pmooney

You might consider the Olympus Mju series camera / PT-016 Combination. The camera is quite robust , has a lithium iron battery and has proven to be a reliable unit. The housing will accept a 46mm closeup lens (diopter) directly screwed to the lens port. We have been using these in our rental department and have some pieces with over 250 dives ( rental dives are always a lot harder on equipment ) on them with no real issues.

Just got our first tetra 5060 units in the water for the first time. What a fantastic feel - all the controls fall to hand easily. The viwfinder had adequate shade / cover built in to the design. The ROC TTL rocks. All our demo people were real happy. Here's a few snaps from the tryout day. All rigs standard port and single YS90 strobe - yes the lighting can be improved but not bad for first day out with a new rig and inexperienced shooters

we have been trialing the 18-70 in our titans for a few weeks to prove the value of the kit lens. combine a few close-up elements and it is a underrated piece of glass. It might take some practise / thinking for those not in tune to produce the goods. If you can;t afford any thing else - a result is assured. It works for us; all the best feel free peter mooney scubapix,com

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Here's some crocs from sunny cairn's. Lifted the frames from some video I shot a few weeks ago. This croc is about 6-8 feet length and is a resident in a local lagoon. I have found them to be reasonably cautious when a larger animal is approaching them ( read outstreached diver and camera rig ). Like all situations you must read what is happening at that particular time in that particular moment. Do not repeat the same thing / action over a number of dives as they are predators with a proven intelligence and the ability to learn a potential food source habits. They also have patience and lot's of it. Do not take you eye of them , keep the camera between you and them , remember that they are repltiles and can only have a short burst of energy. There is a change in them at the 6-8 feet size as they become mature creatures - I certainly wouldn't get in with with one that had started to bulk up. Good luck.

As a fully paid up member of the flooded camera club I have to agree with James. If you compare the cost of a spare body to the overall cost of setting your rig up and getting yourself & it to a location for a few days of shooting it begins to look like a pretty cheap option. It get's even better when you look at the convenience of using the spare as your topside unit. Once you have spent the first day of a big trip going #*?>!! and the rest of it dwelling on what could have been you will certainly agree. Just my thoughts. Peter

Eric, If it goes ahead , you can count Paul & myself in. Enjoy your trip. We have been wishing we were there. Peter & Paul

This my number one fan and all round helper.

This is me In Fiji at the Digital Shootout. The proud owner of an 8" dome. And yes, I do have swimwear on. Photo courtesy of Jeff Wildermuth / Backscatter.

mryj

THIS UNIT HAS NEVER BEEN WET AND COMES COMPLETE WITH CONTROL ARM . ( KIT OPTION 1 ) WET LENS IS AVAILABLE THE STROBES CAN BE BRAND A NEW OR LIGHTLY USED YS90 AUTO OR NONE. WHAT OFFERS FOR THIS RIG peter@scubapix.com

it was exactly on the whales terms - for about 4 hours. The guests were all at one with the greater beings and screaming "" WHO DO I MAKE THE CHEQUE OUT TO "" I post of few more tomorrow in a new whale encounter thread

Thought It would be good to share this snap. It was taken by one of our guys on the Ribbon Reefs last week. He used a 5050 in a PT-015 housing and a UR/PRO Filter. The whale is a Dwarfe Minke about 8 meters in length.

I have found the Top Dawg housings to be rock solid reliable. Fantastic for close -up and macro. Well priced (USD $799.00) and versatile being able to accept a wide range of Sony camcorders. www.topdawgvideo.com Peter

Excuse if I seem pedantic. In my experience with compact digital housings and screw on ( wetmate ) type lens ALL lens of this type have vignetting issues when used fully wide. I know this to be the case with PT010 / 5050 , Aquataica 5005 / Coolpix 5000 , Aquatech CG5 / Canon G5 , Tetra 5050 and now PT020 / 5060. It would seem that the question is really not if they vignette - but how badly do they, and how far do you need to zoom in to avoid it at acquisition or do you just fix it in post. just my 2cents on this issue Cheers Peter

Dear Jon, Sounds like you & your wife need to determine if your going to get certified while your Holidaying ( dedicated 4-5 days ) or if you just going to be try it out to see if you like it types. Either way everybody here has been in your shoes . Excited about a holiday and a whole new adventure with abunch of new toys. Whatever you choose you will probally find that the dive operator has a "professional underwater photgrapher " on staff, who for a small consideration could make you and the new Mrs Jon look like experts in the field. Just a thought - sometimes the best memory photos are the ones we're in. Enjoy the GBR Bring plenty of kwells if your coming soon. Peter

What would be the best way to connect a YS90DX to a Ikelite 5050 or 5060 housing ( thinking of a few options - i have a number of each camera & strobes ) Is it possible to get a Nikon Bulkhead fitted from the factory or just a matter of odereing the correct cord and adapter ???? Will the TTL work with this combo ???

James - i think your absolutely on the money. Probally a +2 diopter will make the standard rig sing. I got so excited that I did a test fit on the 18-70 in my TITAN , and found the 12-24 gears fitted and the whole setup went together real easy - just like a brought unit. The versatility seems to be the key. Going to get wet and give it a run. God love it - it's whale season in the tropics. 22 degrees Celsius toasty in the water and minkes everywhere !!!

www.anthis.co.jp

Generally a speil about how good and compact they are reinforcing lens / port compatability. No specifactions for the simple model were stated other that it being available at end of june. :?: THis was the big point. My guess is defeatured in controls from the main housing and less control from the back plate. Excuse my poor translation Peter 8)

Oh, BTW, tomorrow's dive is to 34 meters - and my Ewa-marine says it's tested to 30m, 'Technischer Uberwachungs Verein Bayern e.V.' If anyone wants to lend me a camera, I'm happy to test it past the 30 meter mark Rob, Any chance of getting your dive buddy to snap a few shots to post of your Ewa Marine Bag & it's contents at 30 metres..... It would be a fantastic thing to see - I bet EWA would be keen to see their product being put through it's paces. Peter

orderered a SEA and SEA DX70 housing and asked that it be specs for the standard kit lens as supplied with the camera ( most beginning shooters will get them this way). ordered to compact dome port for perfect world. added a pair of ys90 autos and some ultralights. what are you thoughts for a first shooters rig ??? 28 deg sort of wide through to stacking macro rings /close up diopters at 105 end ( clayt6ons macro but fun ) :arrow:

Hey James Nice Shirt. Paul finally arrived back in one piece jabbering about bull sharks so fat you could put you arms around them - sounds like cava to me. See you soon ( wer'e doing a low key creature trip to PNG with a proven local spotter - ex cairns plenty of space if you keen for some warm muddy water. )