Sony F505v problems - anybody else?

[SkubaDude]

Hi there

I am new to u/w photography and have recently splashed (no pun intended) out on a Sony F505v and 10Bar housing.

I took a few shots in Sulawesi & was quite pleased with my results. The only problems I had were:

1. Tracking moving objects (keeping them in the viewfinder until the shutter lag finished)
Is this just down to practice?

2. When taking pictures close up (with flash) the F505v casts a shadow in the pic (flash is mounted above the lens which obscures some of the light)
How can I get around this? Am I too close? Should I bolt something onto the side?

cheers
Paul

 

[rmontyhernandez]

I also have a 505. What type of housing do you have? Where did you get it?

 

[Dee]

If there is a way to move the strobe off to the side, that would eliminate the shadow caused by blockage.

Shutter lag is something we all have had to learn to deal with. It helps to kinda know what the critter is gonna do next...where's he's headed. And as you said, continue tracking even after you push the shutter...and take more than 1 shot!

 

[Jonathan]

how's your 10bar housing? I considered them but I would have had to get a custom job - or rather pay for the development of the DCS-85 housing.

I went for a local custom housing and they put a diffuser over the flash. Having said that I get very poor results with the flash so have invested in a HID light - someone used a video light for me to take a pic on holiday and it made a huge difference. There is another post advocating video lights for digital cameras as well.

Taken at about 34m with a sony dcs85 with dive masters video light (not HID). It is also the "email" copy of the original

As to moving objects - get practicing, but then that is the case for all cameras, just more so with digital.

Jonathan