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Graggs

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Posts posted by Graggs

  4. Posted

    On 5/26/2019 at 10:52 AM, TaxiDiver14 said:

    Selling minesemoji16.png

    @TaxiDiver14 to buy what?
    I am in just this dilemma and sick of the misinformation by some suppliers.. namely quoting light output based on the LED chip they are using, not what the actual torch is capable of, making it very difficult to make an informed decision.

    At the moment, I am looking for two torches for casual video use and off camera stills photography (wrecks etc). I use a 15mm FE mostly, but also a 16~35mm rectilinear. FF camera.

    My short list
    SUPE V6K Pro
    BigBlue VL15000P-Pro-MINI-TC
    DivePro G15 Pro (Jaunt)
    X-Adventure M15000

    My Summary to date
    SUPE V6K Pro
    Probably a more honest 12,000 lm over a wide area, realistic burn time for size of battery and output.
    More negative in the water than I would like @ -560g
    A fair asking price
    Has ambient filters available
    Innovative mount allows light to rotate to access control BUT has to be de-rigged to change battery?
    https://www.scubalamp.com/products/photo-video-lights/v6k-pro-12000-lumens-100.html

    BigBlue VL15000P-Pro-MINI-TC
    I really want to believe the hype but can't. Stated burn time (2 hours) for that light output hard to believe and BB won't provide any evidence. I suspect it's maybe not a true 15,000 lumens and doesn't have consistent output through burn time?
    -310g underwater is best in class
    Smallest physical dimensions of all
    Could turn out to be an expensive mistake.
    https://bigbluedivelights.com/products/15000-lumen-video-light-warm-white-feature/

    DivePro G15 Plus (Jaunt)
    I already have 2 D90F, nice build quality, but I doubt their quoted light output figures.
    Good pedigree LED chip, but apart from a good CRI no further info
    Creditable 2 year warranty
    Getting more expensive
    Has ambient filters available
    https://www.divepro.com/product/divepro-g15-plus-15000-lumens-super-bright-led-underwater-video-light-wide-beam-scuba-diving-torch-photo-flashlight/

    X-Adventurer M15000
    An interesting proposition, possibly wider beam (130°) than I want or need?
    Nice control method if it lasts (10 step rotary control)
    Quoted Constant Current circuitry to maintain light output throughout burn time (50" @ 15,000 lm)
    Colour rendering as good as the SUPE V6K: CRI Ra96     TCLI 97 - R9:94
    -480g negative, slightly better than SUPE V6K, but heaviest on land (important for that weight allowance), slightly shorter than the V6K
    The remote looks very cool
    Has ambient filters available
    http://www.xadventurer.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=65&product_id=131
     

     

  5. Posted

    Sea & Sea MDX 5D help please.
    I recently bought a second hand MKIII Series 2 housing and successfully got the Canon 5D Mark IV camera to work in it.
    The help I need is getting Inon z240 Strobes to work.
    I haven't got proper fibre cables yet, but I have played around with a piece of polymer fibre, enough to know the strobes are firing from the Optical YS Converter / C1 - sync appears okay on land.
    Doing a bit of research, it appears the Canon 5D MkIV is supposed to use the C2 version of the Optical YS Convertor (I have the C1 version originally made for the MKIII)

    Does anyone know the difference?


    Is there any reason the C1 won't work?


    On the convertor, there are a number of choices of Sea&Sea strobes.
    Does anyone know what the differences are or which setting would most suit the Inon z240?

    I have been shooting for years on a MkII using manual settings for strobes and I'm quite comfortable doing so. Worst case, if I can get this reliable in manual mode I'd be more than happy.

    I am of course curious to know what the sTTL functions are like.

    If anyone has more info on this configuration, I would be really grateful. The housing seems to access the majority of the camera controls. I have a slight alignment issue which means the cursor keys aren't working yet.

    I need to find a MkIV tray as the MKIII has a pin which doesn't align with the MkIV (for now, I have removed the pin and manually aligned the camera)

    I need to find some fibre optic cables.

     

  6. Posted · Edited by Graggs

    I can't comment on the individual products above or their suitability, but for the benefit of people reading this, here is a quick explanation of CRI / Colour Temperature and other interesting LED light output stuff.

     

    The CRI shouldn't be confused with the colour temperature (expressed in °K .... degrees Kelvin)

    CRI stands for Colour Rendering Index and is an expression to determine how faithful colours 'look' under a given light source.

    °K .... degrees Kelvin is an expression of colour temperature, the lower the figure, the nearer to the warm end of the spectrum (fire / candle) the higher the figure, the nearer to the Blue end of the spectrum. Daylight being about 5,000°K ~ 6,500°K

     

    As an illustration, a Tungsten Halogen light source of around 3,000°K can have a CRI >95 and by comparison a fluorescent light source with a colour temperature of 5,000°K might have a CRI of <75.

     

    Part of this is due to the spectrum of light that the light source is emitting. The 'Spectrum' being all the various colours (think rainbow or prism),

    In the image below, you can see the Halogen lamp (middle) emits a continuous range of colours whereas the fluorescent (bottom) has whole sections missing (or too dim to be any use).

    301px-Simple_spectroscope.jpg

     

    LED's have much the same problem as the fluorescent above, they not only have major deficiencies in certain colours (technically wavelength) BUT also have 'spikes' in some colours - the right hand image below shows our Tungsten light source.

    LED_Comp_Sprectrum.jpg

     

    LED's are notoriously bad in the CRI department. But they are getting better. You also have to treat the manufacturers CRI readings with caution, as they can be fudged.

     

     

    A result of this can be seen below, the image on the left is lit with Tungsten and the right with White Phosphor LED source. Look at the skin tone of the right hand image, the lack of correctly coloured light (or light deficient in certain wavelengths) has rendered the skin wrong. In contrast the blue spike in the LED light source on the right has made the dress look too blue (in fact it's changed the colour of the dress altogether).

    LED_Model_Comp.jpg

     

    And this is before you shine the light through water with particles in it or take into account the degradation of the LED over time.

     

    Another consideration... but way outside the scope of this thread is the sensors ability to record this information, i.e how sensitive it is to various colours or wavelengths.

     

    It's all relative of course and most dive sites are NOT offering perfect filming opportunities. But I felt the above distinction might help?

     

    A couple of the above images come from this old thread, which is worth a read if you want to expand on the above. It is old but still relevant to some of the points above.

    http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=52551

    • Like 3

  7. Posted

    Did this thread ever get anywhere.. it seems to have died a death?

     

    I am having some dome port dilemmas which a Sea & Sea MDX 5II and a 16~35mm USM L lens and I was hoping to find a conclusion here.

     

    There are lots of good ideas here, Is anyone interested in trying to resurrect this?

     

    I can knock up a test chart and share it, if we can agree on some content... I propose a combination of the mesh idea of Pete Atkinson and smaller charts positioned at key places.

     

     

     

  8. Posted

    I was very close to buying this, but found a setup that suited me closer to home (in England).

     

    Josha is an excellent communicator and I wish him luck in selling the above housing, I have no doubt it will suit someone very well indeed.

     

    Personally, I would go 'the extra mile' and have it serviced. For anyone that doesn't know, a service tech would look at all the seals - the big 'o' ring at the back is the easy one to check, but all the fiddly little seals around the control knobs are just as likely to let you down.

     

    Good luck Josha

     

    g

  9. Posted

    Hi

    Do you still have the Macro Port bits?

    I have the newer lens, but I wonder if any of the parts are compatible?

     

    This is the list of bits I need (as I understand it)

     

    Canon EF100mmF2.8L Macro IS USM
    DX Macro Port Base ..... Product No.30105
    DX Macro Port 50Ⅱ ..... Product No.30110
    Focus Gear ..................... Product No.31155

     

    Are there any part numbers on the pieces you have?

     

    Cheers

    Graggs

  11. Posted

    Hi Josha

    Currently I use an Ikelite housing with two Inon z240's Strobes.

     

    I am most definitely looking for a new housing for my Canon 5D Mk II

     

    But I have a couple of questions;

    1. What age is the housing
    2. When was it last serviced
    3. Am I right in thinking it has 2nd Generation port
    4. what strobe ports does it have
    5. Can you ship to the UK and do you have an idea of cost?

    Cheers

    Graggs

  12. Posted

    Hi Greg
    Do you still have the housing (and if so why?)

    I'm tentatively looking, but based in the UK so not sure if this will work out - but worth touching base I guess?

    I have a Canon 16~35mm so first up I would need to know if the 8" port you have will work with that lens?

    What extension do you have on it?

    Do you know the weights of the kit - I presently have all Ikelite stuff and one of the main reasons for changing is to try to shed some weight - if the 8" port is glass, that may work out heavier (I'm not sure)

  15. Posted

    Thanks for the namecheck Graggs...

    No problem Simon, it was a great talk...inspiring amusing and emotional at times. I did want to discuss the approach of the Royal Oak photography with you, but that's for another time maybe? Thanks for the link to your Flickr page BTW.

     

    As an aside, I'm going back to Scapa Flow in October

    I'll try and stay in touch...if I'm not too busy around then I might be up for that!

  16. Posted

    The DSLR versus Compact will rage on and it's not simple....whey up the pro's and con's yourself and how they work for you.

     

    I used to use a Canon G9 setup then migrated to a Canon 5D in an Ikkie housing. BUT, I already owned the 5D and a suitable lens, so my only outlay was the housing which I managed to get second hand.

     

    BUT, I now have to lug around a lot of kit ....that has a cost.... most of which is the wife nagging me.

     

    Also consider how this will change the way you dive / who you dive with etc! Your experience?

     

    I did a dive in Majorca two weeks ago on a wreck, I didn't take the camera kit because I was travelling alone and I didn't have the weight allowance. When we got on the wreck, the subject matter was clearly macro...I was quite smug, because if I HAD have taken the camera, I would have almost certainly setup for wide angle! My point; one of the key benefits to compact is payload of kit and the ability to swap in wet lenses - BUT do your homework, some combinations DO NOT work....and some combinations work better than others.

     

    If you want to do anything, make sure you get the latest sensor technology, since your article started with the point of view. Buying older kit may not be a benefit in the long run.

     

    I suffered similar problems with some deeper diving in Tenerife and that's what led me to migrate. There's no doubt the 5D is awesome compared to the G9 ....but since then, I've also added a decent Inon Strobe and changed my technique.

     

    BTW Since Canon has just launched the 5D MkIII so there will be an abundance of MkII stuff floating about, you could do worse than mopping some of that up!

     

    Also consider video....that may be a factor now or in the future.

     

    Whatever you decide to do, you will not solve the problem with just the camera, you may get a few extra stops with a little less grain, but to make a real difference you need some education and maybe a different approach?

     

    I sat in a talk on Saturday by a guy called Simon Brown, check out his work, some of this is taken in water with 3~5m viz. http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonbrownimages/

     

    Think about some off camera strobe?

     

    Also, looking at your shots, have you read about green filters? Obviously these only work in natural light...again, the benefit of compact is these could be wet filters!

     

    G

  17. Posted

    Hi Morten,

    I too migrated from a 'G' series with it's convenient 1 button white balance to a 5D. I searched around and couldn't find any other way of doing it, I even looked to see if there was different firmware, but I didn't find anything.

     

    But regarding the slate, you'll have to check the manual, but I don't believe the camera uses the whole image.

     

    I haven't dived with a white slate for quite a while, I've found that as long as you shoot something neutral, you'll get a reasonable white balance, I assume you're shooting in RAW?

     

    Finally a tip I've heard is buy white fins and use these.

     

    G

  19. Posted · Edited by Graggs

    Hi JC

    A strobe isn't going to help you much unless you can get close!

    If you're diving the GBR you are mainly going to have coral, fish, turtles etc in your viewfinder and you should be able to sneak up and get close to them!

    Learn to position the strobe so it doesn't light all the particles in the water - there's lots on the internet or in these forums to help you.

    I doubt there's much difference between 80 and 100 ....I often wind the ISO up to 400 or even more - in your case this may have an effect on the colour of the water behind your subject.

    Get in a pool and practise BEFORE you go.

    On your first dive, plan a series of settings you can try....write them on a slate and take them with you....Use your first dive to get an range of settings that will work for different scenarios. Practise these settings with your camera in it's housing before you even go on holiday.

     

    Mooseman is bang on.....don't rush out and buy a dSLR either - I use a Canon 5D and a single strobe....but the size or housing etc can be tricky to drag around and squeeze into spaces etc....I already had the camera and lenses, so my outlay was only the case. I used to shoot on a Canon G9 which was ace. If I was looking now I would seriously look at the emerging CSC cameras the ones which slot in between compacts and dSLR ....most have interchangeable lenses and Canon have just raised the bar by squeezing in a new bigger sensor (virtually the same as their semi pro 7D). The other key advantage (except for price and size) is that if you get the combination of camera and housing right, you'll be able to use wet lens which I really envy. Read some of the articles on http://www.deepshots.co.uk/ particularly http://www.deepshots.co.uk/2012/01/guest-a...slr-underwater/

     

    Good luck with the reef...my only trip there was during a big storm and diving was very difficult!!

     

    Graggs

  20. Posted

    Hi Andy,

    I dive in a semi dry 6.5mm wetsuit in Tenerife, water temperature varies from about 19~22C and I don't find it a problem with photography at all. But I've dived in a neoprene dry suit in 10C and managed too.

    You may want to consider a rash vest or better one of these https://www.simplyscuba.com/products/Lavaco...leeveShirt.aspx

    I dive in Tenerife at Christmas and the water temp is at the 18~19C end and after a few dives it can get chilly, so I bought myself the lavacore top and it's pretty good...obviously I wear this under my semi dry!! normally for the last dive.

    Hope that helps?

     

    G

  21. Posted

    Hi Again,

    Second time of typing ...pesky lappie locked up and Boooooof!

    I can't help with the strobe, since I don't use any of the ikki fancy shenanigans, just a manual cable.

    Re Bigger strobe or more strobe: I faffed about for a while with a small strobe on my G9 setup - then this year I plucked up the courage to fork out on the z240 and I've never looked back.

     

    There's lots on the internet re lenses for underwater photography and I'm not the best to offer counsel, as I said, I have the 16~35mm...but I already had it, so made no sense not to use it, I suppose one day a 10~20 or similar might be on the radar?

     

    Getting Close

    No idea....actually, there's a chapter in the book, but start with things that don't move...wrecks are normally quite good :))

     

    Distance

    Tim uses a great analogy. A really simple exercise is;

    Find a subject in shallow water, be a distance away from it. Work out your exposure. Now compose...zoom in to 40mm. Take a picture and swim forward a bit, re-compose, take a picture...keep doing this repeatedly, adjusting the zoom until you are as close as you can get and your lens is wide. Look at the images on your computer. This should show you how even the seemingly clear water affects your shots, both clarity and colour. If you now consider that any light illuminating your subject is working its way through the pea soup water, so natural light quickly disappears and even the most powerful strobe has the same battle.

     

    Thanks for the kind words about my flickr images.

    Those Hawaii dives where the first proper dives with the ikki and 5D combo, they really are glorified snaps. And the guys I was diving with really weren't interested in me taking pictures :)(

     

    Have a look at Tim's for some real inspiration. But don't get disheartened...we need more photographic divers!!

    I'm hoping to sneak away one day and do a photo live aboard or similar...

     

    I do hope you enjoy the book.

     

    Graggs

  22. Posted

    I forgot to mention that these were taken with ambient light, F10, ISO100, 1/200s

     

    Hi Team2jnd

    I use a similar setup, but I have only dived it maybe 15~20 times or so.....is this your first time using a DSLR underwater?

     

    I use the Canon 16~35mm lens on my setup

     

    The EXIF data for your shots says the aperture is f5.6 ....could you have been shooting in Tv (Shutter priority) Mode?

    Also the eel...there's a good chance the critter (or you) moved between focus and capture and at f5.6 (as you know) there's little or no tolerance for that.

    In available light you could do with using a higher ISO setting and since the sensor on the 5D is flippin awesome, wind it up to 400 or even 800 to get a better aperture..I have 3 "Standard" setting programmed onto C1..C2..C3, they are: power to suit.

    C1 Manual ISO 200 f9.0 125th

    C2 Manual ISO 100 f16 200th

    C3 Manual ISO 800 f8.0 125th Manual White Balance

    C1 and C2 are my flash settings (everything manual) so they are really trying to capture a nice background, the slower one being the staring point for blue sea, the quicker one being the starting point for black background, then adjust flash

    C3 is my available light setting.

    I stress, these are starting points....be prepared to look at the histogram and change settings...unfortunately the aperture and ISO are a bit of a faff to change, but there's no real way around it, except to program in some start points...if you are not using flash, I would be inclined to program your Custom Settings for a wide ISO range, say staring at 200, then 800 and possibly 3200 if you dive deep?

     

    Also, do you have a close up lens? I think for my setup Ikelite suggest / recommend a +2 Dioptre close up lens....On my last trip to Tenerife I tried it but with everything else going on didn't get around to doing any proper trials with it, so I plan to do a few tanks dives and find out what works best. In fact just checking their web site it doesn't appear you need one for your setup?

     

    I also have a friend who sells very INON stuff in the UK and we have discussed close up lens....apparently they have varying results from lens to lens and company to company...since most of them are made for land based photography. He has found that the cheaper single element ones tend to be better...but it may be a bit of trial and error I'm afraid. You'll also have to be careful NOT to get one that has a long screw thread out front, or you will get some vinetting when your lens is wide. I have HOYA ones which are long, but apparently they can be cut down.

     

    I'm sure there are plenty of links to shots taken on a 5D and Ikki combo...but here are mine if it helps..... http://www.flickr.com/photos/graggz/sets/ The Hawaiian dive was the camera first outing, then Tenerife....I stress non of these dives are photo dives as such, they where conventional dives with me and my big housing messing it up for all the swimmers.

     

    I'm sure you have the right kit to take some stunning pictures, it's just a case of fine tuning the setup and then finding some settings that work for you.

     

    At some point soon you're also going to want or need a strobe....by far the best bit of kit I bought and has made the biggest difference to my photography...I opted for the Inon Z240 and use it in full manual mode...it doesn't work in TTL mode on the ikki case ...to the best of my knowledge, the only one that does is Ikki's own strobes, which are too heavy and have a dedicated battery arrangement which I'm not fond of.

     

    There are some excellent kit write up's here from Steve http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk/Ocean%20Optic...aterflashi.html look at the equipment section.

     

    Finally, try to get a decent book....in the UK we use Mark's book as the Gospel ... http://www.edgeunderwaterphotography.co.uk/

     

    I hope I'm not teaching you to "suck eggs"?

     

    Graggs

  23. Posted

    Hi Bebe

    LED will simply not compete with strobe.

    My guess is you need strobe to get enough light to get a decent aperture and depth of field and freeze the action?

    If you use pool side lights you will need something immensely powerful.

    You could consider having strobes positioned on tripods (weighted down) to get a more creative lighting look.

    Sea and Sea strobes are fine, as are many other brands it's all a matter of preference, availability and budget.

    BUT, for your work, you will also need to be able to sync more than one strobe....and if you are using strobes on tripods or remotely mounted you will have to check that you can still sync them.

    On Steve's web site http://www.oceanoptics.co.uk/ there is loads of really useful information in the equipment section.

    Personally I have now use an Inon z240 and love it.

     

    The book I mentioned will also explain a lot of the theory to you.....you must especially understand the effect water has on light transmission, both in terms of the light output of your flash, but also the image the camera is seeing.

     

    Good luck

     

    Graggs

  24. Posted

    Hi Bebe,

    You really need to talk to someone about underwater strobes.

     

    Using anything pool side has a potential for a disaster if it's not designed for that environment and chances are nothing will be powerful enough anyway.

     

    Positioning the strobes is also critical (as you have discovered) otherwise you will pick up water particles in your pictures.

     

    Speak to Steve at Ocean Optics in Basildon, he can put you onto someone who will help you.

     

    Get a copy of Martin Edges book on underwater photography, although it covers lots more about diving photography, you'll be able to pick up some valuable tips.

     

    Hope this helps?

     

    Graggs

  25. Posted · Edited by Graggs

    I've thought about buying a wide angle dive torch (the LED C4) and placing out of the pool to replicate the sun; shinning towards my subject in the pool (?) I've thought about buying a 2nd hand strobe to do similar, but may only be able to afford the DS51 - would it be strong enough? and can I sync it?

    Indoors I get better results when close too (obviously) and with the substrobe not quite direct, but most are too dark. I've yet to test again & I'm going to try a white sheet backdrop (best I can use to get a plan background that may brighten and show no grubby tiles!) and see if I can get someone to hold the strobe further away and up from the camera. I'd like to use a pool with more natural light coming though a window; firstly it's finding one available to rent and secondly it's not so bright light at this time of year! I know I really need another DS160 but can anyone advise something for me to try, buy or use that's not too expensive?

    Any advice appreciated; thanks, Heather

     

    Hi Heather

    Please don't go buying LED torches, they are not your friend here.Equally, even a monster strobe is not going to give you that Turkey sun effect you crave, but a second strobe just out of shot may help.

    I'm not sure where in the UK you are, but you would do well to speak to Steve at Ocean Optics (Basildon)....firstly, he will give you much better advice than me, but importantly, they have a tank (pool) with an artificial sun.

    Syncing a second strobe shouldn't be a problem by the way....Steve can also give you some very good advice about strobes.

    Good luck

    Graggs

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