Islandbound
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Posts posted by Islandbound
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I made a diffuser out of the side of a plastic cat food container for a focus light. I use a UK led C8 which has the same bright middle spot as yours probably does. The plastic is fairly supple yet strong and I cut it oversize a bit leaving about a 1/4 inch around the front of the light. I poked two holes at opposite sides and threaded 3/16 inch bungee material leftover from my kayak to make a loop. It looks kind of like a pirates eye patch with the bungee going around the back of the light. This allows me to slip it off when I want the light to poke under a ledge or cave yet gives me tension to hold the diffusor onto the light even when swimming.
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After reading your review I went over to digideep and looked up the S70. There appears to be quite a few good shots in the submitted photo section.
http://www.digideep.com/english/digital/ph...Shot-S70/7/1019
Maybe some of those people are in the Forum there and might be helpful?
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I am in Japan, well Okinawa but its still Japan! What are you looking for?
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According to that edge-of-reef info this crab can hold onto anemones for defensive purposes. Does this make a "tool" user and maybe even the lost link somewhere in the primate chain...!
:-)
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I have had good luck recently with the Sony N2. The video is 30fps and simple to use in their factory housing (MPK-NA). The only problem with the Sony is that you have to set the camera for specific photo types such as black background settings etc before you go into the water. If you are just going to shoot general snorkel shots the camera does a very nice job in the Auto and P modes as well. The color balance is great, the battery is good for about 100 plus 10mb shots and a dozen video clips from 15 to 30 secs each. A small issue for the macro flash shots is that shadow line at the bottom of the exposure which as I understand it is an artifact from the housing length over the lens area. Hasnt been a problem though as I usually end up cropping the photos some anyhow and the 10mb size allows for this with no problem. I have posted some pics recently in a thread if you want to see some.
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Wow, you guys are good! Thanks for the quick reply. The photo was taken in the East China Sea at about 1.5 meter depth. There is a huge variety of hard corals on that section of reef but not many colorful ones like the Dendronepthya. Usually the most colorful things are the dozens of brightly colored Featherstars which seem to be everywhere.
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Took some more pics today. Its really nice living 10 mins from a huge reef!!! I forgot to change the shutter speed and switch from Manual to Program but will do that tomorrow afternoon if I get a chance to go out again.
some of todays pics...
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I was out with the kids swimming over a nice reef today and spotted this red and white spikey thing down a crevice. It is only about 4 inches across in size and didnt seem to move in any current that was present. I couldnt see down past where I took the pic as it was in a hole.
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Jack
Just wanted to say "thanks" for the article. Being new to this its great to be able to read and learn from others more experienced.
Keep writing!
katamuki
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Looks like you had a great time! Any more photos?
katamuki
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The picture was taken in the East China Sea yester day afternoon. There are a number of scorpion/stone fish here, in fact it seems that I see about 2 an hour on the reefs. Between them, Lionfish and sea snakes there are lots of opportunities to see poisonous fish here.
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I was using the 1000 for a shutter speed to try and get the black background. What are the results if a slightly slower speed is chosen?
The N2 only goes from f4 to f8. When I chose f8 before I put it in the housing the screen turned totally dark so I chose the f4 so I could see what I was looking at.
Modes are still beyond me and I still dont actually know what the P is for. I know that -1 will allow less light for exposure but dont know what that will do. Today I might change the settings around to see how they all work out.
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This guy is about 7 inches long and was laying in a hollow on top of a 40 foot reef wall drop. He is almost a perfect match for the color of the coraline and the skin is flaky looking. The fins remind me of a scorpion fish which there are a number of species found here. However, this is the first one I have seen without the facial and body growths that make them so ugly. The head and jaw structure also remind me of the Giant Flathead as well.
Anyone know what this is?
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Went out several times again between rain showers and high winds with the Sony N2 again. My first impression is still very positive about the camera for a point and shoot. My biggest complaint is that once the camera is set for a particular picture type using the Manual setting (such as macro with black background) this setting cant be changed once its sealed into the housing. On land the Auto and Program pictures it takes are very nice so tomorrow I will try it underwater with these settings. If Sony had made a housing with access to the settings menu this wouldnt be a problem.
Here are some more shots I took from today and on Tuesday...
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I started taking pics underwater in January of this year and admittedly am a huge novice. After reading all the input (over and over again) of sites like Wetpixel I am trying to apply what I learn every time I go out. Today was an overcast day about 66 degrees with a fairly cool current from the north of the Sea of Japan which lowered the water temp to the low low 70s. Clear conditions to about 35 feet though until the tide changed going out and silted up the water. Didnt hear the whales today but the sea snakes are in mating season and are pretty active down past the 10m mark. I didnt photo any as they can be way too curious and aggressive right now so I kept my distance.
This is the first time I took the Sony DSC-N2 out in a Sony housing and so far I am happy. The camera focuses quickly, is easy to manage and generally fun. I did set the Manual mode before I went out with the F at 4.0, shutter at 1000, focus at center, metering mode to Spot, White Balance to Auto and ISO to 100. Once done I shut the camera up, put my flippers on and slid into the water. I am not using tanks so the deepest I went today was 18 feet.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to better the pics or any general comments please let me know!
Katamuki
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After looking at all the various makes and models of P/S cameras out there I finally decided (with permission) to get a Canon G7. I spent several trips to Kitamura Camera Shop here in Japan looking at it and was very impressed with its operation and various bells and whistles. The manual mode to adjust shutter speed, aperture, exposure etc are quick and easy to see. I was able to accomplish the "black background" effect I read about here on Wetpixel with ease almost instantly in the store and now, around the yard looking at bugs and flowers. For me as a consumate novice this was very pleasing! The LCD screen is very detailed and easy to see in direct sunshine as well.
I called Ryan at Reef Photo and ordered the Ikelite housing and DS51 strobe package as well. Unfortunately I will have to wait for several weeks for that to make its way across the Pacific and am very much looking forward to the day it arrives. The whales are singing right off the shore right now and the turtles are also nearby, with the water temp already at 70-72 its a great time to be in the water.
Anyway, just wanted to share my good news! Woohoo!
p.s. the camera was 46000 yen if anyone is looking at prices
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Sorry for such a beginner question but how does the Canon housing connect to a strobe for TTL mode?
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Thanks for the info Dave, one of the biggest problems I have is forgetting to put the sun behind me when I am underwater. With all the hard corals and limestone reef shelves there is alot of glare and reflection here.
Looking at the pictures I posted, are they all too illuminated? I have to admit I cant pick out which ones have too much light between the subject and the camera.
Unfortunately my camera wont do Macro worth a hoot and so about the closest I get is 2 or 3 feet from what I am shooting.
So far I have been using the automatic settings on the Sealife and am looking to learn just which settings that would be beneficial to adjust. It seems that here and there I find references on adjsuting ISO, exposure, strobe strenght etc but cant find a particular source to study the relationship between all the factors of shooting a clear, sharp and well-lighted photo.
Any suggestions?
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I have a used SeaLife DC 500 and need some advice. I have been lurking on this site for sometime and know that not many people like that camera but thats what I have. My main problem is lighting and I am forever trying to get the right light and exposure from the camera and a YS-110 strobe. To further complicate things I do not use air tanks and do all my diving "free". This cuts my setup time to seconds which doesnt help considering the currents I swim in.
Is there a combination of settings that will optimize photos taken with the Sealife camera? I know there isnt a "magic button" setting or anything I just need a good point to start from. Most of the shots I take are less than 10 feet in heavy current and silt flow or along a reef wall where I dont normally go deeper than 20 feet. I am in the water about 4 days a week (I am in Okinawa) so I can test and retest any suggestions that some of you more experienced people might have.
Recently my wife bought me a Sony N2 for normal land picture taking, has anyone used this for water shots? She gave me a choice of the Canon SD900 as well and I can still get that camera if its better. Any help would be greatly appreciated! I will attach some pics from last week and would like some helpful criticism on color, composition etc. I am not trying to win awards or anything, the pictures are for my wife and I to enjoy, thats all.
YS-120 and colourtemperature
in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Posted
How do you actually confirm a color temp of a strobe?