Uli Kunkel

Hey! Thats a good one! As you mentioned that you were taking point and shoot photos for quite a while, you put yourself in the shoes of many diehard photo fanatics that started much like you.... taking snaps from time to time until one day they started to get an attachment to one or two of their better photos and really think about what it was they were doing and how to improve! The G series are great cameras to get into, and I think that the g16 would be a great tool for you to use. But before you splash down for a strobe I would recommend that you get practice with using your camera's manual settings and the internal flash. This would help you get a better feel to control your camera and strobe when you eventually do get one (and if you are still hooked, a strobe is essential!) I like the shot. But if youre looking for more ideas and suggestions, I would have used the internal flash with a higher shutter speed to keep light on the subject while reducing the ambient light in the background. Sometimes the background can be a nice addition to the shot, but more often than not (I find) it is distracting. Keep it up!

Thanks for your response... What is the definition of a "professional shooter?" I also presume that you are insinuating that I am not a "professional shooter," or do not have the "professional" respect for marine life? Please forgive me if I am wrong here, as its quite early and I haven't had my coffee. If that is the case, I would counter that I have seen some atrocious behavior and lack of respect by some "professionals" .... Is this regulated by the permit process? I am just trying to do everything above board here.

I had another question or two- I am a bit concerned actually... Ive been getting a lot of different responses from places, some say that it (snorkelling/photography) is outlawed completely, others say that there are no longer permits available, and then emailed me later saying that the law changed again. Another said they can get the permits...! Very confusing. The problem is, is there any way to tell if the permit is a fake? I am kind of worried about that. I want to go through the right channels here.

Thanks! Drew, do you know which operators offer permits/in water trips? I have been struggling with finding information! Morten- how fast can you pack your bags?

I was interested in going to Sri Lanka to try my luck at getting some shots of the whales there! Does anyone have any experience with this? I am under the impression that photography is allowed, however you must have a permit? Thanks for the help!

Mmmmm... colour this green, you will!

Hey winners are up! Such an amazing idea to actually award the dive guides with a chunk of prize money. There are so many phenomenal guides out there that never get the recognition. Way to go!

Apparently the results were announced during the Hari Nusantara day festival and the winners exhibited there- but there hasnt been any news from the website or through email as I understand it. There might be some photos online through other sources- but Im guessing you'll need a little detective work to find them....

Thanks Mike and lisperit... I havent found any solution yet. With the camera in forced flash, the problem remains. When magnifying the image to get good focus the LCD goes black because of a lack of ambient light. This is a big problem when shooting in manual modes (with the strobes), as you need to lower the flash power to preserve battery life and if shot in TTL, the image will be underexposed.

Ive had some recent experience with the RX100M2, and I'd like to share my experiences! Great camera, this one. So tiny and great image quality. It is quick to focus and the images look pretty sharp! Unfortunately, the biggest problem for me (and this one could completely kill it for use underwater in my book) is the exposure simulation or live view that is built in to the camera. This shows the user a simulation of the actual image that would be produced from the aperature, shutter, and ISO settings. Underwater, the problem is that when you dont have any ambient light you dont see ANYTHING but a black screen on the LCD after you focus. This even happens if you use the fill flash mode. The camera will cut to a black LCD with a half press of the shutter. BIG PROBLEM! I have been searching for a way to turn it off, but it doesnt appear there is a way??? You are stuck with it! The Mk2 has a neat little feature that would be great when taking macro shots- you can actually magnify the image to make sure the important bits are in focus. But when you activate this feature, it just zooms in on a black screen. Hardly what I would call useful in practice. Even with a focus light- in the day time it is almost impossible to see what you are focusing on unless you are in a situation with LOTS of ambient light, and arent using a strobe to light the scene. I havent had much problem with this on land, which is why it is so frustrating. If I had known about it before hand I would never have bought the thing.

Enough taunting already.... When will it be released?

Is anyone still making these? I would love to get my hands on one!

Yep, thats more like what I am after. I have seen quite a few good shots taken with the S100 and this lens. Even in comparison with the shots you posted in this thread, the image quality is better on the s100 shot. Was there any post processing or cropping done?

Thanks for putting up those examples! Im not too crazy about the image quality though. There looks like quite a bit of blurring on the edges. I wonder if the result would be the same with the Ike? All of the other housings? I was in a UWcamera shop in Shanghai (the name Fun-IN) comes to mind- but I could be wrong. Apparently they tested the Nauticam housing with this lens and said the results werent acceptable. Ive never had the chance to see for myself though.

Hey thanks for the response and the link Im not sure I understand though. Both the Ike and the Nauticam housings have a 67mm threaded port. I have been told before by retailers that the UFL-M150 lens does not work with the Nauticam. If this is the case, why does the Ike work and not the Nauticam? What am I missing? Im really looking forward to spending more money on an expensive housing....