Seeking Canon S95 Battery Life Feedback / Lens Question

[MauiScubaSteve]

According to Canon, the S95 is good for about 200 exposures (without flash) or 300 minutes of video on a freshly charged Lithium-ion power pack. That's noticeably fewer exposures than average for cameras of this type.

So, my first Q is; how many exposures "with" flash?

Second Q; I so want to go bayonet but both options seem to "require" zoom??

(I have type II w/dome but am kind of tired of threads)

 

[Nemrod]

As to battery life I can only speak to my two S90s. Once the battery is "broken in" my typical dive profile yields 2.5 dives. Thus, if I want to be assured a full dive number 3 I will swap batteries out between 2 and 3.

I shoot mostly flash using twin Inon D2000 strobes, typically I have the camera in either Av mode or Manual mode and the camera's flash set to Manual and low power. This preserves the battery. If you use the Inon strobes or YS strobes in the "sTTL" mode you will have the camera flash set to Auto and this will definitly consume the battery charge more rapidly.

I like the sTTL mode for macro and close ups, External Auto for everything else. I shoot a lot of photos per dive and feel the majority of divers will get through at least two dives of heavy flash usage.

The price to be paid for a little camera and for the ability to use so many different lens configurations is apparently a little bitty battery. Seriously, at least with the S90, I am not finding the battery life to be a big issue, I can only assume the S95 is at least similar.

Your lens question---I don't understand what you are asking well enough to answer it.

N

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I was actually miss reading the captions for the photos on the linked page below (specifically the non fish eyes);

UWdigitalcamera.com :: Compact camera housing :: High Grade housings :: accessory for FIX housing :: Conversion lens adapter for FIX S90, Recsea S95

In those pictures, the UWL-100 28AD has no vignetting but seems to flare much more than the UWL-105AD. The type 2 UWL-100 has very small vignette and also flares about as much as the other 100.

So it seems based on those shots the 105AD is what I'd like. To bad that's just one set of pics to judge from; could have been a cloud.

 

[Nemrod]

I was actually miss reading the captions for the photos on the linked page below (specifically the non fish eyes);

UWdigitalcamera.com :: Compact camera housing :: High Grade housings :: accessory for FIX housing :: Conversion lens adapter for FIX S90, Recsea S95

In those pictures, the UWL-100 28AD has no vignetting but seems to flare much more than the UWL-105AD. The type 2 UWL-100 has very small vignette and also flares about as much as the other 100.

So it seems based on those shots the 105AD is what I'd like. To bad that's just one set of pics to judge from; could have been a cloud.

You might refer to this thread:

View topic - The Great Summer 2010 Wet Lens Shoot Out!|Underwater Photography Guide

When you are saying "flare" do you mean the sun burn out at the top of the photos or reflections you are seeing in the domes? I am not sure I am following you. I would consider the Inon 105AD a lesser choice among the listed lenses.

JR

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

When you are saying "flare" do you mean the sun burn out at the top of the photos or reflections you are seeing in the domes? I am not sure I am following you. I would consider the Inon 105AD a lesser choice among the listed lenses.

​

I have tried to read every S95 word I can find on the internet at least twice, and I see only these pictures comparing WAL's "including the 105AD" and pretty much "not focusing on domes."

With the Type 2 100 on my 5050 I am shooting every photo during a dive with the 100 on, and I can crop down to a passable close-ish shot for their photo disc package. I have the dome for the 100, but I only know a couple dive guides shooting with domes.

I would like to move to the AD mount because I am tired of threads.

UWdigitalcamera.com :: Compact camera housing :: High Grade housings :: accessory for FIX housing :: Conversion lens adapter for FIX S90, Recsea S95

I am not sure my plagiarized picture of the comparison pictures is working (I don't see it) but at the link above, comparing the 3 shots (67 mm 100, 28AD 100, 105AD); I see questionable camera positioning &/or cropping "differences" affecting the final comparison, and also know that sometimes a wisp of cloud goes by and only a camera would notice.

That said, the sun "white" is much closer to the rock & much bigger with both the 100's - the 105 shows no sun "white" in the cropped final.

The white sand spots on the bottom are much brighter in both the 100 images than they are in the 105 shot.

I used to use a Canon S80, and where it lost to the Oly 5050 was too many overexposed whites. The 5050 rarely blows out the whites. The pictures at that link are a very small sample to work with but my initial reaction based on just those pictures is that I like the 105 final image better.

 

[Nemrod]

​

I have tried to read every S95 word I can find on the internet at least twice, and I see only these pictures comparing WAL's "including the 105AD" and pretty much "not focusing on domes."

With the Type 2 100 on my 5050 I am shooting every photo during a dive with the 100 on, and I can crop down to a passable close-ish shot for their photo disc package. I have the dome for the 100, but I only know a couple dive guides shooting with domes.

I would like to move to the AD mount because I am tired of threads.

UWdigitalcamera.com :: Compact camera housing :: High Grade housings :: accessory for FIX housing :: Conversion lens adapter for FIX S90, Recsea S95

I am not sure my plagiarized picture of the comparison pictures is working (I don't see it) but at the link above, comparing the 3 shots (67 mm 100, 28AD 100, 105AD); I see questionable camera positioning &/or cropping "differences" affecting the final comparison, and also know that sometimes a wisp of cloud goes by and only a camera would notice.

That said, the sun "white" is much closer to the rock & much bigger with both the 100's - the 105 shows no sun "white" in the cropped final.

The white sand spots on the bottom are much brighter in both the 100 images than they are in the 105 shot.

I used to use a Canon S80, and where it lost to the Oly 5050 was too many overexposed whites. The 5050 rarely blows out the whites. The pictures at that link are a very small sample to work with but my initial reaction based on just those pictures is that I like the 105 final image better.

Mr. Halemano, the "sun white" is a result of improper (over) exposure and the wider field of view requiring more adjustment to aim the camera to reduce the sun ball white out. The purpose of the photos that you linked to was for a comparison of area covered, field of view, not to be used to compare exposure/image quality. I know you may not believe me but nonetheless those are the facts and it is why I have run several lens tests including the one I linked you to.

When shooting the ultra wide lenses like the Fisheye UWL-04, Inon UFL165-AD or the Inon WAL100-67mm or 100-28AD (when using the optional dome), the field of view is so wide that care must be taken to aim the camera to account for the sun or to take proper exposure compensation to reduce the sun ball effect. To have done so would have ruined their lens comparison. You mention that the lens comparison was a bit "questionable" maybe, yes, it is why I did my own.

Reflections in the domes of wide angle lenses is common, the Fisheye UWL-04 and especially the Inon UFL165AD are prone to flare which is a completely different animals from the white out sun ball effect that I think you are complaining about. Both can be dealt with effectively when you are free to maneuver the camera to eliminate/reduce those effects and to compensate the exposure.

Sun ball intentionally but I set my exposure and used flash fill to reduce it Fisheye UWL-04:

Same here:

Not a good example but this shot, the sun ball is over exposed and you can see some lens flare:

In this also rather poor shot chosen as an example, you can see in both the left and especially right lower corners light reflections/flare in the dome of my UFL165AD lens:

The above reflections were made worse by improper strobe placement forward of my dome, poor camera angle to subject and predominate lighting. The wider the lens the more challenging it is to prevent flare/reflections and to deal with the wide exposure latitude sometimes needed over a huge scene.

Note, it is pretty bad (or good) when one can use their photos of how NOT to do something .

Good luck.

James

 

[Nemrod]

I might add that the Inon 105AD is not a bad lens but both it and the UFL165AD have very small rear elements, alignment and CLOSE placement of both are critical with the FIX90/Recsea90 housings. I do not think the new FIX95 housing will be adaptable to either (not without some custom doings and finagling). The UFL165AD is just a much more versatile lens in my opinion and can do more tricks if you are willing to put up with the odd flare here and there. I used to have a 105AD and sold it to get the 165AD which I like much better, to bad I could not keep both.

N

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Thank you for hanging in there with me on this one Nemrod. I take a lot of ambient lighting shots. I took more when I was shooting resort divers from the beach, because often a strobe rig is too much camera for safeties sake. That is shooting RAW with the camera on full auto making all the decisions and then adjusting in PS.

Spin the WAL off for close ups with the internal flash (5050). There were also more blow outs at the edges of full auto ttl internal flash with the S80; particularly shooting into holes.

Now I shoot more with strobe, not so much with internal, but I want good performance in full auto; both ambient when a pod of dolphins or whales swims by and internal flash (bayonet!).

My bias against the S80 over the blown out whites when used during my resort years led me to assume too much about the lens test. If I assumed the cameras are set to the same full auto setting and quickly changed to shoot from the same tripod at about the same time of day with the same lighting conditions.....

...then I like the 105 result better than either 100's.

​

I certainly wish it had been the 5050, not the S80, on the Dolphin scooter dive

 

[Nemrod]

I see where you are coming from and I think I understand.

One thing, depending upon which lens/port adapter with the Recsea95, you can bayonet even the threaded lenses. The standard port kits, assuming they are still available for the Recsea, have a snap on feature that allows the outer part to snap off with the lens still installed.

The new Inon WAL100HD is an unknown to me, it is an improved wide angle lens, useable with or withouit a dome, should requirte no zooming in (to 35mm equiv.) and has a new bayonet mount, the HD mount. I imagine there will be some way to get it on the FIX90 and Recsea95, FIX95, probably not. Just for your consideration.

James

 

[dogdrjohn]

Just thought I would mention that I have tried both the UWL-105AD and UFL-165AD with a Canon S90 in the Canon WP-DC35 housing + INON AD28 mount. The UFL-165AD worked quite well when zoomed to 35mm, just like it does on the S95/RecSea combo I am now using, but the UWL-105AD had to be zoomed to at least 50mm to eliminate vignetting so I sold it and never got to try it with the RecSea housing/dyron 67mm adaptor/10bar 67-AD adaptor. I do not think the UWL-105AD is worth using with an S90 or S95, regardless of housing or lens mount adaptor.