Video camera settings for beginners....

[SCgreg]

I'm trying to get more involved with underwater video and haven't had much success to start. I've used the search function here and haven't found exactly what I'm looking for so I'm hoping someone here with more experience can help me eliminate some of the learning curve.

I'm using JVC mini-dv style camera.

My main question is about Auto Focus. Should Auto Focus be on or off when diving?

Next questions is about moisture elimination. I'm using a homemade housing that doesn't allow access to any of the controls once sealed up. At the end of the dive the only way to stop the camera is to open the housing and manually turn the camera off. During this process moisture always has access to the camera. Either from damp finger or just water on the outside of the housing. Is there any type of anti-corrosion spray (like Corrosion X or similar) that is safe to use on videon camera equipment?

Thanks in advance, Greg.

 

[HowardE]

Greg.

Without access to the controls... I would say - Auto-focus "ON" - since you'll probably be shooting at distance, and close up. If you leave it on the infinity setting, then you won't be able to shoot anything close to you. So I would go for Auto.

If you had access to the settings (like some do) then you can turn the AF off when you need to.

I shoot with AF on, and if there are any focal imperfections, you can usually delete them in post.

---

Moisture elimination. I just use a large silica gel pack from a shipping container. The pack I have came in a box with a vase. It's pretty large, and I've had no problems with moisture.

If you don't have access to a large silica gel... you could take several small ones, and tape them together and make a larger one.

I would make sure that your hands are fully dried before openeing the housing. Salt waters corrosive factor is high. I've already ruined one camera with just a few drops of salt water in the "right spot" - I would avoid spraying my camera with any type of corrosion X or anything like that.

Again...these are all my opinions, I have only shot video on about 140 dives so, I'm not an expert, but a somewhat experienced amateur.

 

[SCgreg]

Thanks Howard. That's very helpful. I'll look into the silica packs.

 

[divezero]

Number one rule i learned in underwater videography is NO AUTO FOCUS - at first I was puzzled but you will see why, before your dive hold your hand out in front of your lense and make sure your hand and the background is in focus then put it in your housing and your all set!!! If you have it on auto for example, and you are shooting the most beatiful video of a shark then some plankton or fish come by then it will auto zoom on them and leave the shark fuzzy then it will focus back on the shark. That is what you dont want to do so keep it on manual and manual focus it before a dive!

For Moisture - ya use the little gel packs you get in shoe boxes or any type of shipping boxes, works awesome, anwyays im out of here, take it easy and good luck

 

[SCgreg]

Both of you guys make good points for and against auto focus. I guess every dive is going to be different.

As for the silica gel packs. Do you guys put them inside your housing while you're filimg or are you using them after you finish to store with the camera until the next trip?

Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[meekal]

diveZero - thanks for the tip on MANUAL... i knew i read it somewhere at one time - i just forgot "HOW" to do the auto focus - and believe me..... i've been 'hit' by the random - wanton plankton!!!

on the moisture issue - the gelPaks R the way to go.... but remember, they're made to wick moisture out of the air (inside the housing) one good splash of 'real' water and they're done.... if you have 'real' water issues, as in your case - i've heard of folks using a .... well...... ummm.. how do i put this politely in mixed company..... ahhhhhh (blushing over here) ----- oh heck..... a feminine napkin. there: i said it: don't shoot the messenger.....

 

[MarkH]

Number one rule i learned in underwater videography is NO AUTO FOCUS - at first I was puzzled but you will see why, before your dive hold your hand out in front of your lense and make sure your hand and the background is in focus then put it in your housing and your all set!!! If you have it on auto for example, and you are shooting the most beatiful video of a shark then some plankton or fish come by then it will auto zoom on them and leave the shark fuzzy then it will focus back on the shark. That is what you dont want to do so keep it on manual and manual focus it before a dive!

For Moisture - ya use the little gel packs you get in shoe boxes or any type of shipping boxes, works awesome, anwyays im out of here, take it easy and good luck

One problem I found with pre-setting the focus and leaving it in manual is the low levels of light in our Northern waters compared to the tropics. On the surface, I could set the focus so that everything from 1 foot to infinity would be in focus, but at depth the low light levels would make the aperature open up and the depth of field would go way down, leaving most distances out of focus. Now I leave it in autofocus and edit out the focus "hunting" later. I usually use a fisheye wide-angle adapter on the lens which makes small things in the water even smaller. The result is things like plankton that float in front of the lens are too small for the autofocus to notice. Most of my autofocus "hunting" is caused by low ambient light. Sometimes I leave the wide-angle adapter off for when I want to do close-up "fish-portrait" stuff. If I try to film far away stuff with the stock lens, the focus hunts like crazy.

 

[divezero]

One problem I found with pre-setting the focus and leaving it in manual is the low levels of light in our Northern waters compared to the tropics. On the surface, I could set the focus so that everything from 1 foot to infinity would be in focus, but at depth the low light levels would make the aperature open up and the depth of field would go way down, leaving most distances out of focus. Now I leave it in autofocus and edit out the focus "hunting" later. I usually use a fisheye wide-angle adapter on the lens which makes small things in the water even smaller. The result is things like plankton that float in front of the lens are too small for the autofocus to notice. Most of my autofocus "hunting" is caused by low ambient light. Sometimes I leave the wide-angle adapter off for when I want to do close-up "fish-portrait" stuff. If I try to film far away stuff with the stock lens, the focus hunts like crazy.

Yah thats true, I forgot to say I did the manual focus thing in Grand Cayman, for here in Kelowna BC and on the Coast of Vancouver, I do sometimes use auto with fisheye, as you wil get better light, but when I dont use my fisheye, I just keep it on manual still, anwyays, diff opinions, after editing it still looks good haha!!!

 

[HowardE]

I think everyone would agree that the ideal situation is to have an AF - OFF control on the outside of the housing. I HAD one on my SONY housing, but that was before the controls eventually fried. But that was great.

In this case... for Greg, as a beginner... AS A BEGINNER...

Would everyone here agree that AF is probably the most versitile way to go? It's easy to edit out any out of focus moments at home...

Greg - I personally think AF is the way to go... try both, and see what you think. I've been using AF on almost all of my dives, and when I did have the AF-off button... I hardly used that. I would say it depends on how sensitive your AF is. If it's gonna re-focus with every tiny piece of plankton that floats by... then go manual (AF OFF) - if it will stay focused on what you want, then use the AF.

 

[SCgreg]

10-4.

Right now guys I'm leaning towards leaving AF ON. If it becomes a problem then I will adjust.

Thanks for all the tips.