Sharm el Sheikh, 9-16 october 2010

[primus]

Five years ago I decided (as an experienced freediver) that I will start with underwater photography, but only with compact UW cameras (without underwater housing) and only during freediving. At the moment I am using "naked" Panasonic DMC-FT2 (TS2).

Each year I spend about 5 to 6 weeks at the warm seas and I just returned from the week long holidays in Egypt (Far Garden, Sharm el Sheikh):

12 meters (40 feet) deep

 

[primus]

9,4 m deeep

 

[nomro]

Very impressive photos . How do you keep the colors and get rid of the blue effect. red filter , strobe ,white balance setting ?

 

[=C=]

yep I came to say the same thing. Really impressive white balance for a point and shoot...

 

[primus]

Very impressive photos . How do you keep the colors and get rid of the blue effect. red filter , strobe ,white balance setting ?

As I mentioned before, I am using naked (no underwater housing) Panasonic DMC-FT2 (TS2). I also do not use any filter or strobe, even internal flash is not needed. And all the pictures and movies were taken during freediving (mask and fins only, no weights) at depths up to 15 meters.

This Panasonic has very effective "underwater mode" (which, by my experiences, is optimized for the depth of 5 meters), white balance is set to AWB and Continuous Fucus to ON. That is all. You only need a steady hand and big lungs

Tipical samples:

12 meters deep, original (only resized), taken at 8AM

after PP

9,4 meters deep, original (only resized), taken at 3:30PM

after PP

5 meters deep, original (only resized) = already optimal colors

after PP

surface, original (only resized) = too much RED

after PP

I am using only Picasa3 for PP!

Movie mode in this camera is even more impressive:

surface
YouTube - Crunchy Corals (055.mts)

4 to 6 meters deep
YouTube - Blue Triggerfish 1 (032.mts)
how I recorded previous movie (recorded with my wives Pentax WS80 from the surface)
YouTube - How I recorded: Blue Triggerfish 1 (IMGP0234)

9 to 11 meters deep (beeps are "10 meters deep alarm" from my Suunto D4 dive computer
YouTube - Bluespotted Stingray (073.mts)

 

[xariatay]

The sea-scape looks similar to house-reef/s at Maldives...

 

[primus]

Video reports from last vacations:

1. recorded with Panasonic FT2 (TS2)
YouTube - Sharm el Sheikh 2010 (FT2)

2. how we take underwater photos & movies:
YouTube - Sharm el Sheikh 2010 - Taking underwater photos

3. recorded with Pentax WS80
YouTube - Sharm el Sheikh 2010 (WS80)

 

[alijtaylor]

I am very impressed and I particularly love the surface texture in your last shot above.

Alison

 

[farsidefan1]

Outstandiing, you give me hope for my pocket camera. If I can't fit it in my bc pocket I don't want it.

 

[victor]

Love the pictures close to the surface. The texture and the colours of the surface makes for great pictures.