pmooney

and another

I had an encounter with a dreaded black frogfish last month in Alor. These are the best I could do with this critter - of course it was in the most awkward place ........ I remember checking and rechecking the strobe settings ......

"I should state clearly that I do have the luxury of a local specialist underwater camera store that that has price parity with the rest of the world - the only variation is shipping , duties and taxes." Point taken - perhaps I was a little insensitive - while not all of us have the convenience of a local underwatercamera store, we ALL do have the convenience of the online stores that these specialists have. I know of 5 specialists that advertise on ( read "support" ) this forum - I 'm sure that they would "thrilled" to spend their valuable time & expertise helping you get the right equipment. Local Agents / Specialist Stores + Local support = No problems Robert - I may just keep you to that !java script:emoticon('')

Ahh - the pitfalls of mail order. It probably would have been a lot easier to sort out if you were dealing with your "LOCAL" underwater camera store. You can't beat the help that the LOCAL store you support can give in a time like this.

Ron , I configured the machine as such 4GB 533 DDR2 Non ECC SDRAM - 4x1GB ( will add more as the budget allows ) 500GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm - already have a heap of externals NVIDIA GeForce 6600 256MB SDRAM ( 7800's are on a 8 week backorder ) I figure that I can always upgrade the machine once the wife has started to swim in her new pool.... it may get her to coool down a little. My motivation in getting this machine is two fold. Firstly I wanted the grunt more for video work and secondly I had an offer I couldn't refuse for the oldmachine ( 2.7DP , 8gig Ram , 2 x 400 ) HDV & related software just run better on new machines and I hate having to deal with the spinning ball of death.

The convertor we us is a canopus ADVC1000 - great piece of kit that helps us meet tight time frames. Sometimes our turnarounds are limited and if a mixed bunch of nationalites are to gether many formats are required simultaneously Pal , Secam & NTSC. We chanel each format into it's own dedicated dubbing rack that has a mix of machines ( DVD burner , VHS , SVHS , Beta SP , DVCAM , DV and shortly HDV ) This handles most situations - occassionaly a second run is needed.

I'll start this off. I will be in Sunny Cairns FNQ - diving the Coral Sea intermittently for all of December then head off to Sorong Indonesia around the 5th of January to meet the boat and then head for Rajah Ampat for a 3 week cruise. If any wetpixellian are coming through sunny old Cairns I would be only too happy to play host / local knowledge provider etc. ( I might even have a bit of pull in a bar or three - purely for refreshment purposes only ) Cheers Peter

I have used the 105 in both AF & manual modes. I feel that AF was fairly successful for me with the D100. That being said I always shoot the Macromate in manual focus irrespective of the camera ( D100 / D2X ).

Woohoo !!! The Randmeister strikes again ! Xcellent work.

Wags - The suspense is killing me......... When are you going to share this new method. Is it a windows only solution or is it cross -platform ? Currently I play a PAL time line out through a digital standards coverter directly to whatever the required format is. ( DVD , VHS , SP, DVCAM , HDV etc ) a bit time consuming but so far no complaints in quality department from the customers at any level.

Just finished unboxing my nice new machine - trying to figure out how the wife can swim in it ......

I have been using L&M HID lights since they were first introduced to the market - they conservatively have 500 hours of reliable use. Great light temp - excellent colour fair battery life. (I should note that I have been the only user of these units - which probally has added to the life ) I recently got a set of greenforce Squid 100's - I think they are a little too green for me. Light heads are big & bulky for me - great battery life. A great hybrid would be L&M HID heads ( wet connect this end ) powered by the Greenforce battery ( screw connect this end ). Nothing about HID light is cheap - some is less expensive tha other's. my 2 cents

This is the official blurb from the Backscatter website. Get incredibly sharp 2:1 (twice life-size) macro images with the underwater removable MacroMate lens for underwater SLR housings. The MacroMate doubles your 100mm or 105mm lens magnification by allowing you to get closer to the subject. Sealed Achromatic Optics Custom achromatic lenses are sealed in an optical housing and provide extreme magnification with incredibly sharp edges. This unique design produces much tighter and sharper images than simple close-up lenses that are exposed to water. The air sealed chamber maximizes the optical properties of the close-up lens without distortion or soft edges. Underwater Removable The MacroMate lens is designed to be removable underwater. Quickly shift between normal close-up and extreme macro on the same dive. Venting holes in the port adapter allow water to enter the space between the port and lens. Slip-on or Flip-up Designs The Original MacroMate is designed for a snug fit on the lens port and includes a locking security screw. When not in use, the photographer can completely remove the MacroMate from the system and store it in a BC pocket to reduce the overall weight of the system. The new Flip-Up MacroMate design is permanently mounted to the port and allows the photographer to quickly flip the lens up and out of the way. The MacroMate will fit ports from Subal, Sea & Sea, Seacam, Aquatica and the Light & Motion Titan D100.

The flip version of the macro mate will be next one I purchase. I left my push on version on a dive in Alor last month - here is the last shot i used it for. I was using a 105. Peter

Todd, I will be a guest on a private vessel. If we happen to be in the same area I will try to make contact with Larry.

Rajah Ampat - absolutely the best variety of diving I have ever experienced. Anywhere - ever ! Land based or Liveaboard - Whatever you do make sure that you have Max or Otto from Papau Diving as your guide. I am back there in January for a 3 week cruise - can't wait.

Be carefull fixing a white balance card to your fin - last time I did that a silver-tip decided to have a chew on mine. I have found Mares "AVANTI" L full foot fins to be great for the "tropical water's" that I dive in. They can be a bit awkward in close confines - but boy can they push you along if you need it. They are out of production now and my 12 year old pair are starting to look a towards retirement - thinking that Technisub "ALA's 9 "graphite rubber compound" are probally a good full foot option.

The new battery compartment looks a lot better than the old "guaranteed to flood" unit.

First thing I would do is install FRESH batteries in the handgrips. This will usually solve the lack of controls in the L & M Bluefin housings. I am a little unsure of what you mean by ''Only with the red filter is covering is in place.'' Good Luck

They are a very protected species in Australia. Unless you are in indigenous australian it may be easier to get film permits and close access to the animals in the UAE. Peter

I used a stepping ring (67mm - 77mm ) as a mount and then a blank 77mm filter ring as a retainer. Saved me from sacrificing another filter to the " great god of camera experiments"

At the risk of going down in flames Any body got a well dived 20 year old Ikelite housing ??? Just wondering what it looks like.

HC90 and their new owners have been runnung out the door with topdawg II travel pack and monitor. What more could they want . Lifes complete - GOODLUCK !! www.topdawgvideo.com.au

Just wondering if any folk have any experience using the budget SLR housings offered by Fantasea ?

Tetra 5060 housings ( 2 left ) complete with standard port - choice of wet link or std nikonus bulheads. New electrics & full service included. lightly used 5060's cameras available if required. Make your serious offer ........ Also available macro lens x 1 , wide angle lens x 2 - Glass dome 95 degree's ( domes have a couple of small marks - nothing that shows in images ) World-wide shipping included in purchase price.