COMI Tech Underwater Camera Tutorial part 2. In order to teach myself to use this camera, I created these step-by step illustrated instructions.
Part 2 of an Illustrated Tutorial on how to use COMI Tech Underwater Camera
If you haven’t yet read part 1 of this tutorial, you might want to click on this link below. It will open up in a new window. Afterward, you can come back and read part 2.
COMI Tech Underwater Camera Tutorial Part 1
Here is part 2 of this tutorial on how to use the COMI Tech Underwater Camera.
COMI Tech Underwater Camera Tutorial Part 1
Here is part 2 of this tutorial on how to use the COMI Tech Underwater Camera.
SCENE: 9 Options
To reach SETTINGS, click the MENU button on the back of the camera.
The first section you will see are the various SCENE options. They include:
You can use the UP or DOWN Zoom buttons on the back to scroll through the selections.
The first section you will see are the various SCENE options. They include:
- Auto
- Scenery
- Portrait
- Night Scenery
- Night Portrait
- High Sensitivity
- Sport
- Beach
- Party
You can use the UP or DOWN Zoom buttons on the back to scroll through the selections.
Once you see a SCENE option you prefer, hit the MENU/SET button to select. You will see a check-mark appear by that choice.
I decided to go with AUTO since I was not certain what I would encounter to photograph.
Hit the right arrow to go to the next SETTING option to consider.
IMAGE RESOLUTION: 15 Options
There are multiple IMAGE Resolution options to select from. Here is the list:
1. 24W 5600 x 4200
2. 20M 5200 x 3900
3. 18M 4896 x 3672
4. 16M 4608 x 3456
5. 14M 4416 x 3312
6. 12M 4000 x 3000
7. 10M 3648 x 2736
8. 8M 3264 x 2448
9. 7M 3072 x 2304
10. 7M HD 3648 x 2048
11. 5M 2592 x 1944
12. 3M 2048 x 1536
13. 2M 1600 x 1200
14. 2M HD 1920 x 1080
15. VGA 640 x 480
I did a little “Googling” and decided to start off by experimenting with the last two options: VGA 640 x 480 versus 2M HD 1920 x 1080. I wanted to see which pictures had the best picture quality in my eyes.
I did a little “Googling” and decided to start off by experimenting with the last two options: VGA 640 x 480 versus 2M HD 1920 x 1080. I wanted to see which pictures had the best picture quality in my eyes.
I then decided to test out four other options among the fifteen: 24W 5600 x 4200 versus 8M HD 3264 x 2448 versus 7M 3072 x 2304 versus 7M HD 3648 x 2048.
Very quickly, I decided that I would drive myself crazy if I tested out any more than those six options. As it was, I did drive myself a bit crazy, LOL, but finally decided I would just have to choose one to use for now.
By the way, if anyone is a camera expert and could weigh in with your skilled input, please make a comment below. I am always eager and grateful to learn.
Here is the picture comparison of the gazebo located near where I live in Decatur, Alabama.
© 2019 by Debbie Dunn. Created using iPhone photos and PowerPoint.
In studying the pictures, I decided that I liked the photo quality of 2M HD 1920 x 1080 the best. I thought the grass looked richer and greener. I felt the other pictures looked more washed-out.
Very quickly, I decided that I would drive myself crazy if I tested out any more than those six options. As it was, I did drive myself a bit crazy, LOL, but finally decided I would just have to choose one to use for now.
By the way, if anyone is a camera expert and could weigh in with your skilled input, please make a comment below. I am always eager and grateful to learn.
Here is the picture comparison of the gazebo located near where I live in Decatur, Alabama.
In studying the pictures, I decided that I liked the photo quality of 2M HD 1920 x 1080 the best. I thought the grass looked richer and greener. I felt the other pictures looked more washed-out.
Image Resolution went down when it got Sunnier
Later in the same day, when it got very sunny outside, I decided to take that same picture again using the IMAGE RESOLUTION I had selected: 2M HD 1920 x 1080. As you see, the color got that more washed-out look.
That meant, I was going to have to play around with the other options in SETTINGS.
That meant, I was going to have to play around with the other options in SETTINGS.
WHITE BALANCE: 5 options
Given that it was a very sunny afternoon, I decided to test out the WHITE BALANCE options.
In settings, there were the following five options: 1. Auto 2. Daylight 3. Cloudy 4. Fluorescent 5. Incandescent
I decided to switch from Auto to Sunny. But that was a total bust, as far as I was concerned. Every picture, no matter which Image Resolution I attempted, looked like that washed-out, darkened picture you see above.
So, I decided to just stick with AUTO.
That meant, I needed to see what other SETTING options might help fix that problem. But to make it simpler, I figured out the SETTING options I would not have to fool with at all.
In settings, there were the following five options: 1. Auto 2. Daylight 3. Cloudy 4. Fluorescent 5. Incandescent
I decided to switch from Auto to Sunny. But that was a total bust, as far as I was concerned. Every picture, no matter which Image Resolution I attempted, looked like that washed-out, darkened picture you see above.
So, I decided to just stick with AUTO.
That meant, I needed to see what other SETTING options might help fix that problem. But to make it simpler, I figured out the SETTING options I would not have to fool with at all.
Four More Setting Options
This picture shows four of the SETTING options I would not have to fool with at all.
The top-left picture shows the DEFAULT setting. There was no other option but that. So, that was a no-brainer.
The top-right picture shows the AUTO POWER OFF option. For now, I am content with the camera turns itself off at the 3-minute mark so that I don’t use up my battery too quickly. I can easily change that later, if needed.
The bottom-left picture shows the FORMAT MEMORY CARD option. Obviously, unless I replace this SD card with a new one, or I wish to erase every picture on the SD card, then I need to keep it on the CANCEL option.
The bottom-right picture shows the DATE/TIME option. Since I do not want the date or time to show on my photos, I choose to leave that at the OFF setting.
So, those four options are not what is needed to fix my problem. So, back to SETTINGS to see what else I can either eliminate or select.
The top-left picture shows the DEFAULT setting. There was no other option but that. So, that was a no-brainer.
The top-right picture shows the AUTO POWER OFF option. For now, I am content with the camera turns itself off at the 3-minute mark so that I don’t use up my battery too quickly. I can easily change that later, if needed.
The bottom-left picture shows the FORMAT MEMORY CARD option. Obviously, unless I replace this SD card with a new one, or I wish to erase every picture on the SD card, then I need to keep it on the CANCEL option.
The bottom-right picture shows the DATE/TIME option. Since I do not want the date or time to show on my photos, I choose to leave that at the OFF setting.
So, those four options are not what is needed to fix my problem. So, back to SETTINGS to see what else I can either eliminate or select.
Four Additional Setting Options
This picture shows four additional SETTING options I would not have to fool with at all.
The top-left picture shows the LANGUAGE setting. Since I am an American who only speaks English, that is the ideal setting for me.
The top-right picture shows the SELF-TIMER. I would imagine this is for setting the camera up on a tripod to take a group shot. Or this could be for taking a SELFIE image that required a bit of set-up. For now, I will leave that at the OFF setting.
The bottom-left picture shows the SILENT MODE. Since I do want sound to play if I decide to make a video, I will leave that at ON. By the way, during playback of videos on the camera, you can barely hear the sound coming from the camera. But when you play the video on your laptop or on YouTube, you can fully hear the sound.
The bottom-right picture shows the ANTI-SHAKE option. Obviously, I will leave that at the ON setting as I do not want the photos I take to look blurred.
So, those four options are not what is needed to fix my problem. So, back to SETTINGS to see what else I can either eliminate or select.
The top-left picture shows the LANGUAGE setting. Since I am an American who only speaks English, that is the ideal setting for me.
The top-right picture shows the SELF-TIMER. I would imagine this is for setting the camera up on a tripod to take a group shot. Or this could be for taking a SELFIE image that required a bit of set-up. For now, I will leave that at the OFF setting.
The bottom-left picture shows the SILENT MODE. Since I do want sound to play if I decide to make a video, I will leave that at ON. By the way, during playback of videos on the camera, you can barely hear the sound coming from the camera. But when you play the video on your laptop or on YouTube, you can fully hear the sound.
The bottom-right picture shows the ANTI-SHAKE option. Obviously, I will leave that at the ON setting as I do not want the photos I take to look blurred.
So, those four options are not what is needed to fix my problem. So, back to SETTINGS to see what else I can either eliminate or select.
Even More Setting Options
This picture shows four more SETTING options I would not have to fool with at all.
The top-left picture shows the MULTI SNAPSHOTS option. Since for now, I do not want to take a bunch of photos in quick succession, I am fine with leaving that OFF.
The top-right picture shows the FACE DETECT option. Since I am not taking pictures of people, I will leave that at OFF as well.
The bottom-left picture shows the IMAGE QUALITY option. For now, I’ve decided to leave that at NORMAL. Admittedly, I did not experiment with the “Fine” and “Super Fine” options. So, I don’t know if they would have helped my particular problem or not.
The bottom-right picture shows the COLOR EFFECT options of STANDARD, SEPIA, MONOCHROME, and VIVID. I tried MONOCHROME. That makes you pictures become grayscale pictures. So, for now, I am leaving that option at STANDARD.
So, those four options are still not what is needed to fix my problem. So, back to SETTINGS to see what else I can either eliminate or select.
The top-left picture shows the MULTI SNAPSHOTS option. Since for now, I do not want to take a bunch of photos in quick succession, I am fine with leaving that OFF.
The top-right picture shows the FACE DETECT option. Since I am not taking pictures of people, I will leave that at OFF as well.
The bottom-left picture shows the IMAGE QUALITY option. For now, I’ve decided to leave that at NORMAL. Admittedly, I did not experiment with the “Fine” and “Super Fine” options. So, I don’t know if they would have helped my particular problem or not.
The bottom-right picture shows the COLOR EFFECT options of STANDARD, SEPIA, MONOCHROME, and VIVID. I tried MONOCHROME. That makes you pictures become grayscale pictures. So, for now, I am leaving that option at STANDARD.
So, those four options are still not what is needed to fix my problem. So, back to SETTINGS to see what else I can either eliminate or select.
Three More Setting Options that Don’t Address My Problem
This picture shows three more SETTING options I would not have to fool with at all.
The top-left picture shows the FREQUENCY option of 50 Hz and 60 Hz. When Googling it, I found the prevalent opinion seems to be the following: “Use 50Hz in Europe and Asia and 60Hz in Americas.” Whether that is accurate or not, I am not sure. If anybody who is an expert in this area would share your opinion in the comment section, I would be most grateful. But since I am currently in America, I will leave it at 60 Hz.
The top-right picture shows the ISO option. I played with the Auto and the ISO 400. I finally decided, given my lack of better understanding about this, I would leave my camera at the Auto setting for now. By the way, I found a very reader-friendly article that explains ISO called “Introduction to ISO in Photography.” I have included a link at the end of this blog so I can refer back to it again and for you to check it out, if you so desire.
The bottom-left and bottom-right pictures shows the METERING option. I only played with this option a little bit and decided to keep it at CENTER for now. However, since then, I read this amazing article called “Understanding Metering and Metering Modes.” I’ve included the link at the bottom should you care to read it, too. From it, I learned that choosing MULTI probably would have been the better choice when there is different lighting conditions in your photo. For example, if there is a dark forest but light blue sky. Apparently, the camera would just each part of the photo separately if I chose this option. But if I choose CENTER, then it only really focuses on that and not the rest of the photo. I will not bother trying to reinterpret what I learned as the author of that article can say it all much more clearly. I can definitely see myself reading that article again as I found it so very helpful.
The bottom-right picture shows the COLOR EFFECT options of STANDARD, SEPIA, MONOCHROME, and VIVID. I tried MONOCHROME. That makes you pictures become grayscale pictures. So, for now, I am leaving that option at STANDARD.
So, those three options are still not what is needed to fix my problem. There are only two more options left.
The top-left picture shows the FREQUENCY option of 50 Hz and 60 Hz. When Googling it, I found the prevalent opinion seems to be the following: “Use 50Hz in Europe and Asia and 60Hz in Americas.” Whether that is accurate or not, I am not sure. If anybody who is an expert in this area would share your opinion in the comment section, I would be most grateful. But since I am currently in America, I will leave it at 60 Hz.
The top-right picture shows the ISO option. I played with the Auto and the ISO 400. I finally decided, given my lack of better understanding about this, I would leave my camera at the Auto setting for now. By the way, I found a very reader-friendly article that explains ISO called “Introduction to ISO in Photography.” I have included a link at the end of this blog so I can refer back to it again and for you to check it out, if you so desire.
The bottom-left and bottom-right pictures shows the METERING option. I only played with this option a little bit and decided to keep it at CENTER for now. However, since then, I read this amazing article called “Understanding Metering and Metering Modes.” I’ve included the link at the bottom should you care to read it, too. From it, I learned that choosing MULTI probably would have been the better choice when there is different lighting conditions in your photo. For example, if there is a dark forest but light blue sky. Apparently, the camera would just each part of the photo separately if I chose this option. But if I choose CENTER, then it only really focuses on that and not the rest of the photo. I will not bother trying to reinterpret what I learned as the author of that article can say it all much more clearly. I can definitely see myself reading that article again as I found it so very helpful.
The bottom-right picture shows the COLOR EFFECT options of STANDARD, SEPIA, MONOCHROME, and VIVID. I tried MONOCHROME. That makes you pictures become grayscale pictures. So, for now, I am leaving that option at STANDARD.
So, those three options are still not what is needed to fix my problem. There are only two more options left.
Image Sharpness
The second-to-last SETTING option on the camera is IMAGE SHARPNESS. The options are soft, normal, and sharp.
I did not play with SOFT at all. I decided that I really like SHARP. If you will notice in the photo, you can actually see the individual planks on the side of the building. All the features appear to be so much better defined. So, I did decide to leave my camera at the SHARP setting.
And finally, there is only one more option left in Setting. I have left the best for last.
I did not play with SOFT at all. I decided that I really like SHARP. If you will notice in the photo, you can actually see the individual planks on the side of the building. All the features appear to be so much better defined. So, I did decide to leave my camera at the SHARP setting.
And finally, there is only one more option left in Setting. I have left the best for last.
Light Exposure Appears to be the Solution
At long last, I found the SETTING option that I was searching for. The LIGHT EXPOSURE option appeared to be the key.
I experimented with +2 Light. It was too bright. I experimented with +2 Dark. It was too dark. In sunny conditions, +1 Light was also too bright. When it is super sunny out, NORMAL appears a bit too bright. But when it is super sunny, +1 Dark appears just right.
So, the solution that I am content with is to use NORMAL when it is cloudy outside. And when it is super sunny outside, I will change the Light Exposure to +1 Dark. Notice the top middle picture to see if you agree.
So, finally, I have all my SETTINGS selected. The last thing to do is to figure out how to take a video.
I experimented with +2 Light. It was too bright. I experimented with +2 Dark. It was too dark. In sunny conditions, +1 Light was also too bright. When it is super sunny out, NORMAL appears a bit too bright. But when it is super sunny, +1 Dark appears just right.
So, the solution that I am content with is to use NORMAL when it is cloudy outside. And when it is super sunny outside, I will change the Light Exposure to +1 Dark. Notice the top middle picture to see if you agree.
So, finally, I have all my SETTINGS selected. The last thing to do is to figure out how to take a video.
Taking a Video
To make a video, turn on the camera. Press the MODE key to select the Video option.
Then hit the SHUTTER KEY to begin recording. You will see a RED record button light up. When you are ready to end the recording, hit the SHUTTER KEY again.
To play back your video, hit the MODE button again. When you see the video you wish to watch, hit the SHUTTER KEY again to play it.
Be aware that when you play the video back on the camera itself, you can barely hear the sound. But when you upload the video to your laptop or onto YouTube, you can clearly hear the sound.
To demonstrate, I uploaded a 18-second video on the ducks who live in Decatur, Alabama. You will notice that you can hear the birds singing and the fountain running that is in the middle of that pond in the background.
Then hit the SHUTTER KEY to begin recording. You will see a RED record button light up. When you are ready to end the recording, hit the SHUTTER KEY again.
To play back your video, hit the MODE button again. When you see the video you wish to watch, hit the SHUTTER KEY again to play it.
Be aware that when you play the video back on the camera itself, you can barely hear the sound. But when you upload the video to your laptop or onto YouTube, you can clearly hear the sound.
To demonstrate, I uploaded a 18-second video on the ducks who live in Decatur, Alabama. You will notice that you can hear the birds singing and the fountain running that is in the middle of that pond in the background.
Please note: A Future Blog will be about Testing the Camera Underwater.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful. It certainly helped me learn how to use my COMI Tech Underwater Camera step-by-step for future trips.
Link to Part 1 of this Tutorial
Each link will open up in a new window.
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COMI Tech Underwater Camera Tutorial Part 1
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An Underwater Tutorial will come sometime in the future when it is once again summer conditions.
Link to YouTube Tutorials plus Amazon Links
Each link will open up in a new window.
- Underwater Camera Full Hd 1080P Waterproof Digital Camera
- SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSDHC UHS-I card with Adapter
- Yellow Waterproof Camera Float
- YouTube Camera Tutorial 1
- YouTube Camera Tutorial 2
- COMI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
- Understanding Metering and Metering Modes
- Introduction to ISO in Photography
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