Help for First Timer

I recently purchased a PC110 camera with an Ocean Images housing from a friend. I have been shooting stills for years and got this rig as a test to see if I like UW video. I have had lots of fun creating family videos for my kids on my Mac and want to try underwater.

I am looking for any basic, general tips on shooting UW video. White balance, focus tips anything that can help. I leave for Komodo in few weeks and need hep. Thanks in advance.

Hi David,

Tips...

Use the red filter whenever you are deeper than 15 feet. Try to shoot with the sun behind you for best colour. Zoom as little as possible, makes it much harder to remain still and gives shaky video.

Your camera doesn't have manual WB but i think it has two kinds of auto, sunny and cloudy? Use cloudy for UW.

If you are shooting big stuff in dirty water, i think Komodo will qualify. Then set your focus to infinity, this will keep everything in focus, the auto has a tendency to fixate on the particulate and so the focus goes in and out...

Hopefully your housing lets you toggle back and forth from manual to auto? I would use auto on close reef stuff.

Hope that helps

Mike

Some websites with useful information/tutorials:

http://www.amphibico.com/video_tips.asp

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/underwater_douglas.html

http://www.underwaterphotography.com/Video/default.asp?T=

http://www.uwdigitalvideo.com/

Thanks for the tips.

Mike - the housing does have a button to allow use of manual and auto focus. Was playing with that in the pool today. For manual white balance settings the camera has indoor, outdoor and hold. My friend who I bought the camera from always used auto. I will try both auto and manual - outdoor per your avice.

SJSPECK - thanks for the websites. Looks like I will have some reading to do.

I have been a lurker here for sometime and have just started to come out of my shell to post some questions.