New SP-350 User

[hempnc]

Hello all, I recently got a SP-350 in a Ikelite housing using a sync cable to a DS-125. I've been trying to read through most of this section as there is alot of good info.

Anyway, I took it for a dive at a local quarry and kept on fumbling with getting the manual focus just right. I was always either to far or to close. Next dive I was going to try the autofocus with a small focus light tied on to the strobe arm instead. Focusing using the viewfinder is a pain since it is so dark sometimes. I ended up winging it some. Any good tips I should know?

Also...before the next dive with it I was going to get the 4 custom config settings saved so I can switch easier. Any good suggestions on the must have presets?

Other than that, all I can really think of is getting more dive time with it to get used to it.

 

[jjwdiver]

My camera arrived yesterday and I haven't even had time to play with it yet. I'm getting the Ikelite housing in a couple of weeks and wanted to jump in and folow along.

Any shortcut info would be greatly appreciated by both of us.

 

[sunkarm]

Hello all, I recently got a SP-350 in a Ikelite housing using a sync cable to a DS-125. I've been trying to read through most of this section as there is alot of good info.

Anyway, I took it for a dive at a local quarry and kept on fumbling with getting the manual focus just right. I was always either to far or to close. Next dive I was going to try the autofocus with a small focus light tied on to the strobe arm instead. Focusing using the viewfinder is a pain since it is so dark sometimes. I ended up winging it some. Any good tips I should know?

Also...before the next dive with it I was going to get the 4 custom config settings saved so I can switch easier. Any good suggestions on the must have presets?

Other than that, all I can really think of is getting more dive time with it to get used to it.

I also wonder since planning to buy ikelite

 

[DesertEagle]

Doesn't the DS125 have a modeling light? If you're shooting macro, that should be very helpful. My own experience with wide angle (Sea & Sea lens) was that the camera would focus very quickly.

 

[rjsimp]

I have all the "My Mode" defaults we use with our SP-350 and Sea & Sea YS-90 Auto TTL strobes. I have played around with the settings which we started with what Cathy Church gave to us. I have a post out here with all the settings someplace. If you can't find it, I'll have to put a message together with all the settings again or go find it again.. Too bad they don't let you save them out to a file..

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Set focus to spot focus: otherwise you will have the camera locking onto objects on the margin of the photos

Using a strobe with a focus light really helps

Practice, practice and more practice: I had the same problems initially but learnt what and how the camera tends to focus over a few dives.

The dark LCD when not using a focus light can be a pain. If too big a pain try the underwater macro setting: it keeps the LCD bright and seems to work ok but you loose full manual control of the exposure (this may be improved by dropping a few stops on exposure or flash compensation: play with it and see).

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[rjsimp]

The dark LCD when not using a focus light can be a pain. If too big a pain try the underwater macro setting: it keeps the LCD bright and seems to work ok but you loose full manual control of the exposure (this may be improved by dropping a few stops on exposure or flash compensation: play with it and see).

Actually in the My Modes settings there must be something about using them that changes the LCD to not display "Live Exposure" because I saw the same dark LCD issue but then when using My Modes to shoot Macro and Wide Angle, the LCD is bright all the time no matter what my exposures are set to in manual.

So, it can be done, but I just haven't figured out the exact setting that causes this. I just know it works on my modes.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Actually in the My Modes settings there must be something about using them that changes the LCD to not display "Live Exposure" because I saw the same dark LCD issue but then when using My Modes to shoot Macro and Wide Angle, the LCD is bright all the time no matter what my exposures are set to in manual.

So, it can be done, but I just haven't figured out the exact setting that causes this. I just know it works on my modes.

Interesting - I've used my modes a little bit but am going to have to go back to the camera and play around and see what happens here. Thanks for the tip and let me know if you figure out the exact setting,

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[sunkarm]

Actually in the My Modes settings there must be something about using them that changes the LCD to not display "Live Exposure" because I saw the same dark LCD issue but then when using My Modes to shoot Macro and Wide Angle, the LCD is bright all the time no matter what my exposures are set to in manual.

So, it can be done, but I just haven't figured out the exact setting that causes this. I just know it works on my modes.

Pretty Please...can u let me know your "my mode"set up for both macro and wide angle?

Thanks.

 

[rjsimp]

Okay,

Here are my mode settings that I have set our SP-350 cameras to. I really don't see a setting that makes the LCD work the way it does, but all I can say is that it works.. Even in a dark room it will work hard to make it bright enough to see and it works great under water. Obviously in a very dark setting you should have a focus light, but beyond that, you can see okay wereas the LCD is very dark when you close down the apterture and increase shutter.

These settings are what we use with a SP-350 with TTL and a YS-90 Auto strobe.

My Mode settings:

Wide Angle:
M
F 5.6
1/125
38mm
(Flash always on)
(I have played around with this one, but I use the 3rd option with TTL)
Off
(Single Shot)
100
Off
0.0
Sync 1
External Flash only
Off
Off
Spot
AF
Off
Off
Off
SHQ ( or RAW )
Cloudy
0
0
0
0
ON
Off
Off

Macro Settings:
M
F 8.0
1/500
38mm
(Flash always on)
(I have played around with this one, but I use the 3rd option with TTL)
Macro On
(Single Shot)
50
Off
-2.0 (this is because in Macro and TTL it seems a bit hot with the YS-90 Auto strobes)
Sync 1
External Flash only
Off
Off
Spot
AF
Off
Off
Off
SHQ ( or RAW )
Cloudy
0
0
0
0
ON
Off
Off