Canon G9 settings for a newbie

As a newbie , I have a few questions.

First of, I took the plunge from old time 35 mm to digital.

After reading countless posts, I purchased the Canon G9 and have had great success shooting on land.

Today I ordered the Ikelite housing , but budget prevents me from getting strobes as of yet.

My questions:

1. What settings have people successfully utilized for shooting macro and general underwater shots in approximate 15-40 feet of water? I do have an ikelite color filter for 'blue' water.

2. How much difficulty have you noticed on changing settings underwater.

3. Any hints or suggestions for this greenhorn?

Thanks in advance, and yes I plan on practicing in and out of water as much as possible before my trip (which is only a week away!)

Thanks again, and the knowledge and expertise shared here is invaluable...to the point of me checking posts everyday for useful information (much to the daily dismay of my wife!)

Cheers,

Franz

As a newbie , I have a few questions.

 

First of, I took the plunge from old time 35 mm to digital.

 

After reading countless posts, I purchased the Canon G9 and have had great success shooting on land.

 

Today I ordered the Ikelite housing , but budget prevents me from getting strobes as of yet.

 

My questions:

 

1. What settings have people successfully utilized for shooting macro and general underwater shots in approximate 15-40 feet of water? I do have an ikelite color filter for 'blue' water.

 

2. How much difficulty have you noticed on changing settings underwater.

 

3. Any hints or suggestions for this greenhorn?

 

Thanks in advance, and yes I plan on practicing in and out of water as much as possible before my trip (which is only a week away!)

 

Thanks again, and the knowledge and expertise shared here is invaluable...to the point of me checking posts everyday for useful information (much to the daily dismay of my wife!)

 

Cheers,

Franz

I would shoot in RAW mode and use post-processing software. I like Adobe light room. It is extremely easy to correct the white balance. They will let you try it free for one month.

You could also take a white slate and correct your whit balance manually. When making the adjustment keep the slate as far from the camera as possible. Need to readjust every couple of meters or when the sun ducks behind a cloud.

I find ambient light photography with the G9 tough as I don't like what anything over ISO 125 looks like in color.

>>> 1. What settings have people successfully utilized for shooting macro and general underwater shots in approximate 15-40 feet of water? I do have an ikelite color filter for 'blue' water.

I'd try f8/125th for macro and f4-5.6/125th for wide agle to start. Best advice for underwater:

"Get close, shoot, review, adjust, shoot, review, adjust, shoot, get EVEN closer ... "

You can also try the program mode with a .7-1.0 stop under-exposure and Auto-ISO.

When shooting U/W with ambient light and no strobes, it is kinda like land-based stuff in that it helps to get the sun behind you.

>>> 2. How much difficulty have you noticed on changing settings underwater.

No difficulty at all ... but I would suggest taking advantage of the C1/C2 settings to get two setups that you know and like available to you at the turn of a dial. That said, all the controls are very easy to use underwater on the Ikelite.

>>> 3. Any hints or suggestions for this greenhorn?

*** Shoot RAW ... and lots of it ... get close, shoot, review, adjust ... get closer ...

*** Save up for a strobe or two

*** Consider using a Magic Filter instead of the Ikelite red filter - I think you lose less light with the "original" Magic Filter than a "red" filter ... http://www.magic-filters.com

*** Depending on the conditions and other factors, you may want to get some little dessicant packets to keep the port from fogging. They can be bought or recycled from all kinds of packaging like drugs.

*** Have Fun!

*** Keep us posted!

As a newbie , I have a few questions.

 

First of, I took the plunge from old time 35 mm to digital.

 

After reading countless posts, I purchased the Canon G9 and have had great success shooting on land.

 

Today I ordered the Ikelite housing , but budget prevents me from getting strobes as of yet.

 

My questions:

 

1. What settings have people successfully utilized for shooting macro and general underwater shots in approximate 15-40 feet of water? I do have an ikelite color filter for 'blue' water.

 

2. How much difficulty have you noticed on changing settings underwater.

 

3. Any hints or suggestions for this greenhorn?

 

Thanks in advance, and yes I plan on practicing in and out of water as much as possible before my trip (which is only a week away!)

 

Thanks again, and the knowledge and expertise shared here is invaluable...to the point of me checking posts everyday for useful information (much to the daily dismay of my wife!)

 

Cheers,

Franz

I asked the same questions a few months ago. Have at a look at this thread

rgds

Dougie

I asked the same questions a few months ago. Have at a look at this thread

 

rgds

 

Dougie

Dougie,

Thanks. I did do a search on the title prior to posting and didn't see your thread.

How have your pics turned out so far?