420 Dive Log Australasia OCTOBER 2026

Another night-dive shot of southern calamari (Sepioteuthis australis). Images like this rely heavily on strobe lighting: the very short duration of the flash effectively freezes the fast, constantly changing movement of the squid, producing a sharp image that would be extremely difficult to achieve with ambient light alone.

After trying the camera’s dedicated Underwater Wide, Underwater Macro and Microscope modes, I found that A mode—aperture-priority mode—gives me the most useful balance between control and speed. The TG offers only a limited choice of apertures, so A mode does not provide the same degree of control as it would on an interchangeable-lens camera. Even so, I find it more predictable and flexible than the dedicated underwater modes. The TG-6 and TG-7 allow two complete groups of settings to be stored as C1 and C2. I use C1 for ambient light photography. It holds the settings I am most likely to need during the day, allowing me to begin photographing without rebuilding the camera configuration through several menus. C2 is configured for night photography, with the strobe power controlled manually rather than through TTL. I sometimes prefer this setup because it gives me more consistent and repeatable lighting from one shot to the next,

while allowing me to fine-tune the flash intensity for the subject and working distance. The regular A position on the mode dial acts as my more flexible third option. I use it during night dives when I may move repeatedly between wide-angle, close-up and macro subjects. Standard autofocus is ready for larger subjects, while AF Super Macro can be selected when I need to work very close. There is a practical difference between A mode and the two custom modes. C1 and C2 recall the settings deliberately saved into them. If I want a later adjustment to become permanent, I must save the custom mode again; otherwise, the original configuration will return. In A mode, my most recently used settings remain available after the camera is switched off. C1 and C2 give me consistency. A mode lets me adapt quickly. During daylight photography I normally begin with exposure compensation set to –0.3 EV. This slight underexposure helps protect bright

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DIVE LOG Australasia #420 October’ 26

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