underh2o

Don't know if you remember my name, but I bought your dome port a while back. I agree with everything James said, he hit it on all points. Be sure to do the ttl test. Those sync cords are a major weak link. One thing that you didn't mention and no one asked is what mode are you shooting the camera in? I would use it in manual mode with the strobes in TTL. That way you can set the f-stop to work with the strobe to subject distance and power output requirements of your strobe. This info is on your little sticker on the strobe. TTL will only work if your f-stop is in the ballpark. If you are trying to use P mode all bets are off. The 10.5 is a great lens, but unless your fish are really big or there are tons of them it is too wide for "great wide angle large fish shots". Take a look at my website. Most of the wide-angle reef scenes were shot with the 10.5. With the digital crop factor, the 60 is a much more versatile lens than the 105. Most macro shots on my site we done with the 60mm. Let us know if you got it figured out.

Craig, Are you saying that you have good results using the 10.5mm with the S&S compact dome? If so I will have to try it. Sure would beat traveling/diving with the big fisheye dome. Thanks,

I have been a subscriber of Undercurrent for years. The monthly reports are good, but I really enjoy the Chapbook that comes out every year. It is full of useful information on dive operations and destinations. Undercurrent is more of a newsletter than a magazine.

I have a pair of Force Fin Pros and I love them. They are very comfortable, easy to get on and off, easy on the legs and to me are just fine pushing a housed camera into the current. Even with out these benefits the short length of the fins is the biggest selling point. While photographing I am less likely to kick the reef with the Force Fins than I would be with longer "normal" fins. They are also much easier to pack than longer fins. Mine are 10 years old and show no signs of wearing out.

Thanks for the tips. Mike - the housing does have a button to allow use of manual and auto focus. Was playing with that in the pool today. For manual white balance settings the camera has indoor, outdoor and hold. My friend who I bought the camera from always used auto. I will try both auto and manual - outdoor per your avice. SJSPECK - thanks for the websites. Looks like I will have some reading to do. I have been a lurker here for sometime and have just started to come out of my shell to post some questions.

I recently purchased a PC110 camera with an Ocean Images housing from a friend. I have been shooting stills for years and got this rig as a test to see if I like UW video. I have had lots of fun creating family videos for my kids on my Mac and want to try underwater. I am looking for any basic, general tips on shooting UW video. White balance, focus tips anything that can help. I leave for Komodo in few weeks and need hep. Thanks in advance.

I won the Best of Show and my first notification from EPIC was a few weeks ago when I received a nice plaque in the mail. I thought that I was out of luck on any other prize until two days ago when I received an email from EPIC stating that my prize was a 7 night trip aboard the Bilikiki in the Solomon Islands. Bilikiki Cruises staff has also contacted me. It took a while but I am happy. Thanks to Bilikiki Cruises for being a sponsor of EPIC ( http://www.bilikiki.com/ ). I am wondering if there is going to be an EPIC next year. Is the recently announced Wetpixel / DivePhotoGuide.com contest going to replace EPIC? They are both tied to the Our World Underwater show. I can't imagine them having two photo contests.

Found this worm in Cozumel. It was about 1 inch in diameter and the portion not buried in the sand was about 10 inches long. As I approached it slowly rectracted back into the sand. I couldn't find it in my books. If I knew it was an oddball I would have taken other shots. What is it?

I am with the Houston Underwater Photographic Society (http://www.hups.org). As part of our monthly meetings we have photocontests. We have a 10+ year old scoring machine that allows 3 judges to score images and it then adds these scores to come up with a total score for each image. The scores are displayed so the audience can see them. This aging judging machine is in need of repair again and before we send it off I thought we should see what other photo clubs are using. Are any of you using a scoring machine or doing these functions on a laptop or are you usng paper and pen? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Looks like Sarah got some great images. So when is Sarah going to start entering the HUPS monthly contests? That reminds me, I guess you will have to upgrade to a family membership!