Canon G12 - Next Trip Cocos Islands

[Funland111]

During a recent trip to St Croix one of my main goals was to improve the quality of my photos. My equipment consists of a G12 with the Canon housing and an ikelite AF35 strobe. For the first time I used the custom white balance prior to each shot with the G12 set on program mode. My photos definitely improved, but I think it was a mistake solely using the program mode setting (when not using the strobe). I'm heading to the Cocos Islands next month, which will be my last dive trip for quite a while due to my business responsibilities, so I want to make the most of this opportunity. Question 1 - the following are my camera settings and hopefully I'm in the ballpark: C2(strobe) = WB flash, f5.6, 1/125, Iso 200, raw, int flash on.
C1 = WB Custom, f5.6, Iso 200, jpeg - lets me switch to video and retain the same WB setting.
M= WB Custom, f5.6, Iso 200, jpeg
Av= WB Custom, f5.6, Iso 200, jpeg
Tv= WB Custm, 1/80, Iso 200, jpeg
For my non-strobe shots I was plaining to start with the C1 or Av setting and for faster motion use the Tv setting -- any thoughts. Final question is that we will be doing two shark night dives to observe the white tips put on a show. I do not have a video light (just a dive light) so should I try to shot video with the aid of the other divers lights, or focus single photos? For the shark dive I'm guessing on the C2 settings = WB flash, f4.0, 1/500, Iso 800. Thanks for any help and I hopefully included 4 photos from St Croix.

Bill

 

[ghnouer]

I have a G11, and almost only use Manual mode for the camera and strobes in manual too.

Initial settings:

WA: ISO 100, F5,6 , 1/80
Macro: ISO 100, F6,3 , 1/125

GHN

 

[Hawkwood]

I have one of the G series with the Canon housing and I use an Ikelite DS51 Substrobe with the Manual Controller. I also use a Fantasea BigEye for wide angle. I have kept my setup simple so that I could shoot "on the fly". I did away with using the custom white balance as I found I saw no real advantage over using the UW white balance setting.

Macro: UW balance, Av, macro setting, ISO 100, F7.1
With BigEye: UW balance, Tv, macro setting, ISO 100, 1/125
Wide angle (no BigEye): UW Balance, Tv, ISO 100, 1/125

I will use the manual setting when the conditions are appropriate.

Oh yes, should mention that right now I shoot JPEG.

The images were taken using the setting indicated. These were taken two weeks ago in Barbados - great diving by the way.

 

[Gilligan]

I use a G12 in a Canon housing with an out of production Sea & Sea YS-27DX (manual settings) strobe.

For strobe shots:
I either shoot JPG or RAW depending on my mood . The white balance setting does not matter when shooting RAW. If shooting JPG I use the "Cloudy" setting for softer colors. Just a personal preference. I always shoot in the M mode for strobe shots mostly at F5.6, 1/250 speed and ISO 80. I adjust my strobe settings and make F stop or speed settings according to the subject and conditions. IMO there is no need to use "Custom" white balance for strobe shots. "cloudy", "daylight", "auto" and "flash" all work with JPG's.

For non-strobe shots:
I ALWAYS shoot RAW in the Tv mode starting at 1/125, ISO 100 checking the F stop in the monitor and adjusting the speed and/or ISO accordingly. Slower than 1/80 will likely result in a blurred moving target. "Custom" (calibrated) white balance or the "underwater" setting cannot compare to using RAW when it comes to non-strobe shots. You have complete control over the white balance in your post processing software before you convert to a JPG. The Canon DPP software that came with the camera does a great job on RAW white balance adjusting.

I keep my strobe settings on C1 and my non-strobe settings on C2 which makes it very easy to switch back and forth. You just have to remember to watch your ISO settings.

If I was taking a one-time trip to a special place I would shoot ALL my photos in RAW so as to have TOTAL control over the post-processing. I am in the Philippines for long periods of time and get to dive frequently and get to see the same critters over and over so I shoot RAW or JPG (when I get lazy ) on strobe shots.

PS: Be careful closing the latch on that Canon housing. They have a tendency to crack from repeated usage. See my tips on that HERE

 

[Funland111]

Thank you for the reply. I am really looking forward to my trip next month and hopefully I'll return with some good photos. I'll change my settings to match your numbers. Hopefully I'll have time between dives to review my shots and make any adjustments if necessary. The trip to the Cocos Islands with be my last warm water dive for a while - then a cold quarry.

Thanks
Bill

 

[Hawkwood]

Thank you for the reply. I am really looking forward to my trip next month and hopefully I'll return with some good photos. I'll change my settings to match your numbers. Hopefully I'll have time between dives to review my shots and make any adjustments if necessary. The trip to the Cocos Islands with be my last warm water dive for a while - then a cold quarry.

Thanks
Bill

Bill,

Don't wait between dives to review the shots. Review them right away and adjust on the spot. I have my screen set up to show the grid lines (for composition) and to show the histogram. The histogram lets me review the exposure right away. That way I can adjust as needed. Shoot...Evaluate...Adjust.

 

[mjh]

Some excellent advice above. We have done two trips to Cocos and given the depths and weather conditions it can be a little dark down there. You may want to consider ISOs in the 300-400 range, depending on conditions. Also shoot VIDEO!

Galleries and MultiMedia shows at our site: Aquablue Dreams

 

[Funland111]

MJH - Your pictures are impressive thanks for sharing your website. I never thought about using the histogram to review my shots - I'll give it a try. I think my single strobe won't do much if it gets too dark at depth - I'll try switching to video.

 

[PatW]

I have a Canon G11 with an Ike housing and Ike strobes.

I would recommend shooting in RAW. RAW allows you to adjust white balance in post processing without penalty. Shooting in RAW just eliminates one thing that you have to fiddle with. RAW also gives you more latitude in adjusting shahows, highlights and exposure. The downside to RAW is it takes up quite a bit more space on your cards.

If you can, it helps to pick up another strobe. Having two strobes offset from the line of sight of your photo tends to reduce apparent sediment in the water column. Also you can eliminate shadows that look unnatural.

I generally shoot ISOs of 100 and rely on my strobes to supply the missing light. The G12 will do pretty well at ISOs of 200 or 400. If you need more "light", you can always boost the iso some.

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

Great advice from Martin on shooting video and higher ISO in dark, deep water. Here's an article I wrote on Canon G11/G12 settings, I hope it helps. Good luck! - Scott