Your Digital camera settings

[scubaj]

Ok so here is my question. I see everyone post about what camera set up they have, but what about your settings?

I am sure a lot of people use manual settings and what have you found to be one of the best to use?

I know this is a pretty generic question however I am so new to this so I figured this would be a great place to find out.

I read the boards all the time and never post because I figure I will just let my dumb questions like this out one.

Thanks,
Jared

Olympus 5060
And waiting on Ikelite housing

 

[Dee]

The 5060 is too new to have anything specific written for it yet but Peter has some great info about Oly settings on his site---->HERE

 

[Gilligan]

Far from a dumb question. More like a very important one as I think most folks use the "Auto" settings.

I'll second Dee's post on Peter's page re manual settings. That is where I got started with them.

IMHO using manual White Balance calibrated off a dive slate at depth is a most important choice for no-strobe shots.

 

[scubaj]

yeah soon as I can get Ikelite to release the housing I am getting the strobe at the same time.

I just thought everyone has there own way for the camera settings and was keeping all the good info.


Jared

 

[justleesa]

yeah soon as I can get Ikelite to release the housing I am getting the strobe at the same time.

I just thought everyone has there own way for the camera settings and was keeping all the good info.


Jared

Lately I have been using: M/F4.0/ 1/100 /Slow flash/AF/Iso 64/ Noise reduction on/WB Auto/Scene Modes Normal.

 

[clementyn]

hmm,

have to say i agree with gilligan and dee. most important to a good shot has to do with working/learning how one feature affects your pics at a time. for me, i started with my camera's different auto settings first, then ditto the posters above with learning how to manual white balance and maybe even your macro and wide angle sweet spots (if you get a WAL). then start playing with bracketing f-stops and speeds. it doesn't take too long to get the basics down, but i'm afraid getting really good at it is a lifelong endeavor. i think its like skiing - you never stop learning till you stop falling down - and 25 years later, that still happens.

lorien

 

[10X]

I am not fully integrated into the manual mode yet. I have been doing a lot of practice on land, using various settings to see "what happens when I do this." My problem is that I don't see much variance from one picture to another when changes are made, i.e., F4.0 to F6.3.

What is it that I should be looking for? Any suggestions on how to practice to get a better understanding of the manual mode? Any suggestions on web sites where I can read articles that explain what appear to be simple things to most of you, like white balance, Fstop, etc. I don't have a clue what things like this are supposed to do, so don't know what I should see when I change them.

I'm using a C5050/PT015/internal flash.

 

[Gilligan]

10X check Peter's website as Dee posted above.

For example, a quote from his site:
"Camera Exposure Settings - I use manual mode with the aperture and strobe to expose the foreground and the shutter speed to control the background, where slower shutter speeds equal brighter blues and faster shutter speeds equal darker blues and blacks."

I'm no camera expert and someone correct me if I'm wrong on this. The photo results will be be different underwater than on land using the same settings because the conditions are very different. Practicing underwater for settings is a must but so is knowing how to work all the controls and settings on your camera. The latter part can be done on land.

 

[Dee]

Gilligan is right....you'll need different settings underwater than topside. Sometimes the changes from one f/stop to the next is miniscule to the naked eye but when you take into account the lowered light conditions in the water, it makes it more apparent. The best thing that happens when you practice topside is you get very familier with your camera. Before you get in the water you should know which buttons to push to change aperture and exposure times (ET-digital equivilent to shutter speed) without looking at it. For me, it was which way to turn the jog dial. If you use My Mode buttons, memorize which ones do what.

It will only take a short while underwater to dial in to the right aperture and ET. Being comfortable handling the camera will make the biggest difference.

 

[mandrake]

IMHO using manual White Balance calibrated off a dive slate at depth is a most important choice for no-strobe shots.

Actually I think using RAW mode, if your camera supports it, is far and away the best option. It gives you the most flexibility, as you can set whatever white balance you want afterwards. Failing that, calibrating is the next best option.

On my recent trip with my 5050 I found RAW mode to be the best new feature. A close second was the histogram that was displayed after I took my picture, which allowed me for the first time to get an accurate sense of whether the exposure was correct or not immediately. Previously I've always relied on how the picture looked in the LCD, which is inexact at best. The histogram tells you very accurately how good your exposure was, and how you need to adjust if necessary.

The combination of these two things left me almost completely free of significant overexposures and underexposures, and really gave me better signal-to-noise and color depth than I've ever had before. I didn't think I was really going to like the 5050, but now I'd never go back to one of my earlier cameras.