Re: Are consumer digital cameras useless for diving?

"Michael C" <nospam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:462617c1$0$16555$afc38c87@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I've noticed a couple of questions regarding dive cameras so thought I'd

> continue the trend. A friend spent $700 on a 6mp cannon camera with a
dive 
> case. I've noticed most of the pictures suffered from a severe lack of 
> light and the camera automatically went to a long exposure causing many
of 
> them to be blured. Those that weren't blurred were quite dull. Only 
> closeup shots were acceptable really. After having a look at the pics
I'm 
> kinda of the opinion that only a high quality camera with a full size 
> lense (to let more light in) and a good external flash would be required

> to get acceptable photos. Is this true? I'm not a camera zealot if
anyone 
> is wondering as I quite happily take shots out of the water with a
compact 
> and reckon it is pretty good. I usually dive around the 18 metre mark.
>
> Here's some examples:
> http://mikesdriveway.com/misc/dive2.jpg
> http://mikesdriveway.com/misc/elizaramsden124.jpg
>
>

Get an external flash, I have a canon A70 3.2 MP camera with a Sunpak G 
Flash.  It is triggered by the on camera flash.  I found by putting some 
opaq tape over the front of the on-camera flash it cuts down on the 
backscatter yet still triggers the external flash ok from the side.  You
can 
see some pics I took in Rhode Island here 
http://www.divewithjay.com/cgi-bin/diveapp.pl?type=pic&picno=0&picgrp=ftwetherill

Some bahamas pics with the A70 are on the bottom of this page 
http://www.divewithjay.com/gallery/bahamas_2005.htm

Others have already given you a list of great advice. In addition to that 
I've found that you can often adjust the white balance after the fact
using 
photo software but it's best to adjust it before shooting.

Jay