GoinDown

Does anyone have any recommendations or advice for truck rental on Bonaire? We are going in June, have read lots of stories about thefts and breakdowns, good trucks/bad trucks etc, but can't really make our minds up where to spend our cash, we are diving independently not with a resort. Thanks.

Hey all, I'm sure this isn't much of a concern, it doesn't appear to be a hassle anywhere else on the planet, but just in case........I'm arriving in Thailand next week and took a look at the customs allowances here http://internet1.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/con...ivinginthailand and here http://internet1.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/con...arnet/atacarnet Now, I've traveled all over on holiday and not bothered with Carnets (not paid any attention to them before because my old equipment wasn't worth that much!) but my setup now must be getting on for around £10K sterling new. So I'm wondering if a Carnet might be needed to avoid import duties and such like. I am on holiday and not business and the list of Carnet equipment includes professional equipment for the press and cinematographic equipment (it's a 5DM2 + lenses + Subal etc) Given the low 10,000BHT (£200 sterling) of allowance before declaration for combined personal effects I would have thought that almost every tourist with a camera would need a Carnet ! Would I need a Carnet, does anyone bother? Am I missing something here and worrying for no reason?

Thanks for the comments guys, we are off to take our chances on Koh Tao on Saturday combining a relaxing break with diving and some UW photography, so this isn't specifically a full on diving photography type trip. Will check out Golden Divers also I'm posting a question about customs and bringing in my equipment in another thread if anyone has experience..

Can anyone recommend good dive operators away from the maddening crowd on Koh Tao? Cheers, Tim.

If only I could dive deeper...... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10817284

+1 for Kevin at Aquaphot. It's where I'll be sending my out of warranty Ike for repair, he deals with just about anything underwater and is very knowledgeable and helpful.

This is an interesting take on an environmental issue that some of us must be concerned about: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/ri...ive_in_the.html

It's an interesting scene, I like the way the sponges 'pop' out from the background then you notice the clown fish. Not sure about the distracting part sunball in the top left, personally I might have cropped this or dodged it.

I'm using the 100mm L IS USM Mk2 with a 5D Mk2 in Subal CD5 II. Its easily housed with the Subal flat port for this lens on this housing, I'm guessing not much will have changed between the 5D Mk1 and Mk2 so it should be the same but checkout the Subal ports listed for the CD5 housing with this lens to be safe. It's a lovely lens but I've not used it extensively yet and have no experience of the Mk1 version.

And how would divers be penalised if they were subject to strict weight limits when they did have the sports allowance ? They would just pay excess baggage at check in time!! I suspect Thomson just decided to do it, because they know it would make them more money. And why would they be penalised for taking golf clubs in a golf bag that was well packed with holiday gear, when a golf bag with golf clubs is a legitimate paid for piece of sports equipment and I could have taken 20Kg? So my total at 42Kg included 7Kg's for the golf bag empty, 2 kilos for the four clubs and 8 Kilos of gear (in addition to my 25Kg standard allowance), so my actual weight excluding the empty golf bag and clubs would have been 33Kg's (not far off your 32Kg's)! Because of the bag configuration and weight limits, how would you have arranged to take 32Kg on this particular flight, because the extra baggage charge would have been £49 (£25 for 5Kg extra plus 2Kg x £12 excess baggage charge) vs my £15 !? Would you have just paid £49 or done your research and looked at your options if you had a spare golf bag lying around??

Just a quick update on my trip to Marsa Alam, Egypt from Gatwick, UK. I paid £15 (return) for a golf bag (sports allowance) that ended up weighing 17Kg. My two hold luggage came to the max 25Kg (12Kg and 13Kg) and my hand luggage was 8Kg but was never weighed. I changed all my luggage before the trip to Sub Zero G, cheap as chips from Argos http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/s...ds|Sub+Zero+G|1 (2 x 73cm cases and one roll-on total £85, 10 year guarantee), this was the most lightweight I could find , so saved 8Kg's just on empty luggage alone. Packed strobes, ports and laptop in cardboard boxes with bubble wrap protected with BCD, wetsuit, fins etc and lightweight foam to take up dead space in the bags. Housing, camera body and lenses went into my Sub Zero G roll-on. Clothes, shoes, batteries, chargers, cables, toiletries, sun tan lotion went into the golf bag (and a couple of clubs for good measure). Top trip, top packing, nothing bent or broken, no check in hassles (I should add I'm not a pro and don't need spare everything).

I'm sure that Martin will sort you out :-) I'm not sure about the +3, I don't know enough about the virtual image of this dome, but I'm sure that Subal will have tested it and calculated that a +2 is needed, it will be interesting to see how you get on with it and how the lens performs. Is your diopter a flush fit with the end of the lens or is it wider than the lens diameter ? My housing, FE2 & GS180 is used kit (nearly new housing) and imported from the States at easily less than half the UK price, I waited nearly 18 months before I found it and purchased it through Wetpixel, so I am very grateful to this site for that and all the other advice it provides in this specialised area. New purchases of flat port and extension has been from Ocean Optics.

Give the guys at Ocean Optics a call http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk/ they deal with Subal in the UK. I haven't got my kit in front of me but the lens is pretty much level with the end of the extension and gives me scant room to screw on the diopter, so you would be right that the lens does not poke into the dome. If the dome does not fit onto the extension or the housing body directly then it could be that you have an older dome. Ocean Optics will be able to give you some more advice on this over the phone. You might also need an O-ring upgrade if Subal have changed the spec. Another thing to think about is the diopter, Subal recommend a +2. At 82mm these are rare beasts especially in the UK. I've dived only once with my setup so I've no idea how this lens performs without a diopter. However, I currently have a prototype diopter supplied by Kevin at aquaphot http://www.aquaphot.com/ I am trying to drum up enough UW photographers that need this diopter so that he can put in an order (I think he needs around 6 to make it worthwhile), the cost should be less than £100. So if you are interested in this let me know, maybe I'll make a separate post about this on the site. An alternative is to order these from the US, I think backscatter do them for $200+ dollars (yep here you go http://www.backscatter.com/HostedStore.Las...&ftn=&). The problem I have found with screwing on the diopter is that it needs to be done once the extension is fixed on as the diopter is wider than the end of the lens. The aquaphot one has lugs on the inside to give some purchase. I wonder of the backscatter one is a flusher fit as it looks to be more of a standard size, I'll ask Kevin about this !?!

Hi Dee - I have the same setup as yours and the extension you are describing looks to be the same as the one on the Subal website http://subal.com/en/portauswahl/canon_portauswahl_neu.php to answer your questions, the lens just pokes through into the dome and the extension fits very snugly around the body. I don't have the zoom gear for this lens yet but I'm assuming there is enough room for it as Subal also list it. I have a +2 diopter that I screw on once the lens and extension are fitted, but before the dome is fitted otherwise the filter is too wide for the extension to fit over. There is some info on the website about earlier FE2 (pre-2003 I think) being too narrow for this lens but I'm assuming yours is the later version. Sometimes it's difficult to turn the ports onto the body, I am new to Subal myself but there is a knack, when the port is aligned ready to turn then push it into the body slightly and turn at the same time, it will move easily, if it is not moving easily do not force it and try re-aligning and pushing then turn again. I think this is because Subal moved to slightly bigger O-rings on newer ports which make the baynot fixing stand a little proud so you need to push down to locate the bayonet locking mechanism before turning. Hope this helps - no doubt someone with more knowledge than me will be along shortly.... Tim.

Spare a thought for these guys http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8727869.stm