GH5 - Mantas of South Ari Atoll, Maldives
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Tippytoes12
Contributor
Fabulous , thanks for sharing, were you on a LOB or in a resort and if so which one ? We have had two fantastic visits to Boutique Beach in Dhigurah, saw whalesharks on both trips , but had better luck with mantas in other areas of the Maldives.
Thank you!! Sweet memories.
I love your choice of music; the sensation of hearing birds whilst watching fish gave me an extra thrill
I love your choice of music; the sensation of hearing birds whilst watching fish gave me an extra thrill
Hi, thanks for your kind comments!
@Tippytoes12 - Sun Island Resort, which I would definitely recommend. Very good dive centre, with good local dive sites. It was just a question of bad luck with the whale sharks I think, because others saw them whilst I was there. Next time....
Cheers,
Matt
@Tippytoes12 - Sun Island Resort, which I would definitely recommend. Very good dive centre, with good local dive sites. It was just a question of bad luck with the whale sharks I think, because others saw them whilst I was there. Next time....
Cheers,
Matt
Apparently I had one swim right over top of me, almost within reaching distance and still didn't see it. And that was the second time that had happened to me (though the first time was in Belize not Maldives) The first time another diver pulled my fin and I was only a foot away and could literally count to spots but not see the whole shark, as I was that close .Without a fin pull, I may have eventually seen it's tail fin, who knows, lol
Ergo, you may have been closer than you think!
Juergen_187
Registered
Hi Matt,
nice movie, well done.
As I changed to the GH5 only recently, how is your experience with it, especially with the infamous AF? When I filmed Mantas in Hawaii in the dark, I was shocked by how much the camera struggled with the AF, even when there was only 1 Manta to track. Ok, I used the 225-point focus which is probably really worse than the 1-area focus and there were 2 more firmware updates since then. Still, I wonder how much of your footage was actually ruined by pulsing?
Also, did you use a filter or just manual WB?
Juergen
nice movie, well done.
As I changed to the GH5 only recently, how is your experience with it, especially with the infamous AF? When I filmed Mantas in Hawaii in the dark, I was shocked by how much the camera struggled with the AF, even when there was only 1 Manta to track. Ok, I used the 225-point focus which is probably really worse than the 1-area focus and there were 2 more firmware updates since then. Still, I wonder how much of your footage was actually ruined by pulsing?
Also, did you use a filter or just manual WB?
Juergen
I am curious of why you would use continuous autofocus? Unless you have a mid range lens this is totally not necessary
Hi Juergen
thx for the comments!
Actually, I don't have any problems with the AF, but I'm realistic about its capabilities with the PZ 14-42 lens I use. So, grey shark, against grey/blue background with lots of particles in the water won't work, as we all know. What I tend to use is the back button auto-focus lock technique. I pick a point on the reef, e.g., at a distance similar to my subject, and lock the focus. If the aperture is at least 5.6 then you have enough depth of field. Up to f11 is OK as well in tropical well-lit waters. However, if the subject is moving backwards and forwards towards me and away from me, like with a circling manta, I will use continuous AF, with as small aperture as I can get away with. It's a question of getting the shot or not. I only use a single small focus point, otherwise you're going to have "hunting" problems. Also, I think one of the firmware updates was to do with AF.....
For WB - I think there's another thread on here where we've discussed this recently. I personally use a filter (UrPro) and manual white balance. I set WB by putting a bit of translucent greyish plastic (cut from a detergent bottle) in front of the filter when I point the camera to the lightest part of the surface. The result is actually a little too much on the red side, at least with the greyish plastic I'm using, BUT it's really easy to get rid of red in post. If you look at the other thread you'll see what I mean with too much red/purple. I intend to do a revised verson of the clip I uploaded to show how easy it is to get rid of the purple that Interceptor pointed out.
Cheers,
Matt
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