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Scuba Forum / Scuba Equipment / January 2005The Wife Was Right
She kept telling me that if I got a half decent digital camera I wouldn't need an external strobe. My experience with rented film cameras of varying qualities, a low end film camera (Sealife Reefmaster), and a low end digital camera (1.3 megapixel Sealife Reefmaster) prevented me from believing her. But, since I was buying a digital camera anyway, I got a housing and tried it out. The camera is a 4 megapixel Sony Cybershot which is a half decent camera, nothing spectacular, but much better than the Sealife. The proof is in the pictures. Anything marked new on this site is a rencently photographed Mexican fish. http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/underwater/index.htm My major concerns were that I would not have enough light to not only illuminate the fish, but also to bring out the colours. That was proved false in the following photos where the fish was under a ledge or somewhere else out of the sun. http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/underwater/Moray2.htm http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/underwater/Toadfish.htm http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/underwater/GrayAngel.htm Regarding backscatter, I got some, but no more than I did with other cameras. Bottom line, you don't need a strobe. Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/ > Bottom line, you don't need a strobe. Bottom line, you got some nice pictures without a stobe. That's not the same as not needing one. Lee >> Bottom line, you don't need a strobe. > > Bottom line, you got some nice pictures without a stobe. That's not the > same as not needing one. > > Lee This is what I want Santa to bring me next year. http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/opt10dlx.html Damned strobe costs more than the camera and housing. > This is what I want Santa to bring me next year. > > http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/opt10dlx.html What's the matter with this year? > Damned strobe costs more than the camera and housing. Par for the course, especially when you pay for a strobe with a fast recycle time... -hh >> Damned strobe costs more than the camera and housing. > > Par for the course, especially when you pay for a strobe with a fast > recycle time... For those of us who just want P&S, can the AS substrobe be adapted? > This is what I want Santa to bring me next year. > > http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/opt10dlx.html Try <http://www.oceanicfocus.com/page4.html> The Inon D-180 is a very nice piece of kit. >replace spamblock with my family name to e-mail me >> Bottom line, you don't need a strobe. > >Bottom line, you got some nice pictures without a stobe. That's not the >same as not needing one. It's a compromise, but not a bad one for a lot of shots. The not quite wide angle shooting, where the strobe doesn't matter anyway, does pretty well. For many, the vastly easier travel weight and usage is worth that price. I never had my Aquashots or my canon housing flood, but I went through three strobes. I'd love to see the release of a model that can recharge through induction like my braun toothbrush. That battery door is a weak spot.  SignatureJason O'Rourke www.jor.com > For many, the vastly easier travel weight and usage is worth that price. > I never had my Aquashots or my canon housing flood, but I went through > three strobes. I'd love to see the release of a model that can recharge through > induction like my braun toothbrush. That battery door is a weak spot. I've had 3 strobes and 5 UW camera housings, and never flooded one. It's all about careful preparation and not rushing the it. Look after the O rings and surfaces and they will look after you. Saying that, I'll probably have a flood the next time I enter the water :-( One of the other issues with only using the internal flash, which is located very close to the camera lens, is that, like a ring flash, the subject can look quite 'flat' and two dimensional. This is compounded by the fact that with the very short focal lengths of lenses on digital cameras, as compared to 35mm, the depth of field is much greater, thus a lot more will be in acceptable focus, further reducing the impact of the subject compared with the background. > I've had 3 strobes and 5 UW camera housings, and never flooded one. It's > all about careful preparation and not rushing the it. Look after the O > rings and surfaces and they will look after you. Since I'm buying a UW housing for my PS400, I was wondering - is it a problem using my 10W HID light with a video diffuser as a "strobe"?? In theory (my) it should bring the light needed for a proper shot, since I can point the light directly at the object using the goodman handle. -Henrik > Since I'm buying a UW housing for my PS400, I was wondering - is it a > problem using my 10W HID light with a video diffuser as a "strobe"?? In > theory (my) it should bring the light needed for a proper shot, since I > can > point the light directly at the object using the goodman handle. It depends on two things, the color temperature of your light and whether the HID's coverage is comparable to the area seen by your lens. Even if everything works out OK, it's still a pain in the rear to try and keep the light pointed where you need it while you're composing your shot and that's assuming that your subject will let you get a light that bright close enough for the picture you want. Lee > Since I'm buying a UW housing for my PS400, I was wondering - is it a > problem using my 10W HID light with a video diffuser as a "strobe"?? In > theory (my) it should bring the light needed for a proper shot, since I can > point the light directly at the object using the goodman handle. If you take a trypod down with you it may work ;-) but the light out-put is not nearly enough. any half decent flash puts out many times the light you have now. <http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image11.html> shows just how much difference in light you get using a 10~18W HID compared to a sea and sea DX90 and an Inon D-180 >replace spamblock with my family name to e-mail me warm-water-diver@spamblock.net (Jerome Meekings) pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :<http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image11.html> :shows just how much difference in light you get using a 10~18W HID :compared to a sea and sea DX90 and an Inon D-180 What are we supposed to be looking at? Is part of this picture illuminated with an HID light and another part with a strobe? Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > What are we supposed to be looking at? Is part of this picture > illuminated with an HID light and another part with a strobe? The whole is illuminated with the two strobes, but you can also see the very small area, around the sea snake, that is lit by 1 HID and the area near the prop shaft lit by the other. That clearly shows the small light output of the HID compaired to a strobe. Of course the strobe light is for a very short time. I do not remember if either of the HIDs was greater than 10W FWIW I am looking into getting lighting for video to cover about the same field though not in such depth and I will need twin 25 Wat HIDs as a minimum, and they would not have as much light output as one of my strobes, neither of which is really high powered. >replace spamblock with my family name to e-mail me warm-water-diver@spamblock.net (Jerome Meekings) pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :The whole is illuminated with the two strobes, but you can also see the :very small area, around the sea snake, that is lit by 1 HID and the area :near the prop shaft lit by the other. Here is the picture again. http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image11.html Sea snake? Oh yeah, there it is in the bright spot. I hadn't even noticed it the first time, have you considered cropping? The picture you get when you press the previous link is quite nice. And is that you in P1020271.JPG? And what are all these fish doing http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image77.html? No wonder that light is so bright, look at the size of it http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image171.html. You can right near broil a steak with it. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > warm-water-diver@spamblock.net (Jerome Meekings) pounded away at his > keyboard resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > And is that you in P1020271.JPG? And what are all these fish doing > http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image77.html? I think they might be a type of goatfish and they are sweeping the sand and eating. I saw something similar to this shot a few times while in Mabul. > No wonder that light is so bright, look at the size of it > http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image171.html. You > can right near broil a steak with it. It looks like a type of DPV to me and not a dive light. > :The whole is illuminated with the two strobes, but you can also see the > :very small area, around the sea snake, that is lit by 1 HID and the area [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Sea snake? Oh yeah, there it is in the bright spot. I hadn't even > noticed it the first time, have you considered cropping? Yes I have however the interesting point in this is also the area iluminated by the flashes not just the snake. > The picture you get when you press the previous link is quite nice. Thanks. > And is that you in P1020271.JPG? And what are all these fish doing > http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image77.html? They are a A swarm of juvenile catfish and they are feeding. I have put up a page with a short QT movie linked from http://meekings.net/movies/movie%20start.html > No wonder that light is so bright, look at the size of it > http://meekings.net/diving/pg-2004/pg-2004-Pages/Image171.html. You > can right near broil a steak with it. If you look realy hard the light head handle is just visable behind steves long hose regulator but the light and canister can't be seen. If you thought the large white object was the light it would probably cook the whole cow ;-) But it is a Gavin scooter one of the white ones. http://www.gavinscooters.com/pages/normal_gavin_shortbody_jpg.htm > Dan Bracuk >replace spamblock with my family name to e-mail me Will you never learn??? Rule #1: The wife is always right. > She kept telling me that if I got a half decent digital camera I > wouldn't need an external strobe. My experience with rented film [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! > -----= Over 100,000 Newsgroups - Unlimited Fast Downloads - 19 Servers =----- > Will you never learn??? > > Rule #1: The wife is always right. It depends on the wife. Great pics!!!!!!! Were those pics taken with the Sony in auto mode or manual? Signaturescubby scubby <scubby.1hxwfm@forums.deeperblue.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Were those pics taken with the Sony in auto mode or manual? Auto. I read various parts of the manual during the trip and concluded that pre-selecting macro and flash every time was the best way to go. Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/ Thankyou for the reply, I have bought the P150 with the underwater housing but have not tried it yet, tried to search the web for info about other users and their feedback but have not found much.Do you know of any sites that may have info? Signaturescubby scubby <scubby.1hy42n@forums.deeperblue.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Thankyou for the reply, I have bought the P150 with the underwater :housing but have not tried it yet, tried to search the web for info :about other users and their feedback but have not found much.Do you :know of any sites that may have info? Try http://www.digideep.com Personally, I use trial and error, especially error. Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/ scubby <scubby.1hy42n@forums.deeperblue.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Thankyou for the reply, I have bought the P150 with the underwater :housing but have not tried it yet, tried to search the web for info :about other users and their feedback but have not found much.Do you :know of any sites that may have info? Try http://www.digideep.com (later) and http://www.wetpixel.com/ and http://www.digitaldiver.net/ I don't know if they are any good, I just know that they are there. Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/ > The proof is in the pictures. Anything marked new on this site is a > rencently photographed Mexican fish. Nice pics. What proportion of the attempts are keepers? nospam@all.please.net pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Nice pics. What proportion of the attempts are keepers? Including a dozen or so land shots, I brought home 132 images, of which I printed 42 and put 10 on the web. So far I have 111 electronic keepers, but, I may get rid of some more because I have a lot of very similar images. I adhere to the theory that in order to get good pictures, take lots. My guess is that I deleted about 100 images while I was in Mexico. I wasn't keeping track. The resort had a small tv in each room and since I brought my video cable, culling was a lot easier than had I only had the camera display to work with. This is a lot better than the bad old days when I was using a rented camera with slide film and would be absolutely delighted to get 3 keepers from a roll of 36 exposures. Dan Bracuk Is it my imagination, or do Buffalo Wings taste like chicken? The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/ > nospam@all.please.net pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: > :Nice pics. What proportion of the attempts are keepers? > > Including a dozen or so land shots, I brought home 132 images, of > which I printed 42 and put 10 on the web. 8< > I adhere to the theory that in order to > get good pictures, take lots. I concur. Up to inconvenience, and perhaps beyond, backup is good. 8< |
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