setting white balance & minimizing "scatter"?

[KTE]

I've been trying to familiarize myself w/the settings on my new "toy" - a 3.2 mp digital w/uw housing, but, unfortunately, I won't be able to test my results w/actual snorkeling until we get to Tahiti next year (13 months away! :eek: ) so I'd like to do things right the first time and not mess up any "no second chance to get it right" pix.

On the white balance the setting choices are: auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent and cloudy.

I've done a search on www.scubaboard.com, but it was still a little confusing. My "instinct" says either "auto" or "cloudy" setting would be best for the shallow snorkeling I do (I don't dive and rarely even free dive), but apparently, which setting to use also depends on whether the flash is on or off.

Also, several of the threads mentioned not to worry about wb while shooting, but to correct the color during processing using a photo shop program (ANOTHER new skill to learn! :( )

Any advice gratefully accepted!

KTE :confused:

[bruce-r]

I'd go with the Auto white balance and since you will be on the surface where the sunlight will be the brightest, I'd turn off the flash unless it was a very cloudy day. If you shoot with the natural light, you will get less back scatter.

 

IMO, the best program for "fixing" UW photos is Photoshop Elements. It has a Quick Fix function that really goes a long way in helping correct the color and exposure if it isn't quite to your liking. Actually, you probably won't have much color correction needed if you are on the surface.

 

Finally, Wetpixel has more information about UW photography that anyplace else I've found on the web.

 

BTW, how can you possibly wait 13 months before you dive again? I couldn't wait even 13 weeks.

[MauiLvrs]

Look to see if there are other setting that may be useful. As Our A520 under one of its program modes had an underwater setting. It produces amazing results.

 

BTW, how can you possibly wait 13 months before you dive again? I couldn't wait even 13 weeks.

We have movies of our prior dives and watch those, sip a mai tai and wait, and wait, and wait... and finally we get to get wet again...

[cruzegirl]

I'm with Bruce.... How can you wait 13 weeks let alone 13 months???? I'm getting antsy if I don't get to go once a month... I'm so lucky being in California... Lot's of diving... I had to not dive in August for $$ reasons and trying to sell my home.... I thought someone had slit my throat.....lol.... But alas, I'm going next weekend to Santa Rosa Island on an overnight trip.....yeah.

I too have automatic settings on my camera... it's the Olympus stylus 600 and it has 3 different underwater settings and then all the land settings you can think of.... Otherwise, as Bruce said, use the auto setting..... it's really better with a point/shoot camera to not try to many manual settings.... Those are mostly for SLR settings... But your at the surface and you should have good lighting.. Have fun.....

[MauiLvrs]

And the other thing that was a shock was how well the video on the camera worked (including the audio).

[10X]

When snorkeling, both my wife and I use the automatic settings for white balance. We also let the camera determine if we need a flash or not. However, there is a drawback to this because it's the flash that actually creates the backscatter.

 

When the flash goes off, light strikes the particles in the water and reflects them back into the camera. This shows up as white dots all over your picture. You can help eliminate backscatter by getting ever closer to your subject, thus reducing the amount of particles between you and your subject. Most underwater photos turn out great when you are within 3 feet of your subject. This is done much easier when I'm scuba diving than when snorkeling.

 

Without the flash, the picture might turn out dark.

 

In either case the pictures might be salvaged with the use of a quality photo program. I've saved several photos with backscatter by using a "healing tool" and remove the dots one at a time. This is a time consuming process at best but the results can be fantastic.

 

Some great photo programs are Photoshop Elements, which Bruce-R has already mentioned, Corel Paintshop Pro, and Photoshop CS2. However, CS2 costs about $650.

 

I bought Photoshop Elements and later received an offer from Adobe to buy CS2 for $300. I couldn't pass it up. Although CS2 is much more complicated, it is head and shoulders above anything else I've tried.

 

Denny

[KTE]

CC'ers are the BEST friends an inquiring mind can ever have! :D

That magic filter looks FANTASTIC! Too bad it's not sold locally. But even 1 would probably get me 2 - 3 (cut to fit) with the size lens on my compact. We'll see.

 

BTW: I'm sort of "lizard-ish": I LOVE the heat - can't stand the cold. :p

so I never get into the ocean unless I'm in a tropical place - best reason I can give DH for going on a vacation! :D

 

KTE