Compact digital cameras using internal flash The Problems Do your underwater photos turn out murky blue-green, blurry and with lots of fuzzy white spots. Dont worry, everyone starts that way. Most new underwater photographers will try to take shots like they do above water. They move back to include a diver, some reef and maybe some fish in the frame. The results will most likely be dissapointing. Welcome to the frustrating world of underwater photography. Now, how can we improve? The Rules The two most basic rules for all underwater photography are 1. Get closer - Not a problem with compact digitals. 2. Move the flash away from the lens - Now we have a problem. and maybe a third rule for compact digital cameras 3. Focus first by pressing the shutter button half way then press all the way to take the photo. The Solutions Wide angle scenic shots. (Subject more than 1m away) In this situation you need to turn the flash off or cover it with your fingers, it will only light up the suspended particles in front of your subject. Use the widest zoom setting and get as close as possible to minimize the water between you and your subject. If you have a red underwater filter it can reduce the blue green a bit. If not you will have to be content with blue green wide angle photos. You can adjust them on the computer later to some extent and greyscaling or converting to black and white works very well with wrecks. Close up (Subject 30 to 60cm away) May have to set the camera on macro. Compact cameras can produce good colourful results in this focus range as long as the water is pretty clear. The flash will bring back colours but will also light up all the suspended particles in the water. Choose a busy or highly detailed background to hide this backscatter. Macro (Subject 10 to 30cm away) Set the camera on macro focus. (little flower symbol) The potential for really sharp colourful shots is greatest in this range because haze and backscatter are minimized. However the close subject can introduce some extra problems. The flash may be too bright when this close and the lens port may cast a shadow over the subject. A diffuser or translucent plastic cover over the flash will spread and reduce the light output possibly improving results. The diffuser may need to sit out 1 or 2 cm in front of the flash to spread the light around the lens port and on to the subject. Autofocus Compact digitals also suffer from slow autofocus in low light conditions. You need to half press the shutter button until autofocus is achieved then full press to take the shot. You may even need to shine a light on the subject to help the autofocus. To sum it all up Wide angle - Turn the flash off. Try a red filter. Close up - Go for it, but be aware of backscatter. Macro - May need a flash diffuser. Autofocus - Half press to focus then shoot.