Olympus 410 and Sea and Sea DX 90

[tkring]

I purchased the Olympus 410 with Sea and Sea DX 90 strobe last year. I heard a lot of good things about the strobe but I've not seen it. My pictures are still coming out blue with little color unless I'm right up on the subject.

Can someone give me their opinion of the Sea and Sea strobe. If it works for you, can you provide tips?

Here is a link to some pictures taken this year. The one of the Queen Angel is a good example of what I'm talking about. Pictures in Gallery

Thanks,
Terri

 

[ReyeR]

I purchased the Olympus 410 with Sea and Sea DX 90 strobe last year. I heard a lot of good things about the strobe but I've not seen it. My pictures are still coming out blue with little color unless I'm right up on the subject.

Can someone give me their opinion of the Sea and Sea strobe. If it works for you, can you provide tips?

The S&S YS-90DX is a very capable strobe. Assuming your strobe is firing and you are aiming it correctly and, as you say, you are close to the subject (i.e. within strobe range) then it will light up your subject and bring the reds back to your picture. My guess (the link you've posted of your sample doesn't work) is that it is more an issue of either one or both of the following:

1. Full-auto camera: The Olympus µ 410 is a full-auto camera i.e. you cannot control the shutter speed or aperture. In low-light conditions the camera will choose slow shutter speeds and wide open apertures to capture as much ambient light as possible. As a result of the wide aperture you are forced to select a low strobe power on the the YS-90DX or you risk overexposing your image. This results in not much strobe light falling on your subject and your images turning out blue (or green). Also, you can't fix the ISO on your camera so the camera is adjusting the sensitivity of the camera's recording sensor on-the-fly. This also plays havoc with your strobe exposure. The only tips I can offer are (a) Set the camera to Macro mode for close-ups and (b) Set the flash to 'Fill-in' mode lightning symbol) - this will hopefully 'force' the camera to select faster shutter speeds and smaller apertures. Also, try playing around with the Exposure Compensation settings of your camera. Your other option is to ditch this camera and get one that gives you control over the aperture and shutter speed. You are seriously under-utilizing the capabilities of your YS-90DX with this camera.

2. YS-90DX pre-flash setting: The Oly 410's built-in flash emits a pre-flash when it fires (this is different from red eye reduction). A pre-flash is a tiny flash the camera fires before the main-flash in order to determine how long the main-flash should stay on to get the correct exposure. You must make sure that you set the YS-90DX to ignore this pre-flash otherwise it'll try to flash twice. For this the Power ON/OFF switch should be set to 'PRE'. Also the Slave ON/OFF switch is set to 'ON'.

HTH

 

[cannon fodder]

My pictures are still coming out blue with little color unless I'm right up on the subject.

I used a Reefmaster DC310 a couple of weeks ago in Bermuda and had the same problem. I followed one of our fellow cruisers advice and got a copy of PhotoShop elements 3 (90.00 bucks at staples). Install, click file|process multiple files, check all the boxes, select the appropriate directory, and watch in amazement as the blue and green is washed away from your pictures and the colors of the Queen Angel jump out of your screen.

Frankly, I know think that getting a decent camera and housing is half the of problem, getting a good photo editor is the other half. It is almost like getting a Rolleiflex 120mm and then sending the film to the local drugstore to be processed. You want good results, get good processing.

Derek

ps I am currently selling the reefmasters on e-bay if anyone is interested, see other posts for hints as to why.

 

[tkring]

The S&S YS-90DX is a very capable strobe. Assuming your strobe is firing and you are aiming it correctly and, as you say, you are close to the subject (i.e. within strobe range) then it will light up your subject and bring the reds back to your picture. My guess (the link you've posted of your sample doesn't work) is that it is more an issue of either one or both of the following:

HTH,

Thank you for the suggestions/insights. It makes more sense now. I knew the camera would be limited when I purchased it but I was looking for a low-end easy to use camera. I actually like the camera but just want to learn how to use the strobe appropriately. I'll keep practicing ~ shucks, I guess this means more diving.

Thanks again.
Terri