Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving - Digital Camera
INTERNAL FLASH
Some sample photographs from my underwater camera setup. See Camera Page for details of camera.
Shots Taken with Internal Flash
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A sea dragon taken at Bare Island, Sydney | A pineapplefish taken at Shiprock, Sydney |
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A Whites sea horse taken at Bare Island, Sydney | A leafy scorpionfish taken at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
As you can see, you can get great photographs using the internal flash so long as the subject is quite close. You can also get very good macro shots using a good torch as the camera will focus down right to the front lens giving one to one (the flash does not work on macro).
However, the relatively poor wide angle coverage (equivalent to 35 mm in a 35 mm film camera which is same as about 50 mm above water, that is, a normal lens) meant that its ability to take good wide angle shots on wrecks and reefs limited it a good deal. Despite this, you could still get not bad shots if the water was clear and you could move back a bit.
WIDE ANGLE LENS
As you can see from the above, the wide angle lens greatly increases the coverage and ability of the camera and housing. It can be removed and replaced underwater so you can switch from normal to wide angle underwater. The internal flash does not work with the wide angle lens as the lens blocks out the flash. Fairly good shots could be taken if the models in the shots lit up parts of the wreck or reef or if I used my 50 watt torch to light up closer bits.
EXTERNAL STROBE
The external strobe gives far better coverage angle, longer reach and enables backscatter to be limited.
Final test wide angle shots taken with External Strobe
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Sunfish taken at Tumbledown off Royal NP in Sydney | Another shot on same dive |
Return to Digital Camera Page.
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