bacripe

I just ran into this thread, but it is something that is worth people paying attention to. On the ShearWater I helped diagnose and repair 2 EX1 housings from Gates (one less than 3 months old!) that had loose glands and as a result minor leaks. Both of these leaks were not catastrophic and were caught by the leak alarm, but were disturbing nonetheless. Perhaps a different design/higher grade of Loctite is in order?

PRICES REDUCED!! Sea & Sea DX-40D housing, compatible with the Canon 40D and 50D cameras - $1500 Inon 45-degree viewfinder - $500. Sea & Sea standard flat port $200. Athena macro port for Nikon 105VR/Canon 100mm. - $350 Sea & Sea extension ring 40 - $175. Sea & Sea SX extension ring - $125. Sea & Sea optical glass dome port - $600. Athena manual focus gear, Canon 100/2.8. - $125. Sea & Sea gear for Canon 16-35, Tokina 10-17 - $125. Also available: 1 Ikelite standard charger - $20 2 Nikonos to Ikelite single sync cords - $50 each 1 Nikonos to Ikelite TTL dual sync cord, $100. 1 5in ULCS arm, $30 1 ULCS Hotshoe mount (for focus light) - $15 1 ULCS Triple clamp, $20 Please PM with any questions, and include an e-mail address I can reply to you at. Thanks. Brian

Still available: 1 Ikelite standard charger - $20 2 Nikonos to Ikelite single sync cords - $50 each 1 Nikonos to Ikelite TTL dual sync cord, $100. 1 5in ULCS arm, $30 1 ULCS Hotshoe mount (for focus light) - $15 1 ULCS Triple clamp, $20 Please send PMs instead of posting questions in the thread. Thanks. Brian

Sorry about the delay guys, I've been traveling with a last-minute assignment. I wanted to have photos available for those who inquired before getting too far into things. As of right now, I have sales pending for all ULCS clamps (triple and single), all arms, all strobes. I've sent messages to everyone who PMed/posted interest. Still available are one standard charger, Sea&Sea standard flat port, Sea&Sea extension ring 40. Thanks for the interest, I'll post if sales fall through. Brian

I'm selling 3 Ikelite DS125 strobes with NiMH battery packs. All in good working order, never flooded. Strobes with batteries are $400 each. 2 Ikelite smart chargers - $50 each, or $25 with a strobe. 2 Ikelite standard chargers, $25 each, or $15 with a strobe. 2 Nikonos to Ikelite single sync cords - $50 each Nikonos to Ikelite dual sync cord, $100. ULCS arms - 2 8in arms, $30 each. 3 5in arms, $30 each. 2 Ikelite strobe adapters, $10 each 2 Sea&Sea strobe adapters, $10 each 1 Hotshoe mount (for focus light) - $15 5 Triple clamps, $20 each Standard ULCS clamps... I have about 15 of these, $10 each. Fisheye LED1000DX focus light - easily the best focus light I've ever used. Includes battery and charger, 3 hour plus burn time. Like new condition. $599 new, selling for $450. Photos are available upon request. Any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thanks. --Brian

I'm selling my Sea & Sea DX-40D housing, compatible with the Canon 40D and 50D cameras. Housing is in good condition - some discoloration (all the Sea & Sea housings I've seen with this finish have faded somewhat) but in good working order. Housing has never been flooded - it shows signs of use but functions perfectly. Housing is $2995.00 new - I'm selling for $1800.00. Photos available on request. I also have for the housing an Inon 45-degree viewfinder. The Inon viewfinder is compatible with the Sea and Sea 40d/d200/d300 housings, and may work with others - I can find out. Viewfinder is fantastic for macro or wide-angle work, magnifying and enlarging the image. Viewfinder is in very good condition, $900.00 new - selling for $600. I am also selling a Sea & Sea standard flat port, excellent for midrange lenses like the 60mm. Good condition - $400 new, selling for $200. Athena macro port for Nikon 105VR/Canon 100mm. A fantastic port - very light weight (7oz less than the Sea & Sea equivalent!) with a 67mm threaded front, perfect for wet diopters! Very good condition (optically perfect) - $569.00 new, selling for $400. Sea & Sea extension ring 40 - very good condition. $315 new, selling for $200. Sea & Sea SX extension ring - very good condition. $199 new, selling for $125. Sea & Sea optical glass dome port - good condition. The glass has a few minor marks, none that affect image quality. There is one notable scratch, but it is outside the optical field shooting with a 10-17 at 10mm. A great chance to get a fantastic port at a low price. $1325 new, selling for $600. Athena manual focus gear, Canon 100/2.8. $269 new, selling for $150. Sea & Sea gear for Canon 16-35, Tokina 10-17 - $219 new, selling for $150. If you have any questions or would like to see photos, feel free to contact me. I've also got another post with strobes, arms, etc. --Brian

He's correct. The 60 is an EF-S mount lens, while the teleconvertors on the market are designed for EF lenses.

Mr. Douglas - On the Shear Water, we try to separate videographers from still photographers with groups. Ideally, we can split down the middle (half video/half stills) and then there are no issues. We do our best to insure that everyone has the opportunity to return with great images, and I think that our track record indicates that we do a good job satisfying the needs of our various guests onboard. If you have any other questions, I'm sure that our office staff can answer them. Brian Cripe Captain, MV Shear Water www.scuba-adventures.com

I think that's how it should look - the viewfinders are actually a reducing optic (.67x or .8x) to enable you to see the entire image in the camera's viewfinder from farther away (behind a housing and mask). I'll check my housing, but I'm pretty sure this is correct.

You can probably get your hands on a Canon 1D mark II for around that amount (8 MP, 8.5 frames per second) or a Nikon D2hs (4MP and 8 frames per second). Newer cameras (Canon 40D, 50D, Nikon D300) all top 5 frames per second and fall around the $1000 price point (40D a little under, 50D and D300 a little over) and have housings available. Film cameras are still available - I have a Canon 1VHS that rocks at 10 frames per second. They can be found for pretty reasonable prices as well, but housing one may be difficult outside of a surf housing.

Hey guys. just noticed this thread. I work on the Shear Water, so I can offer firsthand information :-) The last few weeks in the Bahamas we've been seeing cooler temperatures, but it has been warming a little bit. This last week water temps ranged between 70-73F, with air temperatures 65-75F (most days around 75 as the day wore on). Me, I would bring at least a 5mm suit. I spend more time in the water than most of our guests do, and this last trip I dove a 7mm with a 5/3 hooded vest every day. Most of our guests were comfortable with 5mm suits and hoods/hooded vests. I hope this helps - see you soon! -Brian

In my experience with a 5D, the 16-35mkII isn't overly practical underwater. The biggest issue is the problem of diopters - you'll have a hard time finding a diopter that fits the 82mm thread 16-35II, not to mention the issues with fitting into some port systems. The 17-40 offers the potential for adding diopters (yes, it's a stop slower and slightly less wide, but it's got good corner to corner sharpness and performs well for a wide-angle rectilinear lens. YMMV. Brian

Nice shot! I actually work for Abernethy's, but primarily in the Bahamas. You are pretty much guaranteed to see one if you arrange your trip so that you can go diving under the Blue Heron Bridge (the "poor man's Lembah") among many other fantastic macro opportunities. Just make sure that you have a chance to get into the water around high tide (there's some info on the website, and there are a lot of photos at Laz Ruda's website www.thelivingsea.com) I've seen them at some of the more southern reefs we dive at (Paul's, the Horseshoe, Janine's Ravine) but they're harder to come by on the reef. You are correct on the extension tube - I just tried mine and it mounts to the 60 just fine. But it doesn't offer more magnification - just reduces the working distance, which isn't a problem on the 60 underwater. Send me an e-mail if you're going to be coming to town - myself or one of our other guides are always happy to show someone around under the bridge. Good luck and good shooting! Brian

The 60mm will focus down to right on top of the port, so an extension tube won't really help you - really what they do is decrease working distance (provide closer focus). I also don't think that the Canon extension tubes will mount onto the EF-s lenses - they have a different mount than regular EF lenses. I'll try mine later today when I get back to the house. The 60mm is a great lens for mantis shrimp - I don't know about the ones you have down there, but up here in Palm Beach and over in the Bahamas, our mantis shrimp are huge (12")!! So a 60 is a great lens for them. You have to remember that you gain magnification with your flat port as well. If you want to shoot at greater than 1:1, you'll need a longer lens - like a 100mm with a teleconvertor and diopter, or the Sigma 150mm. The 60mm is an awesome starter lens for underwater and is very versatile, but it's not going to get you shooting bumblebee shrimp. I'm also not aware of any teleconvertors for the Canon EF-s lenses, so you'll have to get a longer lens.

Teemu - On the Sea & Sea website, there is a "system chart" which shows lens/port combinations for their housings - I can't seem to link to it, but it's right on the front page of www.seaandsea.com. There are a number of choices for macro, between the compact macro ports and the larger ones. I have the NX custom macro port, which I use with the 60mm without an extension ring, and the 100mm with an SX extension ring. There are other combinations - those have worked for me so far and limit the number of ports you have to carry. I haven't used the Sigma 17-70 - I'd call one of our sponsors (Reef Photo or Backscatter) and ask them about that lens. For the 10-17, I've used it both with the NX fisheye dome (acrylic) and the optical glass dome with an SX extension ring. I've been told that the glass dome is the best for this lens. I like it's more compact size for travel, but you have the make the glass vs. acrylic decision for yourself. Optically, it's better than the acrylic dome, but it's not a difference that I think a lot of people will notice. Good luck - the MDX-40D is a great housing. Have fun!