ce4jesus

It might be best to post a photo for analysis. resize it to 800x600 and post it here. Just off the top of my head I would probably set the flash for internal only if you're shooting wirelessly. Finally, if you can tell us a little more about your setup. IE..are you using a fiber optic cable?

I think the problem is we're trying to reproduce what we've already seen. Its hard not to when you look at an image and say wow, I'd like to get one just like that. Sadly, I think I was a much more creative photographer with my P&S on my first few dives. I really concentrated on the fundamentals and when I didn't have an interesting subject, I was trying to think of new ways to photograph things. Because I only dive about 6 times a year and often only 1 dive per trip while on business, I get in a hurry to find that interesting subject when I finally make it in the water. It is like being in underwater puppy mode where I hop from subject to subject snapping away without much regard for quality or art.

Well for starters thank you for sharing because you have an fantastic set of photos. There's not a whole lot there to criticize. Maybe the pros on here would have a more refined eye. If I had to pick on anything I'd say you need to do a little more post processing on a few of the pics to clean them up.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25230308@N07/show/ Here's a link to my flicker account. All of these were taken with the Olympus E410. I upgraded last fall to the E520 and have only 1 dive with it so far. The biggest difference between the E410 and E520 I see is the quality of Jpegs straight from the camera. The ones from the E520 really pop and are very vivid with color. I'm very happy with the camera and housing. I have never been more confident with any housing, this one has a rotating, locking latch that gives you confidence the system is water tight. The buttons on the housing are clearly labeled for ease of use underwater. The port system is outstanding...nothing is going to jar it loose underwater. The Olympus Housing has fiber optic port connections as well as Olympus TTL. I use the fiber connections for my Inon Z240 strobes. The lense selection on the camera system is also outstanding. The 50mm macro is one of the finest lenses I've ever owned. The 14-42mm kit lens is very versatile and is extremely sharp in the mid aperture range. I just purchased the 9-18mm and so far I like what I'm seeing from the lens topside. The camera focus's fast and overall it is easy to use. The camera does have limitations. For starters picture quality isn't that great once you push the system past ISO800. Noise tends to be a factor at that point. I only do this topside when shooting indoor sporting events and never go past ISO200 underwater. Sunballs with Olympus seem to be a problem since the top flash sync speed is 1/180 unless you're using their topside strobes underwater. Maybe that is more my lack of experience shooting them, than the camera but typically I only have success if the sun is out of the frame or blocked by a subject. Other than that, I'm thrilled with the setup and would make the same purchase today if given the value/cost relationship that exists. Hey Phil, Excellent write up on both the Bridge and the housing. Just one quick note on the housing. The button that switches between the shutter and aperture while in manual mode no longer needs to be held down while adjust the wheel....A simple press and release switches it and then you can use the wheel to adjust either shutter or aperture. This was a very nice change from the old E410 where you needed to hold that button while moving the wheel. That took some doing underwater with two strobes.

Better than the morning paper reading through this thread. It would be great if a moderator could rename and pin this thread. The most interesting part to a non-technical enthusiast was how the diopter reduced the FOV. Kind of defeats the purpose underwater unless you really need corner sharpness. I guess to my untrained eye, the corners are an afterthought anyway. As a macro guy who has dabbled in WA, I wonder if the diopter also reduces your DOF. Stephen and all who added to the thread, kudos for doing this. Now..how much to get you to jump back into the pool with the entire Olympus line

No wonder his pics are so sharp....hes got a built in diopter!!!! 34...to be 34 again. Cheers to your youth! Here...try this after a few drinks... http://majman.net/fly_loader.html

I'll be doing some work at the Naval Hospital...what luck. Do remember what the water temps were like around the beginning of April...which I think is the beginning of winter down there.

I've got an up coming business trip that will require me to hit both of these countries. I was just wondering if anyone has any recommended dive ops in the area of the Naval Bases.

I wondered what the ocean topography on google was all about. I logged on today and thought wow that is cool. I wasn't impressed by its speed though. Took way too long to navigate.

There are some compact DSLR's and associated housings. I believe that both Canon sxi and Olympus E520 have relatively compact housing for DSLRs. They will far exceed the image quality of a P&S but won't give you full frame results. Seems a reasonable trade off between quality and weight as stated in your post.

It was hard for me to pick out a favorite with so many great shots. Thanks for sharing. I got the biggest chuckle from the cross-eyed eel with the shrimp on its head. You know those crabs tucked in the hard corals frustrate me so...I either blow out the coral, or underexpose the crab to the point where its not worth keeping it. Both of yours looked great. The fleet of mantas...WOW.

yeah...too close to not be the same image slightly altered. I think that would be tough to prove though with all the speer fish photos online.

For what? for posting photos on websites Okay that was a dumb statement of the obvious; but the internet is the best and worst of humanity. This site is quite possibly the most helpful site for underwater photographers who are just beginners or serious amateurs looking to better their game. But the help the pros offer doesn't come without risk. When you post a photo on the internet anywhere, you risk it being stolen. With no regulation or governing standards, its up to each individual to police their own issues. As Cor stated above, you would then have to weigh time and reward concerns. I'm sure we could discuss solutions and begin a whole new thread.

I put everything in a carryon. The arms go in my Pelican 1510. I've now completely gutted the foam except for the outter rim. I use clothing to serve as protection from boucing around inside. Just don't use undies in case they want to unpack things and look around.

Ardy, Fork out the extra cash for the 50mm macro 4/3 lens. You'll be glad you did.

I'm quite amazed at how tack sharp that crop is. Very nicely done!

Holy Moly that's a big dome. Looks like a port hole in a minisub.

Don't you just love it when you get back and realize you captured a really cool act of animal behavior.

Hi Ellen, Big congrats! I'm currently on the road responding via my phone

My old Olympus Compact wouldn't preflash on manual. You'd have to choose the output of the internal strobe in a menu. But as Scott said, you can test it by firing it topside.

I have a business trip to Orlando coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm trying to figure out how I can do a couple of dives before the trip. I've heard great things about the bridge and I've seen some nice photos. Unfortunately, my wife and dive buddy aren't going to be able to make it. I've always wanted to meet up with someone on wetpixel, PM me if you're interested. Gary.

You can pry my inons from my cold, dead, fingers Really love 'em. Small, lightweight and strong enough for most shots.

Loved the divers under the boat, that looked great along with the Tiger over the reef. Man that must be so cool.

Anilao I've heard is nice, look up a guy who goes by the name tankado and PM him. He should have a few suggestions. Flights, I took Continental which turned out pretty good. You wouldn't want to miss out on at least a day or two of diving the Ducom Pier while you're there.

Very Nice...maybe I'll see him in poor man's Lembeh in 2 weeks!