Thanks for the info. So what setting do you have your camera on then? Auto? underwater? I appreciate I can have a play with the images afterwards but just looking for the best general setting for a dive. Thanks, Shelly
Wow, that is a broad question! It really depends on a lot of things. Unfortunately, there really is not a "best" general setting that will work well for every situation. I would suggest that it may be more important to learn how to set up a good UW shot at first, then worry about settings.
For example, get as close as possible to your subject and use a flash or strobe (otherwise everything turns out blue and green). Never shoot down at a subject, always upward or head-on. Also, try to get the sun in your backgrounds if possible to provide ambient light. Your camera will often have trouble focusing on subjects without a focus light, and your subjects usually move. So for macro and close-up shooting, depress the shutter half-way to lock focus, reframe/move your camera until your subject is in focus, then depress the shutter fully. There is a lot of information out there about techniques, so read-up before your trip.
As for your settings, the easiest way to go would be using the underwater scene mode (this will help to correct the color), with the flash either forced on or off, depending on if there is a subject that is close enough to benefit from the flash or not (less than 1 m away). Also, if your subject is less than 50 cm from you, put the camera in macro mode. The WB setting afforded by the underwater scene mode will not be perfect for all depths, but it is better than nothing. In general auto WB may also be fine for macro and close-up where most of the light is from your flash. White balance is more important when your frame utilizes ambient light/includes open water. Some people use the cloudy white balance setting when using P, M, Tv, or Av modes. My understanding is that manual WB can produce great results, but you should adjust WB as your depth changes, requiring continual recalibration and carrying something white with you for reference. Many people will use Av or Tv modes, which can be saved as preset modes to C1 or C2. For example, C2 could be saved as Av f8, auto or cloudy WB, with forced flash, for macro and close-up; and C1 could be Tv 1/125, auto or cloudy WB, with forced flash, for moving subjects to prevent blurring.
Cheers!
