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Content Count
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Last visited
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Walt Stearns last won the day on March 28
Walt Stearns had the most liked content!
Community Reputation
50 ExcellentAbout Walt Stearns
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Rank
Manta Ray
Contact Methods
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Website URL
http://www.underwaterjournal.com
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ICQ
0
Profile Information
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Gender
Male
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Location
West Palm Beach, Florida
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Interests
Diving and underwater photography of course with a little rebreathers, cave diving, marine science and natural history thrown in.
Additional Info
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Show Country Flag:
United States
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Camera Model & Brand
Nikon D850
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Camera Housing
Nauticam housing for Nikon D850
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Strobe/Lighting Model & Brand
Inon Z-330's
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Accessories
TLC, ULCS and Nauticam
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Industry Affiliation
Ocean Arts, Inc.
Recent Profile Visitors
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TimG, that is one of the several varieties of juvenile flying fish we see here on blackwater dives.
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Between the onset of the Covid 19 storm and all the related lockdowns in the US, my travel plans for 2020 went to zip. Fortunately, I live in South Florida with the Palm Beach County coastline as my back yard, with allowed me to still undertake some really good diving in from Goliath groupers, sharks and blackwater. Here’s two from 2020.
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Outside of maybe video work, I have not seen anything that would move me from Nikon’s D850 to a mirrorless camera from Nikon, Canon or even Sony.
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OK, need new strobes...
Walt Stearns replied to Monterey's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Most of the underwater photography I do is wide angle, with macro (primarily blackwater) as a secondary. The last model Sea & Sea strobes I worked with were the YS-250s. Yes, they were heavy, but great powerhouses. When I retired them, I went briefly with the original Retra’s before jumping to the new Inon Z-330’s. The Z-330’s are decent strobes but have a bit of lack luster when it comes wide angle lighting. When Retra finely released their new Prime and Pro model strobes, I jumped on the Prime models as their specs indicated that they had all that I actually required for wide angle work. You can read about my findings with the Retra Primes here - https://underwaterjournal.com/2020/11/16/retra-prime-underwater-strobe/ My only complaint with them is battery life for getting past a two-tank dive. Some boat trips I do off Palm Beach Florida involve a three-tank excursion. I have since then augmented them with the power packs, which up the AA battery count from 4 to 8 ensuring I have enough power for the whole day. -
Until I see some real specs on Nikon’s new Z9, everything about it is purely speculative.
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which dive computer do you use
Walt Stearns replied to waterpixel's topic in Photography Gear and Technique
Shearwater is my recommendation. Does everything you need and then some, plus it features the most intuitive, user friendly menu system for setup I have ever found in a dive computer. Furthermore, it’s the most trusted dive computer in the technical diving community. -
RETRA Strobe Thread
Walt Stearns replied to guyharrisonphoto's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
As mentioned earlier, I had received notice form Retra back on Feb 2nd that my first two prime strobes were on their way, which arrived a few days later. In addition to purchasing two directly from Retra, I had also preordered two more through Backscatter around the same time. Happy to say they too are on their way to me now with the arrival this Friday the 28th., so Retra is getting them cranked out. -
RETRA Strobe Thread
Walt Stearns replied to guyharrisonphoto's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
I received notification from Retra Tuesday (2/11/2020) that my first two Retra Primes have been shipped complete with the DHL tracking number. DHL notified me that there was a $58.25 import duty tax on them, which I was able to pay online. As of now, they are in Miami, FL, with an expected delivery around the end of the day Thursday. -
ATTENTION: UW PHOTOGRAPHERS going to Baja Mexico:
Walt Stearns replied to divrndeep's topic in Trip Reports and Travel
Here is a link on Nautilus Fleet’s website regarding this topic: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a3g70ez3yz733d3/2019-Customs-Cameras.pdf?dl=0 -
RETRA Strobe Thread
Walt Stearns replied to guyharrisonphoto's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Thanks for the heads up Herb. I am still waiting on notification for the two Primes strobes I purchased to come in. -
RETRA Strobe Thread
Walt Stearns replied to guyharrisonphoto's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Since seeing Oskar’s post this morning, I have reached out to Retra to get a few more specifics. According to Kristina at Retra UWT, “We are shipping Retra Flash PRO at the moment and the Retra Flash Prime will start shipping by the end of next week.” -
RETRA Strobe Thread
Walt Stearns replied to guyharrisonphoto's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Still waiting on mine since November 2018. -
Congrats! Thus, begins your trip down the rabbit hole Alice.
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Which full frame camera would you chose?
Walt Stearns replied to adamhanlon's topic in Photography Gear and Technique
I have always liked the shooting experience with Nikons for underwater work, and I have had plenty of experience shooting with both Nikons and Canons. The primary attraction with the D850 is the dynamic range and resolution (in that order) with the raw files. The autofocus is pretty awesome as well, although I feel the Nikon D500 is a little quicker. O.K. Adam, do I get my cookie now? Oh yes, I will be at DEMA the first three days representing a new magazine called Destinations published by the same group that Scuba Diver in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.- 39 replies
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Which full frame camera would you chose?
Walt Stearns replied to adamhanlon's topic in Photography Gear and Technique
Well, I would start with a Nikon D850 with a few choice lens for macro and wide angle, including a modified Nikonos RS R-UW 13mm that could be used with it in Nauticam housing and..... Wait a second! I already have that.- 39 replies
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