scubadiveilat, thanks for the compliments! I guess that depends on where you were wanting to post them?
guggie, I don't know that I'd say that... While, yes, there are quite a few like you mentioned, I've seen some pretty good shots using the DC1200 posted on here. I'm not sure how to make the EXIF data viewable on here, but if there is a particular photo or two you are curious about, I'll be more than happy to tell you that info. Aside from that, I guess there's a few possible reasons.
First, I use dual strobes. From what I can tell, a lot of the other pics that turn out like you mentioned don't. Also, the positioning of them is obviously important as well for even coverage, or a more dramatic effect depending on what you're going for. That's really just learning by trial and error.
Another thing you may notice is that a lot of my shots are macro. With this camera, the closer, the better (Speaking of which, Buck, you'll love Bonaire for that purpose. GREAT macro stuff there. Take a look at my Bonaire album when you get a chance). I tend to manually set the strobe strength depending of depth and lighting, but other than that, I usually use macro flash and macro focus settings. Always get as close as you can, then get closer.
If it's more than a few feet away, don't bother using your strobes. You'll typically just get a ton of backscatter. Manually setting the white balance on this camera is a bit of a pain compared to others I've seen with a hot-key for that purpose, but it's a must. The preset blue water white balance settings just aren't precise enough. Also, a little post-production processing (I use Aperture on my Mac) never hurt anyone...lol. I don't know how to do any of the fancy stuff, but I'll add in a little saturation or contrast if needed.
Other than that, it's really just learning by trial and error. Not to mention, I probably only end up keeping one out of every 5 pics or so. And, the fifteen pics above are probably out of the couple hundred I probably took before my housing flooded...lol. Just keep taking shots. Even when you think you got the one you want, take another one. Don't over think the manual camera settings. There really aren't that many of them on this camera anyways (only 2 f-stop options), and the auto usually does a good job. Spend your time getting your composition, focus, lighting, and white balance correct.
HTH
