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segal3

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Posts posted by segal3

  1. Posted

    And I wouldn't think that depth (i.e. pressure) would not have much to do with optical density as water does not compress. The only think I can think of is the change in temperature as there is some minor changes in water density at various temperatures, which might affect optical density.

     

    Jean was referring to the depth of the scratch, not of the port or lens.

     

    ~Matt Segal

  2. Posted

    Eric - Make sure on that prior to arriving in PNG (I assume you're going through Australia?) that you convert some of your USD or AUD into PNG kina. From what I remember, kina is the only currency they accept for the visas. Aside from that, it wasn't an issue whatsoever.

     

    ~Matt Segal

  3. Posted

    If you can't get the exposure you want you will have to adjust the camera with the flash exposure compensation....  the small button, top of camera , far right...  go ahead and set it all the way to the right and test the flash with the lenses stopped down...  now is the time to get this right in your head...  out of the water.

     

    This won't have any effect on strobe output and is unnecessary.

     

    ~Matt Segal

  4. Posted

    Since the 14, along with the fisheye are my mainstays for wide work, if the 14 is ineffective with the 1DSmk2, then this is a serious consideration in my choice-a working 14mm on a full frame Digital SLR is desirable for me, but not essential - I can always use film with my Nikon set up is I wish to use this lens.

     

    To avoid any misconceptions, that lens on the D2X will not produce your typical 14mm image (from a film aspect). This is a result of the D2X being a cropped-sensor camera...

  5. Posted

    But why did you choose high ISO for this shot?

     

    Wait...I had a choice? Oops... :)

     

    Was there some advantage to high ISO on this shot?

     

    The...umm...advantage was that...well, I forgot to change it back to ISO100 after some astrophotography. Usually this is referred to as "stupid mistake" :blink:

     

    ~Matt Segal

  6. Posted

    Looks like the noise isn't too bad. I wonder if the difference between the d70 and 20d would be noticable uw.
    The 20D should be considerably better....
    huh?

     

    William was making the point that in noise comparisons, the 20D would do noticeably better than the D70 for a given ISO.

     

    ~Matt Segal

  11. Posted

    Some nice shots Will...in terms of suggestions (and a comment to everyone else), you're forgetting to convert your photos from aRGB -> sRGB prior to uploading them to the web. Because (unlike PS and other image software) the majority of browsers don't take into account the color space of the image, and uses a sRGB color space default, images left as aRGB look duller and less saturated than their converted sRGB counterparts.

     

    DS-50 + DS-125?

     

    Interested in the post-processing (if any) on the first juv. Garibaldi picture, great color and focus...

     

    Looks like you're adapting well to the 20D :)

     

    ~Matt Segal

  18. Posted

    (For title relation, see images below)

     

    Prospects for diving this weekend seemed slim when I heard on Wednesday the news about the Conception boat - the boat I was booked on for Saturday. A quick additional scheduling had me moved to the Truth, diving an oil rig. Truth Aquatics came through however, moving everyone from those two boats onto the Vision - an incredibly spacious and accomodating boat that I hadn't been on before (it really is a *very* nice boat). 25 divers and it did not seem croweded at all. Remarkable. We were going to depart at 4AM for the Outer Channel Islands, but once again that attempt was thwarted by 30-35knot winds that came up off San Miguel and Santa Rosa...we settled for Santa Cruz :blink:

     

    Other than myself, there were a few point-and-shoot photog's w/ manufactuer housings, a f*%m Rebel in an Aquatica housing, and another 20D w/ Ike housing being shot by William Chen (a Wetpixel member). Obviously there was plenty to talk about. The day was absolutely beautiful...in case you haven't been in SoCal recently, the last few days we've had clear, blue skies, with temperatures as high as 80-85deg. A light breeze did nothing to disturb the water, and a gentle lapping was all that reminded you that you were in the ocean. Almost mirror flat by the island.

     

    Critter-wise - nothing extraordinary. I did manage to see a purple Crevice Kelpfish (correct species ID this time, the previous images I posted were Island Kelpfish), but was shooting with the 18-55mm, so nothing *too* detailed. Oddly, they thought at one point that we would get 5 dives in...and then only gave us 3...:(;) . A few teasers for now, I'm still culling the last few galleries, but more to come in a while:

     

    I'm hiding! (Kelp Scenic with Garibaldi)

    march26th2.jpg

     

    march26th1.jpg

    Island Kelpfish (in an empty scallop shell)

     

    Enjoy.

     

    ~Matt Segal

  22. Posted

    Well, I've been using manual mode (M) in all my dives with this camera so far. I would think that if you *were* going to use a semi-automatic mode, that you would use aperture-priority (Av), and then set the exposure to -1 or -2 (or some intermediate) for it to calculate shutter speed. You'd likely then have to use the Evaluative metering mode as well, so that it takes into account the blue around the subject instead of a partial or center-weighted measurement (that would hopefully be filled with your subject)...

     

    Aperture priority allows you to set a given aperture that you can adjust your strobes from...if that's varying too much at any given instant it can be difficult to be changing strobe power simultaneously, especially if you don't know the aperture.

     

    On the other hand, when shooting fast subjects (sea lions, dolphins, schooling fish), it is necessary to have some manner of control over the shutter speed...which you wouldn't have in Av.

     

    Thus a reliance on M. Feel free to experiment with what works best for you. Either of the two modes can be used in some situations.

     

    BTW - In terms of the modes, this is assuredly not camera specific - but perhaps manufacturer specific. Eric or Craig (as the resident Canon shooters) might weigh in with their impressions of how the Canon setups react and what they're familiar with...

     

    ~Matt Segal

  23. Posted

    I've been using Single Shot AF. You can try the other two if your subjects fill a large portion of the frame and really are moving too fast to snap quickly enough with that. The red flash of the focus point in this mode when focus is achieved is a great indicator however.

     

    Metering really only comes into play with balanced blue water backgrounds.

     

    In terms of macro, you'll want a shutter speed higher than the focal length of your lens, but slow enough to allow you strobe to fully discharge. This can range anywhere from 1/100 to 1/250 or so (if you're using a DS-125, and being limited by the flash sync-speed) as a general start. Aperture and strobe control are your own variables, adjust as necessary for the effect.

     

    I've been using either Partial (empty circle) or Evaluative (closed circle), with the center AF focus point selected. I ran some tests this weekend, and exposure metering doesn't play into flash metering on the camera whatsoever - you can control that through the custom functions (two choices: Evaluative (eTTL2) or Average - I've stuck with the former).

     

    Typically, you'll want to underexpose your water background by 1 or 2 stops to get a deep rich dark blue, but that can vary on user preference. I don't suggest trying to use the TTL for w/a shooting. Shutter speed will vary on ambient brightness.

     

    Take the time on your first dive or two to see what works, and how everything relates. If you've been shooting u/w previously, it's no different.

     

    Hope this helps - we'll be waiting for the pictures :D

     

    ~Matt Segal

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