external flash needed?

[scubastaci]

OK, I just got a SeaLife reefmaster mini for my anniversary. I do not have an external flash(yet) We are going to the keys in 2 weeks and I wanted to know if I would be ok to not have one for the vis there? I plan on getting one, but not right now unless I had to.

 

[prskate2]

If you are going to stick with shallow dives you should be fine. It's always good to get to know the camera first. Before you buy other accessories.

 

[rexlyn]

Clear water, no floaters in the water column and no deeper than 30 feet should be ok. Deeper than that and the pictures will be very blue tinted. You will want to get an external flash at some time, it will help to keep the backscatter down.

 

[prskate2]

Yes, defiantly get it soon. I would suggest to not even really use the camera flash unless you are close to the subject. Just play around with it a lot and you should be ok.

 

[gustele]

I agree. The internal flash is only sufficient for close-by subjects/objects in clear water. So if you don't have an external flash stick to macro or pictures within 2 feet. Another option is to work without a flash in shallow water where there is sufficient ambient light. But be prepared to do a lot of processing afterwards to correct for the false colors.

Regards