I will be taking the TG6 and the Olympus housing into Lake George NY tomorrow. Should I turn off the flash for less backscatter? Lake is relatively clear...Or leave it on auto? No external flash will be used...
Going in a green lake tomorrow should I have flash on auto?
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KevinG58
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That's a big 'it depends" imho. You have some dives in, so I assume you know colors fade with depth. I would probably take come test shots in both modes, and have a look at the review images and decide which is the best mode. Then while shooting, keep in mind that conditions will change, and watch those review images.
Another option - use your handheld light. It may not give you the lumen of a strobe, but if a subject needs 'just a bit more light' it can be pressed into service. Happy shooting!
Another option - use your handheld light. It may not give you the lumen of a strobe, but if a subject needs 'just a bit more light' it can be pressed into service. Happy shooting!
jlyle
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If the water is, as you say, relatively clear, then force the on board flash. When you get in the water, take a couple of pictures of the water, preview the images for backscatter and adjust as necessary. Using flash won't change the green background.
With my TG5 I almost always turn off the flash unless shooting macro. I can't see the screen well enough to pick out small dots of backscatter so I avoid the possibility. Also I don't use external lights so unless the natural lighting is good I add the light back in with a one touch app called Dive+. Not a world class solution but I don't want to put the time or money into doing it more professionally and I get some really great shots regardless.
drrich2
Contributor
I use an old Canon G16 in a Fantasea housing, with the G16's flash only, so a different brand but similar in the 'point and shoot' approach. I'm a snap shooter - I don't have the mindset, patience, whatever-it-is that empowers some people to do manual white balancing, manually set an aperture/shutter speed combo., etc...
But there is one manual thing I often do when snap shooting with this setup; I learned to turn the flash on and off. I tend to have it 'On' or 'Off,' not 'Auto.'
The flash makes very little difference unless the subject is pretty close, so even with clear water, if I'm zooming a bit to photograph something with some size (say, a big grunt, or a grouper) than won't let me real close), about all the flash is going to do is light up some backscatter and maybe annoy the animal.
On the other hand, if I'm shooting close and I want to bring out 'natural' colors (by surface lighting standards), contract flash-vs.-no flash depiction (e.g.: some animals stand out more against their background with flash), or just compensate for low light...then I want the flash to fire.
Unlike topside, what I seldom want to happen is for the camera flash to fire based on whatever the camera 'thinks.'
The TG6 is a different brand and later generation model, so perhaps you guys are happier with the 'Auto' setting for flash.
But there is one manual thing I often do when snap shooting with this setup; I learned to turn the flash on and off. I tend to have it 'On' or 'Off,' not 'Auto.'
The flash makes very little difference unless the subject is pretty close, so even with clear water, if I'm zooming a bit to photograph something with some size (say, a big grunt, or a grouper) than won't let me real close), about all the flash is going to do is light up some backscatter and maybe annoy the animal.
On the other hand, if I'm shooting close and I want to bring out 'natural' colors (by surface lighting standards), contract flash-vs.-no flash depiction (e.g.: some animals stand out more against their background with flash), or just compensate for low light...then I want the flash to fire.
Unlike topside, what I seldom want to happen is for the camera flash to fire based on whatever the camera 'thinks.'
The TG6 is a different brand and later generation model, so perhaps you guys are happier with the 'Auto' setting for flash.
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