ornate_wrasse

OK, Simon, out of the goodness of my heart, I've decided to let you take the female spot since you've been seen and photographed in a dress Now, for the $$$ aspect (or pounds in your case, sorry, don't have a symbol for that on my keyboard), you've got to pony up the funds NOW.... I'll be nice, though, I won't ask you to send a Western Union Moneygram to my Nigerian bank account

Reminds me of what I've been saying for years "The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys"

Hi all, Our group has a trip scheduled to Wakatobi in late September 2008. It is for a 10 day stay at the resort. Everyone is sharing equally in any discounts offered, in other words it's not a commercial trip. Unfortunately, two of the group have had to cancel. We have filled one of the two openings. We are now looking a female diver to join the group. We are a fun group of underwater photographers. Before the trip, several of us will be diving in Bali and, after the trip to Wakatobi, several of us are going to experience the diving in Lembeh. However, the diving at these other destinations is optional. Since the trip was arranged in 2007. the trip is available at 2007 prices. If you are interested in joining us and would like more information, please feel free to contact me by PM. All the best, Ellen

Alex, Thanks for your reply. Actually, I've very glad to hear what you've said, especially as I really like the 60mm lens and find it easier to use than the 105. For some reason, I'd thought that the real action for uw photogs was the tiny tiny stuff but guess I was wrong on that I am also going to Wakatobi and to Bali on this trip, but not sure if that makes any difference in your lens recommendations. Which diopter(s) do you recommend using for the locations I'm going to? davichin, thanks for your comment on the 60mm. Cor, I think I'll buy you some reading glasses for Christmas this year. Guess what I'm trying to say is "read the fine print at the bottom of my post!" Now that I'm posting more regularly and getting to know everyone who posts here, guess I can poke a little fun. I DO own the 60mm and looks like I'll be using it a lot according to Alex and davichin's posts. All kidding aside (no offense was meant, BTW), thanks for the advice on clearly describing my options if I want to get closer. Do you have an opinion on which diopter (or diopters) to get? I think I would very much like to have the option to get closer. Thanks so much everyone for the wonderful advice. It is definitely appreciated. Ellen

I am trying to get ready for the trip to Indonesia this fall especially as regards the many macro photo opportunities I've heard about in Lembeh. Right now I have the 105mm (non VR) lens. I'm looking at getting the 1.4 or 2.0 teleconverter, either the Kenko Teleplus Pro300 DG or the Tamron to enable me to photograph the really small stuff. I currently use the Subal Flat Port and the extension when I'm shooting with the 105mm lens. I have two questions: 1) Will the 1.4 (or 2.0) teleconverter fit into the port + extension I currently have or do I need to get another extension, or even a completely different port? 2) Which teleconverter would be best to take with me to Lembeh in order to get the best results. I've considered getting the 105VR (plus the Subal port for this lens), but am not completely convinced, based on the reviews I've read, that the extra $$$ expenditure would be worth it. I'd appreciate hearing comments from those who have used teleconverters, and, of course, anyone else who wants to chime in with advice to give. Thanks! Ellen

There are actually two islands named "Christmas Island". Here's a link to the scuba diving on the Christmas Island (otherwise known as Kiribati) I was referring to: Scuba Diving on Christmas Island The other Christmas Island also sounds like a great destination.

Here's a suggestion for a "diffuser substitute" just in case you don't get the diffuser you want or, heaven forbid, you should lose it again on a dive trip. You may even have it lying around the house. Take a handkerchief and a rubber band. Place the handkerchief on the strobe and secure it with a rubber band. Simple, and the best thing is that is doesn't cost much money. Before a trip last year, I went to a fabric store and bought some fabric that was similar in texture to a handkerchief since I didn't have a handkerchief around the house. I took the fabric and a few rubber bands with me to use in case I needed it.

How about Christmas Island? You can get there by taking the once a week flight from Hawaii. The diving is good. For topside, you could focus on the fishermen that come there from all over the world to fish.

Here's an explanation of Artifacts, complete with images to support the text: JPEG Artifacts Hope that helps.

I'm not nakedwithoutcamera, but I'll give my opinion, FWIW. When I saw the image as originally posted, I did not realize that the wrasse was in the process of being eaten. After the corrections, however, I could see what a "catch" it was. In other words, I like the improved version. In the original version, it looks like there are blown highlights on the portion of the wrasse's body that we can see. Not sure whether it's due solely to the unsharp mask or not, but I now see detail in the wrasse that I did not see before. To nakedwithout camera: When we are Indonesia together this fall, please let me know if you see any photo ops like this one. I've never been able to get a photo of a fish being eaten. Nice job on taking advantage of an amazing photo opportunity that possibly was over almost before it started. Ellen PS Maybe you should consider changing your name since you are no longer "naked without camera"

Those briefs look like they may be very useful when packing for a trip But it would look strange if I had a pair of those in my luggage. Wonder if they make a female version of the product.... Ellen

Leslie is correct about the location of Curacao. I'll also add a tidbit of information: Lots of folks like to go there during the hurricane season (approximately June thru October) as it is outside the hurricane belt. Otherwise, when divers head for other Caribbean locations during those months, there's always the risk of getting blown out by a hurricane. Food for thought

It's very clear to me, thanks, especially when you said to check custom menu 15. But I will have to do a complete turnaround in how I use my camera. In a Nikonians class I took on the D70S, the instructor basically trained me to use that button for AE only. And that's how I've been using my camera so far. I've actually just changed the custom menu to AF-ON on my D70S and will experiment with this a bit to see how I like it. Thanks for your help! Ellen

Cor, Can you be specific as to how you "stop using AF" on your camera? Maybe because I've only used AF on my D70S, it's hard for me to envison exactly how you are doing this on your camera. I'm interested in attempting to use a TC for the first time on my trip to Indonesia this fall, and I can see I will need to change my usual way of shooting an image so I won't be too frustrated. Ellen

A friend of mind found this in Curacao. We were wondering what it was. Does anybody have any ideas? Thanks. Ellen

That was another point my instructor made, i.e. to use PM to stamp basic IPTC info as well as name/date on his images. His point was that if someone were to steal an image, you had the info to prove the image was yours. Doing the stamping of the data on the image meant there was no need to place a watermark on the image. Linda, we are just going to have to get together for coffee/lunch somewhere in this great town we live in. I promise I'll buy if you'll teach me all about your workflow.

I went to a Nikonians Capture NX class in December. The instructor felt that Aperture/Lightroom didn't work too well in a workflow when using Capture NX. He likes using Photo Mechanic, then Capture NX and then Photoshop if additional work is needed after Capture NX. I don't have PM, Aperture or Lightroom yet and am still trying to decide what would be the best workflow.

Bonnie, Now it's MY turn to be jealous Wish I could join you in Cozumel and help celebrate your birthday, but guess you'll have to have fun without me. Can't wait to see the winners of the photo contest All the best, Ellen

Those shots are totally awesome! I'm ~very~ impressed with the capabilities of the camera you're using. Maybe I should purchase a G9 as a backup camera instead of another DSLR! Can you share with us the details of any post-processing you may have used? The colors just seem to pop up from the page. And the focus is sharp as a tack. Simply amazing!

Now! Now! You're not being fair to the New York element of the population And, speaking of Indonesian fuel charges, I will be talking to Ultimate Dive Travel about this. I know I'm ticketed because he emailed me the ticket information. And, I just paid for my tickets on my MasterCard. Ouch!!

As far as getting closer in Macro Mode, the shooting mode will make no difference to how close the lens will focus, that is a function of the lens. The macro Vari-program might offer a different aperture setting than (say) AUTO so the difference due to this is possibly what you are seeing. As far as colors, I did find out that each vari-program mode has different saturation/sharpness/etc. settings associated with it. Offhand, I don't know the settings for macro mode, but this may be the key to why the colors look better. Hope that helps Ellen

Thanks for giving me an idea to shoot the mandarins when I have the opportunity on my big trip to Indonesia this fall. I haven't used continuous shooting yet underwater but I guess it's time for me to start. Since I don't really know Canon models and the differences between them, I probably couldn't have guessed which image was taken by which camera, but I strongly prefer the second shot mainly because of the greater detail on the fins and the expressions on their faces.

Good question. I'm particularly interested in this as I use a D70S. However, I've never used any of the preset modes. When I went to a Nikonians workshop on using my camera, I was told that those settings are more for beginners rather than advanced shooters. When I get home and have my camera in front of me, I will do some experimenting and see if I can get you the answers to your questions.

Here is a buying guide for used lenses. It's from www.nikonians.org, but could also be useful to purchasers of other brands of lenses. Guide to Buying Used Lenses I don't have a buying guide for used cameras at the moment. I've found, though, that KEH offers accurate ratings on the purchase of used cameras. I actually bought my 105mm lens from KEH.

I'll add to those who are recommending buy a used camera. The camera I am currently using, a D70S, for which I paid $600 used, can now be easily purchased for $400. In another cost cutting move, I was also able to acquire a used Subal housing for $1,400 from Ryan at ReefPhoto. It worked out quite well as the cost of the Subal housing was not a whole lot different from buying a brand new Ikelite housing. You might want to see if Ryan has any used housings available once you make a decision on the DSLR you will buy. If you are looking at a Nikon camera, a great place to pick up cameras and lenses is www.nikonians.org I bought my camera and virtually all of my lenses by using their For Sale forum. Cheers, Ellen