djeclarke

Hello all, I'm an avid reader of this site but only a sporadic poster. However as I now feel that I have finally exhausted the potential of my trusted D70, I thought it would be best to ask for some advice before I upgrade. I would like to stick with Nikon and with DX format if possible to retain the use of the 10.5mm fisheye and also as I like the additional reach for topside work (I'm a marine biologist and do a lot of Photo ID work with cetaceans). This leaves me with 2 options as far as I can tell, the D300s or the D7000. I know this is a debate that's been done to death already so apologies for that. At first glance the D300s seemed the more attractive option to me, especially for my topside work given the faster AF and the more durable body (great against nasty salt spray and the like). However, after looking at dozens of underwater pics taken by both cameras, the D7000 seems to deliver better results. The D300s looks a little noisy to me, especially when dealing with sunballs and other wide angle work. The D7000 seems to have markedly better image quality in this respect. To be honest, the best pics i've seen in this regard from a crop sized sensor are from the Canon 7D! But I'd rather not jump ship at this juncture if possible. Am I being overly picky? And should I wait for whatever Nikon comes up with as a direct replacement for the D300s? Any help would be much appreciated Dom

A single DS-125, would more light help me get the kind of clarity I see in really top images? Even with the 18-70mm?

Hi all Does anyone have any recommendations on how to get that brilliant clear blue effect that I see on so many great images on here? My current set-up is a Nikon D70 and the only compatible lens I have with my housing and port is the 18-70mm kit lens. Basically I've been told in the past that its down to the camera and glass i'm using but I always feel there are better things I could be doing in terms of technique as well. I've definitely managed to improve a bit over time but I still feel my images look a bit 2D if you catch my drift. Here's a few examples of the best I've managed to achieve so far: Yellowfin Goatfish, Mulloidichthys vanicolensis by djeclarke, on Flickr Untitled by djeclarke, on Flickr Untitled by djeclarke, on Flickr Any help would be very much appreciated! D

Greetings from St Andrews, Scotland. I'm currently studying for a masters in Marine Mammal Science and started diving age 12 (11 years and still comfortably obsessed!). I was lucky enough to get hold of an Ikelite housing and DS-125 strobe for my Nikon D70 when a diving colleague upgraded. Unfortunately i've since been unable to afford anything more than the 18-70mm kit lens, which i've still found to be perfectly flexible. I've been lucky enough to get to some really great locations as a DM; the Similans, Red Sea and Aliwal Shoal to name a few so this is the sum of what i've managed to achieve so far: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21616070@N04/sets/ Any advice and opinions would be most welcome!

Greetings from St Andrews, Scotland. I'm currently studying for a masters in Marine Mammal Science and started diving age 12 (11 years and still comfortably obsessed!). I was lucky enough to get hold of an Ikelite housing and DS-125 strobe for my Nikon D70 when a diving colleague upgraded. Unfortunately i've since been unable to afford anything more than the 18-70mm kit lens but hopefully that'll change once I escape the poverty of studentship!