Lighting for S95

[wadacolors]

I've purchased a S95 for improved image quality while shooting at night shorecasting in Hawaii. Surf does come up unexpectedly so i'm looking for a housing but am concerned about how it will affect the flash. Subject matter is usually 5-15 feet away. Your insight is greatly appreciated.


mahalo,

 

[Oldbear]

Wadacolors,

I have had a couple of small point and shoot cameras that we have used underwater; a Canon S90, a Sealife 600 and a Sealife 1200. My Canon S90 is just one generation below your S95 so I will discuss that one.

Camera housings come primarily in two materials, polycarbonate and aluminum, with the polycarbonate being the lesser expensive one in most cases. I am using the Canon WP-DC35 housing for my S90. I have not had any leakage nor concerns with the Canon housing. Here is a link to Canon's WP DC38 for the S95.

Canon WP-DC38 Case for Canon PowerShot S95 4712B001 B&H Photo

Here is a link to a different manufacture's housing...the Ikelite brand is pretty reputable also.

Ikelite 6242.95 Ultra Compact Housing for Canon 6242.95 B&H

The S90's internal flash works fairly well. But depending upon the clarity, the depth of the dive and of of course the distance from the subject matter, the intenal flash will be limted. My daughter and I used two cameras on the same dives, one with the internal flash and one with an external flash. Handsdown the external flash equipped camera took much better pictures overall. We have now upgraded the S90's lighting system to include an external flash.

Here are two external flashes that work well with small cameras.

Ikelite AF-35 Kit 4035 B&H Photo Video

Sealife SL961 Underwater Digital Pro Strobe SL961 B&H Photo

I went with the Sealife flash as I was use to it from my Sealife 600/1200 systems. I also liked that it took smaller batteries. A major functional difference between the Sealife and the Ikelite is their "firing" mechanism. The Sealife uses a fiber optic adapter that fastens to the camerahousing over the internal flash. The Ikelite uses a sensor that picks up the internal flash...a distance of about 6-10 inches. I do not know the pros or cons between the two. Battery usage and oveal price were my deciding factors.

Here is a link to the Sealife fiber optic adpater.

Flash Link | Sealife Cameras

For both my sealife 1200 and the Canon S90, we use a dual system with a Sealife Strope on one side and a Sealife Video Light on the other side. I take my pictures and my Daughter seems to take more videos.

Sealife SL980 Underwater Photo/Video Light SL980 B&H Photo Video

If using an external flash I would also use a flash diffuser. This will help reduce "hot spots" in the picture.

Flash Diffuser | Sealife Cameras

If memory serves me well I think the Canon WP D35 Housing came with a diffuser for the intenal flash as well.

There are two more things that you can think about...White Balance and Post Editing Software.

White Balance is an internal setting that resets the way your camera veiws colors. As the different colors in the spectrum are absorbed by water, the natural color diversity reduces...this is why most underwater pictures are so blue (the reduction of red). By manually setting the white balance at the depth of your dive, this will help "reset" how the camera stores the digital picture. In many cases I have used the Manual White Balance setting and have not used external flashes.

The second suggestion I have is post diving editing software. You don't need to go out and buy Photoshop right away. Google's Picaso is free and is a nice program to start with. I have been amazed who much of the picture I can restore with this simple program. I also know of several photographers who shoot in the Raw data format, this is easier to edit the picture afterwards. But I have not tried this format yet so I will let an expert speak on this.

Good luck and I hope I gave you something to think about. :uwphotographer:

~Michael~

 

[wadacolors]

Thanks Michael,

I'm looking at the 6242.95 ikelite and canon's WP DC-38. Although my shots take place above the waterline on shore at the beach in Hawaii, waves sometimes cover me. I'm trying to take action shots of people fishing at night on rock cliffs. Subject matter is usually 5-15' away from me. My primary concern is how the housing will affect flash lighting. I'm hoping i can do without an external flash, trying to stay as compact as possible. I have DSLR which can get images i want but don't want to risk bringing my body there and want to be more portable.

mahalo,

Derek

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I have the S95 with the Ikelite housing. Underwater, with the diffuser, the flash travels at most 5-10ft. Over water, where visibility is much better, I expect it to be at least 15-20ft with the diffuser (maybe more), depending on your camera settings. The diffuser is used so that the lens ring doesn't block part of the flash.

I'm sure the Canon casing is about the same. Since you won't be diving with the camera, you won't have to worry about pressure changes (and other potential problems) that could wear down your camera. I'd go with the Canon, as it's significantly cheaper, for above-water photos, but for diving, I'd stick with the Ikelite, as it seems to perform more reliably and not break down as frequently as the Canon housing (according to many reviews all over these forums).

The only thing it seems that you need to worry about is getting water droplets visible in your shots.

 

[wadacolors]

I have the S95 with the Ikelite housing. Underwater, with the diffuser, the flash travels at most 5-10ft. Over water, where visibility is much better, I expect it to be at least 15-20ft with the diffuser (maybe more), depending on your camera settings. The diffuser is used so that the lens ring doesn't block part of the flash.

I'm sure the Canon casing is about the same. Since you won't be diving with the camera, you won't have to worry about pressure changes (and other potential problems) that could wear down your camera. I'd go with the Canon, as it's significantly cheaper, for above-water photos, but for diving, I'd stick with the Ikelite, as it seems to perform more reliably and not break down as frequently as the Canon housing (according to many reviews all over these forums).

The only thing it seems that you need to worry about is getting water droplets visible in your shots.

Aloha Scuba-Noob. Thanks for confirming my thoughts about the Ikelite/Canon housings and effect from the diffuser. I was thinking that although i'm usually above water level, i'm sometimes subjected to crashing waves which may actually subject the housing to more pressure than being under water.

Heard that rubbing an apple over the housing lens helps with water spotting.

mahalo.

 

[wadacolors]

I checked with Canon and yes i should be able to shoot 10-15 feet out above water. One thing they did point out to me that I did not think of was heat retention within the housing while using the on camera flash. Anyone have any issues this this?

 

[Lumin]

I got the ikelite housing which I guess does not have that much more air-space inside the housing compared to the canon housing; I recently did 80 shots or so above water in about 20 min time frame using the flash on each shot with the camera inside the housing, no problem with heat buildup so I guess you should be good.

 

[wadacolors]

Thanks Lumin. Seems like my issues are covered. Now it's the choice of the ikelite or canon housing. I've read other posts about the two. Initially I leaned towards canon since it will primarily be used above water and wouldn't need the better construction but then thought about when I surf and the realized the wave action can be worse /more powerful than being underwater. I don't anticipate needing external lighting which I understand the Ikelight is better suited for. I've grown up with the ocean and one thing I enjoy is that you never know what you'll experience while in it. Perhaps I should start looking in earnest now for a housing. Don't want to miss a once in a lifetime shot.