ce4jesus

If the price point were better, I'd go with the 620. I've read about the basic differences...ie articluating LCD, built-in artsy stuff, 7 point AF system but I haven't heard anything about the sensor. If they've improved the sensor it might be worth the extra $400. Otherwise, I'm not sure the other items are that big of a fuss, especially underwater. As stated above, the liveview on either isn't real time like the E330 so it wouldn't tilt the scales in any direction.

Sent you an email concering the buoyancy arms.

All I can say is captivating. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better portfolio of great images. I especially liked you taking the time to do some non-standard framing of macro stuff. Very artistic and sharp. Thank you for sharing.

Leads you to a generic flickr page with the above message. But it does link your photostream.

Yes Benchley's Shark Trouble novel was a good read and very informative. Its unfortunate that it doesn't get quite the press clippings that his first novel did.

When you think your close, get closer.

Agree with all that was said. I've had great experiences using them.

this is true however I don't believe the ikelite housing allows for the flash to pop up. So you would probably need to call www.reefphoto.com to inquire about a converter to fit the bulkhead on the housing.

How in the world did you see that ghost pipefish. Also love the blenny. thanks for sharing!

http://www.kelpfish.net/NCUPS_april.htm This is a great tutorial. Click on the flash demo.

Southwest is the only carrier I know of that allows two checked bags with no additional fees unless you are a frequent flyer. They'll also be one of the cheapest fares you'll find. United will have the most flights to each destination.

Its possible to shoot without a strobe but I'd recommend getting a cheap strobe before you leave. You'll be much happier with your photos. If that isn't possible, you should turn off the internal strobe and white balance at depth and make the most of available light when shooting fish and other scenes. Get as close as you can to the subject before taking the shot. Have your subject at camera level or higher so that you're shooting up. If you're not going to be below 40ft, you can try installing a magic filter inside the port. You'll want to use dessicant, or silicon, to keep your housing from fogging up. Small cameras in small housings usually generate enough heat to make the inside of your port glass fog up. Dessicant can prevent that. You'll need to remove the camera from the housing usually due to needing the batteries or memory card replaced. Otherwise you can leave it in there as long as you like.

I like it too. From the apparent smile, the parrot fish was posing for you..haha. You might clone out the bubble and the piece in front of the fish

I like the photo. I would clone out the vignetting. You might be able to improve the image in photoshop with a noise plug in.

And I suppose if you're heading there, the sunken B-29 ditched into Lake Meade during WWII would be a rare dive. From what I've read the US government just did allow 1 diver operator to host dives to the site. I'm not even sure they still allow them or who to contact but it shouldn't be hard to google. Not that its would be a spectacular dive (viz would be a challenge) into lake Meade but on the novelty front...you'd be one of a handful of divers ever to see the wreck.

I like the zoom shot you showed last year of one fish where the head was in focus. I have to agree with the above that if everything is OOF, it gives the impression it was just sloppy photography. I've always wanted to do a WA shot, slow shutter rear curtain sync to see what that would look like...just haven't had the right opportunity yet.

It is a little unconventional, but lately I've been using clothes to pack my underwater gear. Usually t-shirts or hawaiian shirts. I would avoid underwear unless you just enjoy TSA folks holding up your drawers I've done this to conserve space when I'm travelling with dive gear. My Laptop, regs, computers, camera and housing all go with me on board inside a Lowepro Computer backpack and a Pelican 1510 (only hardcase I know of that is built to airline specs for carryon).

The phase contrast detection on the E520 makes it very usable for macro and WA reef scenes. While there's still a lag of sorts, the LCD is able to focus and show DOF. If you have the camera set for continuous AF, theres not that much shutter lag. For framing static macro subjects it is sometimes easier with the LCD due to being able to put the camera where you can't put your head. Any dynamic movement though, requires the OVF.

To me the colors appear over-saturated. ie the red on the darker coral and the really bright yellow in the photo. Sometimes this is caused by post white balancing on something other than white. You've established nice angles with the Trumpet fish but it might look better if the camera was angled up, or at least at the same level as your subject.

Good focus lights for macro will keep your lens from "hunting" for a focus lock. There are some cheaper versions from Fantasea that are adequate for most work.

The Matthew Heinrichs solution was made to replace the Olympus TTL port, if you have one on the PT-015. Otherwise, I like option 1. Use one strobe in TTL mode and the other as fill light in manual.

Slightly less power and slightly slower recharge time but yes, 38% with half the battery power seems a bit much...maybe I'll ask that question on their forum . For what its worth, I've gotten over 400 shots from my Inons shooting macro f13-f22. As a matter of fact, my camera battery dies before the strobes.

Hello Gisli, Yes you can call B&H and they could probably set this up for you ahead of time. TLC are great arms. Here's a great strobe comparison site for size, recycle times etc. I prefer my Inons for size and weight issues, but some folks who have forgotten more than I'll ever know say they're a bit under powered for WA work.Strobe finder

Guys, Thanks for being stand-up guys and for coming on and giving us a first hand account. Since this is a discussion board on the internet, you're going to have diverse opinions. You have to admit that the circumstantial evidence seemed a bit condemning. You've got these macho guys who go after large fish in the gulf and get the occasional trophy tuna and proudly display it on a website. Combine that with the intermittent video and photos and there's a lot of gray area that leads to conjecture. You address having a podcast of the video of the first moments including the decision to spear the shark, would you consider posting that here?

I would think that might be a bit dangerous ...no? Maybe its all the great footage of crocs we get in the states but wading up a fresh water river would put me out of my comfort zone. Nice shots though