Camera Settings

[johnny sea ranger]

What are basic camera settings for both strobe and no strobe? Or should I just set on auto and edit RAW on my computer?

 

[James R]

Which: camera? Lens? strobe(s)? conditions? day/night?

I leave camera in manual & shoot raw or raw + jpeg.

 

[gstrek]

What are basic camera settings for both strobe and no strobe? Or should I just set on auto and edit RAW on my computer?

I shoot an Olympus E-PL1 with single S&S YS-01 strobe and shoot RAW+JPG. My starting settings are:
- Camera set to Manual, ISO 200, 1/125 at f/8 and internal strobe on forced flash, TTL
- S&S external strobe set to TTL

This is a good starting setting for my daytime, Caribbean diving.

If I want lighter blue background , I adjust the shutter to 1/60 or for a darker background set to 1/160 (that is the max sync speed of my camera).

In bright sandy areas, I will adjust the f-stop a stop or two and can also adjust the strobe with a simple twist of the 'light level control'.

Mileage will vary but basic settings for ISO, Shutter and F-stop: ISO 200, 1/125, f/8 and external strobe on TTL works for me.

--Gary

 

[johnny sea ranger]

i have nikon p7100. lense is 2.8 to 5.6. i dive in daytime, usually less than 60 ft, often 25 feet. w 60 ft visibility. i expect to shoot at least some without strobe. The pop up flash is useless as the housing shadows the bottom half of the picture. the strobe is SB 102 which is wire connected for TTL, and Fantasea case uses optical cable, so i will need a converter if there is usch a thing,or else not shoot TTL. 7100 supports TTL say several users.

---------- Post added February 24th, 2013 at 06:21 PM ----------

thanks for that. i have 3 wire connector on my sb 102 strobe and FAntasea case is optical cable so either i will need converter if there is such a thing, or get new strobe which is okay as this was a hand me down.

 

[Nemrod]

There is no such thing as a standard setting. Depends on what you are doing, what your subject is, your vision for the photograph, your equipment etc.

N

 

[Larry C]

If you're diving tropical or shooting macro, start with a shutter speed of 1/125 and adjust your aperture to suit. Settings depend on depth, weather, amount of available light. I typically dive at 80-100 feet in green water that sometimes resembles night diving when there's a layer down to as deep as 50-60ft. On dives like that, I might have as long as 1/30 for a wide-angle shot. Aperture will depend on what your lens is capable of for the best depth of field and whether you can balance the aperture and shutter speed for available light or whether you're strictly using strobe lighting. For macro with a black background, you might be using 1/250 at f/32 and blasting the subject with your strobe(s). For a natural background on portrait shots, I used to typically shoot 1/60@f5.6 at depth with my P&S. With my current camera which has more aperture range, I typically go to 1/60@F/8-11.
Try some pictures on auto settings or shutter/aperture priorities to see what the camera gives you. Look at the exif on your best shots in your normal diving conditions and use those as a starting point.

 

[deeper thoughts]

good info