Question TG6 + Strobe - tips on nailing focus and where the bloody strobe is aiming at!

[Saffadiver]

i need to look for lights like that or find some lazer'esq solution

 

[hdtran]

Man, when you said that I was so excited! BUT.... I use custom modes and they (according to chatgpt) do not allow for focus area changing via the OK button.... Ill continue research on this though.

Just try it on dry land. The Olympus TG6 manual does not mention this limitation. (But I think you have to have the autofocus setting set on the [ . ] in your custom settings).

 

[Jai Bar]

To reduce backscatter, you need to set the strobe far from the lens, but with a single strobe this can also cast shadows. So there is usually no single best position for it, you will have to experiment different angles according to subject size, distance etc.

But if the strobe has a wide cover angle, as mentioned here several times, it doesn't have to face directly the object.

At some point, you will have to embrace the shadow and try to use it for some more dramatic photos, or consider a second strobe?

 

[arew+4]

Get a strobe with a focus/modeling light built in. Preferably a multi power one with a red mode. The red seems to spool the subjects less and attracts less critters like sea licea and other small swarmers. Otherwise it's test shots on land til you can set a distance blindfolded

 

[VsubT]

As mentioned, you can get more light by using wide open aperture (low f-number). The tradeoff is depth of field, which is shallow at full open. Not ideal for finicky macro focus.

To get reasonable depth of field, you’ll want to shoot somewhere around f/18 (+/- depending on sensor size and other factors). That reduces available light, leading to the need for strobes for decent exposure.

Play around with the settings and lighting to see what works for your setup. It’s a journey, have fun with it!

Lance