Newbie like to introduce himself

Hello everyone,

my name is Patrick. I am 32 years old. For now i am living in Germany near cologne. But i will start to dive for food in around one year...

I started diving when i was a boy of 7 years. The next 9 years i did around 300 dives with my Dad. With 12 years i got my first certification (allowed was 14, but we faked my age B) )

From 16 to 21 i did no dive (maybe because the girls was coming around )

From my current point of view a waste of time!!!

In the last year i did 120 dives and it is still improving

Diving makes me feel like a child again

In march this year i hold an UW camera in my hands the first time in my life and i have been loving it from the first shot on and the love is still growing...

I am far away from the result-quality you guys have, but i will practise a lot and will get better step for step.

At the moment UW photography is pure faszination for me and the images of you guys blow me away and i am rubbing my eyes everytime i look at your images....

There is so much to learn!!!!

Here are a few of my images. I will post more when i am pleased with the shots. At the moment i use a Sealife DC 500 Compact camera, nothing to set manual without ISO. The external strobe gives always full power..... ... shit equipment, but i will change my equipment after the next diving trip in Egypt which start the day after tomorrow

These shots are from my first divetrip with camera

These are the first and the last shots i post until i am pleased with my results

Despite the limitations of the equipment, I like the dramatic effect of #3. When you add a second strobe you will have much better lighting control. Good job.

Hello everyone,

 

my name is Patrick. I am 32 years old. For now i am living in Germany near cologne. But i will start to dive for food in around one year...

I started diving when i was a boy of 7 years. The next 9 years i did around 300 dives with my Dad. With 12 years i got my first certification (allowed was 14, but we faked my age B) )

From 16 to 21 i did no dive (maybe because the girls was coming around )

 

From my current point of view a waste of time!!!

 

In the last year i did 120 dives and it is still improving

 

Diving makes me feel like a child again

 

In march this year i hold an UW camera in my hands the first time in my life and i have been loving it from the first shot on and the love is still growing...

 

I am far away from the result-quality you guys have, but i will practise a lot and will get better step for step.

 

At the moment UW photography is pure faszination for me and the images of you guys blow me away and i am rubbing my eyes everytime i look at your images....

 

There is so much to learn!!!!

 

Here are a few of my images. I will post more when i am pleased with the shots. At the moment i use a Sealife DC 500 Compact camera, nothing to set manual without ISO. The external strobe gives always full power..... ... shit equipment, but i will change my equipment after the next diving trip in Egypt which start the day after tomorrow

 

These shots are from my first divetrip with camera

 

These are the first and the last shots i post until i am pleased with my results

Thanks loftus

Yeah, second strobe is a must

I will go for full manual control for camera and strobes

BTW last image is from my playground, a lake called Fühli near cologne

Nice stuff, Patrick.

I would stick with the kit you have and carry on to dive dive dive. Nice images there - just keep shooting.

Alex

Thank you a lot for the nice words Alex..

I am verry happy to hear that from a professional

I would stick with the kit you have

You mean...and save money for a DSLR, eh

The thing is that i cannot control anything than ISO, the shot itself, strobe angel and several programs

How can i learn to use manual settings when not practising it

Thinking of going for the E900, if i sell my current camera i can handle it moneywise, but after changing job to diving industry money will be rare...

@all

Sorry if my english sounds unpolite sometimes...not mother language

welcome patrick...

i must say those are the best images i have seen from that particular camera!

well done

Howdy and I like your screen name!!!

Yes it will be a tough decision but I'm of the opinion also that if you can do it, keep shooting with your existing rig (very good pics for that setup, keep trying different things), and then just go straight to DSLR.

Because......, I've shot the Fuji F810 on over 300 dives (very similar to E900), and with add-on wet closeup and wide angle lenses, 2 strobes, focus light, etc you will get some good shots, but not that much better than your current camera, plus you will get tons of CA that you will have to remove to post and print (LOTS of photoshop time). Just go with a DSLR (better quality, easier to focus with viewfinder and waaaaay less CA), when you have the money, try to get it before your profession change. That is my advice........., for what it is worth.

But then that is just me......

Carol

I think your results are fantastic and I actually like the lighting you have acheived, pariticularly in 1-3. I'm also very fond of the second last one - great expression!

I would like to add my voice to the endorsements you have been receiving and to the suggestion that you keep what you have until you can afford a DSLR. You are doing great stuff now and it would be a waste to get another compact.

i must say those are the best images i have seen from that particular camera!

Thanks you very much Mike.

I was very unsure about my results as there are so many great images around the web, magazines etc.

It`s a different thing if friends say the images are great or if other UW photographer point out...

Howdy and I like your screen name!!!

Yeah Carol, next to the small stuff these numinous animals are my favorite

you will get tons of CA

Sorry, what means CA? I don`t understand.

I'm also very fond of the second last one - great expression!

Anthp, thank you very much for the nice words. Good to hear. I like that shot also very much, from my point of view maybe the background could have been little better...

You are doing great stuff now and it would be a waste to get another compact.

Again, to Anthp and all others. Thanks you so much for your endorsements. I thought i would be far away from that...

Hmm, as i allready said i will be off tomorrow to shoot some wrecks in egypt. I will have to think about that again.

I have no experience with a SLR/DSLR, so i do not really know the differences between them and the compact cameras...

Sorry, mantadance.............. I didn't define CA

With the Fuji F810 (and other compact cameras; also to lesser extent every digital camera) you will get "fringing" issues, commonly known as CA or Chromatic Aberration. That is kind of a "catch-all" phrase cause "blue fringing" is common and is not supposed to be true "CA" but it is handled the same none the less. If you want more details do a web search for info on CA.

I believe the Oly 5050 has similar "CA" problems, but the Fuji, especially when you add on the wet close up and wide lenses has lots and lots of CA. While carrying two cameras on a dive in Bonaire, the Fuji F810 and a Nikon D70, I shot subjects back to back, different strobe placements, etc. and there is I'd estimate 50X more "color fringing" issues in the Fuji, both with and without add-on lenses, than the Nikon. (Plus it was soooooooo much easier to focus through the viewfinder of the DSLR instead of the LCD screen on the Fuji, and you didn't have to be right on top of your subject with the DSLR, like you need to be with the Fuji - I think that stresses the subject less, to have the working distance of a DSLR and say a 60mm lens).

I think you could get a real good deal on a used Nikon D70 system for example (DSLR) and save yourself the frustration of having to learn to remove the "CA" prevalent in the Fuji compact cameras (and other compact cameras). I shot in RAW with the Fuji and found that the RAW converter in Photoshop helped only slightly with the "CA" fringing and "plug-ins/CA-removing" tools didn't work well either for me. I found a way to target the fringing and remove it manually in Photoshop with good results but it takes FOREVER!!!!!

Save yourself the frustration and get a DSLR if you can, get a used one from someone who is upgrading that has taken good care of their equipment? And as a side benefit you will have enough battery life to get through your dives (the Fujis are notorious for poor battery life, I could get through one dive with the battery, but not a long dive!!!) I bet you could get a used D70 system for just slightly more than the Fuji E900 system by the time you add all the stuff to the Fuji E900 that you need to take decent pics (at least 2 closeup lenses; wide lens; focus light; tray, etc etc.)

Just my opinion!

Carol

Gee, those are all great photos....are you sure you need new equipment?!?!

M.

Is it not possible to add a slave strobe to that equipment? It would seem to me that the only limitation of the equipment for now is the single light source casting an obvious shadow and not always fully lighting the subject. This would be a relatively inexpensive way to take your already great pics to the next leve, and of course you could use the strobe you buy when you upgrade the rest of your equipment.

The first three are fabulous, moody images. In these images, I think the single strobe really helped rather than hindered. I think sometimes we get obsessed with even lighting with our dual strobes and all. Thanks for reminding us it's all about *affecting the viewer*.

I agree with the assessment, that the single lighting in the first three shots gives a great mood to the pics; but this should be by design rather than accident. The sting ray on the other hand really suffers I think from inadequate lighting.

Will the real newbie please stand up? Here I am

Patrick, thanks for the post. I think your pics are outstanding. I am a true newbie, I mean really. I use the same equip you have - just used it for the first time - (I'm a complete novice) - and am very excited to see your results with your DC500Pro. Now, I know its more the photographer than the equip, but in my learning - I have a few questions for you as I'm just learning about WA, macro, and also accessories offered for my equip. (In addition to the great info I received from mathieu meur!)

- Did you use the optional DIffuser for your close up/macro shots? (I finally realized that with that equip, over lighting is the most common error, due to how it's set up so they offer this acc'y)

- Do you use the optional 24mm WA lens?

- Which macro lens offered did/do you use, 3x, 8x or 16x (or just the shark (macro w/external flash) mode?

- Did you change any of the setting manually (ISO, WB, etc.)

- Ext Flash - I'm sure you're aware it [only] has 3 settings; I assume you use the macro setting for the closeups? (again, do you also use the diffuser?)

- I hear alot of folks talking about addin a second flash/more light better. My prob seems to be overflashing-too much light; hence my main question about the diffuser. I was acutally happy to find the following in the flash manual:

" The maximum reach of the flash depends on the reflection, angle, color of the object, visibility, and the amount of ambient sunlight. The brightness of the flash has been set for the shooting distance of the camera. The best pictures are take with a close-up lens from 2-4ft (60cm-1.2m). Good pictures without a closeup lens are taken from 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m). The most common error is over-flashing on bright, close-by objects. The optimal reach of the flash has been set to 6ft (1.8m) in very clear water and depths below 40ft (12m). It is not intended to illuminate the background, or seascapes, beyond 8ft (2.4m)."

Tip: To prevent overflashing close up objects, use the optional Diffuser (item # SL968). The Diffuser pushes to the front of the flash head and reduces light output by 60%

I apologize to everyone for my ignorance - it's clear that you're all great photographers. Just that, well, this is how I learn - from those who know! I'm sure you can recall way back when. Hopefully I can become a great photographer in the years to come, too!

Patrick, feel free to reply directly to me at craigcap@starpower.net if you think this stuff is to elementary for most readers. Everyone else, please feel free of course to chime in with general info you think may be helpful to me or other novices.

Thanks, much appreciated!

Craig

Hi Craig,

Welcome to WP!

I'm sure you'll find lots of useful tips on getting started here...

Hey pretty cool shots there.

Welcome to the forum.... but start to dive for food...carn't you just go to the supermarket and buy some?

Mantadance,

To build on my last post...just found this on the sealife site:

It is not recommended to use the SeaLife 3X, 8X or 16X lens with the DC500 camera:

The SeaLife close-up lenses may fit the DC500, but does not offer any real benefit. The close-up lenses are design for our fixed focus film and digital cameras. The DC500 uses and auto focus system to focus from 2.5" to infinity, so the lenses are not required to get the picture in focus. Some DC500 customers that use the close-up lens say it helps the camera to focus quicker. On the downside, we have seen the lens cause a glare "ring" that shows up in the picture. SeaLife does not recommend using any of the close-up lenses with the DC500.

Tell me tell me that you were able to get those close-ups (i.e, yours attached, did not know how to grab this one and put it in the post without "attaching" which appears to be my photo - and is NOT . Just want you to see which one I'm talking about) just by using the macro (shark with external flash) mode? How far away? (using the diffuser I presume?)

Nice!

Thanks Mathieu, and thanks again for all your very helpful/valuable information.

-Craig

Hey Craig,

I just arrived back to Germany from Red Sea yesterday night. I will answer your question in detail asap...

Just one thing now. You are able to use the macro lenses (I use 8", 16" and 12-24mm Wide-angel) with good results and i nearly always use the diffusor. I learneed a lot in Red Sea and from my point of view i am really happy with the results. Will post some later

@all others: Thanks for the nice words

.... but start to dive for food...carn't you just go to the supermarket and buy some?

Yeah, but somebody have to give me the money for buying food, eh

Hey Craig,

now i have a little time to answer your question. Your main question was about the diffusor. For nearly all shots i used the diffusor, especially for macro. Macro lenses work well for me too. 8" is good for portrait, 16 " good for example for nudis.

I think you shouldn`t believe everything Sealife write about the camera...

As the SL 960 always give full power you`ll have a overlightning problem without using the diffusor. Best solution would be to buy the SL960 D for full flashpower controll and use the SL 960 as a slavestrobe. That is probably what i will do...

If you use only the SL960 you will have to adjust the strobe position and use the diffusor to avoid overlightning.

I posted some new images in a new topic from Red Sea 02-11-06 until 09-11-06

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16087

For example the nudibranch image i was around 10-15 cm far away with full optical zoom and 16 " macro lense

I use just the external flash mode (no use of camera macro mode at this images)

Whitebalance and ISO are set to automatic (obviously everyone told me ISO 100 would work better, but from my point of view it does not with this camera; in automatic mode also lower ISO is possible)

I also didn`t use the portrait programm, oviously i planned to try it....will do that next time.

Craig, i tried to answer your question as good as i can. Hope this will help. If you have further questions don`t hestitate to ask me, please.

Always happy if i can help.

Carol,

yeah i think you are right. I am really pleased with the results of the Red Sea trip last week so i will probably stay with my current equipment and save money for a DSLR. Maybe i will add another strobe with manual power settings to get a better lightning and then use my current strobe as a slave.

All others

Thank you very much for the nice words