G9 help

[Sandfill]

I deceided after much reading of this board to go with the G9, and Cannon housing, as my first camera for U/W. Being new to photography in general, going through the G9 manual is a bit daunting to say the least. Has anyone posted a list of settings as a starting point for someone who is, pretty much, photo ignorant?

 

[scottg541]

Turn the dial to "P", set the ISO to 400 or lower, and the metering to "evaluative"... turn the flash off and try staying shallower than 40' in fairly clear water.

make sure you have any wierd settings off (e.g. Vivid) and shoot in RAW + jpeg... then mess around with them afterward, particularly with white balance, pay attention to the exposure your camera chose and what you like/didn't like.

its a start if you're going diving tomorrow, you'll get usable photo's.

read up, get a basic photography book (e.g. "joy of photography")

Everyone will tell you, "there is no right settings, depends on where you are/what you're doing"... i tend to agree...

Scott

 

[scottg541]

oh yeah, forgot the most important point... Keep the camera still!!! set it on a rock or whatever you need to do, the stiller the camera the sharper your images will be.

 

[Geoff_H]

I would definitely suggest starting in SCN mode, "underwater" setting.

Then use the 4 way jog to turn flash from Auto to On (press it right) and focus to "Macro" (press it left). This will give you more light, and start the focussing seek mode close, as the best pictures you can take with the G9 (to start with) will be macro.

Play around for a few dives, get used to what works and what doesn't... take lots and lots of shots. Once you start to feel the limitations of the auto-mode, and familiarise yourself with the controls and you can move onto the Shutter/Aperature and C1/C2 modes which allow more refinement.

Getting close to your subjects will cut down on backscatter (reflections from particulate in the water) which turns up as soft blobs on your final photos. Always use the diffuser otherwise the lens port will block the flash from reaching parts of your photo when you are closer than about 8 inches to your subject.

Definitely review the settings used for the pictures that did and didn't work in the Zoombrower software (or the EXIF information embedded in the pictures).

I also just got a G9 with Canon housing and used it underwater for the first time yesterday.

I think the key thing to do is start with the easy modes, find what works, the limitations and then progress onto the more manual harder modes. If you go straight into trying to set your ISO, shutter speed, aperature and maintain sharp focus the task loading will be too much. You will be able to get some great photos - here are a set I took with the baby brother of the G9, an Ixy. I can't wait to see what step up in results I can get from the G9:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/philippine-paradise-divers/243293-puerto-galera-photos.html

 

[Blueskys4ever]

The Scene Mode/Underwater works just ok. Yes, the manual stinks. But in the manual are the instructions to set the shortcut button with a forced white balance check in C1/C2. Do this and fool around some topside to get the hang of it. As stated above, shoot in RAW/jpg.

 

[waynel]

I am also a fan of the "P" (Program) mode if you are brand new to the G9. In program mode, the camera will take care of setting the speed and aperature...however, you still have some control by getting to decide on what ISO you want to use. Using ISO 400 is a very good tip. However, I was so amazed at the "anti-shaking" feature on G9, I will get real bold and use a higher ISO. Yes, I confess...I anchored my elbows in the sand and used IS0 800. I can easily change my ISO on my Ikelite housing, but I'm not sure about the Canon.

So, take Scott's advise. Focus your attention on actually framing the shot, holding still, etc. I just threw in my two-bits on that nice little feature on P mode of being able to have at least some control over the shots. By the way, when you select RAW the G9 will give you a RAW file and a JPEG file when you shoot.

 

[Maarten_NL]

Get a underwaterphotography course, you will learn the ins and outs of taking pitctures underwater! (I'm going to take one soon) And start with taking pictures of things above water to get used to the camera.

Use the diffusor that came with the housing, and always flash up to 1 meter distance. Beyond that, use white balance to get the colors back.

For macro/closeup, try aperture priotiry on F8.0, macro on (flower) with flash on half. If the picture is too dark, set flash to full or step down the aperture a bit.


btw, RAW is not availble in auto or SCN mode.

 

[paradicio]

I wouldn't take the ISO above 100 with the G9. I know the general recommendation is 400 or lower, but I start seeing noise over 100.

 

[Maarten_NL]

I wouldn't take the ISO above 100 with the G9. I know the general recommendation is 400 or lower, but I start seeing noise over 100.

oh yes, forgot that one.. if the picture is too dark, don't turn above 200 with the ISO, try to get the picture brighter with more flash, turning down the aperture or shooting with longer shutter.

 

[NTSilver]

Look for a post from Alcina. She has a link in her signature that will help you a lot.
Also ditto on the underwater photography class. I took one while on our first liveaboard and it really helped.