f2tai

i'd suggest the 45mm in low viz, as you can get closer to improve image quality no focus challenges here too, but that said i dont always need to use auto focus... if you can figure out how to setup + use manual focus lock, then shutter release only when pressing the capture button you will be fine in shooting intended targets in focus

@emapola - are the arms in your selection float arms? If yes, you should be fine. If not, i'd suggest to keep 2x "normal" arms and 2x float like these I have STIX floats on the 2x other arms too, and have found that having 4x float arms don't give me the flexibility that i want with 2x normal + 2x float as a system.

Hi - Not having direct experience with your flight path, but experience in travelling in Indonesia (both via Singapore > Manado and interior travel) here are some considerations: - I have not seen that much enforcement of carry on bags within internal flights in Indonesia - as long as it looks roughly the size of a carry on bag, you'll likely be unbothered to carry it on... I have first hand experience of almost dropping a package that a tiny Indonesian lady brought with her, because it was pretty freaking heavy but yet it made it on board - I made it on board everywhere carrying a small duffel bag with ~20kg of camera/housing equipment - Make sure you have rupiah on hand whilst in Manado airport/Makassar in order to pay overage fees Not sure if you have any specific challenges you have in mind - as long as your carry on can fit under the chair in front, or in the overhead compartment you are good to go. Note that the seats on Lion Air tend to be tinier than most airlines, so you'll just need to grin and bear it during the short flights. You'll still want to hear from those with DSLR setups as to what's best/how to pack...

Hi wetpixellers - In an effort to expand my horizons from Bridge + Photoshop, i'd like to ask all the Lightroom users in the forums to point out any tips/tutorials/DVDs that are available to suggest if LR is better at the digital darkroom photo workflow than Bridge/Photoshop. I've purchased Doug Sloss' CS4 for Underwater Photographers and think it is an amazing resource and am hoping there is some sort of equivalent for Lightroom... i'll take no responses as a sign of nothing available Cheers!

Are you carrying around a lot of gear? If yes, Virgin Blue is a good carrier as they have a policy for those with scuba gear (sports equipment > http://www.virginblue.com.au/Personal/Flig...gage/index.htm) where they allow 5kg extra to pack whatever you like. Not too expensive, you need to look out for sales that occur between the carriers. Avoid JetStar & Tiger Airways - they are the RyanAir equivalent here and we try to avoid them like the plague. Also try webjet.com.au for comparison across a number of carriers to make planning a little easier.

Another suggestion with Canon G-series is to make sure you use the custom modes - you can setup the zoom/focus/aperture/etc such that it exposes correctly based on what you want to achieve (e.g. general macro, black-background macro, freeze frame macro, etc) - this way when you're in the water and see a critter, pop onto a custom mode and all you do is move (back/forth) the camera to the correct focusing distance and snap away. This worked great on my trip to the Philippings where we took lots of critter photos of teeny subjects and the work in the water is all about focus/composition.

Great choice on a camera, G-series will afford you anywhere from just take photos and up to push the threshold of manual-ness. I started with a G9 in Canon housing and have moved along the photography line by adding a strobe, then lens. Slowly the budget has been trickling along with upgrades, and your composition/photography skills grow to match. I'm sure you will be happy with the product!

Thanks all ! We have decided on the following: > Yap for a week with Manta Ray Bay > Koror for about 10 days >> 6 days on the Safari / Eclipse liveaboard (woot) >> 4 days at Sea Passion Resort (PPR/PRR fully booked) - we have yet to finalise details at Sea Passion and figure we can sort it out later.. but will get in touch with operators to see how we go! Appreciate all the inputs, we had thought about staying at Peleliu but decided based on reviews that we're not 100% sure of the operators there - so we are taking a different approach. Looking forward to the trip!

Hi wetpixellers - I am currently planning a trip with my gf to Palau/Yap/Guam, with emphasis on the first two - am wondering of suggestions from forum goers on (a) where to go/who to dive with, and (b) how long should we go for each bit. We are big on fish life (small, big, medium sized - we don't discriminate). Not against the idea of wreck diving, but 100% wreck diving (aka no fish) doesn't really do it for us - we were astounded with the Yongala in townsville, but mainly because of the massive amount of fish life living there! At this point I am thinking a week in Yap, and slightly longer than a week in Palau - not sure if my spread is right in either direction, as we'll be coming in from Cairns/Australia but hopefully not a bad idea. Also read about a Micronesia Air Pass being able to chop down costs of flying, but I have no idea how to buy one. Anyone with recommendations on how to make airline bookings.. or is booking usually an all-inclusive thing? Palau > One of either (a) Peleliu island + diving, or (b) Palau Agressor/Tropic Dancer. Would love to hear about experiences on either end of resort and/or liveaboard options. I think if we stay at Peleliu, curious we can get decent diving 2/3 dives a day probably (instead of start in Koror every day). I'm going to try to get in touch with the resort there.. Yap > Not sure if we want to stay at Manta Ray Bay resort or Traders, would love to hear any experiences. Also any dive operator recommendations would be awesome. Anyhow, any experiences in general would be much appreciated!

If you're paranoid for weight, consider joining the Mabuhay Sports Club >> https://www.mabuhaymiles.com:443/sportsplus...ts/benefits.jsp << we did this for our trip and it enabled us to claim 1 bag for dive gear, and did not count towards luggage limits.. also allowed us to shop for a bit of goods while we were there. I think you can use it for domestic purposes as well, but read the fine print.

I have both a G9 & G11 (gf's rig) but have a couple of suggestions: > Don't go beyond ISO 400 to have usable print/desktop photos - too grainy too fast I'd say ! > Definitely use ISO 80 whilst working macro, the flash should fix up the darkness & sharpness/clarity is king > Try using a bit of zoom to give yourself distance to macro subjects - the problem with subjects too close to the lens is that the lens actually covers a part of the flash & you'll get a definite shadow > Learn to use the custom buttons as another writer mentioned to give you fixed focus @ fixed distance - you will pop the camera into a custom mode underwater & all you need to do is get the subject in focus > for bigger stuff learn to use the white balance buttons & how to get yourself WB'd correctly - you can get some awesome results by doing just that to deal with the water colour That's it for now - i have the Martin Edge book (make sure you get 3rd edition + as it covers digital) & its great. ~ Frank

Hello ! I have a Canon G9, and don't find the auto focus performs very well for macro subjects. I have used Custom1 & Custom2 to fix manual focus to a fixed distance & move the whole rig to get the focus I want. Autofocus for larger subjects not too bad, but I don't like the shutter lag... which you may find frustrating coming from a DSLR world! Best option is to borrow someone's set & try it out for yourself.. tho not sure how easy it is for you to do that! ~ Frank

Title says it all... managed to break my plastic lever to shut my OEM G9 housing & considering moving onto a Canon S90 but wondering if anyone has given it the go ahead to try it underwater & any results? On the interim I have epoxy'ed the lever back together & housing works ok for now.. but given the nature of salt water, I'd rather not trust that - not to mention the OEM housing buttons are starting to stick... Most specifically are the wheel components worth the unti, and/or the shutter lag improved over a G9? Any feedback would be appreciated!

Hello! Glad to hear you're getting some mileage out of your inon lenses - I bought 2 and I have been getting some macro success with them in the Philippines! I have the 330 & 165 and can stack if the subject is teeny tiny. Anyhow - what size mount is your lense? I'm presuming you have the inon wetmount one, not threaded (UCL-165/330AD)? I bought the 67mm threaded inon macro lenses (http://www.marinecamera.com/inon.html - UCL-165/330) & can use them interchangeably with my G9 & gf's G11. Great product. You can also get a variety of mounts based on your product, just gotta look. I bought my housing mount kit from Yuzo Kanda at http://www.uwdigitalcamera.com/store/home.php for the Canon G9 OEM housing, and Fisheye has a housing kit for 67mm lenses too... Happy snapping! ~ Frank

Hi wetpixellers - Just wanted to pass on a nugget of information regarding the Philippines & particularly Philippines Airlines. If you sign up for Mabuhay Miles (their FF program), you can sign up for a "Sports Plus" card which allows you to carry an additional bag @ 20KG for your scuba kit for about $100 USD. GREAT value for those who are bringing their own gear & will need the luggage allowance to cart it around. Should save on crazy excess fees ($27 AU per kilo as per their website) should you consider going to Phils! Cheers, ~ Frank