Camera settings

In the interest of staying married, rather than purchasing a Blue Fin or the like to keep my Subal company, I have recently purchased an inexpensive housing to play with to shoot some HD video. Using the Blue Fin was sweet but just not affordable with 2 kids in college at the same time.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEMO-RELIABLE-UNDERWAT...108189005r32169

 

As you can see, there is no access to controls. Just wondering if anybody has any suggestions as to the settings that would yield the best quality video using my Sony HC7 HD camera? I also have a screw on wide angle lens.

 

1. Should I use a magic filter or not worry about WB until post processing?

2. Should I set it as wide as it will go and put it on manual focus? or leave it on auto?

 

Any comments welcomed.

 

Andy

Hello Andy

Bloody kids hey...they use up all the play money hey...

 

1. I would set it on full wide and lock the focus on infinity, then just make sure you don't get too close to subjects so they are in focus.

The more ambient light the more stuff will be in focus, (depth of field) Lock the shutter on 50 Pal or 60 NTSC.

 

2. Set it on full wide and leave it on auto focus to film stuff close but you be aware the camera will hunt (focus in and out on stuff). So don't hit record till the camera has locked onto the subject or just edit out all the bad focus stuff in post.

 

For White Balance, can you set it manually before you put the camera in the housing or is it only auto WB.

If you can set it manually, white balance on something bluish like the blue sky to warm the camera up then go diving.

It may look abit red in the shallows but should be nice down abit deeper, but as you have limited functions of the camera, I would just add some colour in Post and not mess with filters and stuff for now.

Put the wide angle on though, it will make a huge difference.

 

Then post some video here for us to see.

Good luck

 

Cheers

Wags

Thanks Wags. I was beginning to feel unloved. :-)

 

Let me impose upon you one more time.

 

I realize now that I will never really get the quality video I want without spending a lot more on gear. Even in the Bluefin housing I couldn't get the HC7 to WB below 40ft. I can manually set WB. Here is a video I shot last year with the HC7 in a Bluefin housing.

I used a combination of WB (up until I reached 40ft), a filter on the housing and WB adjustment using the sand in post. Are you saying that I might as well just leave it all alone until post as all I'm doing is counteracting the effects of each adjustment? Plus I'd imagine that not using the filter would make for a little less noise by allowing more light onto the sensor?

 

Andy