TG 5 with Kraken Weefine 3000

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Steelyeyes

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Location
Kralendijk, Bonaire
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I just added the ring light to my TG 5 and played with it a bit. Any suggestions on camera settings to get the most out of it would be appreciated. The strobe mode looks like it needs some tweaking. When I tried some macro shots with it they were completely overexposed even at -2.0 stops and ISO 100.
 
I just added the ring light to my TG 5 and played with it a bit. Any suggestions on camera settings to get the most out of it would be appreciated. The strobe mode looks like it needs some tweaking. When I tried some macro shots with it they were completely overexposed even at -2.0 stops and ISO 100.
What mode was the came in?
 
Microscope. I set it up using the Backscatter video on macro with a strobe.
 
Microscope. I set it up using the Backscatter video on macro with a strobe.
So you are set up this way?
upload_2019-1-13_9-15-14.png
 
Except the "above for good shadows" since it's a ring light. I did the same setup with a single strobe and had troubles with overexposure too. I wonder if increasing my ISO to 400 would help.
 
Just a thought, if it's overexposing with a conventional strobe too, that sounds like the flash setting? Is it in manual at 'max' (whatever TG jargon for that may be) or something else other than 'fill'?.
 
Same issue and have given up on the strobe mode for now. The difference in the light output of the focus light vs the 3000lm strobe is too much for the TG-5 to handle. Very unfortunate.

Still love using it in constant light mode at 1800lm, but need to turn on and off to save battery in the cold diving we do.

Have anyone else found a solution that allows the TG-5 to be stopped down to deal with the extra output of the ring light in strobe mode?
 
Settings on the TG-5 are not always straight forward, particularly with program type modes such as microscope. The camera has 3 apertures available, f2.0, f2.8 and f8. f 8 is achieved with a ND filter.

Exposure compensation will only work the shutter speed/aperture, flash exposure compensation doesn't do anything as I believe the flash is just there as a trigger to set off a burst of light from the LED - so the camera does not behave as you would expect it would with a flash, because both shutter speed and aperture impact exposure from the LED. The way to get the exposure correct is to decrease shutter speed, but of course you can't access this directly as there is no manual control of aperture/shutter speed. I suspect what is happening is the camera is metering with low/no light then takes an image based on that but the output of the light goes up when triggered by the strobe.

So how is the ring light setup? is it running at 1800 lumens then kicks up to the full 3000 when triggered, or is it no light then full power? 3000 lumens is not quite double 1800 lumens so should be within the range available from exposure compensation - about 2/3 - 1 stop higher output, so in theory setting exposure compensation to -1 should work. But if you were running 1/2 or 1/4 power to save batteries then got full power it would blow out. When I say exposure compensation - this is camera exposure - NOT flash exposure compensation. I would also suggest using Av if you can achieve focus where you need it, it takes one more variable out of the equation.

The TG-5 also has the ability to set flash to manual, if you are only using it for triggering then you might as well do that, set it to minimum output and save a little battery power and get faster recycle.
 
The focus light when in strobe mode is lower intensity than continuous mode, probably less than half of the 1800lm. I have tried to use both flash and camera exposure (thanks for the clarity of the flash exposure!). Camera exposure is max -2 so it blows out most times.

Flash is set to 1/64, triggers nicely, but no impact on exposure control of course.
 
Interesting. All this crazy workarounds because Olympus and most other similar types of cameras will focus on preset modes rather than giving real control to the photographers. Unfortunately it seems that people that design the firmware on the cameras have no idea what is needed underwater especially with strobes. That aside I think that if you have blown out exposure you should check the settings after having taken the picture. If the Shutter speed selected is highest combined with F8.0 or higher and iso 100 and exposure compensation is -2 then the weefine at 3000 lumen is too much in super macro distance. However I do not think this should be the case.

I tried on my older TG3 which is very similar and while I have some control and can trick the exposure modes in Av mode, I could not affect anything (Shutter or Aperture settings) in supermacro mode. With or without a 1000 lumen flashlight turned on at about 10cm from the object did not change anything like it did in Av mode...(!) The camera always sets the speed at 1/100 and F14 (iso set at 100 and Exp compensation set at -2).

If I did the same in Av mode using a 5° beam 1000 lumen light the TG3 would change shutter speed from 1/2000 (external light on) to 1/100 (external light off) keeping Aperture at F6.3 and ISO always at 100. It is unfortunate (!) that in Supermicro and extending the zoom I cannot select speed and aperture...!

Maybe the TG5 you have has more control in the Supermacro mode by allowing you to trick at least a higher shutter speed with an external LED light ?

Hoping in a "liberated" TG6... :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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