button for that perfect shot(in my mind), only to find out you never took your finger off the power button and instead turned the camera off? I did it several times, and more than once on a single dive. And I'm not sure if I know how many times one has to do that before they(I) learn that lesson. I hope I find out real soon.

Jet

Yup. Done that (and also pressed the shutter button only to find camera had entered powersave mode. Also took camera down and had battery go flat on 2nd shot. Also had fish in target and pressed shutter -- by the time camera shoots, fish is nowhere to be seen.... list goes on and it's only been 5 or so dives w/camera

 

[Aggie Diver]

We've all been there. Two years ago on Blackbeard's we did a dive on a reef called "The Strip."

We got down the mooring line and there were eels all over the place, including two that were out free swimming.

Turn my C4040 on and what pops up on the LCD but "Empty Memory Card".

Forgot to put my memory card in before the dive. D'oh.

 

[doole]

I once dove with a guy who took down one of those $6 disposable cameras on a dive that floored at 80 ft or so, thinking if it doesn't work, nothing much lost. Sure enough, along comes that awesome school of eagle rays, so he whips out the camera, presses the shutter, and it goes, "SPROING!" into a cloud of springs, plastic parts and loose film.

God will eventually pay you back for your dilligence, though. Like the time in Galapagos that I sat with a nearly full tank and 36 exposures at the ready in the middle of a school of maybe 50 whitetips who were content to just slowly circle around us. Got several keepers that day.

 

[limeyx]

Sometimes ambient light shots can be partially brought back to life in photoshop. If you have some shots that look like they were in focus and you got reasonably decent exposure (sans strobe) but have a distinct blue or blue green color cast, then load a few of your better ones into your gallery and post a message. We have a few helpful citizens who may walk you through some adjustments.

---Bob

Yup -- just had to do that with my bat ray pics from the weekend. The damn thing was lurking at 75 and I couldn't get close enough for the strobe to light it.
iPhoto "enhance" seems to have helped

 

[limeyx]

I once dove with a guy who took down one of those $6 disposable cameras on a dive that floored at 80 ft or so, thinking if it doesn't work, nothing much lost. Sure enough, along comes that awesome school of eagle rays, so he whips out the camera, presses the shutter, and it goes, "SPROING!" into a cloud of springs, plastic parts and loose film.

Killing myself laughing over here nice sound effects too -- I can see it in my mind!

 

[fpoole]

LOL... yes, pretty much one step at a time... I've done those things an MORE !!!... Each time you should be able to learn from it.

I had a Nikonas V flooded then fully serviced, ran off to Fiji, shot 8-10 rolls of 36, got home, Clear film & black photos... on all rolls. Thought it was the Airport x-rays, processing, then afte trying it locally, thought it was my settings... after all, the camera was just serviced and tested....
Came back the LED display (small one for # of pics) wasn't deemed necessary to swap out after the flooding so kept during the repairs, - had some rust, which shorted out the Battery, which threw the camera into "Default Mode" or 1/1000th of a sec... heheh...
Camera was working fine, just great if I had ONLY check the Frigging Battery...

So switched to digital and started the whole learn process over again.. this time with Wiring and batteries...

Bottom line, it's a continuing learning center with results show as a ration/percentage of Good vs Bad photos..
1 out of 36
3 out of 36 (filim)

or
5 salvageable out of 46 (128mb)

The higher the ratios/percent of good vs bad the more you're learning... heheh..

So, Yeah, like all the others, been there - done that... and "Still" doing it...

Just keep taking them...

 

[calypsonick]

There I was, halfway through the dive struggling to figure out why my pics were black even though the flash was firing and all the settings seemed OK....Yup, a good collection of photos of the inside of my lens cap - forgot to take it off before putting the camera in the housing --- - DUH!!