[salmon12]

i have purchased a new optio w80 ,as i am a fishing guide i use it for underwater shots of fish,@video as the fish come near the boat ,i would like to know what connection i could use to put camera into water instead of my hand.also i notice there is every setting under the sun except ..sunset,sunrise.what would be the best setting for these .i find the indoor shots very good ,also close up excellent,landscape also very good.[IMG][/IMG]

[GerryL]

Welcome to the forums Salmon12!
You could try a monopod with an articulated head.
Monopods usually don't have a articulating (bendable) tripod head unlike what tripods usually come with off the shelf..not unless you want to use the tripod, but it might be a bit heavy since you have 3 legs attached to it.
You can also build yourself one and would just need the screw that would attach to the tripod mount underneath the W80.
As for the sunset/sunrise settings, try P (program), landscape, night scene, fireworks or candlelight.
Try to experiment as I haven't tried any of this too.
Do post more once you have taken them and show us your results.
Congratulations on your W80 too!
What color did you get?

[salmon12]

thank you Gerry ,i will try and buy a monopod with swivel head,also i'll do a bit of experimenting with the p program,my colour silver,i also bought 2 8gbhd @ 2 spare batteries as i find they can run down quickly esp in cold weather.

[ve2vfd]

Salmon, this is video from my W60 just hanging off the end of a fishing rod line (off the lanyard).

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSnHBJDJHTk[/yt]

Obviously I had very little control as to where the camera went, but I am sure with a little ingenuety you could probably make some sort of gimble to hold the cam in the water.

Pat

[GerryL]

Salmon, this is video from my W60 just hanging off the end of a fishing rod line (off the lanyard).

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSnHBJDJHTk[/yt]

Obviously I had very little control as to where the camera went, but I am sure with a little ingenuety you could probably make some sort of gimble to hold the cam in the water.

Pat

Hahaha..this is actually good!
It won't scare the fishes too!
Just make sure you have it tied/knotted tight as you wouldn't want to suddenly lose the camera when you pull the line up!
Great idea!

[GerryL]

thank you Gerry ,i will try and buy a monopod with swivel head,also i'll do a bit of experimenting with the p program,my colour silver,i also bought 2 8gbhd @ 2 spare batteries as i find they can run down quickly esp in cold weather.

I think the battery is a must as I have experienced that the battery runs out fast too.
I bought a 1300mah third party battery. I just don't know if the rating is actually true since it is double the rating of the OEM battery.

[salmon12]

Salmon, this is video from my W60 just hanging off the end of a fishing rod line (off the lanyard).

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSnHBJDJHTk[/yt]

Obviously I had very little control as to where the camera went, but I am sure with a little ingenuety you could probably make some sort of gimble to hold the cam in the water.

Pat

well done pat,that gives me more encouragement to try different techniques,my head is now in overdrive

[BrettA]

First post - Please don't beat me up too badly...

1. I'm curious if Pentax people look at this site and taske note of issues - anyone know?

2. Can anyone shed any light on why the intervalometer has a minimum setting of 10 seconds and a max repetition of 12 shots? I'm considering buying, but would much rather be able to set intervals at <10 seconds (like 2, 4, 6 or similar) and also be able to take more than 12 shots? Unless these limits are totally arbitrary - in which case the designer should be sent to the corner - the only reason I can see is that the camera is incapable of shooting more quickly than every 10 seconds, but this seems equally implausible. Thoughts?

[GerryL]

First post - Please don't beat me up too badly...

1. I'm curious if Pentax people look at this site and taske note of issues - anyone know?

2. Can anyone shed any light on why the intervalometer has a minimum setting of 10 seconds and a max repetition of 12 shots? I'm considering buying, but would much rather be able to set intervals at <10 seconds (like 2, 4, 6 or similar) and also be able to take more than 12 shots? Unless these limits are totally arbitrary - in which case the designer should be sent to the corner - the only reason I can see is that the camera is incapable of shooting more quickly than every 10 seconds, but this seems equally implausible. Thoughts?

Welcome to the forums BrettA!
I haven't actually played with the intervalometer yet.
I actually didn't even play with it on my Canon S3 IS.
From your query about the 10sec min (don't even know if it is true since I said haven't played with it), if it where to take something like a 1 sec shot minimum, won't this be like already doing video?
It might also be connected to the 99 (I think) max number of shots, since it won't make too much of a difference in the shots (done 1 sec at a time) if shots where viewed continuously as in a time lapse photography.
You won't actually see flowers bloom or the clouds go zooming by.
Try "You Tube" and you'll see examples of time lapse photos done with the W80.
I like the W80 mainly for its shockproof feature and waterproof and video capture in HD.
Sorry, I can't help you much with your question as I'm not into the intervalometer feature.
I'm sure somebody here would answer your question better.

[GerryL]

well done pat,that gives me more encouragement to try different techniques,my head is now in overdrive

Post some of your videos too once you have figured out want you are going to do!
It might even give us some more ideas as to how to do it better or differently!
Good luck!
Enjoy doing your DIY!

[BrettA]

Welcome to the forums BrettA! < Cut >
From your query about the 10sec min (don't even know if it is true since I said haven't played with it), if it where to take something like a 1 sec shot minimum, won't this be like already doing video?
It might also be connected to the 99 (I think) max number of shots, since it won't make too much of a difference in the shots (done 1 sec at a time) if shots where viewed continuously as in a time lapse photography.
You won't actually see flowers bloom or the clouds go zooming by.
Try "You Tube" and you'll see examples of time lapse photos done with the W80. ...

Thanks, Gerry, and yes, it is a 10 second min (with 11, 12, 13.... yada, yada, yada) on the one I tested in store, but no, re time lapse as I'd use my D700 for that. The sole purpose of the W80 for me would be KAP (kites) and even there it would only be for stills (I have an Olympus E-PL1 and a Vixia HF20 for motion). So 10 seconds is doable, but somewhat of a waste of time... it just seems silly and pointless to allow 1 second increments above 10 and nothing at all below 10.

And of course I never suggested 1 second setting. But for this application, I'd likely usually want 2 to 4 second intervals and perhaps 99 shots (if a setting is even mandatory) to pick the best 2 or 3, but c'est la vie, I guess. At least it has an intervalometer, while my Olympus PEN doesn't at all (or I'd be using it - and will if a later model comes out with it and is compatible with the underwater housing). For interest of comparative purposes, my D700 has a limit, too - 8,991 shots (I'm not expecting the W80 to compete, just noting that someone thinks a limit higher than say, 12, ain't such a bad thing).

But I was also trying to determine if there's any reason for these seemingly arbitrary and low limits... it seems not so far. Arbitrary limitations always seem so pointless, since it can't cost any more than to allow 1 second increments from 1 second, rather than from 10, and since some designer can't really know what everyone will want.

And speaking of YouTube, I did in fact view a time lapse done on a highway, and with the setting chosen (10 secs.?), the cars in the other lane had no motion at all since they completely changed from frame to frame. While everyone's different, my preference there would have been a finer setting - perhaps a second or 3 - to allow you to see the the movement of oncoming cars. Without the limitation, one could easily choose either way rather than being forced into one (jerky, discontinuous) way. AIUI, playback is generally at 24 or 30 fps, so a 1 second setting would speed the motion up by a factor of 24 or 30 times, surely making a huge difference. Indeed, even a half-second would make a big difference with playback, it seems. Anyway, thanks again :-)!

[GerryL]

Yep! I do know that film is 30fps and this was also adopted by the video format and with animation going even 15fps since they usually double the shot for a certain movement to approximate 30fps (if I still remember my animation class and data right).
In any case, I did remember that I used the intervalometer of my Canon S3 IS but I used it to capture family moments since I was to lazy to take shots every now and then, so what I did was just prop the camera on the tripod and set it to capture every 30sec or 1 minute.
I guess the intervalometer still served me that time.

[bogiesbad]

I already had mine for almost a month courtesy from the same seller I guess.
I think I've got a good copy.
Haven't taken it swimming though but I accept its shortcomings since it is still a P&S.
Noise is a part of the P&S and I bought this for the waterproof and shockproof feature and not the IQ feature.
Would be great to have it as a bonus but that would be asking too much.
The video capture is great and the macro capabilities.
Thanks Adorama for a great price and a good working (so far) camera.

I bought mine because of your post in another forum linking the e-bay deal. I had been eyeing a W80 for a while but the deal made the difference. I guess the color combo was unpopular and the reason for the low price. I had never seen that combo offered and for this Saints fan it was a bonus.
I am happy with my copy although I have not tested all the features. I believe I will set it to 7MP and let my wife use it for snaps and I'm sure it will get good use as a fish-finder on the boats this summer.
@ ve2vfd: Very cool stuff in the posts above.

[GerryL]

I bought mine because of your post in another forum linking the e-bay deal. I had been eyeing a W80 for a while but the deal made the difference. I guess the color combo was unpopular and the reason for the low price. I had never seen that combo offered and for this Saints fan it was a bonus.
I am happy with my copy although I have not tested all the features. I believe I will set it to 7MP and let my wife use it for snaps and I'm sure it will get good use as a fish-finder on the boats this summer.
@ ve2vfd: Very cool stuff in the posts above.

The color is not actually an unpopular version but a some sort of like limited edition that isn't offered anywhere except Adorama (non others that I know of).
They say that it was a version made specially for them by Pentax (if I'm not mistaken).
I actually like the color as this is better for waterproof cameras, much like the color of lifevests and the like.
That deal also made it for me 'coz if I didn't find that, I would have still been looking for used Olympus SW P&S cameras.
Funny how I have also set mine to 7mp since it is a P&S and it would save up on used memory plus the fact that photos from these I will definitely just print regular 4X6's or the largest (rarely) to 8X10..and I think, 7mp is more than enough for that.
Congratulations on your purchase and glad to be of help on your purchase too!

[aerodave]

Adorama is the only US retailer of the Honey Yellow color. But it's available through other distribution channels in other countries. I don't know if all markets have made it some sort of "limited edition".