What makes a "Perfect" Sunball/Sunburst

I've never taken one, and I don't really know how to describe what I like.

Cyan rings are bad - as we've been discussing lately - but what's the goal - what makes the "perfect" sunball?

Here's one into the sun that I like ... post your favorites ... perfect or not ... and let's discuss ...

Canon G9 - F/8 @ 1/1000 - ISO 80 ... probably 20-25 feet deep

I'm with Jeremy my solution with the d200 was to avoid them...

but my favourite is probably

"Eclipse"

Nikon d200 | Sigma 10-20 @ 10mm | 1/1250th @f6.7 | 200ISO | Exp comp 1/2 stop

Shot freediving, so not sure of depth. I like the way the fast shutter speed renders the light rays.

What makes a perfect sunball? Rendering it the way I saw it.

Mostly it does not happen, occasionally it does. As Darren said - older cameras could not do it most of the time, and probably the main reason I needed to upgrade.

Newer cameras are certainly getting better, and I suspect if anyone ever gets to do a side by side test, the D3x will be the best yet.

The D700 is certainly a step up for me, but even with this camera I have trouble in certain conditions.

I think water conditions are as important as anything else. Less than ideal viz conditions, with the sunlight somewhat diffused, still creates Cyan fringing issues as we saw with James's shot, so I think it's as much a color (possibly gamut) limitation isssue as an exposure issue. I think Jeremy's shot show's that any camera can render a nice sunball, but I think conditions are key. I suspect if you changed the clarity and difffusion of the water in that pic, cyan fringing would raise it's ugly head, same depth, same exposure.

I've never taken one, and I don't really know how to describe what I like.

 

Cyan rings are bad - as we've been discussing lately - but what's the goal - what makes the "perfect" sunball?

 

Here's one into the sun that I like ... post your favorites ... perfect or not ... and let's discuss ...

 

Canon G9 - F/8 @ 1/1000 - ISO 80 ... probably 20-25 feet deep

]

Hi Jeremy,

The P&S cameras never cease to amaze me.

Your settings would normally suggest a macro exposure, but a VERY acceptable sunball/silhouette image instead.

It does seem that pretty fast shutter speeds are required at the time being with the digital sensors. . . .

Bruce...

I had a little luck with these jellyfish shots

They were both done with a D200 and 16mm FE.

I was very shallow (snorkeling) and had the good fortune to be in the water during a time of interesting light, a sort of "golden hour" when the sun was moving closer to the horizon, but still offered enough brilliance to get nice rays.

Regardless, I still get best results by hiding or partically hiding the sun with the subject.

f11 @ 1/160, ISO 100

f14 @ 1/250, ISO 100

Take care,

John

Ideal: Sharply focused beams, no cyan ring, central sunball nice and small, on a pleasing blue background.

Small sunball - best achieved by under exposing - but not so much that you loose the colour in the blue (a lot of people under expose too much IMO).

Beams - fast-ish shutter speed, but more important is a smooth water surface.

No cyan ring - stay shallow, 14-bit, complementary filters.

Even exposure between water and sunburst - Shoot early or late in the day. Graduated filter. Don't under expose too much.

Dynamic range is most simply achieved by hiding sun behind subject, or cropping out of frame.

Alex

See also:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7812

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7819

Alex

Well, I have to drag this out again as I've yet to achieve anything close to this with a DSLR.

Taken way back with my much missed Oly C5050:

Rand

Well, I have to drag this out again as I've yet to achieve anything close to this with a DSLR.

Taken way back with my much missed Oly C5050:

 

 

 

Rand

that's a beautiful photo.

I got my first sunburst shot last week.

But I preferred to hide it behind the dugong I was photographing.

I have not been able to get a decant shot with G9, where the sun is visible in the pic,... :-(

Edit: Canon G9, 1/500 sec @ f / 8, ISO 100

p.s. Rand, Your shot is outstanding!! What setting did You use?!

Regards

Scubamoose

Ideal: Sharply focused beams, no cyan ring, central sunball nice and small, on a pleasing blue background.

 

Small sunball - best achieved by under exposing - but not so much that you loose the colour in the blue (a lot of people under expose too much IMO).

Beams - fast-ish shutter speed, but more important is a smooth water surface.

No cyan ring - stay shallow, 14-bit, complementary filters.

Even exposure between water and sunburst - Shoot early or late in the day. Graduated filter. Don't under expose too much.

 

Dynamic range is most simply achieved by hiding sun behind subject, or cropping out of frame.

 

Alex

I agree with Alex (and I am one of those who under expose too much see example)

But regarding new cameras, I am a defender of the D200 over the D300 in these kind of pics as I have not been able to get as good results with the newer camera...

Straight jpg:

But regarding new cameras, I am a defender of the D200 over the D300 in these kind of pics as I have not been able to get as good results with the newer camera...

That's VERY interesting as I would have thought the opposite would be true.

I am very excited to try with the D700 at some point this spring or summer.

I agree with Alex (and I am one of those who under expose too much see example)

 

But regarding new cameras, I am a defender of the D200 over the D300 in these kind of pics as I have not been able to get as good results with the newer camera...

 

Straight jpg:

 

Do you have any theories regarding that. Is it the bas ISO of 200 with the D300?

/c

I've never taken one, and I don't really know how to describe what I like.

 

Cyan rings are bad - as we've been discussing lately - but what's the goal - what makes the "perfect" sunball?

 

Here's one into the sun that I like ... post your favorites ... perfect or not ... and let's discuss ...

Here's one that pleased me, taken mid afternoon with a D200 twin Z240's 10.5 FE, f10, 1/250, ISO 100.

I was about 3m deep and the lion fish was about 8" from my domeport.

Surface was flat and there were a few whispy white clouds in the sky.

Other shots didn't have the fish directly infront of the sun and were binned.

I basically follow the advice given above but have shot my best sunballs using the "highlight tone priority" setting on my 50D. This setting boosts performance at the bright end of the dynamic range at the expense of some noise in the shadows at the dark end. Here's a couple of shots taken in about at about 4 or 5 metres using this setting: