Great Pictures Made Easy

Great Pictures Made Easy - Online Guide
I. Get to know the camera functions and Operation.
First, get familiar with the camera
functions by reading the instruction
manual. The instruction manual teaches
you how to set-up and operate the camera.
This online guide will teach how to use the
camera functions to get the best results.
Your SeaLife camera includes an English
instruction. You can also download the
instruction manual from the SeaLife
website. The website includes instruction
manuals for all SeaLife camera models in 5
languages – English, Spanish, German,
Italian and French.
Click here for the instruction manual page SeaLife Underwater Cameras
Once you are familiar with the camera functions, proceed to step two.
II. Capture the Magic
What do you want to capture on your digital camera? What attracts you to underwater
photography? What scenes are so breathtaking that people say “this is so
unbelievable, I wish I had a camera to show this to my friends”?
You will encounter strange creatures, see incredible effects of light and colors,
explore wrecks, corals and plants that appear as if they were from a different planet,
while you float effortlessly without gravity.
And after years of adventures with your SeaLife camera you will look at your albums,
perhaps even at an impressive gallery of framed enlargements. And it may be only
then that you discover the real treasure that you found with your camera: You have
(by Bernd Rac)
learned to use your eyes to see and experience the underwater world, one of the
greatest miracles on earth.
Snake Eel, Anse
Chastanet, St Lucia
As the manufacturers of SeaLife we believe that an easy to use underwater camera will help millions of divers
and non-divers to experience and see a part of our world which is essential to our survival.
And we hope that you will enrich and enlighten your life by capturing valuable impressions in the underwater
world with your SeaLife Camera.
Let’s dive into some very helpful information about underwater photography that will make your journey more
enjoyable.
III. Underwater basics
Water is about 1000 times denser than air. There are a few differences between underwater photography and
land photography that you should know.
Light and Color – Water becomes darker and filters out the red, orange and yellow colors the deeper you go.
That’s why underwater pictures look blue:
Water absorbs light and colors as depth increases. The deeper you go the darker and “bluer” it gets. You will
learn more about how to restore lost colors later in this guide
Did you know? Coral, sponges and other
underwater sea creatures are actually very colorful.
Brilliant reds and eye-popping orange and yellows
highlight the underwater world. These red, orange
and yellow colors actually help to camouflage the
sea creatures. Since red and yellow colors are
absorbed by the water, the SeaLife appears
colorless unless you bring a flashlight with you and
uncover the hidden treasure of colors.
Effects of water refraction – Objects appear 33% larger and closer underwater than they actually are - like
your car’s side view mirror. It tricks you into underestimating your shooting distance. Remember, it’s important
to keep your shooting distance to within 6ft/2m for best color and sharpness.
This Angelfish appears 2ft/60cm away but is actually 3ft/1m.
This fish appears inside of 6ft/2m, but is actually 8ft/2.4m away.
The wide lens allows you to get closer to the subject
and still fit everything in the picture.
The SeaLife Wide Angle Lens
accessory counters the underwater effect of
magnification.
Backscatter / Marine snow – There are 1000’s of tiny particles suspended in the water that can make it look
like its snowing in your picture. You may not see the particles with your eyes until the flash lights them up.
Camera’s built-in flash fires and illuminates particle.
When the camera’s built-in flash is turned off, you don’t see the particles.
Here are some tips to avoid backscatter:
-
Don’t stir up the sand and debris on the bottom. Control your buoyancy.
Keep your shooting distance to 10% of your visibility. If the visibility is 30ft/10m, limit your shooting
distance to 3ft/1m.
Avoid using the camera’s built-in flash. The built-in flash is very close to the camera lens and illuminates
all the particles in front of the lens.
Use the SeaLife external flash accessory to reduce backscatter.
The SeaLife external flash reduces backscatter because
the flash is located far away from the camera lens.
IV. Two ways to bring colors back into your pictures
Remember the part about how water absorbs light and color? There are two easy ways you can bring color
back to your pictures:
1) Use a supplemental light source, like the SeaLife External Flash (SL960) and Digital Flash (SL960D).
An external flash restores lost color, even in deep dark waters. But remember to keep your shooting
distance to within 6ft/2m.
You can also use the camera’s built-in flash but it will only have an effective range of about 2ft/60cm. As
you learned the built-in flash can also result in backscatter, so the external flash accessory will achieve the
best results.
2) If you are not using an external flash accessory, stay at shallower depths and use the camera’s color
correction features. For example, the SeaLife DC600 camera features the SEA mode, an automatic
exposure program that restores lost colors. You still need relatively bright conditions for the SEA mode
to work effectively. Images become grainer in darker conditions or depths greater than 50 feet. Using
an external flash accessory becomes more important for in darker and deeper waters.
Normal underwater picture at 25ft.
With Sea mode color correction - restores lost colors.
V. Taking underwater pictures without optional External Flash (Sea mode)
Now that you have learned how water affects underwater pictures and how to restore lost colors,
let’s learn how to take some great pictures. This section covers how to take the best pictures without the
external flash accessory. If you are using the optional External Flash accessory, skip to the next section.
–You will notice that the viewing image displayed in the
1) Set the camera’s scene mode to SEA
LCD appears red in color when you are on land. That’s the effect of the color correction filter. When you
are underwater, the viewing image colors will look natural. In SEA mode, the camera automatically
adjusts settings to FLASH OFF and WHITE BALANCE set to <25FT/8m. This is the best setting for
snorkeling or diving shallow depths above 50 feet.
2) Built-in Flash setting –We recommend that you keep the camera’s built-in flash to OFF when in Sea
mode. If you set the flash to Auto or ON , you will cancel the automatic color correction. Only use
the camera’s built-in flash in low light conditions but limit your shooting distance to 2ft / 60cm.
Camera’s built-in flash is turned ON, which cancels the
Sea mode color correction. The sponge in this picture is
4ft away, beyond the reach of the camera’s built-in flash.
Camera is in Sea mode with the flash turned OFF.
The Sea mode color correction restores the lost colors
3) Changing the White Balance – In the White Balance menu you can select between Auto, <25ft/8m,
>25ft or Manual:
a. Auto White Balance – This will not make any color corrections for underwater. Only use the Auto
white balance underwater in very sunny, bright conditions within depths of 10 feet.
b. <25ft/8m – This setting will restore the lost colors when the flash is OFF and your depth is less
than 25 ft/8m
c. >25ft/8m – This setting will restore the lost colors when the flash is OFF and your depth is greater
than 25 ft/8m. In dark conditions or depths greater than 50ft/15m, the color correction will not be
effective and may result in grainy pictures. If that happens, turn the flash on
d. Manual white balance – You may find that underwater colors in your local diving area are more
green, blue or brown. Learn to use the manual white balance setting to adjust the white balance
specific to your local diving area. Please refer to the instruction manual on how to manually set
the white.
4) Exposure control – The camera will automatically set the best exposure but sometimes pictures may be
overexposed (washed out or too bright) or underexposed (too dark). You can easily make adjustments
to get the best image exposure. Here are a some useful tips:
a. If the image is overexposed (too bright) – an overexposed image is usually caused by overflashing or extreme brightness of the sun on reflective objects.
Coral is overexposed by bright sunlight
Coral is overexposed the built-in flash
Solution:
Use the Exposure Compensation function on the camera to darken the image. Refer
to page 34 of the instruction manual for information on how to adjust the exposure compensation.
b. If the image is too dark – Most likely the light conditions are too dark. In low light conditions turn
the camera’s built in flash on and keep your shooting distance less than 2ft/60cm. Adjustments
become more difficult in low light conditions. This is why the External Flash accessory becomes
important.
Subject is underexposed because of low light
Turing flash ON but keep shooting distance less than 2ft
Solution:
In low light conditions, you can increase the camera’s exposure compensation or
turn the flash on and keep your shooting distance less than 2ft / 60cm.
5) Focus – The camera will automatically focus from 2”/5cm to infinity, provided that the correct focus
setting is selected and that there is enough light for the camera to “see” the subject. There are three
focus settings:
a. Normal focus:
Camera will automatically focus from 1ft / 30cm to infinity.
When using the zoom the 1.5ft / 45cm to infinity.
b. Macro focus:
Camera will automatically focus from 2in / 5cm to 2ft / 60cm.
When using the zoom the 1ft / 30cm to 2ft / 60cm.
c. Infinity focus:
Camera will lock the focus at infinity, so anything beyond 2ft / 60cm is sharp.
The shutter response (lag) time is the fastest when set to Infinity focus.
Push the focus button to set desired focus
The LCD display shows the focus icon and focus area
Some helpful tips about focus:
The normal focus will be set when first powering on the camera. Push the focus button and select the
desired focus setting depending on your shooting distance. The camera will keep the setting until you
change it, so make sure you know what focus setting is selected before taking the picture.
The focus area box on the LCD display will turn green when the focus is correct. If the box turns red, the
camera may not be able to determine the correct focus, because it is too dark, the subject may not have
enough contrast, or the wrong focus button is selected. If the camera has a difficult time focusing on the
subject, you may want to set the camera to infinity focus and keep your shooting distance at 2ft/ 60cm or
beyond.
When shooting close-up pictures using the macro focus, the depth field is very narrow. For example,
when the camera focuses on a subject 5” / 10cm, other objects positioned behind or in front of the
subject will be out of focus. You can use the optional wide angle lens accessory to increase your depth
of field at close-up shooting distance.
Always take several pictures of subjects, particularly when shooting close-up, to make sure you get a
sharp picture.
For more details, refer to the instruction manual.
VI. How to take underwater pictures with optional flash accessory (Ext. Flash mode)
Now that you have learned how
water affects underwater pictures and how to restore lost colors, let’s learn how to take some great pictures.
This section covers how to take the best pictures with the external flash (optional accessory). If you are not
using the optional External Flash accessory, go back to the previous section.
1) First, set the camera’s scene mode to Ext Flash
– The Ext Flash scene mode is actually an
automatic exposure program that allows the camera to take properly exposed pictures when using one
or two external strobes.
2) Exposure Control - Step One: Push the camera’s flash button for darker or brighter pictures.
In Ext Flash mode, push the flash button to select between Far Flash (
), Macro Flash (
) and
Normal Flash (no icon). This will adjust the camera’s exposure program and produce darker or brighter
pictures.
Far Flash
- Sets the camera exposure to take brighter pictures. This is ideal for longer shooting
distances beyond 6ft / 2m.
Macro Flash
- Sets the camera exposure to take darker pictures and prevents over-flashing closeup subjects. This is ideal for close-up shooting distance within 3ft / 1m shooting distance.
Normal Flash [No icon] – Sets the camera exposure for normal brightness. This is ideal for shooting
distances from 2ft / 60cm to 6ft / 2m.
Macro Flash
Normal Flash
Far Flash
3) Exposure control – Step two: Fine tuning image exposure – You can make more fine-tune
adjustments to the picture brightness (or darkness) adjusting the external flash accessory. First, select
the proper flash mode described above (i.e. Normal, Macro or Far Flash):
a. Adjust External Flash brightness (SeaLife Digital Flash SL960D Only)
Adjust the brightness control on the back of the
strobe head. This option is only available with
the Digital Flash model SL960D.
Turning the brightness control dial clockwise
will reduce the flash brightness and result in a
darker picture. This is very useful to prevent
over-flashing the picture.
Turning the brightness control dial counterclockwise will increase the flash brightness and
result in a brighter picture. This is very useful for
maximum flash brightness at longer shooting
distances.
100% power
75% flash power
50% flash power
b. Use flash Diffuser to prevent overexposing the image.
Attach SeaLife Diffuser (optional accessory - item # SL968)) to the flash head to soften the
light and prevent over-exposure of close-up subjects. Results in richer color balance of pictures.
Attaches to all SeaLife External Flashes. Works with SeaLife flash models SL960 or SL960D.
c. Direct Flash head slightly away from the subject – Aim the flash head away from the center of
the target so just the outer edge of the flash reaches the subject. You can also point the flash at a
nearby object and bounce the light towards the subject.
4) Color and White Balance – There is no need to make any color corrections when the camera is set to
Ext Flash mode. The external flash accessory produces “white” light which produces colors that match
sunlight. Just remember to limit your shooting distance to 6ft / 2m, within the reach of the flash.
5) Focus – The camera will automatically focus from 2”/5cm to infinity, provided that the correct focus
setting is selected and that there is enough light for the camera to “see” the subject. There are three
focus settings:
a. Normal focus:
Camera will automatically focus from 1ft / 30cm to infinity.
When using the zoom the 1.5ft / 45cm to infinity.
b. Macro focus:
Camera will automatically focus from 2in / 5cm to 2ft / 60cm.
When using the zoom the 1ft / 30cm to 2ft / 60cm.
c. Infinity focus:
Camera will lock the focus at infinity, so anything beyond 2ft / 60cm is sharp.
The shutter response (lag) time is the fastest when set to Infinity focus.
Push the focus button to set desired focus
The LCD display shows the focus icon and focus area
Some helpful tips about focus:
The normal focus will be set when first powering on the camera. Push the focus button and select the
desired focus setting depending on your shooting distance. The camera will keep the setting until you
change it, so make sure you know what focus setting is selected before taking the picture.
The focus area box on the LCD display will turn green when the focus is correct. If the box turns red, the
camera may not be able to determine the correct focus, because it is too dark, the subject may not have
enough contrast, or the wrong focus button is selected. If the camera has a difficult time focusing on the
subject, you may want to set the camera to infinity focus and keep your shooting distance at 2ft/ 60cm or
beyond.
When shooting close-up pictures using the macro focus, the depth field is very narrow. For example,
when the camera focuses on a subject 5” / 10cm, other objects positioned behind or in front of the
subject will be out of focus. You can use the optional wide angle lens accessory to increase your depth
of field at close-up shooting distance.
Always take several pictures of subjects, particularly when shooting close-up, to make sure you get a
sharp picture.
For more details, refer to the instruction manual.
VII. Basic tips on taking great pictures
Now that you know the major effects of water on shooting underwater pictures and how to adjust the camera
controls, let’s learn some basic tips on taking great pictures.
1) Control you buoyancy – Be very calm and
patient, and let that curious fish get closer
and closer. Get up-current from a good spot
and just drift motionless along with your
camera in ready position. To stay in a
camera-ready waiting position, approach
your subject facing the current.
Control your buoyancy and move calmly
(Photo by Bernd Rac)
2) Shoot up, not down. Get some of the blue
water in the picture. An interesting little red
fish and yellow coral in the foreground will
stand out against a mystic blue background.
These color contrasts will add depth to your
pictures.
Colorful coral foreground with mystic blue background
(Photo by Kurt Amsler)
Capture rising air bubbles against the reflections of the surface water. This will indicate motion.
3) Crystal clear water – No matter what
equipment you use, good underwater
pictures require crystal clear water. Keep
your shooting distance to 1/10 of the visibility.
For example, if the visibility is 40ft / 12m,
keep your shooting distance inside of 4ft /
1.2m.
Crystal Clear water is essential for great pictures
(Photo by Jim Watt)
4) When taking pictures of your buddy, he or
she should be no more than 6ft / 2m away for
a good picture. Use the wide-angle lens
accessory for group shots, so you can get
everyone in the picture and still keep your
shooting distance within 6ft / 2m.
Kids diving, Treasure Cay, Bahamas
(Photo by Brent White)
5) Use the walls of a canyon as a frame for
your object, look for contrasting colors,
bizarre shapes, towering kelp forests, subtle
shades of water colors, sand and rock, wild
structures, or dark shades of a wreck
penetrated by spears of sun rays.
The entrance door to a wreck is the perfect frame
(Photo by Bill Harrigan)
6) Even shots without any color, just a black
silhouette against the bright water surface
can make dramatic shots.
Whale Shark and dive, Galapagos
(Photo by Ralph Stogsdall)
VII. Underwater video
Another great advantage with digital cameras is the
onboard video function. Video adds the element of
motion and action to your underwater adventure.
Here are some tips to shooting great video.
1) Underwater color correction is virtually the same as taking still pictures without an external flash. Use
the White balance menu to select the appropriate setting or manually adjust the white balance. Please
refer to the “Taking Pictures without External Flash”
2) Hold the camera steady. Hold the video camera steady on a particular scene. Move the camera very
slowly when panning up, down, left or right. Moving the camera too fast can make you feel sea sick
when viewing the video on your computer or TV.
3) Take short video clips. 10 to 15 seconds per video clip is plenty. Rather take a series of shorter video
clips than one long one. You can edit them together later on your computer.
4) There is a lot of video editing software available in the market. Before you go out and buy anything,
check your computer for video editing software that you may already own. The Microsoft Windows XP
operating system includes Windows Movie Maker software for free. Movie Maker is a very easy to use
editing software that allows you to splice video clips together, add titles and music.
5) As you gain experience, you might put a presentation together on your computer. Combine music and
video and present it to dive clubs, schools and friends.
VIII. Using Spy Mode
What’s that you say? Spy mode? This is a new shooting mode developed by SeaLife that may revolutionize
how we take underwater pictures.
The SeaLife Spy mode was first introduced with the DC600 in November 2006. In Spy mode, the camera will
automatically take continuous pictures at a preset time interval until the memory is full or you push the shutter
button.
You can now take close-up pictures of subjects that scare easily, like garden eels and Octopus. Here’s an
example:
Here is a small series of pictures taken in Spy mode. The Octopus was hiding in the sand and would disappear
every time the diver got close. The camera actually took over 50 pictures of this scene before the Octopus
popped his head out.
Here is the best picture from the series of Spy mode pictures.
(Photos by Bernd Rac, Scuba St Lucia)
There are many other creative ways to use the Spy mode. Take amazing time lapse images of sunsets. Setup the camera on a tripod and include yourself and others in the picture. But, please make sure others are
aware and approve of you taking “spy” pictures of them.
IX. Take your photography to the next level
Every time you take underwater pictures, you learn and improve from the experience. Take advantage of some
of the other great resources available that can add a new dimension to underwater photography.
U/W photo course can be very enjoyable - Check with your local dive shop about underwater photography
course they offer. The major certification agencies, like PADI, NAUI and SSI offer underwater photography
courses and teaching materials through your local dive shop.
Inspiring Books - Every dive dealer with an
underwater camera department will have some
worthwhile books on underwater photography. An
illustrated reference book should be your constant
companion as well as this manual. The best book,
however, is the one you yourself compose.
Photo trips - Ask your dive instructor about special
photo trips and guided tours. With “Underwater
Photo Safaris” to the world’s most beautiful reefs in
good company and with a knowledgeable guide.
We hope this information has been helpful. Please feel free to contact us at info@sealife-cameras.com, if you
have any feedback or suggestions on how we can improve this guide.