CP 8400 images

[davephdv 0]

I have posted a few images from the Revillegigados taken with a CP 8400. Moderate PS on all. Mostly sharpening and levels. A few are cropped. More on the camera latter. It preformed well. Much better than the CP 5000 though not as well as a dSLR.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/daveburroughs/PhotoAlbum27.html

[james 0]

Very cool Dave, thanks for posting! I can't wait to hear more about this compact camera.

 

I looked at the photos - looks like an amazing dive trip. Did you also get some D100 photos? Did you carry multiple cameras per dive?

 

On my last trip, I tried carrying two cameras - it was a new and eye - opening experience. I ended up clipping an Olympus 5060 setup off to my BC on an extendible lanyard. It worked out pretty well, I could shoot my big rig w/ the fisheye or the 12-24 and use the small one for mid-sized stuff or macro.

 

I really like the clarion angels. Super-cool fish.

 

Cheers

James

[derway 2]

Nice pics Dave!

 

Most of them seemed to be available light, with the mantas for instance. Seems like a bit of fill might have helped some of those shots. What do you think?

 

Were you happy with the AF and LCD response? I've been worried about the LCD freeze, during AF. How did you find it?

 

Good going.

 

Don

[davephdv 0]

I shot a lot of shots with the D100. All with the 12-24. Will post later. With both cameras I used one DS125. The shots appear available light because of the size of the mantas. You had to be more than 6 ft away to get the manta in the frame.

 

Camera performed well. Much better than the old CP 5000. Doesn't focus as quick as a dSLR but you can get most shots. Meaning you are not limited to non moving subjects. Some shutter lag but much more manageable than previous consumer digicams.

 

I could go on a dive trip and use this as my sole camera. But I would want to get the wide angle lens to use with it.

 

I like the camera a lot. I find I am using it a lot on land trips where I don't want to carry a lot of gear and not even bothering with my dSLR. Very good performance at ISO 100. 400 not as good.

 

Two interesting things. First is that you have to open the internal flash to get an external flash to fire. You can turn off the internal in the menu but you have to pop up the internal flash to get the camera to fire an external flash. This is true of land strobes as well as DS 125. (Needs a firmware update?) Second is the camera only goes into macro mode at the widest 1/3 of the cameras zoom focal range. You would think that the macro would be at the telephoto end of the range.

 

Before buying the camera I tested the autofocus/shutterlag inside the camera store against a Cannon G6. Turned off the infrared auto-focus in the 8400 to simulate using it UW and tested against whatever the default is for the G6. The nikon was clearly faster at taking a shot.

 

There is some noise in the photos. I believe that it is actually due to the water column between the camera and subjects (mantas). I'm sure the optional 18 mm lens with the proper domeport would have worked much better. I shot all at ISO 100. I wish I had shot some at 50 to compare.

 

The experimental dome I was using would only allow the camera to focus at the widest focal length so the longer shots for small fish were not available. I had to get really close to small subjects.

 

I had a problem on the Manta dive with bubbles on the dome surface that degraded a lot of my images and affected some of the ones you see. As I don't have this problem with my large glass dome I never checked the camera. They showed up in the light. I don't think this would be a problem if you checked your dome and cleaned it off UW. I have seen several shooters over the years that have reminders on their housings to clean off bubbles on their domes so this isn't a problem with just the dome I used. I just wasn't use to dealing with it myself.

[davephdv 0]

My brain doesn't work fast enough to use 2 cameras on one dive. Part of the reason I went to digital is so I could carry one camera and have all the shots I need on a dive. Also why I'm always looking for a camera (or lens) that can do macro and wide angle on the same dive well.

[anthp 0]

Wow, sounds like quite a capable system. Really looking forward to seeing some results with the 18 mm lens!

[derway 2]

Hey Dave.

 

Lots of really good shots with the 8400. Are you in the habit of shooting raw? Looks like raw cycle time on the 8400 is kind of long...

 

Does the LCD freeze during AF, bother you, with moving subjects?

 

Pity about the macro focus range being the wide third.

The Canon Pro1 has the same issue, or worse.

 

The V3 is beautiful in this regard, as the macro focus mode covers the entire zoom range, and still allows focus clear out to infinity. So no switching in and out of macro mode, as the subject crosses the 2.5 ft boundary... If only it did RAW, at a reasonable rate, it would be nearly ideal, given its general focus speed and capability.

 

I wish nikon would get out their 20D killer... At the moment, I'm feeling like abandoning my nikon glass...

 

Thanks!

Don

[ikelite 0]

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/triv_hasarti.html shows some of the Coolpix 8400 test photos by Dave Harasti.............

[derway 2]

Yeah, even more on:

 

http://www.daveharasti.com/Queensland/coralsea/index.html

 

Dave - question about those shots.

 

THey all show you have various metering modes on, some spot, some center weighted, etc. Yet many of them show exposures like f7.1 at 1/1000 or 1/500. To me, it seems likely these were nearly pure strobe photos, or was it really clear and bright?

 

Don

[anthp 0]

Hi Don,

 

You might actually need to email Dave Harasti to ask him that. Dave Burroughs is someone else

 

I thought some of the metering modes were strange too.

 

Dave H visits diveoz pretty regularly and he has a thread regarding the CP8400 images on that forum if you wanted to ask him some more questions.

[davephdv 0]

Hey, I've been to Australia. But those aren't my pics. Maybe some this weekend but I don't think I will make it to the Coral Sea.

 

Dave

[derway 2]

D'oh! Thanks Anthony. Knowing already that Dave B was interested in the 8400, I just thought they were one and the same guy!!!

 

[Dave H 0]

Dave - question about those shots.

 

THey all show you have various metering modes on, some spot, some center weighted, etc. Yet many of them show exposures like f7.1 at 1/1000 or 1/500. To me, it seems likely these were nearly pure strobe photos, or was it really clear and bright?

 

Don

 

Don, This is the Dave you were after! Most of the exposures of f7 and above are of macro subjects or close ups, hence the high aperture selection. By using the Ike manual controller I normally adjust strobe output rather than adjusting the shutter speed.

 

The blue water shots of sharks and potato cod had to be shot at high shutter speeds as the visibility was 30 metres or so and the water was very bright bc of the very suny conditions. I wish I had the Ike domeport and Nikon wide angle lens for the trip as I was getting to close to the cod and sharks to fit them in with the 24 mm lens! I'm trying out the domeport and lens in 2 weeks on a wreck diving trip in Queensland...

[davephdv 0]

I posted a few test images with the optional wide angle dome and most with the optional Nikon wide angle lens.

 

Water conditions were terrible. Not wide angle conditions hence all the debris and backscatter in the photos. Not the fault of the camera or the dome port. They seemed sharp to me. With decent light the camera takes wide angle pictures quickly with little bother from shutter lag. I did notice a little of the "LCD freeze up" when trying to shoot macro in poor light. Not really a problem for me.

 

You cannot shoot macro with the wide angle lens as the image is too small.

 

I hope to go back next weekend and see if you can shoot the camera using the optional wide angle Ikelite dome port without the optional Nikon wide angle lens attached. In particular if you can do macro that way.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/daveburroughs/PhotoAlbum29.html