First pictures with new Oly digicam.

[crab]

I picked up a new Oly D-40 and PT-012 housing recently and finally got a chance to get them in the water yesterday. These shots were taken in Tacoma, Wa yesterday, 7/31.

This is the first time I have taken underwater photos, so to keep things simple, I just locked the camera in the "My Mode" setting at F2.8 and a shutter speed of 1/125. The flash was in "Slow1" sync.

There was a nasty algae bloom going on yesterday-- the vis from the surface to about 15' was near zero. Below 15', the vis opened up to about 20', but there was still alot of loose, clumpy algae floating about. As a result, the only pictures I got that didn't have significant back scatter were macro. I eventually plan on getting a stobe, but I'll just stick close to my subjects until then.

Any feedback on the pictures would be appreciated. I know the focus is generally soft. I think may need to have a faster shutter speed and adjust the aperature accordingly to get things sharper. I fiddled around a bit in Photoshop, but I was never satisfied with the image sharpening that it was producing. Anyway, here are the pictures. Now let me have it...

 

[Dee]

Most excellent pictures, especially for firsts. Macros are the most reliable as far as backscatter is concerned but you really have to watch your camera to subject distance. My Oly C-4040 has an 8" focus. I have a bad tendancy to try to touch my subject with the lens!! One of the hardest things I'm having to learn is to back off and use the zoom a bit if needed, but don't get dependant on it. The soft focus in the first Wolf Eel shot may be because of distance.

Always focus on the eyes. If they are crisp, they'll hold peoples attention...it's the first thing our eye goes to for recognition. Look at the reflection of the eyes in the second eel shot....beautiful and mesmerizing!

In general, whenever possible, don't shoot down on your subject. Try to get a tad below it or level with it and shoot slightly up. Shooting down give you a flat 2-D picture. Of course there are exceptions depending on the subject. Looking at the last photo. although you were slightly above it and shooting down, you also got a good sideways angle which highlights the contrast of the tendrils against the background.

Good composition on all 3. I'd give you a solid A for you first efforts. There you have it...

 

[crab]

My Oly C-4040 has an 8" focus. I have a bad tendancy to try to touch my subject with the lens!! One of the hardest things I'm having to learn is to back off and use the zoom a bit if needed, but don't get dependant on it. The soft focus in the first Wolf Eel shot may be because of distance.

I can't readily recall the focus distance for my D-40, but I did have it in the back of my mind while taking the pictures that I should hang back a bit and utilize the zoom. It could very well be that I was in too close for the first Wolf eel shot for the camera to get a crisp focus. Another thing I might have done in retrospect is lock in the focus and then continue to move toward the subject. What do you think about the 1/125 shutter speed? It seems like a reasonable speed for a hovering shot, but I'm tending to think it may be too slow.

In general, whenever possible, don't shoot down on your subject. Try to get a tad below it or level with it and shoot slightly up. Shooting down give you a flat 2-D picture.

That is a great observation. I took all but the third shot while hovering from above, and it shows! Next time I will try to find a good place (that is, not on top of anything or anyone that will mind) to plant myself in the rocks so that I can get level or below the subject. It is certainly true that the eels could use more perspective/depth.

Thanks so much again for taking the time to provide some feedback. I must say that I felt much more comfortable taking my first photos after having read some excellent past messages from yourself and others on the subject of digital photography.

 

[Dee]

Remember that although you are hovering, you're still moving. Whether unintentionally or with surge. depending on your subject, 1/125 may be a bit slow.


As a general rule I set my camera for 1/100 as a starting point but I did change it often. Especially for 'action' shots. I remember a few at 1/500 but not the results! Your aperature will have alot to do with it. I use aperature priority most often and prefer setting/changing that for the depth of field, to setting the shutter speed. My most commonly used speed was 1/250...I think. I'd have to go back and check the properties on the pics.

Glad I could help. I had some excellent help when I got started with digital. Someone who honestly critiqued my pics and pointed out the weak spots that I couldn't see for myself. That helped me more than any technical reading I had done. Keep practicing and pass what you learn along!

 

[crab]

Interesting... I was, and still am debating the merits of staying in full manual vs. priority mode. I can see definite advantages to both. I'll be back in the water next week at a place called Clear Lake (sounds good for photography, huh?) and I think I'll alternate between shutter and aperature priority over two tanks. I'll try to get shots of the same subjects in order to have a measure of control.

Thanks again for your assistance!

By the way, by this time of year, Clear Lake should be up to a balmy 39F. I may have to use even faster shutter speeds to compensate for the shivering!

 

[uwdigital]

HI Crab,

Not bad for the first try huh? Were the pictures taken with just the onboard flash?

check out this new INON PT-012 complete setup.

Allan

 

[Dee]

crab once bubbled...
Interesting... I was, and still am debating the merits of staying in full manual vs. priority mode. I can see definite advantages to both.....

I'll admit I'm taking it slow. I want to be totally comfortable with each mode before I move on to the next because they all have their advantages. It would help to move things along a little faster if I could get to clear saltwater more often. As it is, our local lake is good enough for pics about once a month!

BTW Allen....that's one gnarly looking strobe! Have those S&S WAL lenses comein yet?

 

[TexasMike]

I especially like the one of the mollusk that has it's feeding fans out.

 

[landlocked]

I'm jealous. I need a camera. ;-0

Could anyone tell me what kind of a fish is in the first photo? Thanks.

 

[Dee]

landlocked once bubbled...
I'm jealous. I need a camera. ;-0

Could anyone tell me what kind of a fish is in the first photo? Thanks.

I think it's a Sea Robin of some sort. I'm not very good with PNE fish!