Sony DSC-P10 vs Olympus 5050

[radiikal]

it could be my skill, i just find the UW pics of P5 is just too greenish...

does it have anything to do with white balance settings? i'm using an external strobe with the camera....

thanks

[Finesse]

I hear you about the Sony thing …. dont think I personally would buy any other TV than a Sony .... side by side in the showroom they always have the nicest picture IMO ..... way off subject ...

As far as the strobe thing goes ...... thats just my opinion about the sony set up .... I'm not familiar with it to really say , but from pictures I have seen of it .... It just looks too small to handle a strobe….well at least some of the larger ones.

You've probably seen what the 30xx, 4040, 5050 series can do without the strobe (due to a very good and bright lens) some great pictures.... but getting to next level and adding an external strobe can really make a big impact on your photos.

[Finesse]

I cant answer that ..... but In my experience if the strobe wasnt strong enough to reach the subject (or didnt fire) then I would get the effect your speaking of ..... as if using only ambient light ..

With the Olympus cameras ..... I have never had issue with color in properly exposed photos ....The strobe I use is pretty powerful at approximately 110 watts....and if your not close (within say five feet and depending on water clarity) the effect of the strobe can be greatly diminished....

Messing around with the white balance has been brought up here and on other boards ....and what I gather from Olympus owners is there is rarely a reason to play with those settings on those cameras as the camera does a good job on its own with auto balances ....As for your camera ...maybe playing with the balances will help

[Finesse]

Not the best conditions for photography ... BUT ....

The first picture someone neglected to turn the strobe on (it helps occasionally )….. Visibility was about 5 –7 feet and I was 18-24 inches from the subject



Same dive …. Same vis…different subject…. Maybe 12-18 inches away ….BUT the strobe was on …Woo Hoo !!!! you get the idea….




The internal strobe is blocked on both pictures…otherwise in the first photo it may have helped "knock the green" out a tad….but backscatter would have no doubt been horrible

Ideally I should have taken another picture of the horseshoe crab with the strobe firing to get a good comparison…instead you get a small fluke and starfish!!!.....hind site …always 20/20

[Dee]

I think I dive with that same someone on occasion!

Question....in that last picture, is that a bed of muscle/clams that the starfish and Fluke are resting on? Cool shot! And what a great visual comparison

[kelpdiver]

As pointed out in the previous thread, comparing P10 and 5050 is somewhat apples/oranges--the Sony S75/85/new V1 is more like the 5050--bigger, more control (Aperture/Exposre priorities, full manual), probably a better quality lens (Zeiss v. Sony), etc. But everyone compares, because Sony has chosen to make an inexpensive housing only for the P series, while Olympus makes them for both their lines. Ikelite lists housing for S85 at $900.
That said, why would anyone use the Sony? Familiarity--with Sony camcorders, memory sticks, infolithium batteries, etc. Very small/lightweight--a convenience for travel, etc. Like me, they might own Sea and Sea MMIIEX lenses, and S&S makes (made??) a conversion lens adapter for the Sony, Canon, Minolta compacts, Olympus PT10, but NOT 15. (On the other hand, it seems nearly impossible to get one of those adapters, and I had to search all over the internet and make many phone calls before finding one.)
The question of quality of photos intrigues me. Many (esp. Dee) keep saying Sony is great for above water, but not under--I'd like to see some direct comparisons, or an explanation of why the optics (or electronics?) would be better in one situation than the other. Re green color, my first and only digital experience was in fairly green water (Channel Islands), so the background was definitely green. But external strobe made for good subject colors. I'd attach some pix, if someone would kindly explain (or point to a post) how to reduce the file size.

[5615mike]

Finesse.............nice comparison. Makes a huge case for external strobe. I know many find they can take some good shots without them but I have to believe that the ratio of great shots goes way up with the strobe.

[Finesse]

Dee once bubbled...
I think I dive with that same someone on occasion!

You got it .... Tiny little 1/2" to 1" muscles .... Thanks for the comment ….but that photo was perfect for this question …..I’m glad someone forgot the strobe had to be turned on…..you know we aim to please

Kelpdiver.... you need some sort of photo editing software....you need to reduce the size to less than 100kb then you can simply attach the file from your computer......or you can link them to this site from an external server (uploaded photos from a hosting site) using the image button.

Mike..... external strobe .... lets put it this way ....It sure doesn’t hurt !!!!!

[Cecil]

Alot of issue to address. First all my pictures are with the internal strobe, forced On, Low.

The bumper sticker is get the Sony if you want small and simple. If you are sure you want an external strobe or other accessories get the Olympus. Which leads into why I love the Sony, it allows me to be a diver if I want and not always a photographer. I can forget I even have the camera if I choose, not going to do that with a camera, arm and strobe. For this freedom do I give up good possibily great pictures, that is the debate.

Some things I know I can not photograph, anything inside 4"s and anything greater than 3' unless blue is OK. I also agree the Sony does shift to green and has limited depth of field. The first can mostly be correct in Photo Shop, for the second bracket the distance to your subject.

[Cecil]

I forgot one point. the camera works fine in cold water with gloves. I can even do the half shutter press in 7mm gloves.