Help on D 300 settings for underwater macro

I'm new to shooting digital underwater as well as topside-I have a subal nd30 with a d300 and plan on macro work next month-any suggestion on camera settings?-I'll be shooting a nikon 105 macro lens

Thanks for any suggestions

Mark

I shoot macro underwater with a D300 and Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D. I always shoot manual and 2 strobes (Ikelite DS125).

I'll use shutter speed anywhere from 1/60s to 1/250s depending on available light and the effect I'm trying to achieve.

I'll use an f/stop between f/8 and f/32 depending on the subject, magnification and what I;m trying to achieve. For example, for a nudibranch that his perpendicular to the lens I might go for f/8 because I believe that the depth of field while being shallow will be enough to keep the nudibranch sharp while putting the background out of focus. For a more complex subject I'll go with a smaller aperture to increase the DOF to ensure it is all sharp.

I have focus set to AF-C as a) my eyes aren't good enough to manually focus and b) I want the lens to continue to focus after I half press the shutter until the shot is actually taken. Single-point AF and I choose one of the 51 points depending on the subject.

ISO 200, Auto-WB (I shoot raw have a Lightroom preset for the DS125s), centre-weighed metering.

That's all I can think of...

AF-C, M, 1/60 in dim light to 1/250, ISO 200, f22 or better (even then, depth of field will be frustrating), TTL strobes, converted to manual if exposure is a problem.

Rather than follow a recipe, though, why not look at the advice in a decent book on underwater photography? Recipes produce boring, repetetive images.

Tim

TTL strobes, converted to manual if exposure is a problem.

Good point and I pretty much do the same thing, except I just adjust the flash EV which is easy to do on the Ikelite housing.

Another thing I do (pretty much for all photography) is have the LCD set to show me highlights. I aim to get the whites as bright as possible without blowing the highlights. This means I'll do the best job of getting shadow detail.

Use these settings as a starting point but experiment, experiment and experiment. It won't cost you anything and you can learn the effect of different settings.

I shoot the Af-105-VR almost exclusively. I have dual INON z-240 strobs in sTTL.

I hunt with the f/stop between f/11 and F/13 shutter speed 1/160-1/200. Autofocus in C with delay set to NONE, single spot focus, usually in the center and Focus priority shutter release. My strobes are level with the camera, at or slightly behind the port end an about 12" extended rom the housing body. In this mode I can get a good shot of small fish and critters from 12-18".

If I can move in the strobes come closer to the body and the f/stop quickly is above f/22 and often to f/32. Minimum focus is about 5" from the port end. I move slightl closer and with the shutter depressed move slowly backward with the center focus rectangle ofn the critters eye. The subject will slowly come into focus and the camera will fire when it does. In most cases i do NOT need a focus light.

Please note the VERY shallow DOF in the picture at F/13 1/200. This is why you need a high F/stop

I hunt with the f/stop between f/11 and F/13 shutter speed 1/160-1/200. Autofocus in C with delay set to NONE, single spot focus, usually in the center and Focus priority shutter release. My strobes are level with the camera, at or slightly behind the port end an about 12" extended rom the housing body. In this mode I can get a good shot of small fish and critters from 12-18".

Hi TomR1

When you say you have Autofocus in C with delay set to NONE, do you mean by that, that you have setting a4 (Focus tracking with lock-on) set to off?

What is the effect of the different options for this setting and what benefit to having it switched off?

Thanks

Geo