vlad

Hello, Here are the latest pictures I got on my last Wilmington trip. http://24.74.150.92/all_my_pics/Wilmington...n_8_02_2003.htm Let me know what you think. Vlad

Hello, I posted this before but somehow it vanished. Please help me identify this fish. http://24.74.150.92/all_my_pics/Wilmington...rated/fish3.htm (NC coast USA) Thank you Vlad

Thank you Alto, I figured out. Yes, you are right the problem is with the proprietary Canon information (what is called manuffacturer data) and it is nothing to be done since PS it is erasing it but I found out that if I use ThumbsPlus the EXIF information is not affected. I'll send you my code though. Do you have an email address where you want it? Vlad

Simon, If the problem is ONLY the contacts to the battery pack than you can clean the contacts. The best way is to use a pencil eraser (no I am not joking). Clean it really well on all the exposed contacts: battery, internal contacts, contacts in between batteries... Also if there is any spring involved in holding the batteries in place you can bent that out a little bit to apply more pressure. Vlad PS. I am looking forward to seeing your shots since I have almost same gear as you (my strobe is not that good)

Dan, Here are some answers to your questions: 1) I suppose that the TTL remote system is a system where a cell catches the build-in flashlight from the camera and generates a flashlight of its own as a response. Is this correct? >>>>>NO! TTL can be remote or not and if we are talking about TTL flash here is how it works. The camera tells the flash to flash, the flash turns on, the light reflects back to the camera from the subject, the camera makes the measurements (f stop and time) takes the picture and then tells teh flash to turn off. 2) What I really do not undestand is a manual flash. Are you supposed to press a button on the flash at the same time you take the picture? How does this work >>>>>As James said. No, you just set the power of the flash on the strobe and when the flash of your camera fires the strobe will fire too. I have also an S50 with a strobe and I am very happy with it. The confusion you make is between let's say reflective strobes (that's how I call it) and cabled strobes. The reflective strobes have an light path from your camera's flash to their light sensor The cabled strobes have a cable from the camera to the strobe. Let me know if you want more explanation Vlad

Hey, Still no cigar :-) I checked it out and it is an EXIF exporter but Photoshop's built EXIF viewer works better but I need a script in something I could use on my linux box so I need smethingwritten in perl, python, sh or some scripting language I could modify to get its output outomaticaly as a web page. You are right, the Breezebrowser is pretty cool and you can design your own templated and that would work and be OK I am just not ready to give up of everything being done on my linux box not on my windoze box. Thank you for your help Vlad

Bob, Close but no cigar! :-) I tried breezebrowser and I did used to read the exif nfo but that's about it. I haven't tried the web page generation. Vlad

The 4G CF cards are here. http://www.forbes.com/2003/08/06/cx_ah_080...yahoo&referrer= Vlad

Hello, Does everybody has that much trouble as I have or it is just me? I found a long time ago a perl program that was transforming a folder of picture files in multiple web pages based on a template. I started using this program after fixing it and that's how I post my pictures on my website. The perl script is on a linux box and it is using imagemagic to do all the transformation on the pix. I decided about a week ago to incorporate in this automated web album generator, not only the name of the picture but EXIF information. I searched on the web and I found a perl Canon camera EXIF parser and I made it work and I integrated it with the other module I had. It worked and I was happy. The problem is that of course I have to touch the pictures just a little bit and as soon as I save them (I tried PSP 7 and Photoshop 7) the EXIF information is not in the place where the perl script is looking so I can't get it anymore. Photoshop can still see the EXIF info so it is not erased but it is not in "Canon" format I guess and that's why the perl script can't pick it up anymore. Yes, but can't you just save the exif info from your picture and then put it in your web page? Of course I could but I want to do this automated. I want to run a script and let my computer do the dirty work. Are any of you in to this????? By the way, I don't want dinamical website stuff or CGI scripts. I want a script that processes the photos and generates the web pages and also puts in each page the EXIF info. Any ideeas??? Thank you Vlad

Great shots! Are you using a rebreather or how long did you had to hold your breath before taking the shot? I usualy have trouble shooting blennys with normal scuba gear. Vlad

I like the deeper blue better too. I don't think you can see the mod. on the head too much but the water collor is obvious. I usualy re-balance luminosity/contrast and maybe gamma if I need to. Vlad

Manual or TTL ... I think there is a list of cameras that support TTL flash. You should check that out too. Your camera may not support TTL flash and then there is no need for TTL strobe. Vlad

Hello, I have an S50 with a WDP300 housing I don't have an adapter for new lens/filter but here are the answers to your questions: Will my autofocus work if I attach an extra lens? >>>>>YES. The lens is not doing anyhting on the auto focus. Here it is how AF works: 1) camera sends a beem of light (low light conditions) to the object you shoot (of course it depends where is your focus set to be measured: centred, evaluative ...) 2) with the light on, the firmware in the camera takes the highes contrast difference in the frame and starts adjusting the focus on that until the contrast "line" is sharp 3) turn off the light 4) take picture. Will I benefit from getting a uw filter as well? >>>>>>I think it depends. There was a tutorial last week or so about using ambient light and filters on shallow dives. Great tutorial. Read it! My opinion about filters is that if you use a strobe ... don't bother. If you don't you should use filters. Can I use the camera without a lens after I attach the adapter - or do I need additional lenses? >>>>I think you can. You have to see if it vignettes at all but I don't think so since it doesn't with the lens. Any other comments on this kind of configuration? >>>I looked at your pictures on your website. I don't think you are using a strobe. My advice: get a strobe Vlad

Hugh, I am not sure if you sent me an email about this since I already responded to it. In two words, yes you can turn the preflash off if you set yout flash to manual and your Bonica strobe will work great wit your camera. Let me know if you need more explanations Vlad

Hello, Great shots James. You have some other really cool shots in your latest albums. I particulary like the silhouet of the divers on the anchor line. The vis was awesome. Vlad

The only thing I can say is that T3 is my favorite of the T movies. Matrix II, I think we can't say anything about it yet since we haven't seen the ending. I think M II is not even a movie. It should be bundeled with the 3rd part. Vlad

That is a cool shot Eric. Did you use a special film or filters or you just did some special digital tricks? Anyway here is me: http://www.pambucol.com Vlad

Hello, I think you should shoot as many as you can thinking about the second dive too since I don't think you should open your housing in between dives. It would be hard to put a rule in: shoot 40 pics a dive. That's why we went digital to see the results fast and to be able to shoot as many as we want/can and then deleate the bad ones. If you have a dive with 2 ft of vis. and you don't shoot macro then shoot 2 shots. If you have a dive with 100+ ft vis. you would be a fool not to shoot all your "roll" of course you have to conserve a coupple of shots for the safety stop. You will allways have the dolphins comming to play with you after your last shot. I missed once when I was shooting film an octopus that would have made a beautiful shot. I am not going to do that again. Vlad

Hello, Your site is great and the pictures are beautiful. I am actualy doing just about the same on my site posting pictures and the story of each of my trips. Keep up the good work Vlad

Paul, I was browsing through your pictures and on your Mexico trip the "two fish" are actualy pork fish and the "Jacks" are actualy atlantic spade fish. The jacks or amber jacks are way bigger and longer. Here is a photo of a jack: http://24.74.150.92/all_my_pics/Wilmington...erated/jack.htm Vlad

John, About web space, the cheapest I found was on www.hostcolor.com. That's where I host my website. My pictures I host myself since they are/will be big. Don't even bother with yahoo photo and the Mac stuff ... it is your choice and they are good but they are expensive. You can get probably about 3-4 times more space on another server than on the mac.com Vlad

George, As Tack said, use your flash only for the closeup shots, anything that is further don't even try the flash. Also if the watere is not crystal clear you will get so much back scatter that the picture will be unusable. I don't know where you plan to dive but if you will go in the carabean or somewhere similar you may have a chance down to 30 ft/10m for the rest ... The good new is that you can shoot great macro without the flash and it is worth it. Good luck Vlad PS. Here is a macro shot: http://24.74.150.92/all_my_pics/Wilmington...d/tode_fish.htm

Well, I don't think the scratches are a problem and Canon doesn't have any warranty for the case and in the warranty for the camera is states specially that if you flood it oh well, tough luck. What can you do ... not much. Insure your camera or risk it. I flooded an S40 on my first dive after I preasure tested it down to about 40 ft. How did I flood it? I put a strobe tray on it and the camera holders pushed on the case and bent it and water came in. It was in the camera bucket on the boat. Even if it was fresh water, Canon asked for too much money to repair it so I had to buy another one. Now I have a brand new S50 and I took it down in the same case and it worked fine. I had it down to 120 ft without no problems. Good luck.

Hello, I have an S50 and I think the best way to configure it is to use one of the Ae or Tv modes and set your red eye reducton to none and set your flash mode to manual. Also to conserve battery life you can set your flash power to min. You don't need to copy the preflash settings. In manual flash mode there is no pre flash. I had amazing results with my S50 so I know you will love it when you will get underwater. The cool thing aout digital is that you can change the settings on the fly. I went and dove in Wilmington NC last weekend and vis was bad (20 ft) but I shoot some great closeups. Enjoy your camera. Vlad

Hello, I also have the Canon S50 and I have to agree with everybody who said that a strobe is a must. If you shoot 10 - 20 ft down, crystal clear water and there is always sun and the sand is very white, than you may be able to use the internal flash or no flash at all. If you go deeper that that and if you have even a little bit of back scatter than, don't even try to use your camera. Well, you can do silhouette and some macros but nothing else. About what strobe to get ... well, they are all expensive and I would say get the most expensive that you can afford but you can do pretty good with a cheaper strobe. I am using a Bonica strobe (reflective, fixed time and intensity strobe) and if you set your camera right and you cover your camera's flash you can have good results. I built a special bracket to reflect the flash of the camera toward my strobe and it works great. I paid $150 for my strobe about 3 years ago. Keep flashing Vlad