Canon A40 pics from Cozumel

[KidK9]

Here's a link to Photo Access. I took these pics in Cozumel 2 weeks ago. This is the first time I ever used the camera. It's a Canon A40 Power**** with Canon's underwater housing. No strobes, just the flash. And I have no idea how to modify digital pics yet (any tips?), so these are just how I shot them. I'm sure not all my species' names are correct. Hope you like them, I do!

www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AF595134BB1&cb=PA

 

[Dee]

You've got some really good ones for you first time out! There's really not alot to modify, I think you did very well.

As for your ID's....here's a little help...

1. Grey Angelfish
4. Tube Sponge
10. Azure Vase Sponge
11. Coney
18. Long Spined Sea Urchin sticking out of hole.
20. Condylactus Anemone
21. School of Grunts...Black tails are Bluestriped Grunts, yellow tails are probably French Grunts (hard to tell exectly)
22. Fish with black bar across the face are Porkfish. Others are various Grunts.
23. Toadfish - Scorpionfish
25. Sting Mod = Southern Stingray
26. Stingray modifies = Yellow Stingray

 

[John Mathieson]

Those are really nice very photos - very impressive.

Dee - you have been helping me on another thread trying to decide what camera case to buy - I think these pics make my mind up - considering there is no strobe, these photos are fabulous.

Photoshop Elements is a really good program to use - I have been using full version Photoshop for about 15 years (for work purposes), and have never really figured the crazy thing out. It just does WAY too much for me - I quite like the more simplified approach in Elements, and it does pretty much everything you need. Haven't tried the new version yet - but am planning to get it this week for a course at the local computer club I am going to take.

I think you could do a lot with some of your photos - not to say they need fixing, but to say that they look like good enough raw material to make it worthwhile to spend time fiddling around with them on the computer.

I like the Hawksbill #8, Stingray #26, and I especially like the clarity and colour on #17 and #22. The Azure vase sponge is beautiful, and what a nice Angel picture you have hiding behind the coral. If those were my photos, I would have chewed through more than a few sheets of photo paper already!!

 

[Dee]

John Mathieson once bubbled...
----I have been using full version Photoshop for about 15 years (for work purposes), and have never really figured the crazy thing out. It just does WAY too much for me ----

I am SO glad to hear you say that! I got Photoshop LE with my Oly camera and I just don't get it. I still haven't figured out the stamp (clone) tool.

Several years ago I got Adopbe Photo Deluxe with a scanner. I've been told it's a plain vanilla Photoshop but I haven't found many similarities. As a rule I don't do alot of tweaking with my pictures, clone out a bit of backscatter, lighten or darken abit. I might play with the colors but what I end up with is usally very close to the pic anyway!

BTW John, from these pics I think you'd be happy with this same set-up for now. By the time you outgrow the camera, the digitals will be even more amazing. My Oly C-4040 (not quite a year old) is already out of production and has been replaced in the Oly lineup. Good luck!

 

[John Mathieson]

I agree with you about Photoshop LE - it was "dumbed down" but I think way too much, and cluttered with stupid "user friendly" tools, which I simply found confusing, and non-intuitive. Photoshop Elements has most of what full Photoshop has, in a much easier format.

Photo Deluxe was another similar attempt to make it "user friendly" but I think it was just cluttered up with annoying "cute" things.

There are tons of other programs - the Microsoft one wasn't bad, but you could not tweak printer settings with it, and so it was a waste of time. I have at least 15 other similar programs, none of which I really like. They all had quite big limitations.

As I look at it, the biggest investment I can make is my time. It takes a good long time to learn a photo / graphics program, so if you are going to make that commitment, you might as well do it with a program that is going to be around a long time. Photoshop used to be a Mac only program, and most IBM users never even heard of it. A decade or so later, and all those other programs are dead, and Photoshop is really the only serious program (sorry Corel) - and Elements really is pretty easy to use. It should be a pretty reasonable "investment". It will be around a lot longer than most of these cameras, as you point out.

I am going to order the simple Canon UW case as you suggest!!

(If I had a dollar for every time a yelled at my computer while using Photoshop 2.0 I could buy a nice Nikon D100 for both of us!)

 

[Dee]

Since I can use Photo Deluxe pretty well...at least to do what I want...I think I'll just stick to it. In the meantime, I'll play with PS LE and see if I can 'dumb up' a bit!

 

[brizzolatti]

Great photos!

Could you tell me what settings you had on the A40 when you took these? I finally took the plunge and got a digital camera: I've been using 35mm SLR for years and using slide film. So now I have an A40 and am pondering getting the underwater housing. I have no idea where to start with settings and white balance and all that stuff so any advice from someone who has taken great pics would be welcome!

 

[waterpik]

Great pics!!

I've been considering buying this camera. I think I just made up my mind. What resolution did you take these pics at?

Thanks for posting these!

 

[ReyeR]

I still haven't figured out the stamp (clone) tool

Dee!

It's real easy... I can give an online tutorial if you like!

I've used tons of graphic programs including ones with dedicated hardware but I've got to say Photoshop (full version, v5 and above, don't bother with previous versions) is very powerful and flexible. You can do amazing things with it! I have to say the tools were very intuitive for me... Very few companies produce good software and Adobe has got this spot on.

 

[Dee]

I may take you up on it. In fact, if you want to start with the basics, like cloning out backscatter, and write a couple of tutorials, I'll stick them at the top of the forum for all to use.

I just got a copy of Photoshop Elements and it's alot easier to use than LE. One of the things I learned to do this weekend was using the 'Save for Web' in order to size photos to meet the restrictions of most forums.

Now I need some new u/w pictures to practice on!