Osprey
-
Content Count
69 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Osprey
-
-
OK....on my dive trips there is normally no land between dives, as I am on a dive boat.
If I want to take any airside snaps between dives, just take then with camera in housing.
-
I think it's a wise move as well. I travel with a dedicated land camera as I find it a lot easier to simply grab that camera and take it with me when not diving than to have to take my camera out of the housing throughout the day between dives when I'm not on the boat.
My approach was always the opposite to this then .... as soon as days diving over I would rinse off housing, dry it & then remove camera ..... never left in in housing so only need to take one camera on a holiday ........ difficalu enough keeping to baggae allowance as it is.
-
Earlier in the year - I posted that I had sold my Fuji F31, and was looking for a new camera.
I had a number of pointers to the Olympus XZ-1, there were a few things I wanted it missed ... in particular lack of full HD video.
The new XZ-2 is now out ... what is the considered opinion on this as my replacement ?
Same lens (which was bright & well rated), slightly larger sensor increased ASA to 12,800
Increase to 12.8 mega pixel and full HD video.
However seeing a number of reviews that point instead to Sony RX100 as a consistent performer ......... I have never owned a Sony Camera ...
What would those that know suggest ?
I am a 'happy snapper', don't venture deeper than 40m .... I did try strobes & wide angle lenses and it was not for me ............
Probably used 50% of time outside scuba ... so a good all rounder needed.
-
When you say budget, and photography is not the primary purpose of the dive then I assume that you don't want to spend any more money on accessories.
I did go that route .. wet wide angle lens, strobe, modelling light, but got to the point it all felt 'in the way' of enjoying the dive.
Especially when I had a huge Ikelite housing etc.
I found that more & more I was leaving the kit on the boat and just taking a compact on the dive, clipped out of the way on BCD when not in use.
Due to PFO surgery, I can't dive for a while ... so hopefully within next couple of months Olympus will solve the question over whether there is an XZ-2
-
Check the review about Nikon D4 http://www.photograp...4-camera-review Hope it will help to chose right camera.
Might suit a professional .. but as per OP ... I'm just a happy sanapper, and looking for a compact.
I had for many years a full Canon SLR system ..don't want to go back to a camera that large and a with bag full of lenses.
(Although Nikon 1 looks nice.)
I just take pictures of what I see when I dive, rather than pictures being the prime purpose ... (and I know it is reversed for some)
-
Actually, most batteries on cameras I have used only lasted for 2 dives so I'm not that upset, especially since they power the lcd and internal flash (used on every dive to synch the strobe).. Am hoping the the batteries I just bought will last through 2 dives on my next trip.
Same for me as regards use ... on previous cameras used to recharge batteries each night ... with F31 ... one battery lasted whole dive trip .... the Fuji has very good battery life.
However it would not stop me getting an Oly .. as long as you know it's poor you can plan for it.
-
As for battery life... I had to change it for every dive and am hoping that the new ones I just bought last longer.
Wow that is bad ... my F31 would go a wek of diving without needing to chnage battery .. and still show good.
In fact I even stopped taking charger with me to Red Sea .. never needed to recharge.
-
If you're not in a big hurry, I can let you know what I think of the new setup when I get back from my trip.
>If you're not in a big hurry, I can let you know what I think of the new setup when I get back from my trip
I would be interested how you find it.
The only reason I have not bought XZ-1 now is that I would prefer to get HD video (1080p) and the XZ-1 does not have that capability.
The lens & focus ability are excellent.
There is a lot of talk on DPReview & OLY forums that XZ-2 is due ...
-
Like many of you I guess .. I have an ever growing digital picture collection.
After almost every trip I get requests asking for a copy of the pictures .... up until now I have just given them a copy of CD or memory stick.
However as I go to effort of getting best I can out of them with Photoshop ... be good to be a bit more professional on sharing a disc.
I had originally been pointed to use ProShow Gold .... but haven't bought it yet.
I do have Sony Vegas Movie Sudio HD ........... which is what I use for video, I could create a video of the pics ........
be interested how forum members share their pics (other than on-line sources)
I would prefer not to go buy yet another software package ... but will stay open minded.
-
(original post is wrong sub-forum)
Just sold my F31 set up .. and looking at what to get to replace it ... and it's not urgent, as I can't dive for 3 months ... so hopefully time to get decision right.
My first Digi was a canon G3, then up in size to Olympus C 8080, then a Fuji F30, followed by a Fuji F31.
Now looking to get my next camera, not wanting to go to DSLR... it needs to be a reasonably compact item with at least a 3" screen.
This is not just used as an UW camera, but obviously for UW use I need a reasonable wide angle zoom ... with a good aperture and sensor size.
3 considerations..
Canon G 1X ... it has good zoom coverage with the 28-112mm F2.8-5.8 lens and it's 1.5" sensor is almost up at the DSLR size.
Although it probably has a huge range of functions I will never use.
Olympus XZ-1 .... it's about 1/2 the price of the Canon, small sensor but good lens, however this Olympus is now approaching 18 months old, so is it due to be replaced ?
Fuji X10 ... specs are good, initial reviews promising, but no Fuji housing, which means an expensive 3rd party housing
-
The canon has 2 killer bad problems for underwater. No automatic flash in M mode. So to use M mode, you must go entirely manual on everything.And the Canon still has class lagging horrible auto focus speed. Not much better than the old g3, which I also had.
The oly is a fine camera. How important is using this camera above water as well? What is your budget?
The other ones one my current hot list, are the fuji fx10, oly epl3 or epm1, and pany lx5.
Needs to be at least 'suitable' for out of water use.
The F30 / F31 models I owned were pretty good for UW use, so want to get something that is as good ;now' as they were when they were released ... i.e. to[p of the tree compacts for UW use.
They were never the most expensive, the highest MP count, widest zoom ... but what they did, they did very well.
I don't really need removable lenses as a compact with a reasonable zoom covers my needs.
I had almost discounted a Fuji .. as each successive model failed to better the F31 for UW use.
Plus I want to go for a 3" screen ... X10 is smaller.
-
I'm not a beginner, but thought this most likely sub-forum.
My first Digi was a canon G3, then up in size to Olympus C 8080, then a Fuji F30, followed by a Fuji F31.
Now looking to get my next camera, not wanting to go to DSLR... it needs to be a reasonably compact item with at least a 3" screen.
This is not just used as an UW camera, but obviously need a reasonable wide angle zoom ... with a good aperture.and sensor size.
I have been considering the Canon G 1X ... it has good zoom coverage with the 28-112mm F2.8-5.8 lens
and it's 1.5" sensor is almost up at the DSLR size.
Although it probably has a huge range of functions I will never use.
It was mentioned here to consider the Olympus XZ-1 .... it's about 1/2 the price of the Canon, the Oly is now approaching 18 months old, so is it due to be replaced ?
Any others I should consider.
-
Be interested if any Photoshop guru could adivse on my workflow ..
Currently for a typical Blue colour cast image (jpeg, no strobe )
In CS5 I usually follow this sequence ...
Open
> copy
> crop
> new adj layer - remove backscatter (Dust & scratches filter)
> new adj layer - channel mixer - recover Reds
> new adj layer - Levels r, g, b
> new adj layer -Hue & Saturation - then change mode to multiply
> new adj layer -Brightness & Contrast
> new adj layer -Sharpen (either High Pass or Smar Sharpen filter)
finish with Auto level/colour/tone ... if they make any improvement
Have read a few articles where Sharpen action is carried out at start rather than at the end .... which is the better approach ? ..... I assume at the beginning you are sharpening based on actual pixel information ,whereas at end you are sharpening based on what you think the pixels should be ... not sure which is best.
-
Previoulsy I have used the "Underwater" filter Underwater.8BF
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/inde...p;extid=1044520
I used this on an old ver of Photoshop without problem.
I have now rebuilt PC and have CS 5 extended (Photoshop v12) I downloaded the filter, dropping it into Photoshop CS5/ plug-ins/filters folder
When I power up CS it appears as "Kedaffie's filters" and sub filter as "Bring Back the Red"
However when you try to apply it, it crashes CS ... completely, app closes down.
As other filters run OK assume there must be some change in CS that prevents the filter from working.
Anybody know how to fix this ? ... or how to contact "Kedaffie" .. on photoshop website it shows the author as "Eduard Winter" ... so maybe Kedaffie is a pseudonym.
-
Having now expanded my 'UW rig' (only baby kit compared to most of you) need to find a suitable bag for carrying it 'hand luggage' on planes, and also to & from Dive Boats.
It's compact based so be nice to know if anybody has come across suitable bags (Peli cases out as 1400 would be needed and that is too big)
kit consists of :
F31 (in it's housing)Fuji Remora Strobeincl. flexy arm and trayFantasea focusing lightFantasea BigEye supplementary lens.welcome ideas
-
In readiness for April dive trip invested in a strobe ... bought myself the Fantasea Remora Strobe.
I know this is not up with the Big Boys stuff ... but I only have a compact (Fuji F30) .. so should be a big step up from on-camera flash, for modest outlay. (also got it for only £110)
It comes as standard - tray, arm, fibre optic cable, WA diffuser ...
There Is an option to 'add' a focusing light (LED) ......... how important is this, do I need to get one now ?
I have no intention of going to dual head strobes ... (I know they have benefits) ....... just a compact camera guy.
-
Ryan at Reef is excellent.Just consider the cost implications of VAT, import duty and customs clearance charges though...
Probably the most competitive INON dealer in the UK is KMR / Aquaphot. I'd recommend giving Kevin a call...
I can avoid postage etc. .... I work for a US company, and can get it sent to a colleague, who will hand carry it to UK for me.
But thanks for link to KMR / Aquaphot ..... I'll certainly look them up.
-
As I'm going to get an INON lens ... anybody have any particular recommended resources for buying INON ?
The price for UWL-105 in the UK is high 299 gbp ( $498) and 75gbp ( $125) for the adapter.
If anybody knows of a good reliable on-line source US, Asia ? ... please let me know.
I can have it delivered to a US address if necessary.
-
I don't use the UFL-165 as, unfortunately, its incompatible with the G9. So my w/a is the UWL-100 and dome which offers 130 degrees FOV u/w. However, sometimes, when shooting pelagics I find this lens combination too wide and I think I would prefer to use a UWL-100 on its own. Using the zoom with a UWL-100 and dome combination is not an option as corner distortion becomes unacceptable. I'm not sure how this may manifest itself with the UFL-165 and your camera but you may wish to check. If I were shooting a UFL-165 I may have a UWL-100 or 105 as well.Hope this helps, Tim
Thnx for the things to check out
-
You don't "zoom" when using a WA lens. It defeats the purpose. Cameras are left at their native, max wide, 35mm position. (36mm in your case, close enough)With very few, very specific exceptions, all WA lenses (for P&S cameras) are made for cameras with 35mm equiv lenses. The only exception I'm aware of, frankly, is the Inon UWL-100 28 AD, which is designed for 28mm cameras. It's the first one created for that class of camera, so people are very excited about it. You can't use lenses like the Inon UWL105AD on 28mm cameras without severe vignetting, so there's no point in discussing 28mm cameras (which you don't have anyway) in conjunction with the UWL105AD (which is only designed for 35mm cameras).
The Inon UWL105AD should deliver 105 degrees of FOV attached to ANY 35/36mm camera (or close enough), including yours. If you zoom in on the subject, you may as well take the WA lens off, but that would dramatically reduce the FOV delivered, and is a very different calculation regardless.
Thnaks your comments have helped.
Interesting I phoned an Inon dealer today, he was steering me away from the UWL105 ... his advice was that the UFL-165 AD was the one to get, and to use camera zoom to move it away from max zoom position when using Strobe if I encountered light drop off at edges.
Although he did not think the 80 spread of strobe would be an issue it I fitted it above camera, rather than to the side.
Advised that the 80 degree is not the point at which light stops, but the point at which light has reduced by 1 stop .... and it falls off after that in linear relationship.
I guess I need to try 105 & 165 out and see the result.
-
Inon UWL105AD states 105 degrees. Not 105mm. See http://www.inon.jp/products/uwl_lens/uwl_1.../uwl_105ad.html>I could swear we went over this like 6 posts ago.
But I am not understanding things hence my Q.
The Inon 105 is 0.51mag 105 degree angle.
What I don't underatnd is what will be the angle when used with my camera at zoom setting underwater ?
On the Inon page it just states 105 degree ... but when attached to what ?
Whether the camera is 36mm or 28mm or whatever is bound to have an effect on the effcetive angle of coverage of camera + lens combination ? ... or am I missing something ?
-
I had some time to run my equation through an excel spreadsheet to answer some of the questions here.A lens system with an equivalent focal length of 36mm in air, or in water with a dome port, or in water with optics equivalent to a dome port will have:
vertical angle of view of 36.9 degrees
horizontal angle of view of 53.1 degrees
diagonal angle of view of 62 degrees
(see the equation in my post above)
If using a flat port in water and a 36mm equivalent lens, those numbers change to
vertical angle of view of 27.5 degrees
horizontal angle of view of 39.3 degrees
diagonal angle of view of 45.6 degrees
(see the equation in my post above, plus use Snell's Law to account for diffraction at the air-water interface)
Also note that all of these numbers (and angle of view numbers in general) apply at infinity. AOV is actually a little bit smaller at finite differences, although it doesn't really become significant until you get to macro distances. At really close distances, the fact that your camera's sensor is smaller than your flash's diffuser becomes more important than angle of view.
To check if I'm following correctly (and thanks for the help)
with camera zoomed out to 36mm
In standard housing (flat plate) in the water I'm going to get vert angle of 27.5deg and horiz angle of 39.3 degree
Which aligns with what I expected of about 1/3 reduction in wide angle compared to 'in air'
If I fit for example a Big Eye lens this returns the effective horiz coverage to 36mm .
As my Remora strobe is 80 degree angle ... then it would work happily with or without the Big Eye ? ................... am I right so far.
If I fit the Inon UWL105AD - what is the effective horizontal angle if that was used with the 36mm zoom ?
This is the bit that I think I am losing the plot on .......... I know it states 105mm, but what is effective coverage when used with 36mm zoom
Finally .. what is the diagonal angle of view ? ...... don't know what that is.
-
80 degrees is the strobe's measured output, not the lens. Lens has nothing to do with the strobe... the strobe outputs the same spread whether there is a camera there or not.Not sure what the naked FOV is with a 36mm lens. Small... something like 40-50 degrees comes to mind? (Could be way off there, I'm not sure where that figure popped into my head from.)
You're talking about adding a wide angle lens to the camera, though, so you have to look at the WA lens' FOV, which is in the lens specs: 100 degrees or more, for the ones we've been discussing. Any way you look at it, the Remora doesn't have enough coverage with an 80 degree spread.
I don't dispute that ... that is what I said ... strobe is stated as 80 degree, i.e. the cone of light coming out of strobe head is 80 degree ... fully understand that.
The Q ... is that the camera zoom effectively creates a cone of light that is received by the camera .... unfortunately that is given in mm not in degrees, so I am trying to figure out what 36mm equites to in terms of 'angle of view'
-
I've just heard back from Ocean Optics. The FOV of the UWL-100 28 AD is 179 in air and 150 (with dome) u/w. For 28mm compact camera lenses is the w/a INON glass to get. HTH, Timbut going back to my original post my zoom has max wide setting of 36mm so 28mm is not in the equation.
Sony DSC Rx100 .... new model
in Photography Gear and Technique
Posted
I logged on tonight expecting to order a Sony DSC RX100 .... initially put off as housing were almost twice price of camera, now that there are much more price friendly housing available. (less than 30% of camera price)
I was surprised to see that Sony have released a new version of the camera - DSC RX100 II
Tilting LCD, Hot shoe and new menus - may not be of much use to divers, but the backlit sensor is quoted as giving a full stop gain, and also a 40% increase in Low Light sensitivity, and greatly increased focus speed in Low Light .... now that is of interest.
Already rated very highly as the market leader in compact with it's 1" sensor ... this could now make it a very good choice for divers who don't want to go DSLR route.
Was enough to make me hold off for a couple of weeks for prices to settle.
Initial review at the ever useful DP review site
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sony-cybershot-dsc-rx100-m2