Panasonic Lumix TZ7/ZS3 with u/w case DMW-MCTZ7 HD VIDEO test results

[DazedAndConfuzed]

So is the SZ3 w/o a dome lens quite usable? 25mm would be around 33mm underwater. Some of the videos seems to be quite wide angle looking, are they using a dome lens?

Seldom is the scuba diver the primary subject in dive videos. Both the viewer and diver share the same wonderment and awe of the spectacular cenotes found in the Yucatan of Mexico.

[vimeo]28904263[/vimeo]

Aaah, angelita. When I went there, it was overcast, thus down the pit, it was very dusk like. Setting ISO at 400, almost all shots were blurry not because my hand moved, but me and the camera as a whole moved in those 1/4 sec exposure. It was on dives like that which made me think it is time to upgrade my Oly C5050.......now took the plunge, at least for video, supplementing the Oly with a ZS3 that I already had around for video.

 

[kevmiami]

Unless it's bright/shallow or with a flash, I often got blurry shots from the slow shutter speed. I've only snorkeled with my Zs3/Tz7m, but have just rigged up with YS-110a to take diving - will get the rig wet for the first time this weekend (I hope) or next week in Bonaire )))))) I put together a draft settings list in another thread, which should let you set the minimum shutter speed. Hoping a grossly underexposed shot is still better than one that is blurry. Cheers, Kevin.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Some videos looks bluer than others, even though they seem to be in UW mode. Does UW mode just make the image default to a reddish color and fine tune WB from there? Thus when too deep and too blue, the image is still blueish?

I thought it would be some fuzzy logic, making the scenery's overall color to be roughly 18% grey.

 

[kevmiami]

There is no way for the camera to sample incoming light against an incoming balanced source, so I think they selected about 30' feet on a cloudy day as an estimate of correction needed. Within the UW mode, you can hit the up key twice (I think) to get to the manual white balance adjustment, increasing the red until the display looks appropriate. Cheers, Kevin.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

With intelligent auto, face recognition and priority, focus tracking, they have built enough intelligence into these cameras to do all sorts of functions. They could do WB so if the background is complex, set wb based on 18% gray. If bg is plain and, WB it so that it looks kind of blu-ish, so it would look like an ocean background. I am sure there is some UW WB logic already, since if I set it to UW mode and point it above water at a normal subject, it will be properly white balanced, so it is not just applying a red filter. It just doesn't seem to know how to deal with really blue scenes.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

When using the camera/housing and aiming upward toward a creature in open ocean, I frequently see reddish vertical streaks in the lower right corner. Is this some flare lighting from the lens of the housing?

 

[Mr. Blues]

I would get vertical purple lines if I shoot into BRIGHT sunlight and my owners manual says this is "normal".
If I turn away from the sun a little....they do not appear.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

I know about the flares when the sun is very close to the scene, that is kind of a product of relatively cheap lenses. But this is fixed position vertical lines that just stays there when shooting video. It is especially prominent when the background is blue ocean and I am aiming higher than the horizontal position.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

anyone moved on from the ZS3 and want to get rid of the camera? Mine flooded after 1 time in the housing (after battery change) and thought it would be easier to replace the camera instead of getting a new camera & housing. I use it for video only so the latest and greatest megapixel is of no relevance. I thought I just post here instead of WTB in classified..until when I can't find anymore with it.