Cozumel Gallery

[Detonate]

Well, I'm back from Cozumel, and my pictures came out like crap.

Despite reading everything I could read about the Ikelite DS-50, I must have done something wrong. None of my pictures have any color in them.



Here is the Gallery.

http://www.firstorder.net/detonate/cozumel/index.htm

You'll notice some that do have some color. Those were taken by my friend with a YS-25 strobe, which apparently worked flawlessly.

I took this one that I like.

But here is my average shot taken with the C5050 and an Ikelite DS-50 with TTL controller, and I even tried it with the strobe in Manual, which should have been a full dump of the strobe:

Here is Jeff's average shot with the C3020 and a YS-25:

;-0

Enjoy the gallery none the less:
http://www.firstorder.net/detonate/cozumel/index.htm

 

[wetman]

Without knowing anything about that setup I have a few questions:

Does the external flash trigger from the cameras flash? And if so, can you turn off preflash on your camera? Or if not, does that strobe respect preflash from a camera? If you're not getting any color from your flash - maybe it just wasnt in sync with the camera.

steve

 

[Dee]

Now you know why I highly recommend the S&S YS90DX! Sorry you had trouble but you are not the first to report problems with getting the DS-XXX flashes to work properly the first time out and even right out of the box.

First thing I'd do is call Ikelite and take advantage of that superior customer service everyone brags about. I guess it's gotten so great from so much use!

Other than no strobe, your pics were very good for a first time.

 

[Detonate]

I may end up with a YS90-DX now. I'm positive it was user error on the DX-50 that caused this problem, and if I had had the manual controller instead of the TTL controller, things may have turned out different.

But, it will never change the sour taste in my mouth now.

The DM kept telling me that he didn't think my strobe was firing at all, but everytime I checked it, it was. But then I'd get back to my room and my pictures where all blue. And with the strong currents there this weekend, there just wasn't enough time to fiddle with everything and get it right.

I'm just glad that this is a loaner strobe from the Dive Shop.

Hindsight is telling me that after Day 1, I should have just dumped the strobe and used the internal flash. I just convinced myself that it must have been a camera setting that I had messed up.

Grrrrrrrrr, this is gonna bother me until I can get back to blue water again.

 

[conchnclyde]

Detonate,

Did you use Photo Shop/Elements/etc.. to enhance any of these pics?

If not, can any of you recommend how these pics could be cleaned up (bring about the color thru the blue)?

Just thougt I would brain pick

Clyde=-)

P.S. I leave in 9 days to do my first u/w photo with my Oly 5050 and would like to learn from others mistakes. I do not have an external strobe, so internal will have to suffice. I will be diving in carribean water as well (Aruba). I plan to make some of the real nice shallow water dives for my photo's, and probaly leave it in the bag on the deeper dives, unless I can bring back the color from the depths with internal strobe???

 

[Detonate]

conchnclyde once bubbled...
Detonate,

Did you use Photo Shop/Elements/etc.. to enhance any of these pics?

I fiddled a bit in PSP, but it appears as if the color is just NOT there. I could use manual color balance and freehand select and color things by hand. But man... I took a picture, I don't want to paint one.

If not, can any of you recommend how these pics could be cleaned up (bring about the color thru the blue)?

Yes please! I tried removing the color cast, which bascially just left me with a grey scale image.

P.S. I leave in 9 days to do my first u/w photo with my Oly 5050 and would like to learn from others mistakes. I do not have an external strobe, so internal will have to suffice. I will be diving in carribean water as well (Aruba). I plan to make some of the real nice shallow water dives for my photo's, and probaly leave it in the bag on the deeper dives, unless I can bring back the color from the depths with internal strobe???

The internal strobe will pentrate about 5 feet of water, so it really doesn't matter how deep you are, you'll just have less ambient light to work with. Keeping in mind that 5 feet could be vertically "From the sun" or Horozontially. "From the Camera"

Some things that really helped me with my camera focus was to:
(a) Turn on Full time AF
(b) Leave my camera in Macro Mode (flower mode)


I had a real hard time with exposure, so maybe someone could help you with that. I often times had bright almost white water or Turquoise water background, with a dark, almost black foreground. I still haven't figured that one out.

 

[Dee]

Detonate....I'm not totally familiar with the C-5050's but I know some settings act differently with the strobe so it could be a setting thing. I also know folks have had alot of problems recently with Ike's strobes for one reason or another.

Why don't you check out the strobe discussions at Digital Diver. Quite a few problems have been discovered and corrected recently.

 

[conchnclyde]

Detonate,

As I went back and read my response, I thought that perhaps it sounded a bit critical, but that is not how I intended it to come across. I went to your site and took a look at your pics, and they were pretty cool. Since you admitted to this being your first u/w pics, I thought that we might capitolize on the knowledge that exist here on this site. Also I have seen instances where some threaders have actually taken some of the pics and cleaned them up just a bit, and the pic was amazinly transformed.

I do understand the photo and not painting comment, as it is going to take some practice to photo that picasso.

I am going to experiment with some pre mode manual settings to try and experiment with exposures.

The site from Pete Schulz at splashdowndivers.com is quite interesting, and he seems to have some really good starter advice to broaden ones cranium.

As is such, experience is the best teacher, and I haven't even got my housing wet yet, so I will just keep on soaking up as much info as I can to try and learn the camera before leaving.

I did get a couple of books "The Underwater Photographer" by Martin Edge, and "Composition" by Jim Church, which were recommended by some one from another site. Looking forward to reading these, as they just came in yesterday.

Hope to make it to Cozumel soon, safe diving to all.

Clyde=-)

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

Hey there just for some to know hears something a friend of mine told me today we got talking about strobes, he too has the Olympus C 5050 with Olympus housing .
His first try was with the Ikelite DS-50 and decided it wasn't strong enough he went with the Ikelite 125 which works. He has since then had chance to try the YS -90 and said that the easiest set up in the world to use, so DEE I guess you know what you talking about after all.
I ask him to send me some of the pictures if he can so I can make some comparisons.

 

[Detonate]

Hey conchnclyde, I didn't take any offense to your post, or think you were being overly critical. I'm agreeing with you.

I'd love to see someone show me a set of procedures for fixing my photo's. Just all the the normal steps I usually take to fixing a photo failed.

i.e. removing the color cast from my Green Clear Springs pictures removes the Green and leaves color. Doing the same on my Cozumel pictures leaves me with an almost grey picture.

I actually used the settings and such recommended by Splashdown divers to shoot my photos, as well as tid bits I had picked up by lurking on the Digital Diver board.

I'm guessing that the little switch inside of the TTL controller was flipped the wrong way. It's the only thing I can think of.

I was really leaning towards the DS-125, but now I may rethink that decision and go with the YS-90DX. At least I know I'll have Dee for Tech Support.