Mode setting when using Auto Magic Filter

[WaterFox]

I will be borrowing a friend's camera setup so I can shoot some video and snap a few pictures of my dives this weekend. His setup is a Canon A570 IS with an Auto Magic Filter, no strobe.

I will primarily be shooting mostly video so he recommended I use the Auto Magic Filter when shooting. But I also wanted to snap a few pictures as well. I've done a bit of reading here and from what I can tell is that for pictures you do not want to use a flash with the Auto Magic Filter. Am I correct here?

Also, with the Auto Magic Filter, I do not know which mode I should be shooting in. There's an Auto mode and an Underwater Mode option on the camera, but I don't know which is best for use with the Auto Magic Filter. I don't want to be fiddling with the settings too much since I don't really know much about U/W photography. I would really love to pick a mode and just point and shoot , but I suppose a bit of manual adjustment may help here. Not looking to shoot super professional pictures... just some decent ones to show friends and family.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[WaterFox]

bumpity bump

Heading out tomorrow and still hoping someone might be able to steer me in the right direction here. From what I gather from doing some research, I need to shoot in the Auto mode when using the Auto Magic Filter with the Canon A570. I should not be shooting in the underwater mode. And no flash. Is this correct? We will be staying pretty shallow so from reading the magic filter website, looks like I do not need to manually adjust the white balance for less than 30 feet. For video I am just pointing and shooting with the Auto Magic Filter?... Thanks!

 

[drandazzo]

I have a G9 and had purchased 1 of the Ikelite red filters. Used it several times and left everything on automatic. I believe it had to be used no deeper then 80 ft, with flash turned off. The white balance was left at automatic too. I don't have any photos for comparison, sorry.

 

[bliew]

Sorry, hope you're able to read this in time, or remotely. I've used the Auto Magic Filter with an SD870IS.

When using the Auto Magic Filter, definitely no flash. You can certainly use Auto mode, and for less than 30 feet, unless it's cloudy or you're in caves, not really much need to adjust the white balance (although even with the Auto version, I still found better results with manual white balance). A word of caution - if you're diving in quite shallow waters, and especially if it's sunny, you may need to reduce the red levels in your custom colors. Again, if you do manual white balance that's not needed as much, but could still be helpful depending on dive conditions.

It took me a few dives and reviewing the photos to really figure out the optimum combination of reducing red levels and when to white balance. I would say 20-40 feet was the sweet spot with the filter, if you're much shallower than that you really need to be careful in overdoing the red. In fact, if I was doing a dive that was mostly 0-20 feet and no more than 30 feet, I'd be on the fence with the Auto Magic Filter especially with good light and visibility.

Here's a link to my review of both the 870 and Magic Filter - scroll down a bit for the Filter section:
visit Belize - visitBelize.in - Canon SD870IS underwater in Belize

Hope this helps in time!
Bryan