john70490

I second Rocha's and ATJ's suggestion of the Nikon18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX lens. You should be able to get a used one for about $100 on e-bay. I recently tested mine under water for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with the results. It's neither macro nor wide angle but a good medium-range lens and will enable you to take a lot of nice shots. I got a good used #5503.50 dome port for $125 by placing a want-to-buy ad in the Classifieds section of this forum. You will also need a 52mm +4 diopter (close-up lens). A decent one will cost you $10-15 from Hong Kong on e-bay (don't buy one of the cheapest ones on offer from China). Your DS 50's will work fine with this set-up (I used a DS 50 and a DS 51 for my test). When you can afford it, a 60mm Micro-Nikkor is the next obvious choice. Your DS 50's will work fine with that lens too. When you feel ready for wide angle, the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye would be my preferred choice but you will need two DS 125's or DS 160's for that and two used DS125's would mean an outlay of about $1000 (even more for DS 160's).

It depends on what you are using the strobe(s) for. As you say, the DS160 is a LOT more expensive. It is also much heavier and bulkier, which can be a problem when you travel. However, it is more powerful (guide number 12 (meters) instead of 9), covers a wider angle and has additional features (e.g. a good modelling light). In my opinion, two DS51's are ideal for macro. For wide angle, one or, preferably, two DS160's is a better choice but dual 160's make your rig very heavy on land . You won't want to carry it more than a few steps. Another consideration is the batteries. The DS160 has a built-in Ni-MH battery while the DS51 uses standard AA batteries. I use rechargeables with mine but it is nice to know that you can also use alkalines, which are available everywhere.

With all respect to the other posters, I would definitely not buy an expensive aluminium housing for the D90. THe camera is rapidly becoming obsolescent and the housing will have lost 25-30% of its value after the first dive. I have an Ikelite housing for my D80 and am quite happy with it. An advantage is that it provides TTL with Ikelite strobes. You should be able to pick up a couple of used DS 125's for a reasonable price (make sure the serial numbers are higher than 5000). If you mainly shoot macro, used DS 51's cost half as much, are a lot smaller and lighter, are almost as powerful (guide number 9 instead of 10) and will do the job fine. By the way, the older D version of the MicroNikkor 60mm lens will work fine with the D90. It is about 150 dollars cheaper than the newer version and is just as good.

I use the (non-VR) 105mm D lens at f22, 1/125 sec, full-range focus and haven't experienced any focusing problems but I almost only use it in tropicak visibilty, very rarely here in Sweden, where I use the 60mm D 99% of the time.

Olly, why do you remove the strobes from the arms and arms from the housing? Mine stay on until I disassemble the entire set-up before a trip and I haven't noticed any problems. As you say yourself, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

This is the 6" dome for the Nikon 18-55mm f3.5.5.6 G ED AF-S DX lens, among others. Does anyone have one for sale? Payment by Paypal. Regards, John

The 17-35mm and 17-55mm lenses are expensive professoinal lenses. Wouldn't the cheap kit lens that came with your camera (18-55 or, possibly, 18-70mm) do the job just as well for the thresher sharks? According to Ken Rockwell, the optics of the 18-55mm lens are fully comparable with those of the professional lenses.

Visibility here in Sweden is usually not more than 4-5 m, often only about 2m, and almost everybody uses the 60mm lens almost all the time. I don't think you can beat it. The new 40mm Nikon lens will probably be just as good, and at a sensationally low price

Fisheye Fix LED500, YS ball adapter and ULCS clamp.

Deleted. Not relevant.

PM sent

Still looking!

These are the single and dual cords for connecting strobes with Nikonos-typ bulkheads to an Ikelite housing. Payment by Paypal.

Anyone?

I now have this, so no longer lookin.

This is the port for the kit lens Nikon 18-70mm zoom, as well as certain wide angle lenses. Does anyone have one for sale? Payment by Paypal.

Because older DS50 strobes, with lower serial numbers, are not TTL-compatible with Ikelite housings. But if your housing does not have TTL, that is not relevant.

If you're on a limited budget, I would suggest you look for a used DS50 with a serial number higher than 70000. With sync cable #4103.51, you will then have TTL with your housing. The strobe doesn't cover as wide an angle as the DS125 but is almost as powerful and is much more compact and lighter in weight. It works fine for macro with the 60mm lens and you should be able to get one for about $200.

I am looking for an Ikelite housing for the Nikon D300 for a friend. Does anyone have one for sale? Payment by Paypal (from my Paypal account).

I use a similar lanyard to Gina's except that it has two steel clips instead of that nasty plastic one and loop. I bought it on the UK e-bay. Here is a similar, but not identical, one: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STAINLESS-STEEL-SPRU...=item56403119dd

I signed the petition half an hour ago, checked back just now to see how it was going but was unable to access it. Have the Egyptians blocked it? If so, it's a pity as I have posted the link on a Swedish divers' forum with almost 23 000 members.

Deleted.

I've never used the 105VR but I love the 105D. It takes great images and I don't find it focuses significantly more slowly than my 60mm D. In practice, the lens is ready to take the shot when I am.

If I was a new uw photographer, I definitely would not choose 12" + 12". Possibly 8" + 8" but I think you would find 8" + 5" a lot easier to handle and plenty long enough for most purpoes.

E-mail sent re double cable.