Hello, this is the owner of the store. Today I would like to write about BIGHOLIDAY's free rental camera.

Nowadays, with the spread of smartphones and social media, photography has become more familiar to us. Yes, photography has become more familiar to us and has reached a position where it is indispensable.

Diving Underwater Photography

It's not just the times, but the main reason photography has become so popular is simply because it's "fun," and the hardware has become readily available. However, even though it has become cheaper, diving itself is still not that easy, so buying an underwater camera for a few diving trips a year is still a bit expensive. Perhaps that's why.

For people like that, and for those who just want to rent something easily, we offer a free rental service that is available to everyone, not on a first-come, first-served basis. We hope that this service will be an opportunity for people who want to try taking photos casually, or to start using a camera. Please give it a try!

[Olympus TG-5] The camera itself is waterproof, so you can take beautiful photos easily!

The Olympus TG-5, a specialized underwater camera, was designed with the concept of "anyone can take photos easily and conveniently," and after actually using it, I was convinced that anyone could take beautiful photos with it!

Until now, our shop has offered free rentals of Olympus cameras, but the difference is clear! I actually used it for a while and took some photos, which you can see at the bottom of the article.

It's not first come, first served, and is available for all groups.

There are many people who will be using an underwater camera for the first time, so there is no need to worry. We will explain how to use it and what to be careful of on the day, so please enjoy taking lots of beautiful photos of the underwater world!

The number of free rental cameras will increase depending on the number of participants. This is also a BIGHOLIDAY original! Let's all go take some photos!

  • 1 to 3 people per unit
  • 2 cars for 4-5 people
  • 3 cars for 6-7 people

Please prepare an SD card.

It supports SD cards, so you can use the one in your camera and take the data home with you on the same day.Also available at convenience storesPlease prepare an SD card with the following capacity.

  • If you are only using photos, the media capacity is4GBIt is enough if there is
  • If you also want to shoot videos16-32GBWe recommend a media capacity of

We have taken every precaution, with the housing waterproof up to 40m and the camera body waterproof up to 10m, but in the unlikely event that something goes wrong, we cannot guarantee the data on the SD card. If you are concerned, please make sure to prepare an SD card that does not contain any important data.

※Caution We do not sell SD cards at the shop. Please note that if you forget your SD card on the day, you will not be able to use the rental camera.

How to use the camera – 5 steps

  1. We will set the rental model to take the most beautiful photos.
  2. The staff will set up the SD card you bring with you on the day.
  3. Just before diving, attach the anti-loss strap to your wrist.
  4. Staff will give a lecture on how to operate the machine on the day.
  5. After returning to port, staff will remove the SD card and hand it over to you.

[Latest model as of August 2018] Olympus TG-8

オリンパスTG-5

Camera performance is advancing by leaps and bounds. The latest models can take beautiful photos that were unimaginable five years ago. There are now cameras with nearly limitless close-up capabilities, 5K video, and even cameras that are waterproof to -30m, eliminating the need for a housing.

I hope that by giving you a glimpse into the latest models, this will be helpful to those who are considering purchasing a camera.

Examples and performance of the popular camera that everyone is talking about, and mode settings for beautiful photos

The Olympus TG-5 was so popular that production could not keep up with demand, and it was constantly sold out, making it difficult to obtain at times.

I took some photos with my own hands in the ocean off Miyakojima. I'm not an Olympus shilling, so I'll be honest about both the good and bad points.

Terrain and large objects! Wide subjects (Underwater wide mode)

Examples of Antonio Gaudi's works

Miyakojima is famous for its topographical features! I took this photo in "Underwater Wide" mode. The flash is turned off beforehand, so this mode is recommended for topographical photos.

It automatically adjusts settings to suit the underwater environment and takes photos. It's quite smart.

This photo was taken at a spot called Antoni Gaudi. The environment wasn't too dark, and the shutter speed was set to 1/160. With this setting, you can take a photo without much blur, even if you take it casually.

Laser beam example

This photo was taken in a very dimly lit place, and the shutter speed was 1/60th of a second. This shutter speed allows you to take a picture without any blur, as long as the photographer remains reasonably still. The key point here is "as long as you remain reasonably still." It can be difficult to stay perfectly still underwater at first, but 1/60th of a second is a setting that even beginners can use to take a picture without any blur.

It was designed with the theme of "anyone can take photos easily and conveniently" and the Olympus blue is beautiful.

Shark example

Sharks! If you take a photo with the camera's built-in flash, too much dust will be visible and the photo will be rejected, so we took a photo with a light. In real diving, the guide will keep the light shining on the shark, so you can take similar photos.

This was also a dimly lit environment, and I was able to capture a swimming shark without any blur. The TG-5 is amazing. However, due to the limitations of the camera's performance, the photo is a little grainy.

Dolphin example

It even captures fast-swimming dolphins perfectly! The shutter speed is 1/200 seconds. In shallow, bright water, you can take blur-free photos. Amazing! Anyone can take beautiful photos.

When the water is shallow, the underwater wide 2 mode automatically adjusts the white balance, even without a flash, and the colors look really beautiful!

Underwater wide mode is recommended for photographing terrain, landscapes, and people.

Mid-range biological photography (underwater macro mode)

Nemo example

Underwater macro mode is a mode that uses zoom and flash to take pictures of small creatures.

You can use this mode to catch almost any creature, including sea slugs, shrimp, and crabs. It's an amazing mode. Nemo is a breeze, of course!

Example of a red-spotted catfish

Example of a Hanagoi

What I found particularly impressive was its ability to capture fast-moving fish!

This is the area where conventional compact digital cameras are weakest, and many photos are rejected due to out-of-focus or blurry images.

The TG-1 has a fixed shutter speed of 200/6.3 second to prevent blurring, and a fixed aperture of FXNUMX to make it easier to focus. These settings seem to solve the problems of focus and blurring.

However, a side effect of this setting is that the background tends to be dark. If the background is water, a technique called "blackout" is automatically applied, making it difficult to bring out the refreshing blue color of the water.

Whether the background is blue or black is a matter of preference, but the underwater macro mode is specialized for photographing living creatures, allowing you to capture beautiful images with the colors of the creatures themselves coming out clearly.

Ultra close-up macro photography (microscope mode)

Sea slug example

An original feature exclusive to Olympus is "Microscope Mode," which, as the name suggests, captures things that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It even captures fingerprints perfectly, as you can see here.

In the macro world of this class, focusing becomes even more critical, so the aperture is fixed at F14, the camera's limit, to make it as easy to focus as possible.

This setting is not designed for taking pictures of moving creatures, and is limited to subjects that do not move, such as sea slugs, allowing you to get as close as you want.

It's difficult to use unless the photographer has a decent level of diving skill. I was also extremely focused when taking the photos.

This photo was taken using the microscope mode to its full potential. It can't be taken any larger, but it's still impressive.

To make it easier to understand, I had the sea slug sit on the palm of my hand. It certainly captures a world that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

It's no exaggeration to say that this mode was created for sea slug lovers. It expands the scope of camera play even further. Why not test your skills with the safety stop on the shelf?

Video recording mode

I'd like to say that the dolphins are perfectly captured, but if you look closely, the focus is a bit shaky and the images are sometimes blurry, and there's no image stabilization, so to be honest, the video you take is just so-so.

However, since its main purpose is as a photography camera, it's not too much to ask for, and if you want to take videos, an action camera or video camera would definitely be better, so as a photography camera, this level of quality is more than enough!

Review of shooting modes

In fact, when diving in Miyakojima, you can take beautiful photos with just two modes! As the theme is "anyone can take photos easily and simply," all you need to do is switch between the two modes and the camera will automatically take beautiful photos, so it's a good idea to remember at least two modes.

  • "Underwater Wide Mode" is useful for wide-angle photography of landscapes, terrain, people, large subjects, and schools of fish.
  • "Underwater Macro Mode" can capture any creature smaller than the palm of your hand! Fish, sea slugs, shrimp, crabs, etc.

Specializing in "diving style for taking photos"

There are many free camera rental services that offer "first come, first served" or "limited numbers available," but I don't think there are many free camera rental services that are available to all participating groups.

Our style is not first come, first served. That's because BIGHOLIDAY style is to go out together to take pictures of special scenery. To take the picture yourself and savor the afterglow later. To show it to someone special. To tell everyone on social media that such a beautiful place exists. I'm sure you and I have the same reasons for wanting to take pictures.

This service was started with the idea that we want everyone to promote the ocean of Miyakojima in various ways, such as using it as wallpaper on their PC, mobile phone, blog, Twitter, or Facebook diary. Let's go take some photos together!

I hope that many people will be able to enjoy this view.

 

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