Looking into Underwater HDR

[PapaBob]

I have not played with HDR and am skeptical that you would have enough dynamic range in most UW shots to use it, but I could be wrong. I like Metric’s idea of trying this out on sunball or silhouette shots. I have to try this out when I have a chance.

If you handhold the camera you might want to try quick shots with automatic exposure bracketing like UWPhoto suggests. You can probably bang off three shots without a lot of misalignment.

I saw a thread a long time ago by Fdog in which he talked about adapting a tripod for underwater use. Might want to check for it.

Photoshop CS3 has a neat Merge to HDR function that will attempt to align the images. I do not know how well this works but it may be worth a shot. If you are trying to mask different parts of various exposure layers, there is a new Auto Align Layers function.

In some cases you can make an HDR type image from a RAW file by creating three images from ACR each with different exposure settings.

Just some random thoughts. Great thread. I would love to hear from someone who has actually tried this.

—Bob

 

[Throg]

Curious if anyone has given this a try since this thread was started...

 

[slowhands]

Any underwater camera that can do bracketing will enable HDR image capture. But...

Water is constantly moving, and so are most subjects. You can stabilize the camera in some sort of tripod or monopod, but during the shoot your subject would probably move. Wrecks are about the only thing I've shot that don't move, and even then there are fish moving about. I hate to sound negative, and I hope you prove me wrong, but I think it will be very difficult to get the multiple images you need for HDR without subject motion.

 

[Throg]

My understanding (not having yet tried it myself) is that it is possible to do HDR with a single RAW image, although without the same degree of power that is afforded by multiple exposures.

 

[Matt S.]

That is true. A raw file contains more dynamic range than a jpeg can represent, so with careful processing you can prepare a jpeg file with more apparent dynamic range than normal.

 

[psldivebum]

Matt S Great shots I just upgraded from a point and shoot to a DSLR and look forward to going thru the learning curve with it on my adventures.

 

[apadua]

Would the Canon S95's HDR function be of assistance? Does it capture all necessary images with a single click?

 

[stakanak]

Here is the problem: From the movement of the water, the movement of aquatic animals, the movement of the micro life, and the movement of you, you would want to be shooting at at least 250th of a second which would equate to a rough total of an 80th of a second for the three shot bracket.
It would be easier to use a single raw image-then layer plus and minus exposure copies in post (which has already been stated).
When we shoot HDR up hear on earth, there is zero movement of anything. In fact, we use a shutter cable so the camera does not move at all.
Of course, someone will do it and prove me wrong, which is the exciting thing about photography in this day and age!
Get Wet!

 

[flareside]

Following up on what stakanak is saying, the best example of single frame HDR I have come across was found at: Canon Digital Learning Center - Single Image HDR: Part 1 (Overview) which gives a good explanation of the process.