U/W camera for Xmas!

[w&k]

Well, the cracked case on my moldy oldy SeaLife flooded on both dives of the last trip, so I finally decided to join the rest of you and buy a 'real' camera (Merry Xmas to us).

 

I bought an Olympus Stylus 720 SW a couple of weeks ago because it had a fixed lens, is waterproof to 10 feet for an hour, and is shockproof to 5 feet. I figured those three were an unbeatable combination as both of us are a bit klutzy. I made it complete by ordering the housing this afternoon.

 

Tips would be welcome - I actually have options to play with, and don't have a clue what they mean or how to use them. I've always pointed the camera vaguely in the direction of something and pushed the button.

 

We are heading out to the Bahamas on the Sovereign in three weeks, so I think I'm going to throw the ol' mask and snorkel in my bag just to try it out in CocoCay. I definitely need to have it figured out before the Empress 11-day divefest at the end of February (anyone want to join in?).

 

Thanks for all the inspiration and encouragement!

 

Wendy

[10X]

Wendy,

 

I'll give you some simple tips on improving your underwater photography. By no means am I an expert but at least I've had some experience at this.

 

Get close to your subject when taking the picture. When you think you are close enough, get closer. Your camera's flash will be good for about 3 feet, at best, when underwater.

 

The more distance between you and subject the more blue your photo will appear and the more your subject will be obscured. If you're taking a wide angle shot, you just have to accept the blue and hope you can enhance it on the computer.

 

Do not bother taking a picture of a 2" fish that you can see from 15' above. No matter what you do to the photograph, the fish will not come out with a darn. You're wasting your time with this shot - I know, my wife has taken hundreds of them.

 

Try not to shoot at a downward angle on a fish. If you can, dive down a little and either shoot level with the fish or at an upward angle. Shots from the top down usually don't show much.

 

If you're taking a picture while floating on the surface, spread your legs to allow your fins to act as stabilizers and help keep you from being moved around a lot by the surface action. Much like the stablizers do on the ship. It won't stop you from being pushed around by the water, but it will serve to help minimize your movement.

 

When you see a fish that you want a picture of, pause for a moment and watch what it is doing. It won't stop and pose for you so you have to think about how to get the best shot. I once wanted a picture of a small fish that was constantly darting in and out of a wreck. I dove down, grabbed onto the wreck and waited for the fish - and got my shot. In another instance the fish I wanted was hiding under a ledge. I dove down, grabbed a rock and took the picture in an inverted vertical position; head down, feet toward the surface. The picture, to look at it on your screen, was upside down but you can invert this on your computer and it looks completely natural.

 

To keep your camera in good shape, be sure to follow the instructions for the underwater housing. Keep the seals clean and lightly lubed. Follow these instructions every day before going into the water. If you do not you might find that your housing will fill with water and destroy your camera. A hair or a grain of sand on the seal will cause a leak when underwater, so there is no substitute for following the instructions.

 

Be sure you have enough memory or can download your pictures so you can use your memory card again. It's easy to get carried away with digital pictures since the motto is, "shoot until your fingers bleed." My wife takes this literally and, in St. Lucia alone, took 182 photos in 4 hours of snorkeling. That will fill a memory card up quickly. You have a 7MP camera so your files will be quite large.

 

If you have the option to vary the quality of the photos you take, set it at the highest quality available. Poor quality begets poor results. This higher quality will also require more memory.

 

My wife and I both use 1GB cards in our cameras and we shoot 5MP cameras. We also download every day after snorkeling or, in my case, diving, when possible.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Denny

[NMCruzzin]

Denny,

Great Tip for water photography! I too have a stack on 2" fish that

really caught my eye at the time - and now they are a dot somewhere on

the picture! :D

Thanks again,

Jean

[Joby]

w&k, good luck with your camera! You can get all warmed up and ready to shoot on your "divefest" cruise. Have fun.

 

10X, thanks so much for all of the tips. Maybe I can follow them (see below!)????

 

When our family dives, our son usually deals with the camera. Daughter and I are a bit nervous while diving, husband and son are like fish in the water.

 

We have a new (to us) Canon S2IS w/housing. I'll be using it for the 1st time on our 11 night Southern Caribbean cruise in January with my sister and Mom. I'll only be diving in Curacao (w/ Dive Bus) and snorkeling with my sister in the other ports (Aruba, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts and Tortola).

 

Hopefully, I'll be able to put into use some of the tips posted here.

[Host Star]

I just treated myself to a pentax w20.. doesn't need any housing and hopefully it won't leak .. leaving next week and will try it out snorkeling at Coki beach in shallow waters so maybe my fish won't look like dots.. thanks for all the photography tips..

[10X]

Star,

 

I hope you'll post some pictures somewhere on the web when you get back. I'll be diving at Coki Beach, and my wife will be snorkeling there, on 2/2/07 and 2/4/07, when do back-to-back cruises on the Crown, 1/27/07 - 2/3/07. We will be in St. Thomas twice, only 2 days apart.

 

Denny