Diving, Photography, Software and Things - Ian Brennan's Blog

Our first camera - a Coolpix 995 - stored videos in MOV format which was pain.

The Pentax Optio S 5i saves video files in AVI format, which means they're really easy to work with without buying extra software. As I said earlier, we've used Microsoft Movie Maker (the one that comes with Windows XP) to edit them.

Here's a sample of underwater video with the camera. It's now in WMV format and I've compressed it to get it to a resonable size for download. The compression means it's more grainy than in real life, but you'll get the idea.

Posted by Ian Bren at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments   

There is a movie mode for this camera - and a marine mode (that's what the "i" means). Combine them together and you get underwater movies!

The resolution is quite small at 320x240 - but it's fun to have a palm-sized camera that can shoot as much movie as your memory card can hold.

We've taken these movies and blended them in with stills using Movie Maker. Initially the results were average - user problems - but with perseverance we're getting some fun out of it.

When I get the time I'll take you through what can be done with Movie Maker.

Posted by Ian Bren at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments   

One reason we like diving in South Australian waters is to find these animals. They are the aquatic emblem of SA.

This photo was taken under Rapid Bay Jetty using our first outing with the new Pentax Optio S 5i (Click here for larger image) of a Leafy Sea Dragon.

Posted by Ian Bren at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments   

I've been diving for a few years with my wife Jo. We've recently bought our 2nd digital Camera - an Pentax Optio S 5i with an optional underwater housing. It's added another dimension to our sport.

Here we'll explore the place where the sport and hobby intersect and will post lessons we've learnt and fun we've had and places we've seen.

Posted by Ian Bren at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments