It is my opinion that the waterproof point-and-shoot (P&S) cameras are invaluable tools for fly fishers. They are very powerful cameras once you learn to compensate for their deficiencies. Unfortunately, they often get a bad rap on the internet. It is wise to read the critiques carefully and understand the author’s bias. The FAS workshops now focus almost exclusively on the waterproof P&S cameras because frankly most of the questions are specifically about these camera models. In my experience, the waterproof cameras are the most common cameras in the general fly fishing community, but there is a lack of understanding on how to properly use the gear. The analogy here would be learning to fly fish with a moderately priced 5wt fly rod – make sure the instructor is able to teach on that particular rod and not giving you a fast action 4wt because he prefers that setup. Learn the basics and you can achieve great outcomes. At the time of this article, both the Olympus Stylus and Pentax Optio are great cameras. Newer models are even more advanced. However, the frustration with low-light photography is shared by many fishers and this is a limiting condition for any camera. The following post will offer tips and tricks for Pentax Optio W20 camera, but the principles are the same regardless of the camera brand. These adjustments can be performed on any waterproof camera.

5 Tips on getting better pictures with your waterproof point-and-shoot camera.

1. Select the appropriate camera mode
2. Adjust the EV to compensate for the available light
3. Adjust the ISO to compensate for the available light
4. Use flash wisely
5. Use photography software for post processing

As always, make sure to download your user manual (the Pentax Optio W20 manual is herehttp://www.pentaximaging.com/support/manuals-and-literature/).

P Mode (The basic picture-taking mode.  You can let the camera set the functions “OR” choose various functions yourself). P63.  In P mode, the Optio W20 can be manually adjusted.  The other scene modes have fixed settings and are limited, especially for low-light fishing shots.

Avoid using the “Night Scene” on the river (unless you have a tripod).  This mode will result in long exposure times and inevitably camera shake.

Another great mode to employ on the river is the “Pet” mode.  This is ideal for taking pictures of moving subjects.  The camera keeps the subject in focus until the shutter button is released. P70

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Setting the Functions (Program Mode) P82-103

Setting the Exposure (EV Compensation).  P82.  This is the single best trick for getting better pictures from your waterproof P&S.  The W20 allows for compensation of 2 stops in either direction. Adjust it to the right (positive) to gain exposure compensation = brighter image.  Adjust it to the left (negative) to darken the image.  HINT: since you will use this function a lot make sure and assign it to the Green button for quick access on the river – see P58.  See P104 for tips on saving the EV compensation.

Use your histogram on the river to judge the correct EV compensation periodically throughout the day.  Seriously, whenever I change locations (or the light changes, etc) I will often pull out the camera and adjust the compensation using my fly rod or reel as a subject.  This will help you dial prior to catching a fish.

Setting the focus – P85.  I typically stick with AF standard or Macro (the flower).

Selecting the flash – P87.  Don’t be afraid to use flash when the available light is too dark.  A trick here is to shoot one or two shots with flash and then one or two more without flash.  This will increase your odds of getting a keeper shot.  The biggest hint for using P&S flash on the river for fish shots is to use “Soft Flash” P87.  This mode reduces the intensity of the flash at close range (i.e. fish in hand) and the flash will discharge regardless of the light conditions.  This is my go-to “fill flash” mode.

Don’t forget to adjust your white balance!  P92.  The Pentax Optio cameras can shoot in Manual white balance, which is great if you know how to set it correctly.  Otherwise, choose the auto setting.

How to set the AE metering, P94.  This is a personal choice, but a few tips are in order.  For shots of the river or landscape consider the “multi-segment metering”, which will meter the brightness over 16 areas to determine the exposure.  Just be aware that if you have bright skies or backlit subjects, this mode will often result in darker images (however, you often bring back the shadow detail at your computer).  For grip-and-grin shots consider using the “spot AE metering”, which will meter exposure brightness only at the center of the image.

ISO – how to set the sensitivity, P96.  In addition to EV compensation, this is probably one of the biggest tricks to getting better fishing pictures in low light.  The Pentax Optio allows for manual ISO adjustment which is a major benefit.  I always choose ISO manually and avoid the auto setting, but that is again a personal preference based on experience.  The older waterproof P&S cameras like the Optio W20 and Olympus Stylus 770SW can typically handle ISO of 800-1600 for low light situations.  You will of course see noise (grain) in your image.  However, you can compensate for this at your computer, depending on your software.

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A few additional tips and tricks.

See P101 for setting the image sharpness.  Typically hard/sharp outlines are better for fish grip-and-grin shots.  Normal sharpness is good for landscape or mist/dew.

See P103 for setting the image contrast.  In my experience, low- to normal-contrast is best for grip-and-grins.  You can recover contrast at your computer.

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Computer Software.

Picasa3 by Google (Free).
iPhoto (Free if you have a Mac).
Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture ($).
Adobe Photoshop CS4 ($$$).

Post processing is a skill unto itself.  The basic applications like Picasa/iPhoto are actually very powerful and will allow you to effectively edit your P&S pictures in most cases.  However, the expensive applications offer more advanced controls as well as noise reduction and white balance.

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The following are examples of available low-light photography with the Olympus 770SW.  Compensation was employed on all the images.  You can see more images here http://www.nealosborn.com/Photography/waterproof-camera/10400368_g7TsC#720454551… or here http://homepage.mac.com/nealpod/Sites/olympus770sw/index.html