Panasonic FT3 (TS3), snorkeling & freediving photos and videos, Red Sea, Egypt
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OP
primus
Contributor
the wife picked up a TS3 for her(i already have the oly TG610) so we'll be checking it out while in hawaii next week
...i'll take it out for some dives here when we get back. can't wait.
Results might be something like this
Panasonic FT2 (TS2) vs Olympus 8010 album | Primoz | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.Hi Primus
Great photos and with a compact..!! I am the same as you given up on diving into free diving / snorkelling now..
I'm off to Raja Ampat,Indonesia next month.. I want to buy an underwater camera before then,I'm weighing up betweenPanasonic tz20 with housing and Ft3... My thoughts are that the lens is supposed to give a sharper picture on the tz20
and is a better land camera but is more expensive as a package.. I think for underwater the main benefit the ft3 is lighter cheaper..? I understand it has a separate light have you found that a useful addition ..? Could you give me your advice it sounds like you have had lots of exp with compacts..? I love the picture of the two angel fish and the ray they are so clear did you take those with std settings with no photo shop..?
You should try Dahab some time peaceful and great snorkelling..
Cheers Leezy
Great photos and with a compact..!! I am the same as you given up on diving into free diving / snorkelling now..
I'm off to Raja Ampat,Indonesia next month.. I want to buy an underwater camera before then,I'm weighing up betweenPanasonic tz20 with housing and Ft3... My thoughts are that the lens is supposed to give a sharper picture on the tz20
and is a better land camera but is more expensive as a package.. I think for underwater the main benefit the ft3 is lighter cheaper..? I understand it has a separate light have you found that a useful addition ..? Could you give me your advice it sounds like you have had lots of exp with compacts..? I love the picture of the two angel fish and the ray they are so clear did you take those with std settings with no photo shop..?
You should try Dahab some time peaceful and great snorkelling..
Cheers Leezy
derway
Contributor
Nice work. I had an ft2, and always been disappointed in the image quality. Looks like a nice improvement with the 3rd generation.
OP
primus
Contributor
LED light could be very useful on dry land, I never use it while underwater.
All my UW photos were taken in Underwater mode (not Beach & Snorkeling), and the best photos/movies are from depths between 4 to 8 meters.
For post processing I am using only Picasa3 (never PS) and only for slight adjustments to brightness and sharpness of photos. All movies are without any PP.
I tried also Dahab and Hurgada, but I still prefer Sharm el Sheikh.
OP
primus
Contributor
Don't agree with you, FT3 is better than FT2, but not as much as you would think. With the FT2 I did just as good photos/movies as with the FT3:
Sharm el Sheikh, oct.2010 album | Primoz | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.
PrimozP's Channel - YouTube
Mexico, june 2010 album | Primoz | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.
PrimozP's Channel - YouTube
RDRINK25
Contributor
What mode do you use the Ft2? I have one and can not get clean crisp shots. I have used underwater mode but still no luck. If you hit the left arrow to change between af-l and Q-af what is the difference?
OP
primus
Contributor
When shooting 3+ (and up to 15) meters deep or when shooting objects which are more than 2 meters away from camera (vertical or horizontal) I am using Underwater mode, else Beach & Snorkeling mode.
Best UW photos and movies (in general) are from depths between 4 and 8 meters in Underwater mode.
When you press the left arrow (af-l) you essentially locks the focus to the current distance.
When Q-af is enabled camera continuously measures the distance, even when you did not press the Shutter button (half way).
--------------------------
From the TS3 User manual:
Fixing the focus underwater (AF Lock)
You can fix the focus before taking a picture with AF lock. This is useful if you want to take pictures of a fast moving subject etc.
1 Aim the AF area at the subject.
2 Press left arrow to fix the focus.
• The AF lock icon appears when the subject is focused.
• Press left arrow again to cancel AF lock.
• When you press the zoom button, the AF lock is canceled. In this case, focus on the subject and fix the focus again.
Quick Auto Focus (Quick AF)
As long as the camera is held steady, the camera will automatically adjust the focus and focus adjustment will then be quicker when the shutter is pressed. This is useful when you do not want to miss a picture-taking opportunity.
Great pictures and thanks for the info.
My TS3 just came in last night and I am reading up on it. We plan on taking it to Mexico next week.
Can I bother you for two, non-underwater related questions?
1. When I turn the camera off, the GPS light stays on? Is this normal or will it go off after it finishes acquiring satellite information (perhaps because the camera is new?)
2. The manual says to hold upside down and gently shake it after leaving the water to start the drying process. I can hear something inside mine rattling a bit. Is this normal? Does yours do that? Seems to all be working fine.
Thanks again!
Your pictures are great. If I get those results, I will be very pleased.
My TS3 just came in last night and I am reading up on it. We plan on taking it to Mexico next week.
Can I bother you for two, non-underwater related questions?
1. When I turn the camera off, the GPS light stays on? Is this normal or will it go off after it finishes acquiring satellite information (perhaps because the camera is new?)
2. The manual says to hold upside down and gently shake it after leaving the water to start the drying process. I can hear something inside mine rattling a bit. Is this normal? Does yours do that? Seems to all be working fine.
Thanks again!
Your pictures are great. If I get those results, I will be very pleased.
OP
primus
Contributor
It is normal if you select ON in GPS Setting! FT3/TS3 has 3 GPS settings: ON (allways ON), OFF (allways OFF) and Airplane Mode (GPS opertation starts when power is turned on)
It is also normal! When camera is switched OFF, image stabilisation is inactive, so lenses can be moved slightly when you shake your camera and this causes the sound you hear.
BTW, did you see my photos/movies from Mexico (Panasonic FT2/TS2, june 2010)?
Mexico, june 2010 album | Primoz | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.
PrimozP's Channel - YouTube
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