Bahamas

[lello]

Hi All

I'm off to the Bahamas on Tuesday next week for 10 daysI'll be on a 100 foot catamaran for at least 6 days, stopping off to Scuba/snorkel and explore the uninhibited ExumaCays,Just a couple of questions

I'm hoping it will be brighter than England, And most of my photo's will be either early morning or evening, to try andget the best light, Is it best to keep the Polarizer onall of the time during the day (in bright sun light)? and ifnot under what circumstances shouldI be using it?


And before you ask, NoI will not be taking any underwater shots with FZ30

(I can't swim and take pictures at the same time) lol[img]/forums/images/emoticons/lachen001.gif[/img]

I'ts my first trip to that side of the world andany other tips will be welcomed

Lello

[brass band]

When You Return Please Post Some Shots

[lello]

brass band wrote:

When You Return Please Post Some Shots

Only the GOOD ones!

[squirl033]

lello wrote:

I'm hoping it will be brighter than England, And most of my photo's will be either early morning or evening, to try andget the best light, Is it best to keep the Polarizer onall of the time during the day (in bright sun light)? and ifnot under what circumstances shouldI be using it?

Lello, there's no need to keep the polarizer on all the time, especially if you'll be taking most of your shots in early morning or evening. polarizers don't work well at those times of day, and though it won't hurt anything to leave it on, it may darken your photos more than you'd like. if you want to use it during the day, i'd put it on between, say, 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning, and leave it on till perhaps 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, depending on the hours of sunlight. typically, that's thepart of day when the sun is high enough in the sky and the light angles are right for a polarizer to work best. also note that a polarizer works best when you're facing at 90 degrees to the sun, so he sun is directly to your right or left.

what i would recommend keeping on your camera at all times, in those conditions especially, is a lens hood. this will help keep stray reflections from the water, or excessive light from sky or sun, from causing ghosting, lens flare, or lack of contrast in your images.

[lello]

Thanks for the info Squirl03

The weather here in england has been so bad since I bought the FZ30 and accessories I haven't had a Chance to try the polarizer or the nd filter, I really don't know why I bought the filters (they were a good price and there's been a lot of talk on this forum about them) so I went out and bought them not really knowing how to use them, so I will give them a go when I'm away. What are your tips for using NDX4 filter (will it be abenefit to me whilst I'm away?)

Iwill of course post some photo's of my trip when I come back so you guys can let me know if I used them correctly:?
Thanks again

Lello

[squirl033]

ND filters aren't nearly as useful as polarizers. the main reason for an ND filter is to reduce the light entering the lens, when shooting in overly bright situations like a snowfield, or when you want to purposely slow the shutter speed to create special effects. frankly, i've never had any use for one; in very bright situations, i just stop down the lens, and put a polarizer on. a polarizer usually is the equivalent of 1.5-2 stops anyway, so if i have one of those, an ND filter is really superfluous.

[lello]

Thanks again for the info Squirl033

I'll leave the nd filter at home. (less to carry)

Lello

[KentC]

One thing to consider when you're close to the ocean is salt spray. If the boat is moving quickly to windward, even a cat may kick up some spray. This is not good for optic coatings, so I always use a filter of some sort--polarizing, UV, ND. Even without actual waves washing over the bow, there's always a fine salt mist near the sea. Be sure to wipe the camera with a damp cloth after your holiday.Given the bright coral sand beaches down there, a neutral grad filter can be useful too.

[lello]

Thanks For the tips Kentc

I hadn't thought about the sea spray, only the Bright sun (hopefully)

What efect Will the Neutral Grad filter give?


lello

[phaedra1106]

One thing you really must fit is a UV filter, not only will it protect the lens the levels of UV in the Bahamas are a lot greater than here in the UK, both UV A & B. Make sure you get a good quality filter, pref. multicoated, Hoya, Tiffen, B&W and Sunpakcan all be found on Ebay at reasonable prices compared to high street stores like Jessops etc. Also make sure you pack a couple of bags of Silica Gel in your cameracase to absorb the any moisture from the humidity etc.

http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/sear...o=&saprchi=

This is the one I use,


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hoya-55mm-Pro-...QQcmdZViewItem


Can someone shorten those links please :-)