reefwalker

Hi,

Really liked your pics in Flickr, some of those shots are amazing. I've been to a few places in Indonesia but have not been to Bangka Island. How would you compare the macro diving there to Talumben or Lembeh? What is your favorite place to dive in Indonesia for a chance to get those rare shots (e.g., blue ring, striated frogfish, etc)?

Thanks!
Ken

Hi Ken
Bangka Island has a great mix of macro and wide angle subjects, as there are reefs and sand bottoms. To me the great attraction there are the soft coral coated pinnacles and fish life which make great wide angle subjects.
Lembeh is great muck diving with amazing creatures, and I rate it as the best over-all muck diving for critters in Indonesia.
Tulamben is a special place as it has great muck diving (but not as good as Lembeh), plus a fantastic wreck and wide angle sites at various spots along the coast, plus nearly all of the dive sites are easy shore entries.
As for my favorite place for rare critters, it has to be Lembeh as it here you will find creatures like flamboyant cuttlefish & striated fogfish & hairy frogfish. You can't find these in Tulamben. Then again I love Komodo, with its manta's, muck diving and beautiful reefs loaded with pelagics.
Actually my favorite place is Indonesia, that's why I live here :-)

thks reefwalker, loved your collection in Flickr.

i have almost the same rig (E-PL1 in my case with Oly casing) except for the Inon-i have 2 Z240 type4.what do i set on the camera for wide-angle ? cheers

Hi Decimal 86
With the 9-18mm Oly lens and Zen Dome, I shoot in manual mode (M), start with a shutter speed of 1/125th, Aperture F8, internal strobe set to lowest manual power (to trigger the Inon's), fit diffusers to Inon's, strobes out wide and set back and pointing slightly outward - set to around 3/4 of full power, ISO200, White Balance Manual 5800 degrees Kelvin, RAW image Quality, Centre Focus, Live View Boost ON. Note: to vary exposure, remember this - Strobe Power changes the foreground exposure, Shutter Speed changes the background (natural light) exposure, Aperture & ISO change the overall exposure (Background and Foreground).
Hope this helps?