Sony A6000 Underwater Concerns

[Akies]

I'm relatively new in scuba but have been a photographer for almost 10 years. I've been meaning to take my friend's A6000 under water but i do have a few concerns though.(can't afford a housing for mine ) I fear that the knowledge and thoughts about photography doesn't really apply underwater.Because its different, Light travels differently, I don't really know & understand the science to it .

1. Would the Kelvin WB or auto UW be enough or you need filters as well ?
2. If by using 6400 ISO with 1/30 f/1.8 could get a picture underwater as in low light conditions on land ?
3. Are strobes and optic cable universal or you need a specific cable/strobe ?

Thanks and sorry if this annoys anyone in any way .

 

[Tbar]

simple answers...

3) generally the strobes are 'universal' the main variation is the 'pre flash' from some cameras but many strobes can accommodate this. The optical fibre is just that a simple glass fibre that feeds the camera flash to the strobe, thereby turning the strobe on and off. The variation can be in the 'connectors' on the ends push-fit and screw on.

2) underwater the reds are filtered out the deeper you go, so just using fast speed will not add the red back.

1) You can use filters, but need to know what level to use, as per (2) the red is filtered based on depth. You can set a custom White Balance and that will give reasonable results if there is sufficient light.

Best option is to use strobe(s) for close work and then maybe WB for distance...

If you are borrowing the camera and housing take great care, a leak will prove expensive. Personally I don't think I would lend my camera.

 

[Akies]

simple answers...

3) generally the strobes are 'universal' the main variation is the 'pre flash' from some cameras but many strobes can accommodate this. The optical fibre is just that a simple glass fibre that feeds the camera flash to the strobe, thereby turning the strobe on and off. The variation can be in the 'connectors' on the ends push-fit and screw on.

2) underwater the reds are filtered out the deeper you go, so just using fast speed will not add the red back.

1) You can use filters, but need to know what level to use, as per (2) the red is filtered based on depth. You can set a custom White Balance and that will give reasonable results if there is sufficient light.

Best option is to use strobe(s) for close work and then maybe WB for distance...

If you are borrowing the camera and housing take great care, a leak will prove expensive. Personally I don't think I would lend my camera.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

as for no 2 , i was saying using a slower shutter to get more light in which i was think would be enough to compensate for lack of light and get the red back . But i got the answer from your 2nd last statement, so thanks.

And as for your last statement, Will do.

 

[ggibson]

Best practice is to shoot RAW so that you don't have to worry about white balance or filters.

For getting natural colors while diving at depths less than 40 ft or so, you need lights--video or strobes. There's no way to amp up ISO, shoot wide open, or even post-process that will let you get even close to what you would with lights at depth. If you want to shoot UW without lights, you can still get good shots to enjoy. Mid-day, shallow dives on a sunny day will give you some decent light down to 30-40 ft usually. I shot for a few years like this before adding a strobe. But there's a huge difference in look between my images with and without a strobe.

 

[Akies]

Best practice is to shoot RAW so that you don't have to worry about white balance or filters.

For getting natural colors while diving at depths less than 40 ft or so, you need lights--video or strobes. There's no way to amp up ISO, shoot wide open, or even post-process that will let you get even close to what you would with lights at depth. If you want to shoot UW without lights, you can still get good shots to enjoy. Mid-day, shallow dives on a sunny day will give you some decent light down to 30-40 ft usually. I shot for a few years like this before adding a strobe. But there's a huge difference in look between my images with and without a strobe.

Thanks a million, actually figured that too . So i've bought video lights .