Striker-1
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I just ordered a SP-560 today and plan to go to Grand Turks in May, so getting the needed things now and I was wondering if the red lense filters really help photos color quality?
Are red lense filters needed
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Short answer, no.
Red filters can be useful in very shallow, very bright waters, but they eat light and can add a pink tinge to your photos if you aren't careful where/how you use them. They are another tool but you have to learn how to use it.
If you can, shoot RAW. The biggest advantage to RAW for uw stuff is not having to set your white balance underwater.
Get close...no, closer. Make sure to try to stay as close to your minimum focus distance as you can. This will eliminate more water and thus more floaties in the water; it will keep as much colour as possible; it will give you the best use of your onboard flash as the range of these is very limited.
Take lots of photos. Have lots of fun!
Red filters can be useful in very shallow, very bright waters, but they eat light and can add a pink tinge to your photos if you aren't careful where/how you use them. They are another tool but you have to learn how to use it.
If you can, shoot RAW. The biggest advantage to RAW for uw stuff is not having to set your white balance underwater.
Get close...no, closer. Make sure to try to stay as close to your minimum focus distance as you can. This will eliminate more water and thus more floaties in the water; it will keep as much colour as possible; it will give you the best use of your onboard flash as the range of these is very limited.
Take lots of photos. Have lots of fun!
OP
Striker-1
Registered
Thanks alcina, I will invest more in the flash/strobe then
Charlie99
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Red filters don't work because they filter out everything that isn't red, and there isn't much red down there.
Some people have had better luck with orange tinted filters such as the "Magic Filter". M A G I C - F I L T E R S
The real answer is RAW or if you are shooting jpeg, then using manual white balance.
Some people have had better luck with orange tinted filters such as the "Magic Filter". M A G I C - F I L T E R S
The real answer is RAW or if you are shooting jpeg, then using manual white balance.
DesertEagle
Contributor
Yes, filters do work! And they are usually much more effective than using RAW capture alone. To get the same images with a RAW editor, it would take a lot of time, plus you had better be very experienced with photo editing.
I do agree with Alcina that a strobe should be a first choice. Barring that, a Magic Filter is an excellent choice for diving down to 15 meters.
I do agree with Alcina that a strobe should be a first choice. Barring that, a Magic Filter is an excellent choice for diving down to 15 meters.
Just as an aside...a Magic Filter is a different kettle of fish to a red filter. Go the web site and check them out, a neat addition to your kit if you don't want to buy a strobe just now. But they have fairly clear limitations that may not suit the type of diving you wish to do.
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