Camera Techniques When Fishing?

[MattChew]

Thanks Matt. Most tripods have that little mount that you mount onto the bottom of your camera. Just leave it permenantly fixed to the bottom of the camera when you head out and that way when required all you need to do is simply extend the tripod and clip the camera onto it. Put the camera on self timer and hopefully it is set up in the right position. I tend to look at the viewing screen first and do a practise photo first then snap off a couple more shots just to have the pick of them to keep.

Poodroo

Only problem is I do not have a "Live Image" on the screen, I can only look through the viewfinder. My Idea was to measure from a fixed point and set the Focal Length to where I would be sitting. I like the idea of a remote so I don't have to keep putting the fish down ... a quick 4 or 5 snaps and back they go. I think a polarising filter would be the go after reading up on them. Maybe I need to do a photography course

Ta
Matt

[MattChew]

Hi Matt,

You can wrap 'em round your bimini, a hand rail, or even the handle on an esky. A tripod in a boat is a no-no if there's any swell or wash................you're just settling down with fish in one hand, and a remote in the other, and Mr White Deck Shoes swans past in his Riviera...............over goes your tripod and smash goes your camera.

There are copies of these at a fraction of the price on ebay but you get what you pay for and the Joby original does the job perfectly.

kev

Thanks Kev, They look pretty swish. Do you think if I had a fixed location i.e a Pole at a fixed height with a quick mount plate for the Camera it would work? I really want to clip the Camera on select my pre determined setting and click my remote????

Ta
Matt

[kingtin]

Thanks Kev, They look pretty swish. Do you think if I had a fixed location i.e a Pole at a fixed height with a quick mount plate for the Camera it would work? I really want to clip the Camera on select my pre determined setting and click my remote????

Ta
Matt

Matt, I'm not quite sure what you mean but if it's a bright day you simply set the camera to aperture priority and set a large f number such as f16, focus on where you are going to be sitting and then use your remote. Even if the camera doesn't focus exactly on you (the eyes should be the point of focus) the high f stop will be enough to ensure that you will be in focus.

Of course, on a dull day the slower shutter speed (if you've set a high f stop), may not be enough to freeze any rocking of the boat but you overcome this by setting a higher iso.........I always shoot at 100 and rarely go above 400..........The new image stabilised lenses are great for allowing you to shoot at lower shutter speeds and I can get decent shots even at 1/10 sec hand held..........they do not compensate for subject movement though, only your movement of the camera as you press the shutter.


The latest cameras, such as my deckie's lumix, now have face recognition and they will recognise a face..........even in a landscape, (believe it or not) and use that as the point of focus. It's not foolpropf but they work most of the time which is why they are great for the task you are talking about.........the lone photographer who wants to take a pic of themselves. Simply point the camera towards where you will be, move into position and use the remote. The camera will then recognise your face in the overall scene and focus on that.

kev

[kingtin]

Only problem is I do not have a "Live Image" on the screen, I can only look through the viewfinder. My Idea was to measure from a fixed point and set the Focal Length to where I would be sitting. I like the idea of a remote so I don't have to keep putting the fish down ... a quick 4 or 5 snaps and back they go. I think a polarising filter would be the go after reading up on them. Maybe I need to do a photography course

Ta
Matt

Matt, there's tons of free tutorials online, without you spending hard earned bucks............there's one going on now thanks to Poodroo

Polarisers are great for enhancing colour and reducing flare, but they do reduce some light to your meter (around 2 stops) which means that unless it's a really bright day, which it normally is in Qld, you won't be able to get those small f stops that I've talked about in my other response. It shouldnt be a problem though on an average summer day. IMHO, they also do a far better job of reducing that blue haze that you see on a hot day, than a UV filter but they are considerably dearer............and cheap is nasty..........go for the best. Your bog standard camera shop don't stock these, as they make more mark up on the cheaper ones, but look at Hoya super HMC Pro 1. I know a wholesale outlet that sells these at not much dearer than the price that a camera shop would charge you for a standard Hoya. They also sell other gear (canon Nikon etc) cheaper than some of the stuff that comes from Hong Kong and they have just opened an outlet in brizzy so you can save on postage too. PM me if you want details.

kev

[slyman]

The latest cameras, such as my deckie's lumix, now have face recognition and they will recognise a face..........even in a landscape, (believe it or not)kev

So Kev, would that camera pick out the face-like features in this pic? Look just to the right of the smoke plume. I took this on my sisters Canon 510 while on holiday in Vanuatu, its at the top of Mt Yassur, an active volcano that you can stand on the rim of and get shots like this. Apparently you can do a night time flight over it but I didn't have that kind of money.

Incidentally, how do I include pictures in my posts like you guys have without having to attach them? Do I have to save them to photobucket or flickr or something like that or can I use them straight from my hard drive? A bit off topic, sorry.

[kingtin]

So Kev, would that camera pick out the face-like features in this pic? Look just to the right of the smoke plume. I took this on my sisters Canon 510 while on holiday in Vanuatu, its at the top of Mt Yassur, an active volcano that you can stand on the rim of and get shots like this. Apparently you can do a night time flight over it but I didn't have that kind of money.

Incidentally, how do I include pictures in my posts like you guys have without having to attach them? Do I have to save them to photobucket or flickr or something like that or can I use them straight from my hard drive? A bit off topic, sorry.

Wouldn't think so Simon.............that's a spooky pic.............looks like one of those US presidents carved into the canyon in the US.

Yeah, upload your pics to photobucket and simply copy the image code on each pic and paste to your posts.

Edit: mate, that's even spookier...........when I look at the full size image I see the left side of a face, facing left, but when I look at the small image in your post, I see a face looking slightly towards the right.

kev

[Poodroo]

Yeah I can see the face in that photo too. Spooky alright. He needed a bit of a haircut though.

[Poodroo]

Kev at one stage I was contemplating investing in a Sony SLR digital camera. What are your thoughts on them? I have been a fan of Sony for a long time. Do they have polarizing lenses in them? I wanted something just a bit better than the Olympus for nature shots etc but would still use the Olympus when in the boat to avoid damage to the more espensive camera should it cop salt water spray in poor conditions. I also had a look at the Olympus and cannot see anywhere or read anywhere that suggests that it will allow me to shoot in RAW. Do many camera's in the compact range have this option? Maybe I am not looking hard enough?

Poodroo

[MattChew]

I'm learning lots with this ... it's good!!! I'm going to sort out a fixed Mono Pod type thing and do some experiments. Also sent you a PM Kev. Keep it going people.

Ta
Matt

[Volvo]

Doug, me ole mate , glad ta see ya back onboard ..See this topic is gunna spike up the ole Forums a tad ..
Kev mentioning using Raw if your camera supports it cannot be overstressed as like he sez, that shooting in raw format you have all the infomation at hand without any lost info through compression..Though a photo editor akin to photoshop or paint shop pro that supports raw editing is neccasary.
Ide like to also add that your greatest ally with your camera is your Histogram or at least in my opinion it is.. Near every pic i take i have a squizz at the histogram n go from there or at least it gives me an idea if any of my shadows or highlights are blown and the need to adjust up or down..
KEEP EM Comming ..
Okay add acoupla of me own if i may..

[kingtin]

Kev at one stage I was contemplating investing in a Sony SLR digital camera. What are your thoughts on them? I have been a fan of Sony for a long time. Do they have polarizing lenses in them? I wanted something just a bit better than the Olympus for nature shots etc but would still use the Olympus when in the boat to avoid damage to the more espensive camera should it cop salt water spray in poor conditions. I also had a look at the Olympus and cannot see anywhere or read anywhere that suggests that it will allow me to shoot in RAW. Do many camera's in the compact range have this option? Maybe I am not looking hard enough?

Poodroo

Mate, this is the best site for reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Sony/

Each brand have their lemons so you really need to sieve through heaps to find what you're after.personal preference plays a big part. having a digital slr I Could never go back to a non dig. for one, i can't see the bloody screen and for two, i hat that way the image freezes at the moment you press the shutter.

Of the non-slr's I like the panasonic lumix's for their Carl Zeiss lenses and the fujis for value for money, but all brands have their beauts and their lemons. Sony are good though.

My fuji finepix is 5 yr old and that shoots in raw soi I'm guessing nearly all do. This site will give you the specs though, and whether they do or not.

kev

[Poodroo]

Mate, this is the best site for reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Sony/

Each brand have their lemons so you really need to sieve through heaps to find what you're after.personal preference plays a big part. having a digital slr I Could never go back to a non dig. for one, i can't see the bloody screen and for two, i hat that way the image freezes at the moment you press the shutter.

Of the non-slr's I like the panasonic lumix's for their Carl Zeiss lenses and the fujis for value for money, but all brands have their beauts and their lemons. Sony are good though.

My fuji finepix is 5 yr old and that shoots in raw soi I'm guessing nearly all do. This site will give you the specs though, and whether they do or not.

kev

Well thanks again Kev and Volvo. I too am learning heaps here and I am glad I started this thread now. Awesome that you are all contributing to it.

Cheers,

Poodroo

[MattChew]

Just ordered my IR remote for a grand total of $7.90 delivered to my door ... Thanks Kev. Will get my Filter tomorrow and see how I go ... I'll post up some general pics if they turn out okay ... I retouch for a living so it's a win win either way. I must say that the quality of images I'm seeing is pretty special.

Thanks
Matt

[kingtin]

Do they have polarizing lenses in them?

Poodroo

Sorry, I forgot this bit Poo.

No, polarisers are filters that screw onto the front of your lens. There are basically two types..........linear, and circular. Circular doesn't refer to the shape but to the fact that it won't interfere with your camera's metering system, so for cameras with through the lens metering............which is most, you need a circular. There are also filters and filters...........the higher the price, generally the better the coating on the filter. If you decide to buy one I will clue you up on the best for your camera.

Back to you thinking about DSLR........I've researched a lot and I think I've got the best prices to be had, if you go down that track.

Regarding my deckies 18xzoom panasonic lumix............retail outlets in brizzy were asking 200 bucks more than I got it off ebay from an Asian dealer in Perth via ebay...........it came with an international warranty and a free polariser and UV.worth over 100 bucks.........any wonder Aussie business ain't competing? research can save you a lot of bucks.

kev

[Poodroo]

Sorry, I forgot this bit Poo.

No, polarisers are filters that screw onto the front of your lens. There are basically two types..........linear, and circular. Circular doesn't refer to the shape but to the fact that it won't interfere with your camera's metering system, so for cameras with through the lens metering............which is most, you need a circular. There are also filters and filters...........the higher the price, generally the better the coating on the filter. If you decide to buy one I will clue you up on the best for your camera.

Back to you thinking about DSLR........I've researched a lot and I think I've got the best prices to be had, if you go down that track.

Regarding my deckies 18xzoom panasonic lumix............retail outlets in brizzy were asking 200 bucks more than I got it off ebay from an Asian dealer in Perth via ebay...........it came with an international warranty and a free polariser and UV.worth over 100 bucks.........any wonder Aussie business ain't competing? research can save you a lot of bucks.

kev

Remind me to chat with you about it when I see you on the weekend Kev. I am reasonably serious about getting a DSLR camera but don't have a huge budget seeing as I just blew $520 on a stainless prop for the boat. At one stage I was thinking of either a new prop or maybe spending about $1200 on a new camera but when I found out that the prop that came standard on my boat was built so badly that it was cavitating (Wore all the paint off in a strange spot) I decided to get a new prop. So now if I get a DSLR camera I would need to score a bargain and perhaps try get one in the $500-$600 price range. If I went through a Brisbane retailer the price point would be around $899 or there abouts but if I can get a bargain through Ebay I am mighty interested.

Poodroo