Cressidiver

"p.p.s. The other trick is too be charming/flirty or friendly - You look down, they know you're lying and up, they know you don't know the truth. Don't use seven words when four will do. Don't shift your weight, look always at your mark but don't stare, be specific but not memorable, be funny but don't make him laugh. He's got to like you then forget you the moment you've left his side. And for God's sake, whatever you do, don't, under any circumstances" thanks for the tips you use, i always find it more credible and useful to hear tips that someone is ACTUALLY using. Everybody has something to say, but its another thing entirely to actually put them to use, and quite frequently in your case I would assume too. Loved the Oceans 11 ref. too! made me laugh.

Great, i will keep that in mind as I shoot, i'm sure a bunch of it will just be trial and error, seeing what works and what doesnt

Steve, I'll have to check that one out, thanks for the tip. Free programs are always nice!

oh and DSLRs and Go Pros, etc shoot in H.264 format that older FCPs hate(7 and older), supposedly FCP 10 isnt phased by it but we shall see. Premiere Pro on the other hand doesnt have any issues with it. H.264 is a not an 'editing' format, it is a finished prodect format and it will save you a lot of headache and trouble to encode it all before you attempt to edit it.....just a thought

FCP cant recognize MTS formats, however, you can "Log and Transfer" your files into FCP as long as you dont break the initial file format chain of folders and it will automatically reformat MTS files into MOV format, that is the only way that will work. You must transfer the top folder though, you cant L&T the stream folder, etc. and have it work. Otherwise, you will need to use some type of encoder to change them to proRes 422 or something that matches the res of your original footage. Adobe Encoder is a good one but there are other options available out there that work well.

I will be diving in SoCal in july and this will be my first time running some underwater camera gear. I will have both lights and color correcting filters and I was wondering what the proper setup should be both for film and still photography in that particular water?

haha you just answered your own quetion in a sort, you have a few options. The more critical decision is what type of shooting you want to do. if all you want to shoot is macro and to blazes with anything else then your options are fairly cut and dried, same concept for the reverse of that. also, how intense are you planning on being in shooting? if your not too gung-ho and just wanna snap some photos while on a dive than pick an option you like most and stick with that. in other words, either, or, or both! my personal opnion is to go with both setups if you can afford it, because I can almost guarantee that if you are only setup for one or the other you will come across a scene that you are just dying to shoot but you cant successfully....just a thought.

sounds good to me! so it sounds like Scuba Cancun is the way to go then for that area. I will have to look into them, they better offer NITROX, any particular sights I should def. see that they go to?

great thanks for the info, I'll look into them

yeah, i know its not a steller dive destination, but if there is some place close to go I would like to know too.

Alright, I'm going to cancun in November this year ( yes its quite a ways away i know) and I would like some feedback on the dive sites and dive guides to go with. Where are some must-dives? other good options for that time of year? Also, who are the good crews that are cost affective and who are the crews to stay away from? I'm looking to meet up for just day trips, no live-aboards.

you can also check out the What NOT to buy forum for other pointers and things to consider while getting setup........not that I want to detract from this forum at all, there is just good info on there as well for beginners

skoos, something to keep in mind is that you will want total control of your buoyancy, not just horizontal or vertical, but lateral stability as well. I highly suggest sticking with a wing setup, they are far beyond many of the jacket style BC's when it comes to overall control. and just like finding the right shoes to fit your feet, you need to run your setup the way its meant to be, otherwise you will not only be fighting current or whatever natural obstacles stand in your way to shoot well, but you will be fighting crappy diving skill too. If you have a doubles setup, dive with doubles( this is personally preferred, as it greatly increases safety and bottom time, especially when working out the bugs as a beginning shooter), if you have a singles setup, well..... the answer is obvious. One prime selling point for me was that I dive with a bunch of tech divers and they all dive wings because total buoyancy control in every angle and direction is crucial when your in tight wrecks or caves. if it didnt matter what BC you used than I think you would see many tech divers diving jackets. Next of course is practice practice practice nailing your buoyancy! rack up pool time at first if you need to, then hit the ocean or whatever natural body of water you can get to the most. I dont know your present skill, but if needs be, dial in your buoyancy control while just diving, creep up on things and just hover, then back away, etc. that way you will already have a control foundation instilled before you take your camera and start shooting. I have noticed that novice shooters (not excluding myself at times) tend to get too into our shot, especially if we are frustrated or think we have something really cool and we blow our breathing right out the window. something to think about. Nail your breathing, dial in your gear and practice the hell out of your buoyancy control! Bellyflopping on the choral while trying to shoot macro is never a good thing! Happy shooting

thanks everybody for the input, that really helps me keep things in mind as i look around for what to get. I understand that there is a certain amount of human error that is bound to defeat every system out there, but with that factor aside, its good to know what cases are higher quality and more user/feature friendly. One of you also mentioned that fiber optic cables and connections are better than electric, thats good to know. also the way some of you clean your rigs and whatnot, I know its not much but that can really make a difference in the long run. Please keep sharing!

Ok, I'm a budding underwater filmer/photographer and before I make the time old mistake of actually asking "what should I buy?" I wont, I know there are endless possibilities and combinations depending on location, style, etc. However, something I hardly ever hear about and do like to ask is: Is there any equipment/brand to NOT buy? i'm serious about diving, I want to go deep, I'll be in various settings as well. I'm not going to just be cracking pictures in 30 feet or less in prestine clear water of a beach in Hawaii. I want quality gear, and i know that there are "budget rigs" out there that all-in-all aren't worth the money and are bound to fail in some way. what should I avoid? Let me clarify: I will be shooting DSLR, starting budget will vary depending on what is worth buying, I want to do this more for a profession than just fun