A Newbie with more money than knowledge

Hey folks,

I am the proud owner of an Olympus 5060, an Olympus PT-020 case and have even sprung for the PFL-10 case.

I am a snorkeler not a diver.

Although I have all this cool gear, I am really not sure what to do or how to use it. I assume that if I simply put the camera in the case, jump into the water, and shoot - the pictures will look like crap!

So ... do you have any help you can give me?

What settings do I make to the camera?

Do I need any filters such as red?

If snorkeling, does my built-in flash work fine or do I need the external flash unit too?

Thanks in advance ...

So ... do you have any help you can give me?

 

What settings do I make to the camera?

Do I need any filters such as red?

If snorkeling, does my built-in flash work fine or do I need the external flash unit too?

Well, I'd start by poking around these forums, and by searching for "5050." You'll find many before you whom have had the same question. Then, come back with more specific questions.

Also, get in the water and experiment! Most learning happens there.

Oh goodness ... I hope someone has more help than that!

Guess you were right in your pinned topic - go read a book!

Guess I will ... thanks anyway!

I'm not saying that the community can't help! I apologize if it sounded like that. It's just that there is a lot of information here in the forums that can already be leveraged.

For example, do a search for "5050" over the last 60 days, and you come up with:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?act=S...s&highlite=5050

The threads in the Consumer Digicams and Lighting forums contain a wealth of information.

Sorry, but Eric is quite right.

The *entire* point of these forums is so we can answer questions once, or a limited number of times, and the answers will then be there for the future.

When someone new comes along, and asks the *same* question for the *billionth* time, without ever apparently bothering to use the search feature, we get tired of answering that question. Life is short. We're here to help, as we feel like. Not as you feel we should.

Ask some questions that have not been asked ad-infinitum, and you'll get good answers.

Oh come on now!

So because I am new, and I have questions that I cannot find answered on this board, this is my fault.

And I have tried the search feature ...

I thought the idea of a "community" was to help those of us new to something! Not to 1) puff up with arrogance over how boring it is to help new folks out, and 2) recommend we come back when we know exactly what to ask.

Gees ... if I knew exactly what to ask, I probably would know the answer now, wouldn't I!

Hey ... you are right ... you can admonish if you want. If your idea of a vibrant community is a closed one of ole buds ... your choice. However, I would think the billionth answer which is the first to someone new just might be interesting.

Although I have all this cool gear, I am really not sure what to do or how to use it. I assume that if I simply put the camera in the case, jump into the water, and shoot - the pictures will look like crap!

TRUE.

What settings do I make to the camera?

some interesting reading:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...=olympus+c-5050

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...%20c-5050&st=15

on supermacro:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4161

on slave flash mode:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...=olympus+c-5050

Do I need any filters such as red?

http://www.wetpixel.com/features/200307_available_light/

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=7&t=2820

If snorkeling, does my built-in flash work fine or do I need the external flash unit too?

Depends on what you are going for. If there's enough ambient light and you are photographing subjects that are close to you, you should be fine. A little fill flash never hurt, however.

Gees ... if I knew exactly what to ask, I probably would know the answer now, wouldn't I!

This is not true, either. I ask questions only when I an unsure, or don't know the answer to something. I usually do some of my own research first, because I don't want to waste someone else's time.

One final point is that if you are polite, people are more likely to want to help.

First, searching on "oly 5050" gets quite a few responses, and if you take the time to sort through, there's a lot of good information. Including:

1. Oly 5050 ISO settings

2. Oly 5050 My Mode

3. Oly 5050 flash settings

4. Super Macro settings

I think the point that people were trying to make was "help yourself, there's plenty here". You happen to have one of the most popular P&S digital cameras for use UW, so there's a lot of info out there.

Anyway, here's a couple of quick answers since your search was so fruitless...

1. Shoot on Manual or Aperture Priority (assuming the 5050 has both). You want to minimize your aperture, so set it at the higher end of the range, f/8, f/11, etc. Set an appropriate shutter speed to stop motion, i.e. 1/60 or faster.

2. No, you don't "need" a red filter, but if you're not going to use your external flash, this may help you get more color in your pictures. Take a look for a thread on natural light or manual whitebalance to maximize your results.

3. Some people find using the internal flash or no flash at all works fine. Most people eventually start using a flash. Reason is, red goes away for all intents and purposes below 30ft.

Hope this helps.

Tom

P.S. Ooops, seems Eric and I were typing similar things at the same time...

Thanks Tom,

This was EXTREMELY helpful!

Never mind. Thanks guys.

Cheers

James

Seems a shame, Eric spent the time searching and putting together links, and I doubt they even got read. Same with my links too I'd guess.

So much for teaching someone to fish, eh?

Maybe the guide dog has a problem with links?

There you guys go again ... being kinda nasty!

Naw ... I honestly have no problem executing links. But when I tried the one Eric gave me, well ... it pulls up nada! Zippo! Zero! At least for me on my machine.

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?act=S...s&highlite=5050

I thanked Thomas ... and I have visited each link! I am also using the information I find to do other internet searches.

Whether or not I will be able to fish or not will only be told with time. But I do appreciate Thomases help.

There you guys go again ... being kinda nasty!

 

Naw ... I honestly have no problem executing links. But when I tried the one Eric gave me, well ... it pulls up nada! Zippo! Zero! At least for me on my machine.

 

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?act=S...s&highlite=5050

 

I thanked Thomas ... and I have visited each link! I am  also using the information I find to do other internet searches.

 

Whether or not I will be able to fish or not will only be told with time. But I do appreciate Thomases help.

The first link pulls up a wonderful pdf put together by our good friend Laz Ruda:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...=olympus+c-5050

I don't know which link you are talking about, but you have to click on the original links to get content. This board software truncates the URL title, but preserves the entire URL.

I think you are getting off on the wrong foot here on our forums. I -- and a lot of people here -- put a lot of time into the maintenance of this site, and it is very much a labor of love. there is certainly a lot to learn, but you have already upset many of the people who might want to help.

that's my 2 cents. i'm locking this thread, as we as a community don't have time to participate in petty squabbles when there are so many other people out there who also have something to give back to the community (e.g. some semblance of respect).