S400 - first underwater shots

[Cabo]

Went to Isla Mujeres hoping to try out the S400 & Canon's case. My luck a tropical storm hits the first 2 days of the trip causing the water conditions to suck. Ah well...

This folder contains some underwater shots as well as above. I'm trying to get onto a Flower Garden trip in the next month to give the camera another workout.

I must say that it is extremely easy to use. The only negative was during shallow snorkeling, the LCD became hard to read in bright light. The battery lasted "almost" through 2 full dives with the LCD on the entire time and every shot with a flash. I don't remember exactly how many shots it was, maybe 40-50? I was hoping for a bit better battery life. I expected a full charge to last for a 2 tank dive so I didn't have to open the case on the boat.

Oh yeah, I also have the YS-25DX strobe attacked with the fiber optic cable.

All in all, I'm happy with the setup and being able to see when I mess up a shot immediately is priceless since I mess so many up.

Isla pics
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder.tcl?folder_id=317259

My pictures of other generic vacation spots, some underwater but with an Ikelite, not digital.
http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=400552

 

[Dee]

You've got some great stuff in those albums.

 

[SimonJ]

Great photos !!!!!

This is my first attempt at underwater photography, with my S400... www.merith.com . There just aren't that many fish in Turkey

Did you feel that the strobe made a big difference, and how did you find working out the settings ?? Have subsequent to my Turkey trip bought a YS-25DX, but won't get to try it out until my honeymoon in Grenada in late Sept...can't wait.

Simon

 

[Kong]

The colors in your shots are great. That water looks amazingly clear.

I think the strobe helped a bunch. You can tell right away if you have it aimed correctly. You should get some great shots in Grenada.

I need to practice more, that's all I know.

 

[vettenorlando]

Hey Kong,
I have a question since I am looking for the s400, I just got off the phone with Canon trying to find a strobe to use... They told me that there is not one that will connect to the s400 and I would have to fire it manually. How are you doing that? Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[SimonJ]

Hi vettenorlando,

Canon are kind of right, in the sense that there is no way to connect a strobe to the housing/camera directly so that it fires automatically (TTL). There are though a number of strobes designed for digital cameras, that act as a slave to the internal flash on the camera. Most digital cameras have some sort of pre-flash on their internal flash units, so you need to choose one that can cope with this.

There seem to be 3 main makers of strobes for digital cameras without TTL connections...although I am sure there are others so apologies to anyone that I miss....

Sea and Sea - Make a YS 25DX and a YS 90 DX
Epoque
and Inon.

Personally I went for the YS25DX, but might add a more powerful strobe later on when I have some more money

Hope this is of use.

All the best and safe diving,
Simon

 

[vettenorlando]

Hey Simon,

Thanks for your reply... after doing further research I learned about the fiber optic cable.. blah blah blah... how does the velcro work with the housing and the optic??? Is it pretty solid? I notice they sell extra optic cables... good idea to keep a spare?

I recently sol my NikonCoolPix 990, because it was so big and bulky and when on vacation I couldn't stand carrying it. My parents lent me their older Cannon ELF and I fell in love with it and have always wanted one. Now that there is the s400 i was dying to get one, and certainly now that there is a housing and a strobe that I can get with it. I was very uncertain as to the pics I would get from it, but based on what people are posting, it seems like they are awesome.

I was looking at the SeaLife YS25DX to purchase. It seems pretty standard. Looks kinda funny, this tiny little camera with this strobe....

So from what I am reading, I need to go out and buy this stuff... It seems to work well. Can you turn the display on the camera off from the housing? I imagine the battery wouldn't last two long dives.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Ari

 

[SimonJ]

Have not bought a second fiber optic cable...but you are right, that sounds like a good idea. It seems to attach pretty well and is nice and secure, so am happy with it so far.

You can turn the display off when the camera is in the housing, but this would make life very tricky as the viewfinder is very small and with a mask on am fairly sure you would not be able to use it. What I did was to buy a second battery (useful anyway) and change this between dives. Worked OK so far

Simon

 

[vettenorlando]

Great to hear that the fiber works well... I was concerned, i mean its velcro from what I can tell that holds it in place.

I was going to get a second battery anyhow... I just like to avoid opening the case on the boat.... Is th case pretty simple? Have you experienced any leaks?

Do people look at you funny with this tiny camera with that big strobe? I think its rather hysterical myself!!!

As for the display I was thinking that rather than leaving the display off and look through the view finder.... I was thinking that maybe it was easy to turn on and off, rather than powering the camera down between shots, I could just turn the display on to save battery power. DO you leave the camera on for the entire dive?

 

[SimonJ]

Have not really used the camera and strobe together enough to get a really good feel for it. It does look a little cumbersome, but then you are diving and all the gear is fairly clunky that way

So far I have not had any leaks, but I am religous about keeping the O ring and housing clean. I guess that you could turn the screen off between pictures to save battery....will give it a try in Grenada in September.

Let me know how you get on.

Simon