Oly Super Macro question...

[blueline]

Hi fellow divers,

New to this forum, I was wondering if anyone has experimented with the Super Macro feature on the Oly c5050. I recently bought the PT-015 housing with the c5050 but I haven't tried it yet underwater. I want to be able to take close ups of little shrimp (i.e. boxer shrimp, pedersen's etc..) or flamingo tongue cowries down in the Keys. So far
so good as far as learning the camera's features, however I was wondering if anyone has any favorite settings for pictures taken in the 3-5 cm range by using the camera's flash (not a strobe)? Will the pictures end up looking washed out by the flash? Should I keep the defuser of the housing on? Any help will greatly be appreciated.

I can't wait to try my camera out down in the good old Conch Republic.

 

[laazur]

I started like that before getting an external strobe.
In the shallow waters it works great. But deeper i got the shadow of the housing lens part. it is always better to keep the diffuser.

I start with 1/60 s and f=4. Then bracket from there according to exposure.

good luck

Bernard

Hi fellow divers,

New to this forum, I was wondering if anyone has experimented with the Super Macro feature on the Oly c5050. I recently bought the PT-015 housing with the c5050 but I haven't tried it yet underwater. I want to be able to take close ups of little shrimp (i.e. boxer shrimp, pedersen's etc..) or flamingo tongue cowries down in the Keys. So far
so good as far as learning the camera's features, however I was wondering if anyone has any favorite settings for pictures taken in the 3-5 cm range by using the camera's flash (not a strobe)? Will the pictures end up looking washed out by the flash? Should I keep the defuser of the housing on? Any help will greatly be appreciated.

I can't wait to try my camera out down in the good old Conch Republic.

 

[Dee]

The camera internal flash is disabled in Super Macro mode. The lens port is in the way of of the flash.

There's never a reason to remove the diffuser panel on the PT-15. For regular macro shots, minimum 8" focal length, the internal flash can be a little hot. I usually bring it down to -2 for really close shots.

 

[ssra30]

I find supermacro mode less useful than I initially thought mainly because the zoom is locked at 50 or 60 mm (I think). You can get better magnification with macro mode with the zoom set at 80-105mm. If 8 inches is too far, you can always add macro lens so the camera can focus closer than 8 inches away. As Dee said, internal flash will also not work in super macro so you would need external strobe in most cases.

 

[DWJ]

Also being new to the c5050 ant PT015, and also without a strobe (yet) I came across this link. I forgot how I came about it but it was probably from one of the ScubaBoard posters. Any way I hav not tried the non-strobe settings yet but plan to this weekend.

For what it's worth, here's the link
http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/underwater_photography/up_settings.htm

Dave

 

[Gilligan]

Dave,
You ran across what is likely one of the best camera settings advice pages out there. Many of us on the board have already read it and use it.
The only thing I will add is try using your "Manual White Balance" for non strobe shots, especially the more distant ones. Calibrate the white balance off your dive slate at the depth you are at. Only re-calibrate it during the dive if the visibility changes significantly. I think you will be amazed at the quality of the results with only minimal adjustments in Photoshop or the like.

 

[Dee]

Dave,
You ran across what is likely one of the best camera settings advice pages out there. Many of us on the board have already read it and use it.
The only thing I will add is try using your "Manual White Balance" for non strobe shots, especially the more distant ones. Calibrate the white balance off your dive slate at the depth you are at. Only re-calibrate it during the dive if the visibility changes significantly. I think you will be amazed at the quality of the results with only minimal adjustments in Photoshop or the like.

I also recommend the manual white balance. But I also re-calibrate often as my depth changes, about every 10 ft. You can also calibrate it using a sunny patch of white sand.

 

[jcclink]

Keep in mind that when the camera is within a few centimeters of the subject it's very difficult to properly light the subject. With an external stobe you're kinda limited to top or side lighting. Better to keep a little distance from the real small stuff.