How to best take pictures of my new Submariner 16610

[submariner3067]

I have been trying to take pictures of my new Sub 16610 to post here, but when I use a flash the light reflects on the crystal. If I don't use a flash then the picture appears grainy. I am using a digital camera to take the pics. The pics I see people post in this forum are remarkably clear. Any suggestions on how to best take a pic of my sub for posting? Thanks

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by submariner3067

I have been trying to take pictures of my new Sub 16610 to post here, but when I use a flash the light reflects on the crystal. If I don't use a flash then the picture appears grainy. I am using a digital camera to take the pics. The pics I see people post in this forum are remarkably clear. Any suggestions on how to best take a pic of my sub for posting? Thanks

Hi Sub,

Congrats on the watch. You need to use "MACRO" mode on your digital camera. This mode is indicated by a YELLOW LOTUS on the screen.

Is yours a NIKON? If so, turn selector knob on top to SCENE. Then press MENU and select CLOSE UP. Lock it in by pressing on the MENU button. You will have to use a tripod for best results....or keep a rock steady hand.

Don't worry, the flash will NOT work in this MACRO mode. Picture below taken using MACRO mode.



Cheers and good luck - JJ

[Uncle-AJ]

Try taking the watch outdoors or try on a windowsill. The more light you can use the better. Your grainy pictures are probably camera shake due to the low light conditions.

[dman]

The guys are spot on, play with the lights and settings on your camera and practice, practice, practice.

Glad to have you out and posting here on TRF.

[Rockrolex]

Originally Posted by submariner3067

I have been trying to take pictures of my new Sub 16610 to post here, but when I use a flash the light reflects on the crystal. If I don't use a flash then the picture appears grainy. I am using a digital camera to take the pics. The pics I see people post in this forum are remarkably clear. Any suggestions on how to best take a pic of my sub for posting? Thanks

You've gotten good advice from the others. Let me emphasize the necessity of using a tripod. You need to keep the camera rock steady in macro mode, especially if you're shooting indoors. You might even want to consider shooting in timer mode so you don't shake the camera by pressing on the shooting button.

[submariner3067]

thanks guys!! I don't have a tripod for my camera (Kodak). I will try using it outside, but I don't have the steadiest hand!!

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by submariner3067

thanks guys!! I don't have a tripod for my camera (Kodak). I will try using it outside, but I don't have the steadiest hand!!

No worries....place the camera on a solid object and hold it firmly when you click. That should work!!

[ji603]

Obligatory gratuitous GMT shot :

[mailman]

Originally Posted by ji603

Obligatory gratuitous GMT shot :

Nice pic ji

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by mailman

Nice pic ji

Hey, I'm JI

[mailman]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Hey, I'm JI

No, you're JJI.

[dman]

Nice show TRFites, not one reply for 7 posts that was off topic!! I am surprised nobody offered up the best way to take a pic of your sub is with a camera.

[SLRdude]

did anybody say GMT???

I got a few pics!
















Back to the original topic...
You said that your pics are "grainy".
If your pics are grainy, (not fuzzy or blured) the cause is NOT camera shake. About the only things that can cause grain are noise and over sharpening in post processing.
About the easiest way to end up with grainy pics is to shoot at high ISO numbers. The ISO determines the film/sensor sensivity to light. The lower the number, the cleaner the picture but it needs to be exposed longer. The higher the number, the less time it needs to take the picture, but the image will be noisy. (or grainy, to use your term)
You should always shoot at the lowest ISO possible. If you use a point and shoot camera (which it appears that you are), those are NOTORIOUS for high noises at higher sensivity, due to their TINY sensors. (to give you an example... the sensor in your cam is at most 5 to 6 mm wide. The one in most digital SLR cams is at least 24mm wide, hence the much greater detail in the pic).

ISO is represented by a number. Most cameras start around ISO 100, then the number doubles with each step up. (ex: ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800...etc).
ISO can come in helpful when you are trying to find the perfect exposure for your picture. An exposure is made of three factors: Exposure time (how long the shutter stays open), Aperture (how WIDE the lens will open, expresssed by a F followed by a number) and Film sensivity. (the ISO number). Each one step increase or decrease in those number will effectively double up, or half the amout of light received by your sensor. Because of that, the SAME exact image can be taken at many different setting in the camera, and this is a trap that many folks fall in. Let me explain that.

A picture is made by the light "touching the sensor". The same amount of light passing through the lens can be achieved by using different combinations of exposure time, aperture and ISO. For example, 1 secone at a lens opening of f/16 will give you the same light as a 0.5 seconds exposure at f/8. A 1 second exposure at f whatever and ISO 100 will allow the same light as a 0.5 second at the same f whatever and ISO 200. (Because I doubled the size of the lens opening, I was able to half the amout of exposure in the first example. In my second example, by doubling the sensivity of the film... I was able to half my exposure time)

This is what you have to watch for: Every one of those three components affects your image in different ways, and the key is finding the right combination.

Exposure time: Obviously, a long exposure time can give you really fuzzy images if the camera is hand held! With a point and shoot, everything over about 1/50th of a second is too slow for a handheld shot, so always watch for that if you plan to hold the cam in your hand.

Aperture: the smaller the F number, the wider the shutter will open, and therefore allowing you to go with a shorter exposure. The side effect: The smaller the F number, the smaller your depth of field is. (how much of your image is in focus) If you increase the F number, you get a better depth of field, but every time you move up a step in aperture you have to double the exposure time OR the ISO.

ISO: the higher the ISO number, the noisier your image will be. higher end digital SLR cams can shoot ISO 800 and still have a clear, grain free image.
Point and shoot became useless at just about anything over ISO 200, due to their smaller sensor size.

I think that I might have given you a lot more than what you asked for here. Hopefully it made sense.

My best advice to you is to make sure that your ISO is not too hight. Try to keep it at 200 or lower.
Second... NEVER use your flash. Just place your watch in a well lit area.

Three... if you are worried about camera shake, just put the watch and the camera on a stable surface, set your timer and WALK AWAY so your reflection is not in the picture. Another thing that I do is look along the camera's lens (not through the viewfinder) at the watch's crystal and look for reflections. Whatever you see is what the cam will see. Tinker with the position until you can't see anything reflecting of the watch.

Hope all this (way too much lol) stuff helps.

Keep at it. If you give up, you already failed.

[JJ Irani]

Superb pics, Chip...and thanks for the explanation, quite a bit of which has gone zooming over my bald head!!

But one question: What buttons do you push to lower the ISO on your camera? I tried it and went nuts without any success. Please explain in slow easy-to-understand steps and speak English, pease!!

Thanks - JJ