Overexposing while using TTL

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dive2617

Contributor
Messages
75
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7
Location
Dayton, Ohio
# of dives
500 - 999
Hi guys,

I'm pretty new to underwater photography and am loving it, but as I'm sure you all know it's frustrating. Anyways I'm currently using a single DS-51 strobe and a canon rebel sl1 and I keep over exposing stuff even on TTL...which seems weird since I'm only using one strobe. Is there a setting I'm missing on the camera itself that allows TTL to work or does this happen often even with TTL? My solution so far has been turning the setting on the strobe down to -2 which I know is probably not the best solution.

Thanks in advance for all advice!
 
Are you shooting on automatic or using manual mode? I use that camera with dual DS 51's and sometimes in auto it will over expose. That's with the 18-55 kit lens.

Manual mode using ISO 200 f5.6 or f6.3 and 1/125th to 1/200th depending on the ambient conditions seems to give me the best results in Ohio quarries. Those are settings I got from my Ikelite dealer and mentor.

The biggest thing that helped me was to spend a lot of time in the pool playing with settings and making notes. I spent hours just playing and looking at the results.

If you go to my facebook page you can see many of the pool photos I shot. As well as some that are more recent in Gilboa and Circleville. There is another guy shooting the same rig you have in the great lakes and doing nice work as well. He's new to DSLR photography as well and we compare notes and share tips.
 
Thanks for the tips, I will start playing around with the settings further in shallow water, I started today and changed my white balance setting from automatic to "flash" and that seemed to help a lot. Also my camera won't take a picture in the dark even with the strobe on TTL for some reason, for example I was in a wreck yesterday and it wouldn't let me take a picture, would there be a setting that would be causing that?
 
I assume you have ikelite housing using hot shoe and sync cord. Set white balance on auto, shoot in manual, ISO range for best results usually work out to 100/ 200. Shutter speed 125/ 160/200, all depends on light level and effect you want. F stop ranges usually 5.6/ 8/ 11... Depends on light level, what you want for depth of field. Strobe on TTL, spot metering, center focus.
 
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