TuriLed

James, 99.9% of my dives are in the (reletavely) warm, cosy, Red Sea. Did i mention that it is just 4 hours drive from where i live ? In the last few months (before i started Uni) i went diving in there every two weeks (98 dives in 5 month). When you refer to "Focusing lights", you mean those realy-realy strong lights with a battery pack attached to the back of your tank ? or a DS-125 with modeling light should be enough ? About the diopter - do u know if there's enough room for a diopter in the ikelite flat port ? How does the 60mm perform with a diopter on it ? Anyway, i'm starting to think that the 60mm is a good start afterall. I know that my bank account will like me more if i'll buy this one instead of the expansive 105mm...

Amazing photos Karl. Your indonesia gallery was one of the reasons for choosing the D70 :-) I think that Phyllodesmium longicirrium shot is why i want a 105mm lens Its look HUGE in this shot (how big was it?). I tried to decide which lens is best by looking at those pics, but it's hard to decide because i dont know what was the original size of the photos and how much was cropped. Kimberly took some really nice close-ups with the 600mm as well. Regarding the 105mm - did you find it easy to use during night dives ?

Well, the thing is that i dont really like taking photos of most fish. at least not "medium" size fish. I do like taking photos of really small ones( blennies, shrimps, nudibrnachs and such) or big ones (stingrays, eaglerays, and sharks, though there aren't a lot of those here in the north part of the red sea). If you have the time you are wellcome to visit my gallery (http://lederman.smugmug.com) and see what i look for when i dive. Maybe what i need is to see a gallery or two showing images taken with a 60mm and 105mm. It'll help me figure out what these lenses are capable of.[/url]

Hi everybody After reading this forum every day for a few months, i've decided that it's time to buy a dSLR. I decided to buy a Nikon D-70. I don't have a lot of experience with SLR cameras, but i've been using the manual mode of my camera (Oly C4000) most of the time. I do have a few month to learn before the summer holiday start.s I'm trying to decide which lens to get first - I want a good macro lens (love those small critters, nudibranchs especially) but i'm not sure if i should go for a 60mm or 105mm, and if i should get a Sigma or Nikkor lens. That's what i learned so far : - Nikkor 105mm. Pros - great lens for small critters. Ikelite provide a flat port that can change from manual to autofocus. Cons - expansive. Might be hard to start with this lens a a first lens (is that true?). Might be hard to work with a 105mm lens on night dives. - Sigma 105mm. Pros - cheaper from the nikkor lens (by far...). I'm not sure if it's as good (anyone ?). Cons - Ikelite port provide autofocus only (is that a problem ? is it posibble to work with autofocus most of the time with this lens?). Might be hard to start with this lens a a first lens (is that true?). Might be hard to work with a 105mm lens on night dives. - Nikkor 60mm lens. Pros - Suppose to be good lens, heard it's easier to work with then with a 105mm lens . Cons - Ikelite offer two type of flat ports for this lens - one with macro control, the other one with manual. With the 105mm port you can switch from manual to autofocus. So, what do you think guys ? a 60mm lens or 105mm ? Nikkor or Sigma ? Thanks, Oren

Any idea if Ikelite's dome port is good enough for that kind of lens ? I'm planying with the idea of buying a D70 + ikelite housing soon... 10x

The DS-125 has a built in modeling light, which makes life easier. Actaully, the modeling light is so powerfull that when you take off the diffuser is a VERY powerfull flashlight. When using it, you dont need a free hand for a flashlight (very unconfertable with a big camera). I own both a DS-50 and a DS-125 (theoreticly, the DS-125 is on it's way to Ike ). It was hard to point the DS-50 at the right spot when i started using it, so i managed to attach a small flashlight to the strobe. It wasn't ideal, but it did a good job. It was a lot easier with the DS-125 and the modeling light. Now i dive with a DS-125 with a diffuser on) and a DS-50 (with a flishlight on, plus a small diffuser that i made for it) so i dont need a free hand for a flashlight. There is a plus though for the DS-50 - The battery compartment is isolated, so when you are stupid enought not to close it ( :oops: ) a good rinse in the old bucket, nice dry air, and it's ready to shoot again Oh, another plus is that the DS-50 is MUCH lighterthen the DS-125 (at least outside the water). I carried a Oly-010 + DS-50 + strobe arms on my back during a 5 month trip. Can't imagin carrying a DS-125. If your budget allows it, go for the DS-125.