Coolpix Question

[Quarrior]

I posted this question in another thread that had already been around for a while.

I have a 4300. How do I set the camera up so that it will take the picture when I push the button, not when it is done setting up the camera?

I'm a technical kind of person, but when it comes to cameras, I don't have much knowledge.

I just want to be able to take pictures of fish before they swim away and I end up with either a tail or bunch of empty water.

Also, my CP4 housing came with tape stuff to in front of the flash, I'm guessing to it's supposed to eliminate back scatter. One set is opake (spelling) and one set is black. Which should I use?

Thanks

 

[howard4113]

All non-slr digital cameras have a bit of "shutter lag". You can minimize the lag by:
1. Setting "continuous focus" ON
2. Before final-composing the picture, press the shutter halfway down. This allows the camera to do exposure setting and focus. You should see the green light above the LCD display go steady to indicate a focus lock.
3. Wait unit the fish is ALMOST in position and press the shutter to take the picture

The delay will be minimal.
Note that the delay will increase as you go deeper and the light decreases. This is because the camera needs light to focus quickly. Many folks use a focus-assist light to help this.

For anything moving above the water or below, I take the the first shot I can (the joy of digital). If it's not what I was looking for then I'll compose & get a good focus lock -and try again.

Yes the frosted tape goes in front of the flash to soften the light and reduce backscatter. If you use an external strobe you might need the opaque (black)tape.

As far as underwater settings go, I set the AUTO OFF time to 30 mins
and use the up arrow on the round selector to turn the display off
and on. I used to do manual mode only - but missed a few shots and
I'm using AUTO now. I use a UK Light Cannon for focus assist (Q40's
work), and a Sea & Sea YS50 strobe trigged (TTL) as a slave. The
slave trigger sensor fits in front of the camera flash - rubber
banded in place. For anything closer than 2 feet, I remove the slave
sensor and use just the camera flash.
Before a dive, I turn on the camera in AUTO mode - set the flash so
it's always on, and set the focus mode to macro. Then I put the
camera in the housing and turn the monitor off. I attach the slave
sensor and put the whole works in the wash bucket and observe for
leaks. Then I suit up. Once in the water, the crew hands me the
camera and I turn on the monitor to be sure - and I'm off!

Hope this helps

Mark

 

[Wolverine]

Well, shutter lag for all point-and-shoot digitals are a problem. To minimise the lag, you would probably have to aim and depress the button halfway to lock the focus and when the target is in range, shoot. However, this will not work for skittish animals (like clown fish for example). The best way is to anticipate the movement of the fish and try to get it in the frame. I shoot in manual becos the camera sometimes locks the focus at the nearest object (which is usually not the target). Also, I use single shot focus as continuous shot focus really drains the battery. To save battery, I set the auto-off at 30secs. Sometimes you might have a better chance of a good pic by not using the zoom and increasing the depth of field. You can always crop and enlarge in Photoshop later.

When setting up the camera in the CP4, as Howard says, set the flash to always on. Use the translucent tape if u have no external flash. If you have an external flash, you might need to use a film (like the Inon's Clear Photo system) which allows infrared light to trigger the slave but not have a shadow/backscatter cast by the camera's strobe. The full black tape will not work as it will block out the light from the camera's flash which is needed to trigger the slave strobe. As for manual or auto, I guess it really depends on which method you are comfortable with.

Another good thing about the 4300 and the CP4 is that it will allow you to change the mode (normal or macro) underwater so you can shoot different types of shots.

I hope this helps.

 

[bleach]

Thanks for all of the specific info. I had not been to the forum for awhile, its good to see the nikon section.

I have had only marginal success with my setup, but will surely be printing out this page before leaving on our anual trip. It Little Cayman this year.

I only get to use the camera underwater about once a year, so its hard to remember what to do!

B

 

[stevicam]

Set the shooting mode to auto, set the flash to shoot every time... Those are basics, so you can concentrate to take better photo... You should work eventually with macro... And do not forget to experiment with Nikon software in postproduction...

Thanks for all of the specific info. I had not been to the forum for awhile, its good to see the nikon section.

I have had only marginal success with my setup, but will surely be printing out this page before leaving on our anual trip. It Little Cayman this year.

I only get to use the camera underwater about once a year, so its hard to remember what to do!

B

 

[Michael Folise]

I have been using the Nikon Coolpix 5400 on "P" setting in clear water. I pre-focus and exposure lock with a 1/2 press of the shutter release. With the 28 mm wide angle setting the depth of field is huge and anything other than a macro shot will be in focus even if the subject to camera distance changes. Once the picture is composed I press the shutter release all the way. Any lag is unnoticable-probably less than 1/10 sec. If I get the back side of of fish it is usually my fault, not the camera's.