Greenwater Magic

Anyone who has been to my (to state my bias!) Magic Filters website recently will have noticed that we have been working on a new filter for available light photography in green waters. Although it is based on my formula, Peter Rowlands has been doing all the development diving with it. In fact I have not even tried it underwater. smid_17

Anyway, the filter is still a month or so away from being production ready. This post is just to point out a discussion on Digigreen.net with some independent people who have actually tried the beta version:

http://www.digigreen.net/forum/index.php?topic=614

Thought it might be of interest.

Alex

There is a gallery of images taken with this filter here:

http://www.magic-filters.com/gal.html

Hi Alex,

Does the Magic filter affect topside contrast/exposure if I want to use it for split photography?

Thanks for your help.

Joe

Hi Alex,

 

Does the Magic filter affect topside contrast/exposure if I want to use it for split photography?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Joe

The "original" Magic is an orange-ish filter and the Green Magic is a deep red-ish filter so splits may prove problematic in terms of colour balance topsides unless you apply some Photoshop magic later.

Another thing that I have found is that esp. in the Baltic conditions where the luminocity differences between green water and subjects can be very big, the upper parts of the image tend to burn towards white. Maybe we need to revisit neutral grads to get this fixed....

I know, I know, shoot downwards with the light and all that.

Attached is a snap from my first attempts on the Green Magic last week. M/S Sanny, Lågskär lighthouse, Sea of Åland. 8 meters depth, manual White Balance, ISO1600, 1/45@f5.6.

So far, this thing looks very promising down to about 10-15 meters in our waters. Below that, the D70s just won't do MWB properly due to lack of light.

timppa

This looks really interesting.

The shots look excellent.

I have played briefly with the blue water ones but do most of my diving in the UK.

When are these likely to be available over here?

Will they be suitable for a P&S with manual white balance?

Cheers

Matthew

The Greenwater Magic requires manual WB. Yes. Matthew, it does work with compacts (the last two photos in the Gallery on the Magic website were taken with compacts)

It won't be suitable for split levels as it is too strong to be used above the surface. Sorry Joe. But it does work well down to 20m plus. The main effect is on colour and contrast.

As Timo says it looks red - which it does, although it actually has no red in it! Like the other Magic filters the spectral transmission performance has been very carefully designed. And the colour of a filter, when you hold it up to the light, is not an accurate way of seeing how it will perform.

It sounds confusing at first, but two filters can look the same colour when you hold them up to the light, but have very different spectral performance. The colour a filter looks to the eye is the (average) of its transmission spectrum. So you can get a red looking filter, for example, either by having a transmission spectrum with a very narrow peak only allowing through one wavelength of red, or you can have spectrum with transmission at a wide range of wavelengths, the average of which is red. Both filters will look the same but have very different effects on your images.

Alex

A few shots from St Abbs in Scotland 10 days ago taken on 10.5. I played a bit with shooting down, eye level and even up and with the sun position. It was great fun to use it. In high contrast area, whites and bright yellows can burn a bit, but I think that's more the photographer's fault !

8m. ISO 200 - 1/80sec at f/2.8

10m - ISO 400 - 1/60sec at f/2.8

8m - ISO 640 - 1/80sec at f/2.8

Hey Alex, are these filters to be used internally only, or can they be used externally?

And hello there JP, how are you doing... besides freezing your butt off in the chilly waters of the UK?

Great photo's, so this filter really does the job in green waters, is that Jane as your model?

If you need any more testers I would be happy to take it out in the Emerald Green waters of the Pacific North West. Now I just have to figure out how to manually white balance...

If you need any more testers I would be happy to take it out in the Emerald Green waters of the Pacific North West. Now I just have to figure out how to manually white balance...

Rand already gave it a spin up in Port Hardy 2 weeks ago.

Todd

Rand already gave it a spin up in Port Hardy 2 weeks ago.

 

Todd

Why yes, yes I did. The conditions were not optimal there. Mostly cloudy and very deep on the dives I used it. But it still came up with some amazing color. To be at that depth, very dark and see the colors come up in the LCD was quite surprising. Granted, this was shot at ISO200 f2.8 with a 1/2 second shutter. But it's still very cool to see this come out with no strobe. I'm going to Californina in December and hope to get some sunny days to try it in more favorable conditions.

Wolfeel at 90' :

Granted, this was shot at ISO200 f2.8 with a 1/2 second shutter.

I'm curious about the ISO being so low...just blanked (hey, it happens ) or intentional? I thought ISO400-800 or so was fairly good on the D2X.

Looks like good vegetation cover...

Why yes, yes I did. The conditions were not optimal there. Mostly cloudy and very deep on the dives I used it. But it still came up with some amazing color. To be at that depth, very dark and see the colors come up in the LCD was quite surprising. Granted, this was shot at ISO200 f2.8 with a 1/2 second shutter. But it's still very cool to see this come out with no strobe. I'm going to Californina in December and hope to get some sunny days to try it in more favorable conditions.

Too cool...he, he, he...

Well, Rand, holding out on us huh? I may need to 'borrow' that filter for a dive trip in Oct up to Active and Pollier Passes in the gulf islands. Give it the Fuji compact camera test.

Gee, Alex, all we need is a filter that adds light and gives us 50' of viz!

Jack

Matt, I shot at ISO 400 in Cocos and was not happy with the grain in the photos at all. ISO200 was acceptable to me so that's what I stayed with on these dives. There was a rubble pile right below the Wolfeel so, that's why I dropped the shutter so low. Hoping to get something of value. I'm not defending the camera one way or the other so. It is what it is.

Jack, the filter slides into a slot on the 10.5 and I don't think it will work with your camera. If I'm wrong, Alex will probably know, you're of course welcome to use it if it will

Rand

I'm continuing to play with this filter and, whilst taking it into the sea still eludes me, I'm starting to get some better shots with it - albeit in the notorious Stoney Cove. I've posted a series on Digigreen you you can find as per Alex's original link: http://www.digigreen.net/forum/index.php?topic=614

Be warned that the latest photos have no sharks, pretty reef's or "diver with torch"

Tim

Wow Tim.

Great stuff. You should have shown me those at the weekend!

Alex

Wow Tim.

 

Great stuff. You should have shown me those at the weekend!

 

Alex

I only took the photos on Friday and unfortunately didn't really have the time to do anything with them until after Visions. I really pleased with the result and I'm hoping to play with the filters again this next week as I have some time off. I'm hoping to finally get some photos in the sea (around Cornwall somewhere) this time as the last couple of times haven't gone well. You're welcome to join us Alex, I have a spare Drysuit!

Tim

Nice one Tim..

Now people can see the conditions I have to put up with.. :glare:

I must admit the viz looks pretty good in your shots, especially on the Stanegrath..I was there on Sunday battling through the 'student hordes' and it wasn't that good.. Maybe around 4-6M at best.. I'm up there again this friday diving with keith who works there, so if your around give me a shout and I'll buy you a pint..

Dive safe

DeanB