Dave H
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Posts posted by Dave H
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mmb,
as Karl mentioned previously, the more you slow down your shutter speed, the bluer the background/water will appear. This is because you are allowing more light to be captured on the image.
I personally prefer to achieve a black background, especially for macro work.
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I have written an article on the pros for using the CP5000 in an Ikelite Housing. If your interested you can find it on my website:
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Herb,
Yours shots are awesome, I love the Manta shot but my favourite is the octopus with the sun and the diver in the background - that's a special shot.
Nice work.
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I only put the 19mm lens on if I know that I am going to be shooting wide angle pics. The majority of my dives are macro related, due to poor vis and abundance of macro critters at my ocal sites.
The standard Nikon CP5000 lens can produce 2:1 macro, the 19mm lens can achieve about 1:1 macro. This is why I stick with the standard.
I always shoot in Manual mode, I have found that the image results are quite poor when using the automatic settings.
Also, when shooting macro, makesure that you have turned down the strobe power to at least -2 in the camera speedlight settings. This should help overcome any over exposure.
cheers. B)
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Hi Mariano,
If you are interested, I've written a document that you has a couple of tips for shooting images with the CP5000.
Have a look at the front page of my website for the document:
When shooting Macro I have found that using Spot Metering works best, that way you can focus on the centre of your subject, make sure if you have your aperture at F8 to get the best depth of field result.
Cheers,
Dave.
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Here's a pic I took yesterday, I really like the colours of the Nudibranch.
Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/1000 and strobe 1/8 power.
Chromodoris Collingwoodi
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I am asking this question on behalf of a mate who is using the Olympus C5050 in the PT-015 housing.
He would now like to purchase some strobes but unfortunately he's on a tight budget. I recommended the Ike DS125 but he can't afford it. He is now investigating buying a Inon z-220 or an EPOQUE ES-DS150 Strobe.
Does anyone have any experience with either of these strobes? And would they be suitable for use with the Olympus C5050 (I'm not familiar with this setup).
How would they connect as I'm sure the PT-015 housing doesn't have a strobe port.
ta. B)
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Karl,
all the shots were taken with the standard lens. I tend not to use the 19mm unless I know I want to do wide angle photography and the visibility is good. My local divesite is very much 'macro' orinatated as my photo's show.
here's a pics I took the other night that I like:
Red Indian Fish
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On two dives at my local divsite last week (Fly Point) I found some really unusual critters. If your interested in seeing an anglerfish, seahorse or a psychedelic nudibranch check these photo's out (9 images):
All images were taken with the CP5000 in Ike housing using a single ds125. Feel free to comment. 3 of the images are below:
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I just sold the same setup for $800 Australian. Convert that into US and I would say that your getting a very nice deal...
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The IUCN shark specialist group are currently here in Australia discussing the plight of all shark species.
Here's a link to an article on the meeting:
The future looks very bleak for many of our shark species...
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Hi ReyeR,
My DS125 is connected via the sync cord. I'm about to purchase a 2nd DS125 but following some good advice I'm going to rig the 2nd strobe with a slave sensor to fire off the other strobe. I'm also going to buy a manual controller for the first strobe as well. I'm doing this while the Aussie $$ is strong against the US, about the only upside to the Iraq crisis.
There's not much info on DiveOz for digital photography, I've found the wetpixel forums to be a million times more useful!
cheers.
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In short Yes. The camera and strobe synchronise at the same time so that the light is captured. I haven't has a problem yet.
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Any particular reason why you chose a Manta ray? I would choose your favourite marine species and then run with that.
I designed my own shark tattoo (sort of based on a grey nurse shark) that I have located below my ankle bone, it's been there for 6 years and I'm still happy with it. A shark tattoo was the most appropriate as they are my favourite species and what I spend a considerable amount of time working on.
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I often use my DS125 in TTL mode when shooting macro with the CP5000. If I don't use TTL then I'll set the strobe to 1/4 or 1/8 power.
Some tips for camera settings when using the strobe in TTL mode:
- Dial the speedlight output to -2 in the camera settings
- Set the camera to ISO 100
- Ensure your macro function is on (Don't ask how many times I've forgotten that one
) - Select shutter speed from 1/250 to 1/1000. I generally start on 1/500 and then see what the results are like then I'll increase or decrease shutter speed. It will depend on the brightness/reflectivity of your subject.
- Set your aperture to F8
- Position the strobe above the camera and at least 1 foot away from the subject. If it is overexposed move the strobe further back or decrease strobe output manually.
The above is pretty much all I do when shooting macro with TTL.
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I'm also going to throw in a plug for the Ikelite housing. I've only been using it now for about 2 months with the CP5000 and I am more than impressed with its quality and functionality. With the two arms and base plate already attached you save money as you don't have invest in other components as you would with the other brands. Plus the housing comes with a red filter which I have actually found to be rather useful.
And being able to use the 19mm in the Ike housing is a huge advantage over the others - I've been using the 19mm to shoot wide angle as well as getting 1:1 macro with it.
The Ike setup is defiently worth looking at especially when you consider its complete setup is cheaper than some of the other housing packages.
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Just to point out to ease any confusion, we have to species of Seadragons in Australian waters.
The Leafy Seadragon Phycodurus eques is found in predominantly in South Australia and parts of Western Australia. There have been occasional sightings in Victoria but it is not common in that state. It is not a very common species to find and best place to find it is under some of the jetty's in SA and WA.
The Weddy Seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus is the more common of the two. It is very common around Sydney and then down south to Victoria and Tasmania and around the southern part of our coast to Western Australia
A webpage with info can be seen at:
I have attached an image of a weedy seadragon so you can see the difference:
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I'm still very very doubtful that the attack in South Africa was by a raggie. It is most unusual for a raggie (grey nurse) to display this behaviour, I would think that the shark would be more likely to be a bullshark or perhaps a whaler.
Grey nurse will take a speared fish, I've seen it done a couple of times where they will pinch a jewfish or a kingfish. But as for them attacking a snorkeller on the surface....hmmmmmm.
A bull shark on the other hand would not hesitate. We had someone killed yesterday in Queensland by a bull shark as they were swimming in the gold coast canals.
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While people have their ID books open... can anyone help me identify this little fish?
This fish was about 1 - 1.5cm hiding under an acopora coral, he was found in Januray in Papua New Guinea at Loloata Island. I only got the one photo before I lost sight of the little sucker.
My initial thought is a juvenile dragonet species, perhaps a Synchiropus sp ?
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and this was the final straw for the poor shark. After swimming around for almost 3 years without any fins the shark was incidentally caught on a setline.
It is commonly known as bycatch...
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Just to show a bit of support for the sharks, I have attached an image that was taken about 3 years ago of a grey nurse shark off the east coast of Australia. Anyone notice what is wrong with the poor critter?
Oh yeah, the grey nurse shark is completly protected in Australian waters and is Australia's most endangered marine species. Some fishers just don't get it :angryfire:
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In South Africa Carcharias taurus is referred to as the ragged tooth shark, in America you refer to it as the Sand Tiger Shark and here in OZ we know them as the grey nurse shark. they are all the same species (with seperate populations). In Australia the grey nurse is our most endangered marine species with less than 500 left.
I refer to them as the great big puppy dogs of the ocean, they are the most graceful of all sharks and are a very curious creature. This is the first report I've EVER heard of them attacking a snorkeller... very rare occurence and the poor person was very unfortunate.
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The 1 gig Sandisk CF card costs $550 US here in Australia
Makes me want to cry... -
Has anyone out there had a play with the Nixvue Vista visual storage album?
Nixvue Vista visual storage album
I'm looking at buying a storage device that I can take on diving/work trips to save all my images to and view them at the same time (and I don't want to lug a laptop around!) The vista seems to have excellent functionality. B)
The product got a very good review at:
Any feedback would be appreciated. They are pretty costly so I want to know how good they are before I waste any money.
CP5000 + Nikon WA 19 mm
in Photography Gear and Technique
Posted
Karl,
I'm interested to hear how you go with the manual controller. I've been tossing up whether to purchase it for my setup but haven't been convinced there will be any major benefits. I'd love some feedback and if possible a photo of how you rigged it to your system.
cheers,
Dave