Red Filter

[MRadke]

I have a Canon S45 in a Canon WP-DC300 housing that I would like to put an external red filter on. The housing is not threaded, but there is a snout on the front of the housing that I may be able to slip something over. That measures 47.8mm, outside diameter. What are my options, preferably in something that slips on.

 

[rameus]

hey there!
doesn't look like there's anything on the market for that housing. at least not when you check at google for a red filter...

an other option would be (if you have photoshop) to add an additional layer of red which will balance the picture again.

You'll find the tutorial how to do it here.

Some of my pictures I made which are shown on my site are corrected with this filter. It really works great!

Thomas

 

[Larry C]

You can get threaded filters from URPro in three different sizes. If you can't make an adapter, SubSee will build you a custom threaded adapter that will flip down. Usually, they're 67mm, but you could use a step adapter to bring it down to the size of the filter thread.
Magic Filter makes gel filters that you can trim to fit inside your port, but then you can't remove it for flash shots at greater depth. Generally filters are most useful above 40ft. where there is enough light to support ambient light shooting with the loss of light caused by the filter.

 

[MRadke]

Thanks for the replies. I'll look into those options for a filter.

One photographer I talked to suggested handling the problem by adjusting the white balance. I know that the camera has that capability, but I've never done it and don't know too much about it. Is the white balance worth fooling with a depth?

 

[Bubble_Boy]

You don't fool around with the white balance at depth, you adjust it at the surface before going in. Or even better, you shoot in RAW mode and adjust it at home later (if you have a RAW mode)

 

[MRadke]

I do have raw mode, but I don't know much about it. How are pictures handled with it?

 

[herman]

You don't fool around with the white balance at depth, you adjust it at the surface before going in. Or even better, you shoot in RAW mode and adjust it at home later (if you have a RAW mode)

White balance has to be set for pretty much every shot, it can not be done at the surface. Each shot is different depending on depth and water conditions. If you are using a strobe or flash, all of this is a mute point, white balance remains on auto.
Filters are a waste of time and money. A filter reduces the amount of available light the camerea has to work with and they are only good for a limited range of operation. For very shallow, very clear, no flash shots they have some use. Your best bet is to use white balance for now and save the money for a strobe.

 

[Bubble_Boy]

You don't fool around with the white balance at depth, you adjust it at the surface before going in. Or even better, you shoot in RAW mode and adjust it at home later (if you have a RAW mode)

 

[herman]

You don't fool around with the white balance at depth, you adjust it at the surface before going in. Or even better, you shoot in RAW mode and adjust it at home later (if you have a RAW mode)

You can not set white balance at the surface when shooting with ambient light. The white balance is adjusted to compensate for the loss of reds at depth, unless you know the exact depth and water conditions, there is no way to properly calibrate it at the surface.
To properly calibrate a camera's white balance against a white card, you must be at the depth that the photo is going to be taken, otherwise the available light will not have the same red content as the light available at the photo site. If the camera is not set at the same depth as the photo, the white balance will not be correct. While you can improve a photo a lot in RAW, it is always better to start off with the photo as close to correct as possible.

 

[MRadke]

Thanks, I'll dive into my camera manual and figure out how to set the white balance on my camera. That would seem like my best option. The less I have to fool with the photos after I'm home, the better.