Camera settings

Hey everyone,

Need a little advice. I'm an amateur underwater photograher. I've got a Nikon D70 with a 10-50mm lens in a Sea & Sea housing with a Sea & Sea YS 90 strobe. Can someone help me on suggested basic settings to start with? In the past, I have maually set the apeture at 8 and put the shutter speed on auto. I typically leave the "slave" on the flash off. I'm heading to Fiji in a few weeks and want to make sure I get some GREAT pics!

Any advice would be greatly appeciated!

Hi!!

I would recommend that you rather not select the Auto Shutter speed as it is darker under water and your camera will select slower shutter speeds leaving your photos blurry as it would freeze the action...rather let it automatically select the aperture and keep the shutter speed around 1/125.

Otherwise, on manual settings, Start off with ISO 200, 1/125, f11, make sure you light the subject well with your strobe and adjust your strobe strength as required.

Experiment with different shutter speeds and apertures, the f-stop to adjust depth of field and the shutter speed will change the colour of the water from light blue to black.

I am sure what I am saying is very debatable but I think you should be alright with those settings

There is obviously more to it and I would recommend you get Martin Edge's book and read about it as well....

Hope you have a good trip!

I agree with John's starting settings of ISO 200, 1/125s and f/11. With the D70 you don't really want to go higher than ISO 200 as the noise will get too noticeable.

Use the camera's light meter display in the viewfinder to help you determine what will happen with the background. Ideally, you want it to say anything from slightly underexposed (which will give you a lighter background) to grossly underexposed (for a black background).

I agree with John's starting settings of ISO 200, 1/125s and f/11. With the D70 you don't really want to go higher than ISO 200 as the noise will get too noticeable.

 

Use the camera's light meter display in the viewfinder to help you determine what will happen with the background. Ideally, you want it to say anything from slightly underexposed (which will give you a lighter background) to grossly underexposed (for a black background).

Thanks guys! Should I leave the "slave" in the off position?

Thanks guys! Should I keep the "slave" in the off position?

That would depend on the type of cable you use to connect the camera to the strobe. If you are using a fiber optical cable it should be on and if you are using a sync cable then it should be off.

It is also a good idea to experiment out of the water. First, become familiar with the camera outside the housing so you know what all the controls do and you can play with shutter speed and aperture and see what effect they have. Put the camera in the housing and hook it all up to the strobe and play inside the house or even in the backyard. Again, see what effect shutter speed and aperture have on the shots. Set up some static subjects to use.

The better you know the camera and what effects different settings have, the easier it will be when your task loaded underwater.