riftvalley84
Contributor
As a "rule of thumb", what is a good ISO & F-stop setting for underwater photos? I have a Sony DSC-W7 7.2 mp camera. I generally use a filter.
ISO & F-stop setting
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dschonbrun
Contributor
The filter will cut the amount of light entering the lens, so depending on the color, it could be between one and three stops of light loss.
Sunlight levels diminish as you descend, so the relative depth will have an impact on your settings.
There really is no easy way to answer this.
What I can tell you is that if you are more than 5m down, and want sharp pics, you probably need a flash. When using flash, the Guide Number (flash strength) dictates the f-stop and ISO settings. Always best to use lower ISO's for sharpness and contrast... ISO 100,200,400 are ok for most cameras.
Sunlight levels diminish as you descend, so the relative depth will have an impact on your settings.
There really is no easy way to answer this.
What I can tell you is that if you are more than 5m down, and want sharp pics, you probably need a flash. When using flash, the Guide Number (flash strength) dictates the f-stop and ISO settings. Always best to use lower ISO's for sharpness and contrast... ISO 100,200,400 are ok for most cameras.
OP
riftvalley84
Contributor
Thanks for the quick reply. Our camera has an underwater housing which seems to block the flash. The filter is orange & it makes an amazing difference in the color. Unfortunately there is not an option for a strobe. We do have a light attachment but you have to manually turn it on and it only makes a difference at night. I will experiment with the ISOs.
diver 85
Contributor
For my Canon A570IS(without any Magic Filters), I always use the lowest ISO ie 80 for this camera.........F-stop 5-more light-down to 2.8--less light(bracket here if possible).....good luck, do experiment ie bracket....
DivePhotoGuide
Contributor
I believe that you can add a strobe with a fiber optic connection to that system. i'm not entirely sure, but i'd have to imagine so. That would give you several strobe options.
But the question of what setting are best underwater is like saying "How long is a rope?", "How deep is a hole?". It's all variable based on conditions.
The approach to macro and wide angle is also very different. For W/A, the strobes allow you to light your foreground, while your f-stop helps with the right ambient exposure for the background. For macro it's all strobes. (Ok that's an extremely simplified version of a much longer answer that i don't have time to type right now
)
As dschonbrun points out, you loose light at depth (very quickly at that!). Strobes are important - photography is all about light and shadows.
Magic filters are actually quite good, but they are not really replacements for strobes.
Hope that helps some...
But the question of what setting are best underwater is like saying "How long is a rope?", "How deep is a hole?". It's all variable based on conditions.
The approach to macro and wide angle is also very different. For W/A, the strobes allow you to light your foreground, while your f-stop helps with the right ambient exposure for the background. For macro it's all strobes. (Ok that's an extremely simplified version of a much longer answer that i don't have time to type right now
)As dschonbrun points out, you loose light at depth (very quickly at that!). Strobes are important - photography is all about light and shadows.
Magic filters are actually quite good, but they are not really replacements for strobes.
Hope that helps some...
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