beginner question

[mikelegurra]

i have a question: can i get decent results with a compact camera ?

i recently bought a canon s60 (5 megapixels, macro up to 4cm, UW white balance setting, etc, etc) and never thought about taking it underwater.

on a recent trip i tried a sea&sea camera and the results were, to put it mildly, very poor.
i understand photography (i'm a photojournalist) and was very depressed because the pictures were just not good.
i was, anyway, hooked. i ordered the canon housing for my camera and will give it another try.

can i expect good results ?
i'm used to compact cameras and the paper i work for is used to publishing some of my "compact photos". i could manage double page spreads with an olympus mju II and the pictures that came out of the s&s were just BAD!

is it possible to get something without an SLR ? without the strobes ? can this camera be used as an entry level body and get results that will allow me to develop my UW photography and lead to something bigger ? i use canon EOS 1 Mk II bodies for my daily work but i can't see myself getting a housing for this one just to give UW photography a shot. they're just too expensive.

thanks for any replies. sorry if the post is a bit messy.

you can check some of the "compact photos" (not UW though...) at www.pbase.com/maiquethai

 

[alcina]

Yes!! You can get great results, but you have to work within the limits of your camera. The most limiting factor for you will be no external strobes, but there are a lot of shots you will be able to get with just the internal.

Do a bit of a search and you will find some examples...seems to me someone uses a canon s50 and had some great results...

 

[The Kraken]

I imagine any camera will work WITH A PROPER HOUSING.
I used to shoot professionally, also. Like you, my first experience with an underwater camera was extrememly disappointing. There are a couple of issues that we top side photographers need to learn about - the color filtration aspect of water and the fact that the integral strobe has the absolute life sucked out of it under water.

One of the Kodak books on underwater photography is a good place to start.

As you are certainly aware, all the camera does is record what you see. F-stops and shutter speeds never change, but the need for more strobe and color correction does.

 

[hvulin]

Hi,

I have S45 (4MP) and a case without external strobe. You can get great photos if vis. is good (clear water) and if your subject is somewhere between 10cm and max. 2m away...

Play with it and it will get better...

btw. its macro sucks... forget about real macro shoots

 

[mikelegurra]

One of the Kodak books on underwater photography is a good place to start.

As you are certainly aware, all the camera does is record what you see. F-stops and shutter speeds never change, but the need for more strobe and color correction does.

i believe that i can't even get a strobe to work with the s60, as far as i've been able to understand by the manual. color correction should be adressed, at least some of it, by the UW setting on the white balance.

i've seen lots of UW photos and, unless they are the "spooky-dark looking-wreck" or the "nice-looking-backlit-silhouette" all of the photos i like seem to have lots of strobe power behind them..
that's why i posted.

i'm in the process of gearing up for diving (only diving since jan 04) and the cost of photo gear never entered the equation. i guess i thought i'd be camera free underwater! how silly of me...

and, sorry for the trouble, can you point me in the direction of the book ? which one are you talking about ?

 

[alcina]

Hmmmm...I don't have time right now, but do a search for Canon A70...there are photos posted in the "getting into uw photo" sticky.

Also, have a look in my gallery - almost all of those are with internal strobe only.

Maybe Gilligan's gallery has some, too? I am sure others will chime in here to show you what can be done with just the internal...

 

[mikelegurra]

Hmmmm...I don't have time right now, but do a search for Canon A70...there are photos posted in the "getting into uw photo" sticky.

Also, have a look in my gallery - almost all of those are with internal strobe only.

Maybe Gilligan's gallery has some, too? I am sure others will chime in here to show you what can be done with just the internal...

thanks. very cool images. i guess it will take some time before i get to this point under water but now i know that it can be done.

 

[justleesa]

Aloha Mike!

i have a question: can i get decent results with a compact camera ?

My first UW digital camera was a 4 MP Olympus point & shoot camera. For the far away stuff the strobe was lacking, but the pictures looked OK as a black and white. Take a look, the closer stuff looks pretty cool

i recently bought a canon s60 (5 megapixels, macro up to 4cm, UW white balance setting, etc, etc) and never thought about taking it underwater.

on a recent trip i tried a sea&sea camera and the results were, to put it mildly, very poor.

Have you tried working with the pics? are they still poor?

is it possible to get something without an SLR ? without the strobes ? can this camera be used as an entry level body and get results that will allow me to develop my UW photography and lead to something bigger ? i use canon EOS 1 Mk II bodies for my daily work but i can't see myself getting a housing for this one just to give UW photography a shot. they're just too expensive.

Play with what you have....if you get hooked enough on UW photography, you might find that the investment and the quality of your pictures might be worth it.

Good luck!
Lisa

 

[justleesa]

HEY! I just looked at your gallery! Your Egypt pictures brought back lots of memories and the Morocco pictures are just fantastic! Your composition is excellent! Thanks for posting that

 

[mikelegurra]

Have you tried working with the pics? are they still poor?

Play with what you have....if you get hooked enough on UW photography, you might find that the investment and the quality of your pictures might be worth it.

Good luck!
Lisa

Hi,

thanks for the kind word regarding the pictures.

as far as working the pics... the pics were not "workable". they sucked!

i'm used to take pictures fast, compose fast, shoot fast, move around, camera in my eyes.... doing this "digital" thing, trying to compose with the screen and not the viewfinder, trying to get the camera to focus... well... it was really depressing.
the results are far from publishable(?). i couldn't even get myself to open photoshop because there was no point in doing so!

as far as getting hooked... i hope it doesn't happen! i have lots of places to spend money and this would be my finantial black hole!!!