ReelBruin

Actually what was interesting is the weather was very rough that day. Any operator off Honolulu can get you there, but Honolulu is not calm and placid like Kona.

We got a chance to see those monster bottlenose dophins that live there, the ones that hit about 13'. Apparently they are specially adapted to the cold by getting that big and are the coldest region bottlenoses around. Also apparently they are potentially going to be declared a subspecies.

Well keep in mind how varied NZ is from North to South. The BOI (Bay of Islands) feels like Hawaii/Fiji in their summer, and I believe that absent storms, water temps are aroudn 70 and vis is prob 50-100 I'm gonna guess. It's not as warm as people think. But it IS extremely interesting - it's such a mix of habitats. There is also diving on South Island, but that's all dry suits. Basically NZ goes from Fiji like conditions in the extreme North to penguins near Christchurch, close to the South Pole. Cousteau put the PK Islands on his list of Top 10 spots in the world. Also, the Rainbow Warrior wreck is near there. One other thing of note is that the guides said that normally there are many, many rays there of several variety, but whales had been through eating them.

Noob question - whats the "magic filter?"

This is Doubtful Sound in the morning. Doubftul Sound is on the Tasman Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and is a transitional area between the Tasman Sea, and more polar regions. The area is dominated by interesting rainforest vegetation due to huge amounts of rain. Think - Jurassic Park. CP-5000 by itself, ISO 100. No retouching. I like the greys on this. That "tunnel" of light just happened.

A little SCUBA on the honeymoon at the Poor Knighs Islands in NZ. What's amazing about the PKI it is a complete mix of CA diving with South Pacific. The bottom is rocky reef and some kelp-like veg (visible in photos), but the fish are tropical. It's what you get when you mix the warm current from the Tasman coming over the North end of NZ on the North Island (PK Islands are at the Bay of Islands) and the colder polar water. Unfortuantely there was high turbidity on this day (note some backscatter) because we were diving right after a big storm. CP-5000, Ike housing, ISO 100, DS-50 and DS-125. Some retouching to improve the contrast on the ray's skin. In this photo I did what I could to ensure totally natural hues. One shot of the islands themselves.

The F4-U Corsair at about 100' off Honolulu. Taken with a CP-5000, single DS-125, ISO 100. Some retouching to enhance the yellows on the fish. I like how the sand looks like sugar in this picture. Unfortunately the post isnt doing the original justice with the sand, which looks positively crystaline and brighter.

Thanks all. I'm leaning towards the Nikon on the basis of the environmental seals. I heard that is a plus on the Nikon. Otherwise sounds like I can't go wrong with the D200. And I am a fan of Ike housings myself as well.

So how do you "know" if a camera is 4/3 or 3/2 (or 4:3 or 3:2 I guess). I realize that 3:2 is traditional 35mm size....are most DSLR 4/3 or 3/2? Examples D200 or Cannon E30D...would those be 4/3 or 3/2? And other than print size, does it make much difference?

Has anybody actually USED the thing underwater? That thread was all about people guessing what it MIGHT be like!

I am moving from CP world to DSLR world. I've read a lot of posts and reviews, which lead me to believe that the D200 is overall a better camera. If you were starting out fresh, which would you choose - 30D or D200?

I'be been shooting with a Coolpix for a number of years, but this year I am doing to upgrade to a DSLR. I just read a few reviews of the new Olympus E-330, and it dawned on me then how much I rely on the LCD on the CP for a live view, because we all know that there's a bit more between the eye and the viewfinder underwate. So who WOULDN'T want an E-330? Anybody used this thing yet? Other cameras in consideration are the D200 and E30D.

CS2 does...It's supported in RAW plugin 3.1 also if you have PS7.

I'm thinking about getting one, or the Nikon Coolscan 5 LS-50 ED (?)... thoughts?

Hi- I just brought back a bunch of RAW images from my CP 5000 but was disturbed to find that at least one program - Silkypic - appears to not support it. Before I go make any purchases, I just wanted to verify that the Adobe RAW plugin for Photoshop works, and then also ask how you get that? or ask for other recommendations on software? Thanks!