Underwater Photography - with Mermaids!
/Back in July on the DC Photowalk (which was excellent by the way), @photorectoby of @photorec.tv asked me to share a bit about our underwater gear and how we process the images we make. I've been thinking about a quick way to communicate the basics of what we do and this is what I've come up with:
Underwater Photography Gear:
Nikon D750 - Chosen for its excellent low light sensitivity since we shoot with available light (which is typically in short supply underwater)Nauticam Housing - Chosen because it allows access to 99.99% of the camera's functionality underwater and it has been a dream to work with.
Our Basic Image Processing:
Shoot Raw - This allows for maximum color control in post. This is CRITICAL to getting the WB too look right Dehaze tool - water is not as clear as air. Even the crystal water of Hawaii needs a touch of Dehaze at times and it is a CRUCIAL when we shoot in our local quarry lake. Then - once those two things are taken care of we get into regular edits like clarity, shadows etc.We chose these sample images because they show what WB, Dehaze and a touch of clarity can do in about 5 seconds of editing. If you have questions/comments we'd love to start a conversation so let us know! And thank you once again, Toby for your interest in our work and methods! Follow @jberendtphotography for more underwater photos and maybe even a mermaid or two :)
The Change I care most about - Lightroom can now read 5D Mark IV RAW files - but cannot do anything with DualPixel raw - that is canon only DPP feature at this point (and probably won't change anytime soon)Additional changes worth mentioning -Updates to “All Synced Photos”We’ve made it easier to access your Lightroom CC images on the go with Lightroom for mobile and Lightroom for web.You can now drag images directly to the “All Synced Photographs” collection in the Catalog panel. By doing so, the image syncs with the Creative Cloud, and ensures that you’ll be able to edit, organize, or share the photo on the go with Lightroom across your devices.Smart Previews for Faster PerformanceYou’ve always been able to use Smart Previews in the Develop Module as a way to edit photos without having access to the original images on disk. Astute customers reported faster performance in the Develop Module when using Smart Previews and keeping their original images disconnected from their computer. Now, you can set a Preference in the Performance tab so that Lightroom will always use Smart Previews in the Develop Module, if they are available, even when the original files are also available.To do so,
The Yi M1 uses the 20.16MP Sony IMX269, actually the same sensor in the Olympus Pen-F giving it 4K (30fps), fast continuous shooting, and RAW image capability. This allows it a speed of five frames per second and a 81 point focus system which is good for a entry level camera. As for RAW it saves in Adobe DNG making it work perfectly with Lightroom. Bluetooth and Wifi are included for fast mobile sharing and remote control of the camera. 
As for those pixel peepers out there they’ve released a sample image showing how much detail the sensorcan pull from an image. With the new CMOS sensor putting out 51.4MP files it’s hard to complain looking at the photo zoomed in this far.
The Panasonic GH5 has been announced - The 6K video that is being passed about as a spec isn't quite true. Even without true 6K video this looks like a serious step forward for videographers with 4k at 60p and the ability to record 10-bit 4:2:2 (more data is better)The specs we have
Like the Zeiss Batis Lenses announced in April it will include an led display. The LCD will display focusing distance, focal length, and shake amount information. A display mode button lets you switch between these features and background color for visibility. 
