ornate_wrasse

Hi James, If you ever decide to sell the Tokina 12-24, keep me in mind. You did such a great job of convincing me of the merits of this lens that I decided I want to buy it <_< All the best, Ellen

Hi James, That Tokina lens sounds like it has a lot going for it. Assuming the quality is equivalent to the Nikkor 12-24 (and you indicate in your post that the lens is very high quality), I'd much rather pay $500 than $1000 for essentially the same lens. All the best, Ellen

Oops, meant to say my choice of computer when I first started diving....obviously not enough coffee this morning Ellen

Arnon - Well, Luiz did say that "the three most popular ones for wide angle are the Nikon 12-24, the 16 (or Sigma 15) fisheye and the 10.5 fisheye" !! Knowing me, I'd probably want to go with the 10.5 solely due to Luiz' comments! It's a lens that I can see myself growing into. A simple analogy would be my choice of regulator when I first started diving. I chose a computer that was not capable of nitrox, thinking I'd probably never need it. Lo and behold, I got nitrox certified fairly soon and needed to buy a new computer. Ummm....the challenge of learning to use the 10.5 beckons me to try it! But the land use argument is a rather convincing one. Has anyone ever purchased lenses at www.nikonians.org? I was thinking the quality might be better than those on Ebay. That being said, I've had great success with dive-related purchases on Ebay. Kind regards, Ellen

First off, thanks to all for your very valuable input. As to choice of macro lens, that decision will be easy as everyone recommends that I go with the 60. However, the decision for the WA lens appears to be a bit more complicated! Luiz' favorite is the 10.5, Karl's recommendation is the Sigma 15 and Matt's recommendation is Nikon 12-24! Decisions, decisions.... Dollars, unfortunately, enter into the decision-making formula. Are there any significant differences in price between the three WA lenses? In addiiton to that, would the ports, diopters and extension rings needed be significantly different in cost for the three lenses? A happy compromise for me would be a lens that gets me the results I want without breaking the bank! Lastly, from what I read in Matt's post, if I purchase an Ikelite housing, the ports and accessories I need to buy are different than if I, say, went with a Nexus housing. I won't even ask the question of what housing to buy at this point...guess that one would best be asked in a different forum later on. Again, thanks to everyone...I'm really getting to like wetpixel Kind regards, Ellen

I am planning on purchasing a D70s body only and then acquiring various lenses for it. Is there any lens that would be best to purchase as a first lens for the camera? Since my only u/w camera so far has been the Nik V, and I've never used a housed camera (film or digital), I know very little about both flat and dome ports. Is there a good resource out there for learning all about the different ports and which ones I need for the various lenses? Of course, if I get a good price for my baby grand piano I'm currently selling, then I might be able to purchase several lenses for it, both wide angle AND macro! I'll keep my fingers crossed! BTW, congratulations to James for his selection by the Houston photo society! Kind regards, Ellen

I have dived at Sund Rock before by taking a kayak to the beach. But most of my dives in Hood Canal have been at Octopus Hole. Seacrest is where I did my PADI Drysuit Class dives. But this time we're going to Alki Pipeline. Underwater Works outside of Portland is my LDS and I'm going up with one of their employees for a mid-week dive. I've head great things about Pacific Adventures, I'd like to dive with them sometime. My first dive will not be with a camera. I'm going to get comfortable first trying out my BP/Wings with my drysuit, then add the camera after that. Maybe I'll run into you one of these days in Puget Sound, Ellen

Jack, Your photos very clearly illustrate the point you're trying to make. Thanks! At what dive site in Hood Canal were these photos taken? Also, where in Hood Canal do you find your best photo opportunities? I've taken my camera on tropical dive trips, but have yet to take it with me when diving locally in cold water in Puget Sound. I live in Portland and may be going up next month to a dive site in West Seattle (near Alki Beach). May try to do my first u/w photography in cold water! Ellen

Inquiring minds want to know- How did you get the Santa hat to stay pointed underwater? You did not have a pointed head the last time I saw you

Great shots of beautiful scenery! Last year I dove with Deep Blue and stayed at Casa Mexicana. You will love Casa Mexicana. Great downtown location. Morning buffet is fantastic and is a nice start to a day of diving. Enjoy! Ellen

Hi Dave, Nice job on your slide show from the Truth Trip! I'm on dial-up so it took quite a while to download but it was well worth it. See ya on the D2D board! Ellen

Hi Chris, Hmmm.....fancy running into you here So that explains why you were wearing the same shirt. Probably a good policy to have only one. Leaves more money for u/w photography toys All the best, Ellen

Hi James, Yes, I went up to their hotel, traveling up to the Nasushiobara stop on the shinkansen (bullet train) where Chris picked me up. I spent the night actually at his home and then we went to the hotel for breakfast the next morning. Got a chance to see some of his pics displayed on the walls of the hotel. Pretty impressive to say the least. Chris also took me to the onsen (hot spring) where his wife and I went bathing. To top it all off, he gave me a copy of his anemone pic that currently graces the centerfold of the Sport Diver September issue. You can easily see why it was a day I won't soon forget! As soon as I can figure out how to post a pic here, I'll post the picture I took of Chris at the hotel. He must like to wear the shirt in your pic, because it looks like it's the same one he's wearing in my pic! Thanks for the warm welcome. Ellen

Hi Everyone, My name is Ellen and I live in Portland, OR. I am a Certified Public Accountant. I have been diving since 1998 and been shooting pics u/w since about 2000. I got hooked when I rented an MX-5 in Cozumel on my first dive trip after being certified. Soon after that I bought a Nik V and currently own the 15mm (Sea & Sea), 20mm, 28mm, 35mm lenses and extension tubes. I have previously resisted going digital, but now I'm ready to make the move. I started posting here so I could learn before I make the plunge, so to speak. I'm thinking of buying a D70 and, if finances permit, a Nexus housing. I have been fortunate enough to have dived in the Sea of Cortez (where I first learned to dive at Club Med) , Cozumel (2x), Curacao, Turks and Caicos, the Red Sea, the Flower Gardens, the Florida Keys, Hawaii, Okinawa and right here in the Pacific Northwest in Puget Sound. I've been posting for many years on D2D at Rodales. I've also been lurking and occaisonally posting on the uwphoto list. The names of some of you are familiar to me. Good to see you here! I took a family trip to Japan this summer and, while there, had the distinct pleasure of meeting Chris Bangs. He had invited me to visit him once he found out about my Japan visit from a post I'd made on uwphoto. I spent a day with him, a day which I will not soon forget. I guess that has been the impetus for me to get back into u/w photography and to go digital. For a few years, my expensive hobby was on hold while paying for my daughter's education at the University of Miami. She just graduated in May, so I can again justify spending tons of $$$ on my hobby Oh, and of course, I went diving in the Keys while in Miami for her college graduation I'm quickly finding out that this is a great place to learn about digital u/w photography. Thanks to everyone for helping to make it all possible. Kind regards, Ellen

Thanks so much for the warm welcome. You've made my day! I'm pleased that I'll be able to use my SB105 and SS200 with my digital camera. That leaves more money for dive trips And James, thanks for the suggested camera and strobe settings for macro. TimG - Could you be a bit more specific on the procedure for putting the plastic milk bottle bottom on the strobe? Tanks! All the best, Ellen

Hi, I have a Nik V that I've been using with an Ikelite SS200 and SB105. When I shoot with two strobes, I use an Aquatica Flip Tray and Ikelite's cord for using both SS200 and SB105. Now I think I'm ready to buy my first digital camera for u/w use and have been thinking about the D70 and the Nexus housing. I'd rather not put money into digital strobes if I don't have to. My first choice would be to make use of the strobes I currently own. Is this possible to do this with the D70 and/or any other DSLR (e.g. Canon 20D)? I have heard it can be done in manual. But if using my old strobes would seriously limit me when shooting underwater, I would buy a strobe made for use with a digital camera. What do you suggest? Thanks for your help! Ellen