Battery Life:
The Lithium-ion battery that comes with the Coolpix is very efficient and lasts for more
than enough time for a typical photo dive. However, there are certain things that users
can control to help with battery life. The most important is to set the camera to turn the
LCD off after a short time, during periods of non-use. It can then be automatically turned
back on if you depress the shutter release control half way. Please refer to the Coolpix
instruction manual for details on how to make this adjustment setting. It is always wise
to have backup batteries in case you do run out of power. The supplied battery can be
recharged many times and offer an economical and environmentally aware alternative
to one-use disposable batteries. Check the users manual of the camera for confirmation
of compatibility with other batteries.
Using Flash:
The Coolpix has a built-in flash, which will illuminate nearby
underwater subjects. For
subjects that are farther away, an accessory slave strobe is recommended. (See Below.)
Due to the presence of suspended particles in the water, a built-in external flash diffuser
is supplied. It will widen and soften the light, providing more coverage and less likelihood
of
backscatter
, the unattractive snowstorm affect of the flash reflecting off the suspended
particles. Further reduction of
backscatter
can be achieved by using an accessory off-
camera slave flash. See below for more details.
Underwater photographers, needing artificial light to restore color in nearly all pictures,
should set the flash mode to
Anytime
flash. This will insure the flash fires on every
exposure regardless of the ambient light conditions. (Please refer to the camera s instruction
manual for more details.)
Outdoor photographers do not have this same concern. There is no backscatter to be
concerned about, and due to the ability of the flash to travel farther and more effectively
in air as compared to in water, there is normally not a need for an accessory flash to
provide proper illumination for most subjects.
Accessory Slave Strobes:
Using the Coolpix built-in flash as the master, you can trigger a second
slave
strobe to
provide more artificial light when needed. To do this, you must use an accessory strobe
that has a
slave
feature built in. The flash from the Coolpix must be aimed or bounced
toward the accessory strobe’s
slave
sensor, or other fiber optic sensor. This will trigger
the slave to fire in sync with the master flash.
Be sure to use a slave strobe that has the
ability to ignore the built-in pre-flash in digital cameras, and synchronizes with the
shutter release.
