TimG

Welcome on board the road to ruin Al. One thought, which you may have done anyway: I always dunk my system in a fresh water tank to check it for leaks before hopping into the ocean. I figure that I may have a fighting chance of saving a camera immersed in a little fresh water - whereas there is no chance with salt water. Good luck on your future expeditions. It's horribly addictive........

Chris' idea sounds good to me - you still then good ol' Pelican toughness. Although this is probably inviting disaster, I have taken around 24 flights in the last 12 months with a Pelican 1510 roller box which contains everything except the camera bodies and the FE port (which is in its own 1400 Pelican) - and have had no problems at all. Sometimes it was hold loaded, sometimes I rolled it into the cabin: the choice was mine. The 1510 has fitted in the overhead locker on everything from 747s to small Airbus. Only puddle-hopper flights have led to it being "valet"-loaded. These flights have included several US airports - but not, so far at least, San Juan or Miami which seem to be causing lots of angst. I just hope now that I won't be posting in a few months to say my Pelican has been robbed...... maybe I'll use Chris' idea!

Thanks guys. I've not tried the Belkin adaptor, but I read somewhere that it is annoyingly slow. I'll try and have a go with this new camera/iPod adaptor and report back. I am sure James is right about there being better gadgets. But isn't it SO tempting.... I love my 20GB iPod and the thought of being able to combine music with my u/w pictures is almost bringing on a sugar-rush.

Hey Guys Has anyone any experience of storing RAW files on one of the new iPod Photos? Apple now have an accessory which allows a digital camera to be plugged directly into an iPod. I wondered whether a Nikon D100 would be recognised (its not on the Apple approved list of cameras) and whether RAW images could be viewed (I'm guessing not). A 60GB iPod as a music/photo storage device sounds excellent: flexible, useful, not too expensive. But I'm not sure it would work as well as we would all want with big files. Any thoughts?

Scary?? Hurricane Lenny was scary. Terrorists we are, sadly, used to dealing with.

Hi Andre I use the Nikkor 12-24 with the FE Subal. I don't use a diopter but do use a 50mm extension ring. I'm sure there will be a reader who can help more, but it might be worth you emailing Subal in the meantime. I've found them very helpful.

I've been using the Nikkor 28-200mm lens for the last 18 months or so topside. I'm sure its not up to the 80-200VR (yep, I'd love one too and the 17TC) but I have been very happy with the results - which have led to lots of sales. Its very versatile, compact and light. It suffers a bit with a noisy motor and a tendency to head to infinity when it cannot find focus - and start hunting all over again. But if you are looking for cheap and cheerful it is worth checking out.

Hi Steve I use Nikons rather than Olympus and I am not familiar with your camera. However RAW is the nearest digital thing to a "negative". Whilst JPEGs have some form of data compression, RAW does not and, unless your camera or software has a RAW viewer, it is not, I think a "viewable" format. The advantage of RAW is its lack of compression - and that programs such as Nikon Capture and Photoshop CS can make changes to some of the picture data produced by the camera settings - without altering the RAW file. So White Balance, EV settings and a number of others can be manipulated very easily. I have always shoot RAW files and then if I want to email them - or maybe use them for screensavers, copy them to JPGs. The only disadvantage of RAW is the file size. My RAW files (from a Nikon D100) are over 9MB each. So big storage cards are a must. Hope this helps.

Hey guys I have used an Aladin ZO2 for around 4 years (the computer battery was changed a couple of months ago after 600 dives); and a pair of Inon 220s for the last 8 months. I can't say as I have noticed any problems. If the computer/transmitter lose sync this has always re-established itself with a few seconds. On a couple of occasions I have found, after the dive, that no remaining tank contents data has been recorded - but I have never been able to estabish why. Just as a matter of interest, I have found the tec support for the Aladins provided by Scubapro - and before them, Uwatec - in the UK to be excellent.

Thanks Craig - much appreciated. I may well take you up on the offer. As you say, you are only down the road and I'm often passing through your way (I have a daughter at Loughbourough Uni). And its always nice to meet a Wetpixler.

If using a 60mm lens what size of extension ring would you use with, say, a 1.7TC? (I use a Subal with the 60mm port). Does the extension ring/port combination just have to be physically long enough to house the lens/TC? Or is there something more complex involved? I've been thinking of buying a TC and already have a 20mm and 50mm extension rings.

Some neat tricks there, Craig! Thanks.

Hi Mike I went with a relatively cheap telephoto solution, the Nikkor 28-200mm. Massive zoom range and I am very happy with the results. I am about to move to Australia and am thinking over the VR 75-200 - especially since seeing David's pics! Bear in mind the 1.7 digital multiplier effect on digital - and then add a TC..... 200mm becomes a pretty long lens

Count me in too as a double-body kinda guy. As Allison says, it's so useful to have one housed and one for top-side use - which can be diverted, please God no, when the Great Flood happens. In addition with digital bodies changing faster than I can type this, I don't want to shell out a lot of money on a good housing only for my camera body to die sometime (hopefully) in the distant future and not be able to buy another one then. With two I feel I have got a fighting chance of getting some long usage out of my system. And I get to take topside pixs too.

Wow! That's worth knowing about - thanks Michael. And good luck with the new toys. Isn't it fun

Doh! Thanks for that Marty - and Mr S. What a complete no-brainer. I always keep my Subal housing o-ring in a ziplock inside the housing when travelling. Why didn't I think of it for the port??

Hey Chris The blue ones sure must be different to my black, open heel ones - which are a major cause of my over-weight dive bag! Ankle weights I have seen are generally either 1.5lbs or 1 kg. I doubt that they would be too heavy for you. Borrow a pair from a friend maybe to try them out?

I have certainly found strobes tricky to use in shallow water - and it is well worth checking out the URPro series of filters. As for additional lenses, a fisheye and a macro would be worth while.

I agree. It's a pain. Once I had finally managed to prise mine off, I marked with a permanent marker an arrow on the cover to show the position the mark needs to be for the locking lugs to be disengaged. Drilling a couple of holes and putting a chord thborugh them is a great idea!

Hi! I've just flown around the world with my Subal D10 set-up with twin Inon strobes all packed in a Pelican 1510. This has the advantage of being a roller box and within the airlines cabin bag size limits. I had no problems getting into the cabin for the 19 flights I took. I would heartily recommend the padded divider sets rather than pluck-foam. Its more durable and adaptable. Hope this helps Tim

Hey Guys Having just switched to Inon strobes, I have a Nikonos SB105 for sale. It's in perfect condition, never flooded and is complete with a diffuser, Ultralight adaptor and cable. Interested? Let me know. Tim@gurney.f9.co.uk

I use the Ned Daloach and Paul Humann book too. The ones they produce are exellent and Amazon have them. The Indo-Pacific one I have used from the Red Sea to French Polynesia and has usually contained what I was searching for.

I must have been lucky; it was never weighed. It was packed with my housing, two strobes, two lenses, extention tubes, batteries etc etc. I usually tried to carry it to make it look as though it weighed nothing. Of course, I now have a pinched nerve in my shoulder

Tempting...... You may be interested that I've just hoiked a Pelican 1510 around the world and had no problems getting it on as cabin baggage on 19 flights. But its a bit smaller than the 1610. Good luck with the sale.

Hey Alex Sounds great. Count me in please. TimG