Question for Nick...and others...

[justleesa]

I was wondering......Nick? Do you wear glasses? I have a hard time focusing with the super macro mode - I sometimes feel it's because I wear glasses and my perscription in my mask is not 100 % what it is in my glasses....anybody else notice this?

 

[Dee]

I have a hard time, too. I bought the monitor magnifyer from Fish Eye but haven't had the chance to use it UW yet.

 

[calypsonick]

I was wondering......Nick? Do you wear glasses? I have a hard time focusing with the super macro mode - I sometimes feel it's because I wear glasses and my perscription in my mask is not 100 % what it is in my glasses....anybody else notice this?

Leesa, I don't wear glasses but regardless, I can't tell whether a shot is in focus or not on the teeny weenie screen. I have many, many, many shots that I thought were in focus under water, only to kick myself later for not taking more shots, when seeing how blurred they were on the computer screen.

What I have found reduces the number of out of focus shots in supermacro is 1. getting the subject in a position where most of it is in the same plane, perpendicular to your lens and 2. aim your brackets somewhere below the subject on whatever it is sitting on to focus by pushing the shutter halfway down. With shutter halfway down, then position your subject to compose the shot. This is tough as the shutter tends to be sensitive and can go off before you have it where you want it. I have had a buddy or two comment on the large bursts of bubbles in musroom cloud shape come out of my head while I was trying to take pictures. I explain that this is from cursing the shutter button for firing too soon.

Until I get a handle on manual focus I have resigned myself from getting a good shot of say a pipefish hovering 3-6 inches from the bottom because invariably the camera focuses on the bottom and not the pipefish.

I like Dee's solution. I am going to look for a magnifier glass for my screen too.

 

[DennisW]

Lisa,

I think I am having the same problem. I have been lucky to get a few micro shots in focus. I am planning to get new lenses for my mask, soon.

 

[fergyjohn]

I was looking at Yuzos website last night and saw a magnifying hood that "apparently" assists in focusing etc, fits most of the current Oly housings.

 

[alcina]

Yup, can't see for sure mostly. I've improved my SM by following calypso's advice on where to try to prefocus etc. I am getting far more in focus shots now, but not everytime :icorolley

I'll second the advice above to make sure you shoot even more frames of a subject than you normally would whenever possible. And be flexible about creative focussing

 

[ssra30]

I am not sure how much the magnifying hood will help. The biggest problem I had with Oly C5050 was that the LCD monitor resolution is not high enough. I had no problem seeing the monitor but had hard time also telling if the subject is really in focus or not.
Looking through a viewfinder on Nikon D70 which is much smaller but much sharper image is a lot easier at judging the focus of the picture. I also find that depth of field in supermacro mode is very narrow and preferred to use wetmount macro lens in macro mode as focusing is easier and you can use the zoom as well.
I also wear glasses and use mask with diopters (close but not identical to my prescription).

 

[Gilligan]

I can't tell from the monitor if the shot is in focus as it is too small.
I wear my contact lenses underwater and a black skirted mask.
I do notice that if the subject is not the center of the focus when I push the shutter half way down I don't take the shot. I let the shutter go and push half way down again, and again if necessary, before taking the shot.

 

[SeaYoda]

I'm really messed up compaired to all of you. I'm nearsighted with short arms disease and wear that bug-eyed mask that requires normal sighted people to wear contacts that make them nearsighted. I don't think the mask and eyesight are my problems. The thing I've noticed most is the poor resolution on the LCD. I have taken many pictures of doctorfish here. I have not gotten a good shot of one yet - the camera has a very hard time focusing on them for some reason. I have looked on the LCD and thought "I finally got it!!!" only to find it out of focus on my computer monitor. I don't delete a lot of pictures under water, unless they are grossly fuzzy, because I'm just not sure if they are in focus or not. That's the only solution I've come up with so far.

Dee,
When you get to use the magnifier, please let us know how it does. I'd like to use one but it may not help the resolution problem. I hope it does.

 

[justleesa]

Dee wuold you happen t have a link to that magnifier?