Biodiversity_guy

My budget only allowed me to start with the DS51. Saved my money and now am using the DS51 and a DS161. I got tired of having the flash from a single side. Having dual strobes does give much more even light coverage. I have the two strobes on on a dual sync cord and they play together well. The 161 is a lot larger strobe, but having the battery pack separate seems like a much better design. I do like the movie video light built in. Makes night diving and focusing in low light a lot easier! Now I am tempted to save up and get a 2nd DS161...

The Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission is considering establishing an underwater park out at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula (Neah Bay area) for scuba divers and to protect an amazing area of high species diversity. They need to hear from lots of folks from around the country, as a major consideration for doing this is to increase ecotourism to this part of Washington State. Please take a few minutes and send an email to the Dept of Fish and Wildlife requesting they establish an underwater park within that portion of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary lying within the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Tell them to protect this priceless treasure by placing it off limits to fishing and invertebrate harvesting. Comments should be sent to WDFW Rules Coordinator Lori Preuss at Lori.Preuss@dfw.wa.gov To see what a Tiger, China and Canary rockfish looks like, go to http://biodiversityguy.smugmug.com/ Details: That small portion of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary lying within the Straits of Juan de Fuca is home to a very special assemblage of marine rockfish species. I am not aware of anywhere else in the continental United States where one can easily encounter Tiger, China, Canary, Quillback, Yellowtail, Black and Blue rockfish species. It is also home to amazing creatures such as basket stars and giant pacific octopi, kelp and krill, and an astounding diversity of soft corals, sponges, anemones and other marine invertebrates. Long-lived species of rockfish cannot easily support intense fishing pressures. Black, China and Tiger rockfish live to be 50, 75 and over 110 years, respectively. Even when rockfish are not directly targeted, they are often taken accidentally as bycatch when anglers are fishing for lingcod, halibut, Cabezon and other sportsfish. Because they have a swim bladder full of gas, when they are rapidly brought to the surface the swim bladder expands and they are unable to swim back down, even in a catch and release setting. For this reason conservationists are working to create an ecological reserve within that portion of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary lying within the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Such a marine protection area will not only protect a portion of the population of these sensitive species, it will also help bring national and international attention to the wealth of fish and invertebrate species found in Washington State’s waters. The assemblage of rockfish that can be seen there is the most diverse in all of Washington’s waters, so designating this area will be a great boon to state ecotourism efforts. The ecological value of ecological reserves such as this is clear. As documented in the publication The Science of Marine Reserves, 2nd edition, published by the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO), “no fishing” reserves increase the biomass, density, body size and species diversity within their borders. Some of the most important benefits occur beyond the borders of reserves. Boosts in growth, reproduction and biodiversity can replenish fished areas when young and adults move out of the reserve. Studies from Alaska demonstrate that lingcod tagged within a reserve moved more than 50 miles out of the reserve before being recaptured. Please take a couple of minutes and submit a brief email. Your help is requested and needed to help us make the case for marine conservation!

I am currently shooting a G10 with an Ikelite DS51 TTL. I was considering adding a second strobe, and going with the new DS160. Can I have both the 51 and the 160 be synced with TTL? Or will the 160 only sync with a 125/160?

My guess is that there is an existing thread I can be pointed to. I use an Ikelite housing now, but am planning to move up to a Nikon D300. When I make the move I was planning to stick with Ikelite, but figure I should do due diligence and evaluate the opposition. I know a few different folks make housings/UW flash setups. Has there been a discussion of the pros and cons of the various choices?

I just want to say: BUMP Great thread. Very helpful for me. I came with just the questions addressed here. Wonderful forum! It would be fun if a couple of folks posted what their setup looks like, strobe positions, etc. as was suggested above. A picture is worth a 1000 words.

After flooding my G9 in the OEM housing (after about 180 dives with it) I have moved up to a G10 with an Ikelite housing and the DS-51 external flash. My budget is about blown and my wife is not happy with my spending habits, but now I am shopping for an aiming light. The nano looks promising, and seems to fit in my current budget range (the fisheye looks great but I will have to save for a bit). My question is: ikelite talks about the mini c as a focusing light, but no one mentioned it here. Is that because it creates a hot spot? Can you put a diffuser on it? Or is it just better to go with the Nano. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Good to hear that it takes good macro shots with the OEM housing, and nice hint on the touch of zoom to avoid obstructions. I am about to purchase the camera, uw housing, 2nd battery (cold water diving, replace between dives), 4 Gig SD card, aux weights for UW housing...anything else? Easier to buy the stuff all at once.

This is all new to me. Reading some of the other posts, folks talk about setting up different "customized white balances" depending on depth, strobes, ambient light, etc. Is setting/resetting white balance a relative easy thing to do? Point the sensors at a grey object and get a reading? I am hoping to get a Canon G9, with the OEM housing. Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!

I justed wanted to add that this has been a great thread. Informative discussion. Very timely for me. Where I think I am at is getting the G9 and OEM housing, as a starting point. I do use it, in large part, as a point and click--as I do REEF surveys and come across a new species or one I am challenged to identify in the field. With this in mind, getting this set up is a big step forward from the SeaLife model I use now. A plus is that it does not have an awkward external strobe as part of the setup--more streamlined for the occasional but important use of rare species verification. That gives me another year to save up for a 3rd party (Ike) housing and TTL external strobe(s). Wife will appreciate this plan --at least more than having me going for G9+Ike+external strobe all at once!

Hi all. New to WetPixel and am looking to purchase an UW camera. I have pretty much narrowed my choices to the Canon a650 or the powershot G9. They seem similar in many/most respects--on paper. The main negative I read about the a650 was that the body construction felt flimsy, of light weight plastics. The upside is that it has a swivel LCD for use above the water. The extra $150 to upgrade to the G9 seems like a steep increase and I am not sure how much more I am getting for the extra investment... I am guessing someone has already covered this discussion, so feel free to point me to an existing thread. Thanks in advance.