nitespark
cox.net> wrote:> Eddie G wrote:
>> I am getting the Reefmaster dc500 and wanted to know about getting a
>> strobe. Many years ago I bought a housing for disposable cameras and a
>> strobe, but I needed it as the disposable camera flash was pretty
>> worthless. I then had a point-and-shoot camera in a pressurized case (a
>> Reefmaster camera) and just used the built in flash, and the pictures
>> were just fair. But now with digital cameras the electronic ISO
>> settings will, I think, be better than a film camera. Of course a
>> strobe is much better than the built-in flash, but how necessary is it
>> for someone who is not a professional and not diving more than once a year?
Short answer is to ask what quality of photos you want to have,
regardless of how infrequently you might use the equipment.
> A strobe will allow you to bring the true colors out without the use of
> a filter. If most of your diving is going to be shallow, (20ft or so),
> a strobe is not going to do you much good. Some of the pictures I have
> taken, are actually more colorful than what *I* actually saw unless I
> was using a light.
For digital systems, adjusting of white balance can provide reasonable
compensation for the progressive absorption of red spectrum. Once you
get beyond around 60fsw or so, there's not really any red left to be
boosted in post-processing by the Mandrake method (or similar).
> Most of the strobes I have seen have a maximum range of about 8-10 ft,
> depending on water clarity.
And as a rule of thumb, shorter (4ft; 6ft max). In general, a strobe
is preferred over a built-in flash for when the water has particulates
in it, its position can reduce backscatter in the final product image:
<
http://www.huntzinger.com/photo/2007/backscatter.jpg>
> Another option instead of a flash is a "blue filter". If ambient light
> at depth is sufficient, a "blue filter" really brings the colors out.
This is merely cutting down the blues so as to effectively 'rebalance'
the spectrum. While it does work, because it is a light reduction
technique, the "no free lunch" rule applies: you either have to go to
slower shutter speeds, wider aperature or higher ISO in order to
expose the shot. Fortunately, digital is getting pretty good for
relatively low noise at higher ISOs, particualrly on larger sized
sensors (dSLR's).
-hh
