this is my first experience with uw photo. i have a D100 in a Nexus housing with the 60mm micro lens. my strobe is the Ikelite DS-125 strobe. since i can't use it ttl i have to do it manually. i have been doing some diving here in Florida off the beach in about 15 feet of water (Atlantic). the water is rather clear, but i figured i would need the strobe anyway. i set the strobe up in the "standard" macro position according to a book that i read and set it to it's lowest power, 1/8. when the shots are taken everything is pretty much extremely overexposed. so i started to shoot without the flash and i am getting better shots, but the colors are obviously not quite where i would like them. does anyone know what i can do to fix this problem or if you need anyother information to come to a conclusion just ask. thanks a lot.
Can you post any example pictures including the EXIF data?
i wish, but i deleated the pictures quickly uw to keep space free for other things i wanted to shoot. the picutes were simply overexposed.
i wish, but i deleated the pictures quickly uw to keep space free for other things i wanted to shoot. the picutes were simply overexposed. maybe i need Ikelites manual controller thing?
Go to smaller aperture. Try f/16.
Be sure you're shooting at ISO 200.
Use a fast shutter, around 1/200. You may want to slow this down if you want a blue background, but start here.
Verify that the DS125 is giving you 1/8 power and not full dump.
Make sure your camera is NOT set to do "Auto ISO" My guess is that it's going to ISO800 or higher. Set the camera to M mode and f16 @ 1/125th
If you shoot the D100 in P or S mode, it is probably choosing F2.8 or F4 which is too low for macro at that strobe power.
Cheers
James
thanks, i am shooting on manual ISO and i have it set at 200. i will try to increase the f stop next time i go out to see if that helps. also, how do i make sure the strobe is firing at 1/8 and not a full shot? i was shooting on shutter priority and the f stops were low. i'll give all this advice a shot. thanks everyone.
thanks, i am shooting on manual ISO and i have it set at 200. i will try to increase the f stop next time i go out to see if that helps. also, how do i make sure the strobe is firing at 1/8 and not a full shot? i was shooting on shutter priority and the f stops were low. i'll give all this advice a shot. thanks everyone.
Looks like shutter priority was your problem. The camera set a wide aperture for the low ambient light. Use manual mode and set aperture to f/16. The strobe was probably working correctly.
All right Herb and co. - we solved another one, woohoo!
Just to answer your question though - after the DS125 fires a full dump, it will beep a few times while it's recycling.
After firing a shot at 1/8th, it should just go "weee" for a very short time and then be recharged.
At f16, you will probably want to start at 1/2 if your subject is about 1 foot or less away.
Cheers
James
thanks, yeah i'll definitely try the higher f stop. good stuff. i'll let you guys know how it turns out after i go diving on saturday morning.
