dmoss

This one is special to me as it was my first Seahorse. Taken in Bonaire last week. F8, 1/125, 60mm macro

Thanks everyone for the tips. David, I would like to see a picture of how you use the purse lock ties to hold the cord. That may be what I am looking for. Of course, zip ties would work as well. I always carry a bunch of them in my spare parts kit. Just never thought of it before.

Just returned from a week in Bonaire and experienced some strobe firing problems with my DS125's. Sometimes would fire, sometimes wouldn't. Full dump when they shouldn't, etc. Turns out the Ike dual sync cord has a wire problem right under the blue band where it goes into the connector. This area of the cord tends to get kinked and can result in internal wire damage. In all honesty, I probably was not careful to make sure it didn't bend too sharply. I have the 20D housing with the 90 degree sync cord bulkhead. I remember seeing a post a while back, (can't find it now), where this problem was discussed. Seems like someone was coating this area of the cord with a flexible material to keep if from binding. I will replace the sync cord and get a spare. Looking for suggestions on how to prevent this from happening again. I usually try to wrap the cords around the handles and arms to keep everything neat but this may be causing too much pressure on certain areas. Thanks

I know a lot of people who do check their Pelican cases without incident. I think a lot depends on where you are traveling. Pelican type cases seem to say 'steal me' on them. After all...we normally use these type cases to protect valuable equipment. The thieves are aware of this too. You might want to read thru the Fraud thread on the forum and then determine if you really want to check your camera gear. I just got done packing for a trip to Bonaire and was able to get all my camera related gear in a Lowepro roller bag and a backpack. Both are carry on size.

And actually do this without getting your feet wet. Just lean over the side of the boat...stick the port in the water...and fire away. And I thought this lens had no underwater application...silly me

Thanks guys for all the great <_< suggestions....however, I didn't marry a dumb blonde with big strobes. She'll start worrying about the damage that mining does to the environment when I stop this crazy obsession.

Ike's already working on it...he figures he can just take an aluminum 80...chop the ends off....glue on a dome and I'm good to go

In my case...buying new toys is an easy proposition. My wife lets me get anything I want. The catch ? The price of a new lens...port...housing, etc is directly proportional with the price of a new piece of jewelry or item of furniture.

I don't recall seeing this in the forum before...it so, forgive the repeat. Effective October 1, 2005 American Airlines has lowered it's 'free' weight restriction to 50 pounds, down from 70 pounds. There is a $25 charge for any bag from 50 to 70 pounds. There are details in the new rules. Here is American's announcement.

Ok, so this being the first post in a brand new thread..I figure anything goes. Check out this monster here Yeah, I know, never work underwater. What with the 3' length, obscene price tag of $80.000 and minimum focus distance of 46 feet it's got a lot of negatives. But, hey, we wouldn't need weight belts anymore Field test here Still, it would be fun to play with.

Don't feel bad Mike...It's a guy thing. Kinda like asking for directions. I haven't bought any electronic gadget yet where looking at the manual wasn't the last resort. The guys on the forum will totally understand....it's the ladies you need to worry about !!

Lambis, Great pictures. You have definitely captured the mystic of freediving. Ever since I saw the movie 'The Big Blue', I've been fascinated by the sport. The 'How the hell do they do that' factor really pops in your images. Looking forward to more.

Spring of 2002..I had purchased a Reefmaster camera. First trip with it convinced me there had to be a better way. Did a search, found Wetpixel, haven't looked back.

Cory, Welcome to Wetpixel. You have come to the right place for everything you ever wanted to know about UW photography. Prepare to spend countless hours reading every thread !! And guys....be sure to check out Cory's website. Looks like he knows what a camera is for. I've already bookmarked it. Can't wait for the updates.

Morider, I would have to disagree with the recommendation to use film. The main advantage of digital is instant feedback of the image. This is a great benefit when just starting out. The price range you have in mind will limit your choices. You might look at the Reefmaster cameras. EBAY usually has some for sale. If at all possible, get one with the external strobe. You will need to get very close to your subject when shooting underwater...2 to 3 feet away. I used one for a year and printed some 8 x 10's that turned out OK...not great...but I was learning and I was pleased with the results at the time. Post processing will help the end result as well. I'm sure others will have recommendations for you to consider. You've come to the right place. Sample image from the DC250...like I said, not great, but the camera was in my budget at the time:

Bart, The flat port for the EF-S 60 does not have a focus knob. You can actually use the 9059.8 zoom clamp and sleeve and operate the manual focus ring with the housing zoom knob (I just hooked it up and it works---a little difficult to line everything up---but it works) The 60mm has excellent autofocus and I don't see myself using it in manual. Most users here report that the 100mm doesn't focus as well in low light and prefer using the 60mm in these conditions. The Tamron 28-75 may be a good choice and in your budget range. The zoom clamp/sleeve setup works fine once you get the hang of lining everything up correctly. I would be interested in hearing other's thoughts on this one as well and how it compares to the 17-85. My vote would be to start with the 17-85 and the 60mm. I don't think you can go wrong with that combination.

Bart, Welcome to Wetpixel I would second Jean's recommendation on the 17-85. I got the 20D with this as the kit lens. The Ikelite special dome port for this lens is extremely easy to use. No clamps or sleeves to mess with. The zoom knob is built into the port. I think you will like the 85mm long end for your stated needs. I use a B+W +4 diopter. Minimum focusing distance is just under 14" (from the sensor). It is also an excellent top side lens and pretty much stays on my camera out of the water. I just wish it was a 2.8 lens. And, it is an EF-S lens designed for a select set of Canon DSLR's only. To me this is not a negative as I plan on keeping the 20D for some time and feel I will get my money's worth out of my EF-S lenses. Like you, I considered the Tamron 28-75, but the Ikelte port for it requires the zoom clamp and sleeve set. It's been reviewed as an excellent lens and considerably cheaper than the 17-85. Good luck with your decision. We've all been there. Just pick a good one and get used to it.

[i did have an issue with the camera not quite sitting correctly on its mount which meant that either the play button for reviewing images would work, *or* the scroll wheel would work. Unfortunately you really need these to work together, this was rather annoying but I should have found this before I left, strictly speaking.. Try loosening the set screw on the knob for the control wheel and pulling the knob out a little. Will give the control arm more reach to make contact with the wheel.

I will add my 2 cents worth. I faxed my order to Peter yesterday morning. Within 20 minutes, I got an email stating they were ready to ship and would go out immediately. These guys are quick !!! Either that or Peter was really bored and had nothing else to do at the time.

Hi Patrick I recently upgraded from a 5060 to 20D. Have only had the 20D in the pool so far, but will take it to Bonaire in November. There are a lot of 20D folks in the forums that can head you in the right direction. You might try looking at their galleries to pick up some settings to start with as well as some shooting techniques. Matt Segal has a good website with photos and EXIF data that might give you some tips. There are others as well so do some searching. Matt's site is: www.carbonos.com Enjoy the new rig !!

What Ike is basically saying is that the 7070 has a problem once you get too far from your subject. You can use TTL for macro work, but sounds like you will need to use manual strobe power for any wide angle. You will need to open up the aperture (lower F number), use a slower shutter speed, or as Ike suggested, dial back the FEC (flash exposure compensation) on the camera. Maybe a combination of all these. A manual EV controller may help you to fine tune the strobe power, but if you use one of these, you are not able to use the TTL function at all. The EV controller overrides the TTL signal. You just need to experiment and find out what works best for you.

Hey ALex....since you're already gonna be in trouble....want to reconsider the photo I sent you for approval ? At least that one was fully clothed.

Well .. looks like Ike was typing at the same time I was. I wasn't aware that the 7070 had a problem. Looks like Peter's great settings for the 5050 and 5060 are out the window for the newest model.

I used the Oly 5060 for about 2 years. The 7070 is very close to the same camera. When I first started using it, I set all the camera settings per Peter's Splashdown Divers site. Check the link he left above. I didn't have any problems and that information started me off well. You might check his settings for the 5050 against what your camera is set to. I'm wondering if you have an exposure compensation or flash compensation set that should be changed. Peter recommends, and I agree, that the flash compensation should be turned down a notch as the camera has a tendency to overexpose, rather than what you are getting. Also, make sure your strobe is aimed correctly. As far as the dome port issue...I used the Ikelite dome and Oly wide angle lens and only had vignetting at the widest zoom, and that was only minor in the lower corners..easily cropped out. Make sure it is positioned per the Ikelite instruction sheet that came with the dome. One other point that seems simple...but I've seen it happen. Make sure the housing hot shoe wire is positioned correctly on the camera. Other than that, I'm at a loss. Possibly a hardware problem. If you try the above and still have problems, I would suggest you contact Ikelite.

Greg, My experience with the Inon lens is that it tends to make the edges a little soft. This is easily handled by cropping the picture. On this particular shot, I had the exposure messed up and needed more DOF (obviously). The face is pretty well exposed, but I could have done a better job on the overall shot. Attribute it to operator error. The TTL circuitry on the Ikelite housing is a real bonus for macro work. It is very difficult to blow out a picture with too much lite using the strobes and camera in TTL.