Give me some initial strobe/camera setting ideas please!

[AggieDiver]

We finally broke down and bought a strobe. Now we need some ideas on settings to start out with so our first 2-3 days of diving aren't spent fiddling with settings. The strobe is arriving today and we are leaving Saturday for Cayman Brac, so we don't have time to go to the local pond to practice.

Here is the rig...Oly C5050, ike housing with TTL support, Ike DS51 strobe on Ike deluxe ball and arm system.

Hopefully, the following info will help guide answers to my questions. We typically do mostly macro/fish portrait type photographs, although if a shark decides to swim by 6 feet away, we aren't going to pass up trying to get a shot of it. Before buying the strobe, we typically shot aperature priority using the internal flash (diffused using Ike's housing mounted diffuser) with the aperature set between 1.8 and 5.6 depending on the available light. We shoot in Raw format so we have the ability to correct minor exposure problems to some degree in post processing. So with that said, here are my questions:

1) Where to set the strobe? I have read around a bit and know that it should probably be as far as I can get it from the camera, directly above the lens if possible, and aimed at or just beyond the likely subject distance to avoid lighting the water between the camera and the subject. Any other thoughts or guidance beyond those basic ideas?

2) Is aperature priority using the Ike/Oly TTL still our best bet short of full manual operation? If so, what settings would be a good starting point? If not, what should we be doing differently?

3) What is the best way to deal with the internal flash? I believe the 5050 has a setting that turns off the internal strobe and only uses the external...am I correct? If so, is there any reason not to do that? If not, is black electrical tape more effective than the ike housing mounted blackout panel that comes with the housing?

4) In the not so unlikely event that a shark or turtle swims by 6+ feet away with a beautiful sand bottom and deep blue background behind it, whats the best way to get a snapshot without spending 2 minutes changing settings while it swims away? Is leaving the strobe on likely to screw up exposure bad enough that photoshop + raw won't recover it? Or should we turn the strobe off manually and take the shot with natural light for the best chance at a clean photo?

Thats all I can think of for now, but feel free to give any other guidance on what we need to think about if I have missed any issues.

Thanks in advance!

 

[bobf]

start here:

http://splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/underwater_photography/up_settings.htm

 

[oly5050user]

We finally broke down and bought a strobe. Now we need some ideas on settings to start out with so our first 2-3 days of diving aren't spent fiddling with settings. The strobe is arriving today and we are leaving Saturday for Cayman Brac, so we don't have time to go to the local pond to practice.

Here is the rig...Oly C5050, ike housing with TTL support, Ike DS51 strobe on Ike deluxe ball and arm system.

Hopefully, the following info will help guide answers to my questions. We typically do mostly macro/fish portrait type photographs, although if a shark decides to swim by 6 feet away, we aren't going to pass up trying to get a shot of it. Before buying the strobe, we typically shot aperature priority using the internal flash (diffused using Ike's housing mounted diffuser) with the aperature set between 1.8 and 5.6 depending on the available light. We shoot in Raw format so we have the ability to correct minor exposure problems to some degree in post processing. So with that said, here are my questions:

1) Where to set the strobe? I have read around a bit and know that it should probably be as far as I can get it from the camera, directly above the lens if possible, and aimed at or just beyond the likely subject distance to avoid lighting the water between the camera and the subject. Any other thoughts or guidance beyond those basic ideas?

2) Is aperature priority using the Ike/Oly TTL still our best bet short of full manual operation? If so, what settings would be a good starting point? If not, what should we be doing differently?

3) What is the best way to deal with the internal flash? I believe the 5050 has a setting that turns off the internal strobe and only uses the external...am I correct? If so, is there any reason not to do that? If not, is black electrical tape more effective than the ike housing mounted blackout panel that comes with the housing?

4) In the not so unlikely event that a shark or turtle swims by 6+ feet away with a beautiful sand bottom and deep blue background behind it, whats the best way to get a snapshot without spending 2 minutes changing settings while it swims away? Is leaving the strobe on likely to screw up exposure bad enough that photoshop + raw won't recover it? Or should we turn the strobe off manually and take the shot with natural light for the best chance at a clean photo?

Thats all I can think of for now, but feel free to give any other guidance on what we need to think about if I have missed any issues.

Thanks in advance!

set camera on manual.. Set up on macro-will still focus on subjects 5 ' away and will focus easier/faster on close up stuff..use ttl sync cord,of course..set up for iso 100 use an f 8 for maximum depth of field..start off with a shutter speed of 125/160 and increase/decrease to darken/lighter background.. Also experiment with f5.6 for wide angle images. While swimming around have set up to f5.6 and in case something big goes by,use f8 for fish/macro images.can also try iso 200 and increase shutter speed to 160-200.shut strobe on camera off and use menu to only have external strobe(hot shoe) on,this saves battery power.Use diffuser that came with housing if you cannot shut down internal strobe.Look on my gallery,most images taken with oly5050 /ike housing/ike 125 strobe.Get a wide angle lens to mount on housing as soon as you can,makes a world of difference so much that I would be very limited without it.

 

[oly5050user]

start here:

http://splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/underwater_photography/up_settings.htm

very good advise given on that site for oly cameras.

 

[AggieDiver]

Thanks for the link and input guys. So it sounds like full manual is the way to go then...sigh...I was hoping to be a lazy tourist and avoid having to think while I snapped the pretty pictures. Then again, lazy tourists don't spend $3000 on photo equipment, software, and printers trying to get that one shot to hang on the wall.

Couple of questions. What is the best way to setup so that you aren't constantly fiddling with settings? Is it easier to try to set 4 my mode settings prior to the dive and just jump back and forth between them? Or is it better to start with one mode for the dive and then have the shutter speed and f-stop as custom buttons in the menu?