margaret b

I posted some of my UW stuff on Ebay this past weekend, and so far, the YS-120 isn't getting alot of bids. I'll ship anywhere, so if you're interested, check this out. Most of the stuff hasn't been used much. Also, you can "view sellers other items" to see the NikV and the YS-90. http://cgi.ebay.com/Sea-Sea-YS-120_W0QQite...1QQcmdZViewItem

Umm, well this is all very interesting. It gives me some 'tests' to try out to help me better understand raw and white balance. Thanks for the info.

Soooo, do you think if I cannot set WB underwater it's kind of pointless to use the Magic filter?

I agree about shooting in RAW... which is what I always shoot. HOWEVER, I'm curious about Alex Mustard's Magic filters and want to give them a try. He says it's pretty important to use white balance, so I figure there must be a way to simulate the 'look' of underwater while still above water. Of course this will all be moot when I get a diff housing.

Hi all, I'm using an S2Pro with Ikelite's first housing and there are no controls on the back of the housing for setting custom white balance. Their newer back with controls won't work on this housing. (Umm, perhaps a Subal is in my future... no doubt some of you will soon be abandoning your housings and moving on to the D200!) I would like to take some pics with available light in some of the more shallow water, and would like to know if anyone has any ideas of a generic white balance that would be worth trying. Or perhaps a controlled situation (umm, put the camera in a light blue grocery bag and try a custom white balance?? or maybe cover the porthole in the tiny little liveaboard bathroom with a blue film and try for white balance?) above water, where I could set a custom white balance, which may give me conditions which would be similar to what the camera would see under water. Or maybe if I set the wb to 'shade'?? If any one has any ideas, I'm up for hearing them. Thanks, Margaret btw, I see the forum layout has changed... should this post go into the 'tips and techniques' area??

Thanks all, I received the new dome port and I'm much more comfortable with the fit. Of course now, I'm wishing I had a new back for my housing so I could set my white balance!! Unfortunately, Ike told me because my housing is one of the 1st released, the new back will not work on it! bummer. HOWEVER, I liked what Luis said about the chances of a few Subal S2pro housing becoming available soon... that may be the direction I go. Thanks

Ok, now that ya'll have helped me decide I don't want to be one of the 12 people in the world who migrate from a DSLR to a P&S, I'm hoping to get some help with my housing. I've been using an Ikelite housing with my S2Pro since I got it in Sept or Oct of 2002. It was the only S2Pro housing available at the time and it is the 1st version. I had good luck with it until late last year when I tried using the dome port for the first time. I had a flood. I assumed user error. I sent the housing in for an overhaul, and it tested fine, but I'm nervous (understandably) about using it. The flat port seats properly and although there is a little movement - top to bottom - it feels like it is a snug fit. The dome port HOWEVER, has a great deal of movement. I can rock it side to side and from top to bottom... maybe 1/16" to 1/8" Also, I can push down on it and there is movement... perhaps 1/16". There's no record of wether it was pressure tested with the dome port or the flat port, but I've been talking with Bob Stubbs at Ikelite and he's been really helpful and great to deal with. He's sending me a new dome port to see if it fits differently. I'm leaving for my first trip to the South Pacific in a couple of weeks, and I wanted to check in with folks here and find out if anyone else has used this housing with the dome port and are aware of an odd fit, or specific issues with the seating of it. Something doesn't feel quite right, but since I've never compared it to another Ike dome port, I can't be sure of what is 'wrong' or 'right'. Also, I was thinking it would be a good idea to get pressure tested with the dome port before I use it... does anyone know if there are any places in the SF Bay area I could get that done? Thanks BTW, as James has mentioned, a compact Subal would be great to have, but they seem hard to find right now. If anyone knows of a used one for sale, let me know.

DSLR IT IS!! Thanks so much to everyone who responded and helped me realize I really "can't live with the downsides" of going from my DLSR to a P&S. Those things that would challenge me (or really tick me off) - shutter lag, not using a true macro lens, a long wait for the buffer to write RAW files, and "not being able to have the "stand off" for a skittish subject", are definantly not worth the ease of a lighter load. It's my first trip to the South Pacific and I feel great relief at having made this decision. Again, thanks to all. Margaret ... now I need to deal with my IKE dome port problem... ahhh, a different post.

I began with a Nikonos V then went to a housed N90, then to a housed S2Pro. I'm now on the verge of going to an Oly 5060 and using Inon lenses. I realize this is not the direction most photographers tend to go, but I seem to have reached a point where I'm beginning to rethink the extra effort of a big heavy housing as well as the extra luggage. I'm not sure how much quality I may be sacrificing though. My favorite pics tend to be of macro things... I love shots of the female blackhead blenny, the triplefin, but also like the idea of wide angle occasionally. My favorite lens underwater is the 105mm. I tend to always shoot RAW. I was all set to go with the Oly until this reminder "Although there exist many great underwater images taken by point 'n shoot cameras, it is often difficult for them to compete with SLRs when it comes to image quality" which I read in the write up about the Wetpixel & Divephotoguide.com competition. The Oly will be easier, I can switch the lens uw, it's much lighter (although I'll still be using my big strobes), less luggage to carry, and I've heard it has really great quality. The largest prints I generally will want to make will be 11x17, and I understand it can shoot in RAW mode. I imagine I'll have some issues with the shutter lag time... maybe I'll be able to overcome it with some guidance. BUT, I'm wondering what the chances are I'll end up regretting going the Oly direction instead of getting a housing for my D70. So far, I've been really pleased with the past cameras I've used and the images I get. My question is do folks think going this direction is a HUGE step backwards and that I'm really messing with a big potential for disappointment? OR, for my purposes, not professional, it's likely I'll still be happy with the image quality. Thanks, I appreciate any feedback which may help me make a decision. Margaret

i've flooded my s2pro (the orig and then the replacement) TWICE, i can't bear to take the new one underwater again... regardless that the housing now has a great bill of health. it's an emotional thing. so, i've decided to go with the 5060 and would like to use some of my other equipment with this PT020 housing. i know there have been SEVERAL posts about this, but it's hard to put it all together in a way that makes sense. i've tried contacting mike in germany for the nikonos bulkhead, but haven't heard back from him... also my next trip is nov 17, so there may not be time. any ideas, without alot of extra equip purchase, that will get me going with this setup? i already have all of the sync cords i need to connect the two strobes, with EITHER a nikonos type housing connection, or a sea&sea type housing connection. i was told by the inon guy the SB105 (and prob the ys120) wouldn't work with the 5060 because of the preflash. i will be using the inon lenses. THANKS THANKS THANKS so very much to anyone who can help with this... hopefully before my nov 17 trip. margaret

ok gang, thanks for all of the info. i THINK i've finally got the concept. james, i a have NO idea why the camera was dropping to such a low shutter speed with blurring, but a few pics before and a few after, it was fine. but, it definantly didn't give me a good shutter speed for those few pics. umm, wondering if i 'accidentally did something with one of the settings while under water. i ended up going to manual f60 and f8, and adjusting the f-stop one way or the other and i'm much happier with my images. although none are really good, i'm much more clear about my problems... strobe placement and distance i am from the subject. it's so odd to me how i seem unable to tell how 'close' i am to something... always much further back than i think i am. i do now understand why a 'model' is kinda important with uw pics... be it a person, a shark or whatever. i'm feeling better about the galapagos and the big guys i hope to see down there. thanks to everyone. margaret.

ok, so i did pretty ok with a nurse shark swimming around and a black grouper also swimming around, but then i followed a couple of small (~4ft) green moray's who seemed to be in some kind of territory battle - never seen that before, but all of the shots were down into the reef, as opposed to up in to the blue like for the nurse and the grouper. the moray shots all came out a bit blurry!!! i had the camera set on A with strobes on ttl. i realize i should prob go manual... and aim for maybe 6 or 8 with shutter of 60 and strobes maybe on ttl. wadda ya think? for some reason, there is a concept here i'm just not getting. tomorrow we're off to turneff's(sp?) so i'll have more opportunity. i don't understand why if i've got it set on 5.6 or 8.0 and i'm using ttl on my strobes, my shutter is still slow and blurring my shots. what basic concept am i missing? are the strobes not being fired because the system thinks there is enough light? and that is why the shutter goes at 10?? with the few good shots i've gotten, in open water, i understand, but this thing with the blur, well, i'm still not sure what i'm doing wrong. thanks, and even though the pics are crap, i may still post the two morays, because it was kinda interesting... like a couple of dogs who know each other and play rreally rough, but never break the skin! dean

so, the first two dives i worked with what i THOUGHT i understood the posts to explain, but by dive three, i went back to macro... just so i could have a few shots i wanted to keep! i will give it another try tomorrow, and then on wed we're going to dive the wall, so perhaps i'll have some clarity by then. most of the dives are drifts, so i'm not getting alot of chance to try several settings with one scene, but wed we're heading for the wall, so hopefully i'll have a chance to stay put some. thanks for the help, i'll keep trying. ALSO, it's really tough to get used to getting so CLOSE!

ok, gang, i'm in belize at an internet cafe and i've had my first day of shooting with the sigma 15mm. geez, no wonder i stayed with macro for so long... it's much easier! can ya'll pass on some suggestions as far as a midline starting point for my camera settings, and, what the heck should i have my strobes set on?? i've tried a combination of settings, and i finally got a couple of ok shots when i put the s2pro in 'p' mode and the strobes sb105 & ys120 on ttl. however, that was also a bit limiting. ANY ideas are welcome. I'll come back and check tomorrow am before my first dive. the basics jim mentioned sound good, but at this point, i just feel i'm floundering, and i'm not so sure what settings to even start working from... too much time with only macro makes have blinders! a couple of other things to note... belize amber. cay, is not that great of diving... maybe 50 ft of vis, and it's a bit surgy and has some current. THANKS!

Hi All, I'm leaving this evening for Belize with my S2Pro and my new Sigma 15mm WA with the intention of shooting with it for most of the trip... I almost always use my 105mm or 60mm. I'm using an SB105 and a YS120 and DON'T have access to the color balance controls underwater. Does anyone have any opinions about using a red filter with my 15mm? I've never used filters, so I have no clue what my options would be when it comes to filters. And, I've only shot wa with my Nik5 a few years ago. So any ideas or suggestions are welcome, but I won't be checking back after 7pm pacific time. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! Thanks!