Jump to content

markdhanlon

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    101

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by markdhanlon

  1. Posted

    I used a Pelican 1550 with padded dividers. It's just barely bigger than the allowed carry on size and it weighs a ton, but I haven't had any problems with it. You just have to make it look light. On our last trip, the weight limit was 15 lbs, but it weighed over 45 lbs! It carries an Ike housing for a Canon 350D, 2 DS-125's, 3 batteries, 2 complete strobe arms, macro port, 6" dome, battery charger, 2 double synch cords, 1 single synch cord and some other small accessories like lube, magic filters, etc.

    I then put my camera and lenses in a Lowepro camera bag and claim that as my "purse". I then rely on my wife to take our laptop and anything else that I would want on the plane.

    It's my scuba gear that gets checked as it's a lot easier to replace than my camera equipment.

  2. Posted

    I think that there is a basic misunderstanding that is occuring here. And that is the question as to whether hunting (of all kinds) and conservation can go hand in hand.

     

    Personally I believe that it can. In North America, hunting organizations and subsequently, the money from hunting groups, are responsible for a large percentage of the wildlife and habitat conservation. If you want further proof of this, National Geographic magazine had an article in the November 2007 issue titled "Conserving Hunters", or take a look at Ducks Unlimited: a website that is titled, "Wetlands, Conservation, Waterfowl, Duck Hunting - World Leader in Wetlands Conservation". I believe that most hunters deeply care for the animals that they are hunting and care for the continued survival of that species. Hunters see the beauty of the environment and want to protect it.

     

    However, it is very easy for people that only get their food from a grocery store to bash hunting as being cruel and destructive when they don't have to see how their food was collected/slaughtered/caught/etc. We photographers have taken the next step from hunting and choose instead to shoot with our cameras rather than with spearguns/rifles/etc. But that same instinct still connects us with our "prey". I think the best photos are the ones that project that connection to the viewer.

     

    But all of this is just my opinion.

  3. Posted

    I'm trying to find a focus light for less than $100 but also has automatic cutoff when the strobe preflash fires to prevent hotspotting. So far I know of the Fantasea Nano and the Fisheye Ultra Compact. I plan on using it with my 350D. Does anyone know of others or have experience with either of these? Would a small light like these work or am I wasting my time? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.

  4. Posted

    I know I'm going to make a few enemies with this position, but ultimately the market will determine what is worth what.

     

    I live by the opinion that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. And for professional photographers making a living, it is getting more and more difficult as the market is flooded with relatively high quality amateur photos. What this means is that the service provided must be above and beyond in order to justify the cost.

     

    Let me explain. My day job is working for a consulting engineering firm. We are one of the most expensive consulting companies in the world but what we provide is top quality. So while we don't get a lot of contracts from people looking for mediocre and cheap, we do have a few select repeat clients that are willing to pay top dollar. I think that pro photographers have to be in this same realm. They have to provide something which the amateur can't, whether it's repeatability, quality, etc.

  5. Posted

    To get this forum back on track.... I have access to my inlaws boat in Sidney, B.C. It was bought for sailing, but also for diving. It's a 38' Lagoon catamaran. The dual hull is much easier to dive off of compared to single hulls, and it's faster.

     

    However, a speed boat it is not. It has a power cruising speed of 7 knots. It's for people that are interested in the journey.

     

    It's got enough room to hold about a dozen tanks, plus a small compressor and sleeps 8.

     

    They (the inlaws) charter it when not in use. If anyone's interested in chartering it, you can check it out at: http://www.cooperboating.com/home.php?ai=v...amp;boat_id=141

     

    But as has been said before, even though it's in charter it does not pay for itself.

  7. Posted

    I've got this same camera and currently use it with an Ikelite housing, with 2 DS-125 strobes. I use the kit lens behind Ike's 6" dome and the Canon 60mm behind a flat port. Ike ports are pretty cheap so it's getting one for macro and one for WA. The 6" also has the advantage that it can be used with the Tokina 10-17mm (my next purchase).

     

    I've bought all of my gear through either B&H or Reef Photo. I found the personal service of Reef Photo excellent especially when just starting because Ryan will set you up with exactly what you need. If you have any further questions, feel free to pm me and I can help you out further.

  9. Posted

    I'm very anal about cleaning my orings, so if I don't have a place to do that, then I won't break that seal. That's why I typically stick with a single lens for a day, unless I'm coming back to shore for the surface interval.

     

    I recently did a two month dive trip, doing 80+ dives and used a total of 2 Ike silicone tubes. I took extra of course, but you don't use much, and like I said above, I'm anal about cleaning my orings.

     

    I have set up my rig in a rush a couple of times and those were probably the worst dives I've ever done because the whole time I'm looking at my camera praying that I set it up correctly and that it works or I've done something stupid like leave the lens cap on. It always pays to take the time to set up properly. If you don't have the time, don't risk it, leave the camera behind.

  10. Posted

    Having only a Rebel XT (aka 350D), I jumped in with both feet and bought the housing for it. And I'm glad I did. I've ended up spending a small fortune on a housing, strobes and lenses but in the end, I feel that I have a rig that works and I can grow into. And when I buy my next camera and housing (whatever the 450D turns out to be), I can give my current rig to my wife.

     

    Ultimately, it comes down to how much you want to spend. You can into it fairly cheaply by purchasing an Ikelite or Sony housing for your P100, although I couldn't even find a place to buy the Sony housing, and a relatively inexpensive strobe. All in all, probably under $1000US for the whole deal, whereas you'll spend about $1500US just for housing (including ports), then throw in another ton of cash for a strobe, and maybe even some u/w lenses. Unfortunately, this is not a hobby for the faint of wallet.

  11. Posted

    By changing the f-stop rather than the strobe output will change your DOF, which changes the feel of the photo, and can be extremely critical for a macro shot. As well, changing your ISO will increase/decrease the noise in the photo. Ultimately, adjusting the strobe output allows for the photo that you want. And with digital it's rather easy to look at the histogram to ensure correct exposure.

  12. Posted

    I realize that this is slightly hijacking the thread, but to answer stever's question about using a 10-22 behind a flat port, I can see two possible problems with this:

    1) Using a flat port increases the effective focal length whereas using a dome retains the above water focal length so that your wide angle lens stays wide angle.

    2) CA. I'm surprised that you don't have significant CA using such a wide lens with a flat port.

  14. Posted · Edited by markdhanlon

    I was in Malaysia when I dropped my DS-125 and cracked the strobe tube. Once I got back to Canada, I sent it in for repair and they charged me ~$100, which in my opinion is pretty good. I've since had it in the water a few times and it works great. WRT your third question, they ship to me in Canada, so I would think that they will ship overseas no problem.

  15. Posted

    In my opinion, a pool may reveal different issues that could be revealed in a deeper depth. That's why whenever I have a modification made to my housing (and when it was new), I take it both to the pool and on a dive empty. Just make sure that you account for the extra buoyancy on the dive caused by an empty housing.

  16. Posted

    I have the 60mm on the 350D in an Ike housing. When I first started using this lens, I set the lens to AF and used the zoom gear as a focus gear, since the 60mm has full time manual focus. However, I found that the AF was so good on this lens, that I stopped installing the focus gear. I find that it's a great lens and can even get some shots of larger critters.

  17. Posted

    Susan,

     

    I was on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia and in Mabul for May/June this year. I only took a DSLR rig, but shot ~75% macro. I found that it didn't restrict my shooting due to visibility changes and there is so much macro to see in that area of the world. However, depending on where/when you are going, you might be kicking yourself when the whale shark swims by.

  22. Posted

    I called up Ikelite and it turns out that that o-ring kit is what they ended up ordering for me as it seemed the best fit for what I was looking for. But it still doesn't have the actual push button in it. I guess if I ever damage one of those, I'll just have to send the housing in to Ike. I'm just glad that their service centre is so willing to deal with people who don't really know what they want. Thanks for all the help everyone.

  23. Posted

    I know that this probably isn't what you're looking for, but ever since I got laser'd 4 years ago, it's been one of the best things I ever did. It's greatly improved my quality of life. No worrying about glasses or contacts while doing sports, swimming or just to get up in the middle of the night. And when compared to the cost of our expensive hobby, getting your eyes done is cheap (~$2k), well cheaper than a lot of housing (and there's no need to upgrade!) Just a thought.

  24. Posted · Edited by markdhanlon

    I was cleaning my housing the other day, cleaning all the push buttons, o-rings etc. and accidentally broke an e-clip and lost a spring perch (washer). This got me thinking about all the pieces on my housing that, without spares, I can't use the housing. I put in a call to Ikelite and was able to purchase most of what I wanted, however, the one piece that I still want they don't sell: the push button assembly.

     

    Therefore, does anyone know where to purchase this piece? I'm talking about the round push buttons on the rear of the housing including the spring, spring perches (plastic and stainless washers), o-ring and e-clip. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure that if I lost one of these pieces and sent in the housing to Ikelite, they'd replace it, but I'd spend more in shipping costs then the pieces are worth.

     

    I just found the recent DIY article solving my problem. Thanks. It just seems odd that B&H has the parts, but Ikelite doesn't.

×
×
  • Create New...