sp-350

[Larry C]

On the wide angle lens, I just picked up a download on Wetpixel forum. Sea and Sea makes one that works, using a 52mm adaptor. I'm not home, so I'll give you the URL info in my next post. I've posted some pictures from my first dive with the camera. They were taken in 70 ft. of green water with about 10 ft. vis and plenty of the usual Monterey floating particles. All of them were with std settings-UW Macro and UW wide 2 on HQ or SHQ jpeg. They were taken with the built in flash. These are my first UW pics with a real (nondisposable) camera, so don't beat me up too badly.
On the white balance, instructions are in the advanced manual cd, but basically, there are three ways to do it. You can use auto white balance, which changes for each shot, fixed white balance which keeps the settings from the first shot. (Hold the button half way and it sets focus and WB) or manual white balance (the little picture of a rectangle with two bottom corners framed) I haven't got the manual mode totally figured out, but you have to fill the whole frame with your dive slate, WB card, white sand bottom, etc. and either hold the button half way or take a picture (I haven't figured out which yet). The manual cautions to keep shadows out of the frame. If anyone reading this can tell me how to fill the whole frame, and still get the WB at the correct distance, please let me know.

 

[scubaju]

thanks Larry,
i guess i need more time to fiddle with my buttons!
still waiting for my housing, my camera man PROMISED me that he would get stock in the next week!
he'd BETTER!
i'm going to Boracay on the 28th to try my new baby out....
hee hee hee

 

[scubaju]

ps.... dying to show off my pictures (if and when it happens)!

 

[Larry C]

Here's the lens link: http://www.digitaldiver.net/yabbse/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=16418;start=15 There's a nice picture on it and everything, along with a bunch of discussion on flashes and stuff. My filter came today. Oops. The thread on the filter is 46mm but it's internal, just like the one on the housing. I e-mailed back UR Pro for a solution. Hopefully they have a reversed model or maybe an extenal threaded 46mm sleeve adaptor that will fit inside of both?

 

[Larry C]

My bad, the filter fits perfectly. My 52 year old eyes didn't see the thin male thread. It has both male and female, so you could piggyback a lens on it, if you found a 46mm threaded one. Otherwise, the clamp on lens adaptor should go right over it I imagine.

 

[wannabedivin]

Anybody use this underwater yet?

 

[domino22]

Anybody use this underwater yet?

Will March 5th let you know. No WA available yet.

 

[Ben_ca]

Any more updates? I'm dying to get into photography.... but I'm waiting for what's going to replace the 5050

 

[Larry C]

Anybody use this underwater yet?

I did one dive with the filter with mixed results. Some pics are posted on my gallery. Should be used fairly shallow with natural light. At 60 feet with poor vis, you won't get any wide shots. Gives an interesting emerald green glow though, very much like it looks underwater but without the crud.

 

[Larry C]

Just realized that while I've posted extensively on Wetpixel, where there are a couple of other divers with the SP, I haven't really talked about the camera on Scubaboard much. I've got three dives on it now. All were in Monterey, in very green water with from 8-15 foot visibility. This camera does some great things and has a couple of weaknesses.
First, I don't have a strobe, so with this vis my best shots were macros. On the other hand, the camera does macros really well. The great thing is, if you're not shooting raw with your own settings which allows a ton of manual settings and a JPEG backup shot, you can just park the thing on the UW macro preset. I used the camera in natural light with a green water filter and with flash using auto white balance. Frankly, I got way better results with the flash. The Auto white balance works quite well, and for close up work the camera sets the flash nicely. I've had no dark pictures or washouts.
I love the light weight and compact nature of the camera/housing combo. It is easy to use and the buttons are accessable even with heavy gloves. Although a couple of them are a little close together, you can get to all of them and they are easy to remember. All of the menu functions are available in two or three strokes. You can switch from macro to wide UW presets very quickly. The screen is easy to read, even at 70 feet. The MY mode allows you to preset your own favorite parameters for four different kinds of shots and access them by simply turning the dial and pushing one button.
With 8mp to work with, the pictures are huge and very clear. The colors are great. As a first time UW camera, I've been shocked at how easily I could take some nice pics with this camera. After a month of using it, I'm still playing with settings, and I'm sure that with a strobe and custom settings I'll get some awesome pictures.
There are a couple of negatives. One is speed. Using the autofocus, you have to get use to holding down the button halfway before your shot, so the camera is ready. I've taken more than a couple of pictures of my feet because I squeezed the button and moved the camera, then two seconds later, click/flash. Preset manual focus cures this, and it's easy to use and accessible in many modes. I would love to have more than 3X optical/5X digital for topside pictures, but again, with 8mp, even the distant shots can be cropped and enlarged to get pretty decent pictures, and there are tele-lenses available both for the bare cam and the housing. Although the screen works great, the rubber shade built into the housing sometimes gets in the way of some of the Menu that is in the corners. In the same vein, I've lost a couple of shots to the lens cover hanging in front of the lens from its four inch string. I'd like a place to park it while shooting. (I may just take it off and stuff it in the camera bag.) My only other disappointment is with lens distortion for topside shots. It isn't an issue underwater, but with the small lens, you do notice leaning buildings, etc. in combo portrait/landscape shots. If you're shooting raw, there are a couple of programs that have lens distortion corrections, hopefully soon one will be available for this camera. I've posted some of my better pictures on my gallery, and there will be more to come. I hope to get a strobe soon to take some wide shots. I strongly recommend this camera/housing combo to anyone who wants a ready to use UW camera that takes good pictures using basic settings-with a strong future upside due to the advanced features you can use with further experience.