please help the rookie.....

[GERRY2153]

Kudo’s to all of you who post the wonderful pics, after finally getting my C750/PT-018 into the pool last night I have a great appreciation for all of you on this board. I guess the only good thing was that the housing worked perfectly – no leaks, other than that, the 112 pic’s were pure crap. I tried a variety of settings -auto/P/M ... with no success

Granted the indoor public pool was probably not the best conditions, and while it appeared to be clear water, the flash picked up a huge amount of back scatter, so I think there was a lot of things floating by…. And lighting was not good in the old pool…. Compared to the majority of the pics I have taken on dry land, where you mouth drops open and you say wow did I take that, with these, I feel like an 8 year old…..

So, please help me. 7/18 will be my first actual adventure so I need some help in getting the settings in a workable range. Any input would be appreciated. We are heading to Clear Lake, in Oregon , approx 50-60 feet, with visibility of 300 feet, and hoping for a nice sunny day. I learned enough in the pool to stay way from the “auto” setting, I would prefer the manual, but where should I start, I can set the WB, but auto focus, manual focus, iso settings, any help will be greatly appreciated. I’m guessing that there wont be much macro shooting, not much life in the cold mountain lake.

Thanks all….
Gerry

 

[Gilligan]

Use your camera in the "M" mode.
For non-strobe pics, depending on the ambient light available, try F4.0 and 1/80 shutter speed. Slower than 1/80 may be a problem for moving objects but not fixed ones. Play around with F stops above and below F4.0 depending on your depth. This all requires you to have the camera on Manual White Balance, which you calibrate off a dive slate at the depth you are at. If the amount of ambient light changes quite a bit as you descend then you will have to re-calibrate the WB more frequently.
For internal strobe pics use Auto White Balance and try F6.3 at 1/125 and work from there.
You will find the "sweet spots" on your camera over time.
The most important thing is to know your cameras controls like the back of your hand so you can change settings quickly and efficiently underwater.
Making adjustments to your photos in a software program afterwards is the final step.

 

[Dee]

Ditto what Gilligan said.

Don't get discouraged, a pool is the worst place to photograph. Testing the housing and making sure all the buttons work is one thing but the conditions there are the worst to deal with!

Remember...we all started where you are now!

 

[Battery]

Kudo’s to all of you who post the wonderful pics, after finally getting my C750/PT-018 into the Gerry

Mind if I interrupt this thread for a post; Where did you buy the housing, I cant seem to find one. Only on Ebay, and I am waiting to bid on it.

Thanks

 

[Gilligan]

Battery,
I checked Yuzo's site in Japan which is the most likely place to find the PT-018. He shows it as out of stock, discontinued, and no longer available. Sorry. Good luck in finding one.

 

[Battery]

Battery,
I checked Yuzo's site in Japan which is the most likely place to find the PT-018. He shows it as out of stock, discontinued, and no longer available. Sorry. Good luck in finding one.

Thanks for the help. Luckily I just won a ebay auction for it. $202.50 USD

 

[PapaBob]

Gerry:

Backscatter is a big problem here in S. Florida since the vis is usually low and there is a lot of "stuff" in the water. Most first timers tend to mount the flash over the camera like they do with land pics. The strobe picks up particulate matter in the water and bounces it straight back at you. If you can, move the strobe as far off the camera as possible. Upper left or upper right from your shot to give the appearance of natural light from above. If the angle is right the light will reflect off the particles away from your camera and not into it (mostly). Also remember that the strobe projects a cone of light. You don't always have to point the strobe "dead on" the subject. A bit off subject and the strobe can still catch it. Hope this helps some. Shoot, shoot, shoot. You will pick it up real quick.


---Bob

 

[cdiver2]

Kudo’s to all of you who post the wonderful pics, after finally getting my C750/PT-018 into the pool last night I have a great appreciation for all of you on this board. I guess the only good thing was that the housing worked perfectly – no leaks, other than that, the 112 pic’s were pure crap. I tried a variety of settings -auto/P/M ... with no success

Granted the indoor public pool was probably not the best conditions, and while it appeared to be clear water, the flash picked up a huge amount of back scatter, so I think there was a lot of things floating by…. And lighting was not good in the old pool…. Compared to the majority of the pics I have taken on dry land, where you mouth drops open and you say wow did I take that, with these, I feel like an 8 year old…..

So, please help me. 7/18 will be my first actual adventure so I need some help in getting the settings in a workable range. Any input would be appreciated. We are heading to Clear Lake, in Oregon , approx 50-60 feet, with visibility of 300 feet, and hoping for a nice sunny day. I learned enough in the pool to stay way from the “auto” setting, I would prefer the manual, but where should I start, I can set the WB, but auto focus, manual focus, iso settings, any help will be greatly appreciated. I’m guessing that there wont be much macro shooting, not much life in the cold mountain lake.

Thanks all….
Gerry

http://www.daveread.com/uw-photo/strobes/aim.html
and
http://www.barrylipman.com