UW setting on Canon Powershot G11?

[PatW]

Like Gilligan, I would greatly recommend using RAW. RAW allows you to adjust white balance without penalty in post processing. RAW also allows you to reclaim for more from high lights and shadows than JPG. So if you photo or a critical part of it is over exposed or underexposed, you have a far better chance getting a good result when you shoot with RAW. If you are not pretty much spot on, JPEG will not work. Also, exposure is far more challenging underwater than topside.

I would also recommend going full manual. If you go with shutter priority, the camera will just choose the F stop it wants and it might not work. If you choose the F stop, the camera will often pick a ridiculously slow shutter speed. Going full manual gives you far better control.

Also, follow Warmwater Wank's advice and get very familiar with your camera top side. I would suggest taking photos with it with the housing on. If possible, find a pool and do an underwater session on the bottom of the deep end. It will give you some appreciation for how big a change being underwater makes.

 

[Maggy]

Thank you for all your advices.

I'm not sure if I am experienced enough (as a diver and photographer) to go with full manual. When I will be ready to shoot, the fish will be long gone and I might have lost a little control of my bouyancy.

Can you use RAW format and underwater setting in white balance? I want it to be fairly easy but still use the camera in a good way. And when I get more experienced I might try full manual. Am I realistic here?

 

[Warmwater Wank]

Too bad about the "thin manual", the G-10 came w/ a pretty decent one but here is Canon'snline version: http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/6/0300002536/03/PSG11_CUG_EN_03.pdf The earlier suggestion by Black3K PSI on the field guide sounds good, especially if you don't want to go online each time or print out all 193 pages of the Canon manual!

Eventually, to really get the quality the camera can produce, an external strobe will be needed. Check the Strobes & Lighting Forum for ideas when you get ready for this. Once you add the strobe (you will!) shooting in Manual is really a breeze, especially if you get a decent strobe that let's you adjust it's output. Then you mostly "lock down" the camera exposure settings (f/stop & shutter speed) and simply adjust strobe output. (I shoot a Sea & Sea 110-A and love it, a friend w/ a G11 shoots an InonS200 and loves it, both allow for output adjusment as do many other strobes.)

Until you add the strobe it might be good to just get experience on whatever exposure mode you can get consistent results with. I would also suggest playing with ISO settings. A G10 above ISO200 looks pretty noisy, a G11 doesn't but find your preference by doing some samples at various ISOs then enlarging them on your computer screen. (Don't use the camera screen to check, it's not how you will be viewing the shots down the road!) Check out the noise you see in shadows at say 200% magnification. If you can live w/ a higher ISO result until you add a strobe, shooting in Shutter Priority at say 1/125th will get you by for a lot of things.

Don't mistake Scene Mode (SCN) w/ other exposure modes. If say you choose Tv (Time Variable or shutter priority) on the top exposure mode dial you can adjust the color balance and set it for UW. This is the choice you get when you press the Func/Set center button on the round control wheel in back and get the various choices showing on the left of the screen. On a G10 the top selection is Auto White Balance (AWB) and you could select the Fakey Fish choice (UW balance) and not affect RAW shooting. However, if you turn the top exposure mode dial from Tv to SCN then RAW is NOT available. Thing is, it doesn't much matter what AWB seeting you choose in RAW, you still get all the data captured by the sensor, which is what makes RAW so great--lots of freedom to adjust later.

This will settle in as you practice (have I mentioned that yet? ). If not, just let any of us know and we'll go shoot the Maldives for you on your ticket! // ww

 

[Maggy]

This will settle in as you practice (have I mentioned that yet? ). If not, just let any of us know and we'll go shoot the Maldives for you on your ticket! // ww

You wish

Honestly, thanks again. I'm going to print this thread and talk a little with my brother. He is really good at these things so I hope he can explain more to me. And I will check out the online guide also. I hope I can manage to get some photos. It's great that the cameras are so good nowdays.