ornate_wrasse

Believe me, if you were planning on getting me a D300, I would make time to pick up all the things you need in Singapore But since they're cheaper in the US, it would be a waste of pounds or dollars or whatever their unit of currency is over there. That is a great idea to have them mail it to my room! If you'd be able to furnish me their email address or web site address, I'd sure appreciate it. Ellen

Hi Simon, I had to google Sim Lin Centre to learn about it. I'd sure love to visit what appears to be a huge electronics shopping place when I'm in Singapore. However, Ultimate Dive Travel has me scheduled to arrive at 1:00 AM in Singapore and depart at 9:35 AM the next morning on my way to Bali. On the way back home, it's only a little bit better. I arrive in Singapore at 5:05 PM and depart at 9:15 AM the next morning on my way back to San Francisco. Hmmm, maybe I should ask him to schedule me for more shopping time in Singapore I'd be happy to pick up things for you, but it better not be heavy. I guess I'll accept a brand new D300, though, in courier fees All the best, Ellen

I'm looking for a photo vest and the price looks right at $25. By incredible coincidence, I'll be in Singapore in September. Care to share where in Singapore you bought it? Thanks. Ellen

Hi Greg, I don't have OSX 10.5, however, I have 10.4.11. I'm guessing that 10.4.11 is very similar to 10.5. When I got back from my first trip using my camera and housing and I hadn't yet loaded my Nikon software on my MacBook Pro, the images automatically went to iPhoto. Then I installed Nikon View and Capture NX. I transfer my images using a card reader and they now get transferred using Nikon Transfer. They stay in a folder called Nikon Transfer and are numbered consecutively in subfolders within the Nikon Transfer folder. They can be viewed in View NX. If I want to post process the images in Capture NX, my raw image editing program, I can click on a button in View NX and the image opens in Capture NX. I initially was concerned that I couldn't get the images out of iPhoto, since I did not want to use iPhoto to edit the images. I found I was able to change the settings in iPhoto so the images could be edited in Capture NX. The system seems to work pretty well now. Hope this helps. Cheers, Ellen

You seem to have very effectively used the "rule of thirds" in the resized image. I also like it that the eye of the fish seems to be looking right at you. Very nice! Ellen

I have been very impressed with the fact that some have mentioned the Alam Jiwa for accomodations in the Ubud area in Bali. I checked the website (thanks for the link) and noticed that not all of the rooms were air conditioned. The ones that didn't have A/C had ceiling fans. We will be in Bali in mid-October and are concerned about the comfort factor. Has anyone been to Bali in mid-October (or similar time frame) and had a room which did not have A/C? If so, was it stifling hot or was it tolerable? Thanks again to everyone for all the great information and for helping our group plan its trip. Ellen

In addition to "when to use strobes" and "how many strobes", how about adding "the position of your strobes". It's made a huge difference in my own shooting. I took two trips last summer. On the first trip, it was painfully obvious I did not know how to properly position my strobes. I got lots of hot spots, backscatter, and other problems relating to incorrect strobe placement. On the second trip, there was noticeable improvement in my images. My two cents, Ellen

This is not a technically perfect image, however, it brings back a lot of wonderful memories when diving in Jupiter, Florida We were very lucky to see many Goliath Groupers on this dive. It was taken with a D70S, the lens was a 10.5mm. The settings used were Manual, F/7.1 and 1/60s

I agree with underwatercolours that you should leave the 105 at home unless doing shore dives. When I was there for an entire week, I did not use it once, nor were the conditions suitable to use it. I used both the 10.5 and the 60 on my trip to Coz last summer. However, if the current was strong, it was sometimes hard to get decent shots with the 60. Many destinations are not good for wide angle photography but Cozumel is one of the dive destinations that IS good for wide angle photography. So, if it were me, I would take the 10.5. Just make sure you keep the strobes well back and you'll do well. My two cents on the topic, Ellen

Hi Greg, I'm in Portland, OR and bought a Subal housing within the past year. I was able to buy a used one for a great price from ReefPhoto. I'd be happy to let you get your hands on it to aid you in your search for the right housing. I've been on two trips since I bought the housing and I'm able to fit the housing, Dome Port, Macro Port and strobes into my carry on without any problems. I've been very pleased with it. You might check with Ryan at Reef Photo as he might have some used Subals that you could get for less money than buying new. I'll also send a PM with contact information. Good luck in your search for the right housing. Ellen

Bonnie, I'm glad that you at least got a good laugh out of it As for me, guess I should hang my head in shame

Dare I ask anyone to explain what Bingtang means?

Count me in! (Especially if uw photo instruction is on the menu ) PS Bonnie, I forgot to mention in my earlier post that the items we shopped (and bargained for!) in Cozumel were well received as Christmas presents by my daughters.

Hi Bonnie, You know that I would have loved to go with you to PNG, but this trip kind of got in the way As for shopping, since your negotiating skills are so superb, all I want to do now is hire you to come bargain for me. Just let me know if you're available. Actually, I already know the answer. Too bad you'll be in PNG at the same time. Now I've got a whole ton of things to look forward to, including handsome Balinese men Seriously, I'll call you for the names of your contacts in Bali. I certainly don't want to miss anything that Bali has to offer. Thanks for giving me the lowdown on everything. All the best, Ellen

Wow, I am very impressed by all of your wonderful suggestions for places to visit, places to eat, places to get massaged, places to shop and last but not least, places to stay. In fact, there seems to be so much to do, that I just may extend my time in Bali by a few days, or at least as much as my limited vacation time allows! Our group has not made any definite lodging plans for Ubud after we return from Wakatobi, so it's wide open where we stay at this point. I am really looking forward to visiting Bali. Before, I considered Bali as just a stopover on my way to the other destinations. However, now I think I'm looking at the Bali portion of the trip a little bit differently. Thanks to all who jumped in and offered their opinions and vast knowledge. Ellen

In late September I will be going to Bali, staying at Scuba Seraya for two nights for some diving before heading off to Wakatobi. After staying at Wakatobi, our group is returning to Bali where we will stay for two nights in the Ubud area. After the two nights, we will head to Lembeh for another few days of diving before heading home. I'm interested in what you recommend as your "must do" activities while in Bali, especially the two days we'll be in Ubud. I've done whitewater rafting before and was interested in this activity while in Bali and wondered if it was worth it. I'm also interested in shopping for paintings and/or wood carvings to take with me or ship home. I have heard, though, that much of what is sold is junk, in the market around Ubud. I also hear that the shows they have at night are excellent. What would you spend your time and money on, given two days in Ubud? Thanks for everyone's two cents on this topic. Ellen

Drew: Thanks for the tip on the La Crosse BC900 chargers. I admit I would not have looked at them before you mentioned them, but they sure seem to be a great alternative to the Maha, especially for travel. 3@5: Thanks for the recommendation. I took a look at your web site, especially the trip you took last September. Wonderful images of your trip. I couldn't help but notice a lot of the images were taken with the 15mm lens. I just purchased the 16mm lens, hope I can get images as nice as yours. Looks like I'll be buying a charger or two, though not the exact model that I first had in mind. I like the idea of going with a lighter charger, especially with the weight requirements of the airlines. Cheers, Ellen

I notice that the Maha 9000 charger is on sale right now at Thomas Distributing. I was thinking of buying one at this good price. I have previously not used rechargeables for my strobes so have not had to deal with how many chargers to bring on a dive trip. In September, I am headed to Bali, Wakatobi and Lembeh for a couple weeks of diving and am wondering how many chargers for your rechargeable batteries most of you advise bringing on a dive trip. Also, how many rechargeable batteries do you advise bringing? Thanks. Ellen

I can certainly understand why Which ring flash were you using? The UK one that I'm guessing Martin Edge uses or the Inon z22? Cheers, Ellen

I am currently reading Martin Edge's book "The Underwater Photographer" Third Edition. It's a great book and has given me lots of useful tips. I find it very interesting that he is a fan of the ring flash and uses it a lot for macro shots. A number of the images in his book were taken with the ring flash. Makes me wonder why Martin Edge likes it and uses it yet others don't care for it at all. I would definitely call him one of the most successful and well known uw photographers around these days. Cheers, Ellen

I'm using Capture NX. When I used it on my older PC it was painfully slow at rendering images. I bought a MacBook Pro and it seems to render images quickly. I'm currently learning the software by studying Jason Odell's eBook. It costs only $30 and is an excellent resource. It's much better than the manual provided with the software. I'm also attending a Nikonians workshop on Capture NX in Seattle on December 15th which will hopefully make me more adept at using the program. Link to review of Jason O'Dell's eBook Link to the eBook For Nikon camera users, Capture NX is the way to go for raw images. Hope that helps, Ellen

Very, very impressive! I will be in Bali next October. I'm glad I have the 10.5 FE lens to take with me. Thanks for sharing these lovely images. Ellen

Actually, what you are saying apparently makes sense to a lot of people having prints made at Adorama . I asked Adorama when I called them "what do most people do when they send in their images for printing?" I was told that most people do NOT use the printer profile that Adorama provides and that most leave it up to the Adorama technician to get the job done correctly. Kind regards, Ellen

No problem! I doubt if the thread will be hijacked for at least a few more days. He-who-must-not-be-named (but whose initials are D.S.!) is still banished from wetpixel If you decide to purchase the Spyder calibration tool, be sure to post which one you've selected. All the best, Ellen

Hi James, http://www.calibration-direct.com/products.html At the above link, they have a sale on several Spyder2 products until November 17th. Their prices seem to be inexpensive. In your opinion, will these products calibrate my MacBook Pro satisfactorily? Thanks for the recommendation on the metallic paper. I was kind of wavering due to the higher price, but after reading your post, it sounds well worth the extra expense. Kind regards, Ellen