Chris_Duncan

Last post: I have one Aquatica TLC set available that I posted on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250546623661 I also have two fiber optic cables for the Sea & Sea YS-90DX strobe (not sure which other strobes they are compatible with). I am asking $25 each/obo. Chris

Don, the handle is yours if you want it. I sent you an email. The Canon 10D is sold. The fiber optic cables are available. I put the rest of the items on eBay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250539195022 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250539204057 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250539209817 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250539212360

I sold one of the strobes and am selling the remaining items individually. Below are the items for sale and the price that I am asking along with a link to pictures. Olympus C-5050 with housing, extra o-rings and accessories, custom camera tray to attach two strobe arms. $250 http://picasaweb.google.com/cdduncan/Olymp...feat=directlink Olympus Wide Angle Lens for underwater housing. $150 http://picasaweb.google.com/cdduncan/Olymp...feat=directlink Sea & Sea YS-90DX strobe, extra o-rings and diffuser. $225 http://picasaweb.google.com/cdduncan/SeaSe...feat=directlink Aquatica TLC arm sets. Two 8" segments, one 4" lower segment, one 4" upper segment, Sea & Sea strobe adapter, and two clamps. Two of these arm 'sets' are available. $125 each segment. http://picasaweb.google.com/cdduncan/Aquat...feat=directlink Aquatical TLC handle with dovetail base. $25 http://picasaweb.google.com/cdduncan/Aquat...feat=directlink Sea & Sea fiber optic cables to sync strobes. 2 available. Best offer. http://picasaweb.google.com/cdduncan/SeaSe...feat=directlink Canon 10D with Really Right Stuff camera plate, four batteries, and original packaging and accessories. $275 http://picasaweb.google.com/cdduncan/Canon...feat=directlink Send me a PM or email if interested in any of the items. I will be posting these items on eBay soon. Thanks, Chris

Hi everyone, I am selling my underwater camera setup that this forum helped me put together about six years ago. Everything has been used gently during this time and is still in great shape. This is a good setup for those just starting out or looking to upgrade to something a step below a DSLR. I would like to sell everything together, but will consider offers on individual components. Olympus 5050 (5MP camera - dated but takes great pictures and has manual controls) with all accessories (case, batteries, charger, strap, lens cover, etc.) PT-015 housing - made specifically for the 5050 Custom arm attachment - I had a machinist make a custom attachment for the housing so I could attach two strobe arms to it. The base is powder coated red. Wide angle lens - screws on to the outside of the PT-015 housing TLC Arms - multiple sections for use with two strobes, with one grip that attaches to the custom base. 2 YS-90DX Sea & Sea Strobes - Both work fine. One is indistiguishable from a new strobe. The other I bought used on eBay and has light scuffs. The one I purchased from eBay takes a little longer to turn on for some reason, but both work the same once on (same recycle time, battery life, power, etc.). 2 Sea & Sea fiber optic cables - connects to the camera to allow syncing with the preflash. 2 Sea & Sea strobe diffusers - white plastic filters to give a softer light to the strobe Pelican case - the foam has been tailored to fit the camera, strobe, arms, WA lens and accessories. I also have lots of extra o-rings and lubricant for the housing and strobes. I live in San Diego and would be happy to show the equipment in person if desired. Of course, I will also send any pictures along that are requested. Putting a price on all of this is challenging since I haven't been in market to buy equipment in years. If you are interested in purchasing the entire setup, I will part with it for $1,200 / obo. This is essentially placing some value on the strobes, arms, and the Pelican case and little value on the rest (I think). If you are interested in individual components, send me an offer and I will consider it. Just send me a PM or email to communicate. Thanks, Chris Links to equipment: Strobes: http://www.seaandsea.jp/products/strobe/ys90dx/index.html Fiber optic cable: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4736...Sync_Cable.html Fiber optic cable retaining ring: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4736..._Retaining.html Strobe diffuser: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4736...or_YS_27DX.html Camera: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/...ails.asp?id=890 Housing: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/...uct.asp?id=1407 Arms (pretty much the setup with an attachement for the Sea & Sea strobes): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3775...20_Arm_Kit.html WA lens: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3878...Conversion.html Case (mine in black): http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail_storm.php?Case=iM2400 Description of the tray: http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...art=#entry13078 Post where I detail how much I paid for everything! (except the case a few misc. things): http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...art=#entry12147

Here's a review of the gold core hyperstretch: http://www.scubadiving.com/index2.php?opti...op=1&page=4 Some online shops are selling the 7/5 gold core hyperstretch with hood for about $475.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I went to a dive shop today and tried on the Pinnacle 7/5 with the merino wool lining and an Aqualung Flex 7mm. They didn't have a 7mm Henderson Hyperstretch or any Gold Core suits. I liked the fit of the Aqualung better than the Pinnacle, but it didn't have the nice seals around the neck, wrists and ankles. The Aqualung was also much easier to move around in. The Pinnacle felt like it was doing my walking for me. I'm leaning towards getting the Aqualung 7mm fullsuit with a henderson gold core vest and boots. Thanks again for the info. I heard that visibility at La Jolla was 40' and that was good. This should be quite a contrast to what I am used to diving.

Hi Everyone, I just moved to San Diego and I need to buy an appropriate wetsuit (I only have 3mm and thinner). I was leaning towards one of the following wetsuits and was wondering if anyone had any experiences with them (or any other suit that someone would recommend). Your input is appreciated. Akona 7mm Fullsuit (about $150) Bare Hydrostretch 7/6mm Velocity (about $210) Henderson Hyperstretch Gold Core 7/5mm (about $380) Chris

Yeah, I don't think much more than a housed camera would work well with freediving. The arms would would probably flop on you each time you came to the surface unless you locked them down tight. I would also expect the drag while diving to be a hindrance. If you stay in the 20-50ft range you can usually stay under the water for an hour + without much of a problem while scuba diving. In Bonaire, we would scuba dive from the shore for 30 mins - 60 mins, and then if there was something of interest relatively shallow (20-40ft), we would come back in take our gear off and go snorkel around the reef for a little longer (I never took my camera snorkeling). Chris

Hi everyone, Thanks for the comments. No special lenses used for these three. They were all taken in macro mode at the longest focal length possible with the Olympus 5050. I do have the Olympus wide angle lens attachment, but only used it a handful of times on this trip. I agree that head-on shots generally are better, but in the case of the moray I think it makes for an interesting picture. I am still adjusting to swimming around with a larger setup than I am used to (two strobes, three arm segments, wide angle lens, camera), so I am extra conscious to my proximity to the reef. Also, a lot of the topography of the reefs we visited was gently sloping so getting down at eye level seemed to be difficult for me to do safely. I will just have to do a lot more dives to improve! The fish didn't turn into a meal for the moray. It was probably swimming 12" above the moray and I think the moray was just on breathing mode (during the day) and not hunting. I have never seen so many spotted moray eels in my life. We must have seen 3 or more on each dive, while we only saw 3 green morays for the entire week. On our last trip to the Caymans we saw predominately green morays and only a few spotted. I don't know if it is Bonaire or just chance. Chris

Here are a few of my favorite images from my first time out with the Oly 5050. I was using dual S&S strobes, and the PT-015 housing. Still have a lot to learn. These were taken in Bonaire, which is an awesome place for diving, but a pain in the rear to get to from Ohio (flew Columbus, to Atlanta, to Jamaica, to Bonaire on two different airlines). We only did one boat dive to Klein Bonaire with all of the rest being shore dives. Comments welcome. Chris

Thanks Mark. I agree the head on shots would be better, but there were few situations where I thought I could easily get down to "eye level" without being endanger of bumping into something. Maybe with more practice I will get more comfortable maneuvering around with all of the equipment. I also need to teach the fish to stay still. The shutter lag of the Oly is definitely there (esp. when compared to my DSLR), but it is not something that can't be managed. Practice makes perfect. Thanks, Chris

Hi Everyone, Well I finally got my underwater camera equipment wet last week in Bonaire. This was my first real life use of my underwater digital camera, and my first "real" underwater camera. Before I would just rent a Sea & Sea with a dedicated flash. Just point and shoot for the most part. Despite using an SLR on land for many years now, I still have A LOT to learn about u/w photography. One of the first things I need to learn is to turn my strobes on! Yes, I actually forgot to turn my strobes on during a couple of dives, remembering to do so 1/2 to 3/4 through my air! Many blue shots were the result of that blunder. I kept wondering why I had to dial the shutter speed down to properly expose the pictures, duh. Anyway, I put the pictures up at my website for those of you that are interested in taking a gander. http://www.chris-kristin.com/bonaire/ Some of the pics I converted to b&w because I was didn't like the blue cast from forgetting to turn the strobes on, or I had the strobes angled poorly, or I was too far away, etc. I welcome any comments or suggestions. I have the dive sites we visited written down, so if any one has a question on where a photo was taken at, I can probably figure it out. Also, I welcome any questions people might have about Bonaire in general. Regards, Chris One more thing. The pictures I post on my website are kind of big (90 - 120k) for full size (the link is to thumbnail images), so if you don't have broadband it might be painfully slow. If you really want to see my pictures, you can go to the Ofoto link here to view their compressed images.[

Yeah, I saw the x-drive on Computer Geeks for $182, but I have decided to wait a little longer to see what pops up on eBay or on the market. Before the comp. geeks deal, I could get an x-drive for about $120 without a hd, so I don't think I will lose too much if that deal isn't available a month from now. About two weeks ago they had the V-MP3H for $192 shipped without a HD (they have since sold out). I really want a unit that either has an LCD screen, or has a video out plug. I think I would want the ability to view all of the pictures I have taken on a trip via the player or a TV instead of just the ones left on my CF card. The only ones that come to mind right now that meet that criteria are the V-MP3H, FlashTrax, Nixvue Vista, Delkin Picture Pad, or the Cinema Disk. There are probably others, but I can't think of them right now. I have even thought about using a PDA to copy files to a HD (see setup here), so at least I will be lugging around a device that serves more than one purpose. I will probably end up getting a plain vanilla unit that copies the files onto a HD for a short-term solution and see what happens in the market over the next year or so. Chris

I have been holding out on buying a portable storage device until the Flashtrax came out. I got an email today from B&H saying they are in stock now for $500 (30GB I think). Ouch! I like the large flip down display, but $500 is a little steep. I can get the V-MP3H with a 40GB HD for under $300. The only difference between the two is the display size, USB 2.0 vs. USB 1.0, RAW viewing capability. Oh well, maybe it will come down in price in the next two months (I need something for my trip in July). Chris

Hi Everyone, I am cleaning out my camera bag to make room for my recent purchases, so I have multiple items for sale. Canon 24-85mm USM f/3.5-4.5 - absolutely perfect condition Package Includes: Lens ($280 at BH) Hood ($20 at BH) Hoya HMC Super UV Filter ($35 at Adorama) Selling Package for $270 + $10 shipping Canon 100-300mm USM f/4.5-5.6 - absolutely perfect condition Package Includes: Lens ($240 at BH) Hood ($20 at BH) Hoya HMC Super UV Filter ($30 at Adorama) Selling Package for $230 +$10 shipping Tiffen 67mm Glass Filters - all in mint condition 67mm Neutral Density .9 ($17 at BH) - Selling for $10 + $3 shipping 67mm Graduated ND .6 ($44 at BH) - Selling for $30 + $3 shipping 67mm Cicular Polarizer .6 ($50 at BH) - Selling for $35 + $3 shipping You can see pictures of all of these items here. Email me with any questions or offers at udpumpkin@yahoo.com (email also my eBay ID). Emails are prioritized in the order they are received. Regards, Chris

Below is a much longer opinion on OEM (original equipment manufacturers) ink vs. compatible ink than many of you would probably care to read. I personally do not think there is much difference in quality between compatible ink cartridges and the OEMs. The compatible ink cartridges (Canon and Epson) are just plastic containers that hold the ink, so the only thing that can impact the quality of the printing is the ink itself. I find the ink with compatibles to be equal to the OEM cartridge in most cases. The lower price that you find with compatible ink cartridges is not because of the use of cheaper materials (many times the compatible manufactures source the dye used in creating the ink from the same manufacturer as the OEM), but because they are making less profit on each cartridge. While the OEMs make $.70 on the $1, the compatible manufacturers make $.30 on the $1. On a side note, it is rather amusing and frustrating to see the lengths printer manufacturers will go to protect their highly lucrative ink cartridge business. For HP and Lexmark they have designed a cartridge that has the print head built-in. For this reason it is really difficult for a third-party to make a knock-off of an HP and Lexmark product without infringing on some patents. This created a market for companies to remanufacture or recycle (collect them from schools, businesses, landfills, etc. inspect them, clean them up, and resell them) the used HP and Lexmark cartridges. When this started becoming more prevalent, HP and Lexmark began integrating a chip on the cartridge that would "turn-off" the cartridge when it ran out of ink, making it impossible to reuse the cartridge. Since then some remanufacturers have found ways to turn the cartridge back "on." For Canon and Epson printers the print head is in the printer and not the cartridges. For this reason, it is possible for compatible manufacturers to "re-design" a cartridge to try to avoid infringing on any patents. It is a tight rope to walk since OEMs have patents on the dimensions, the size of the sponges in the cartridge, the materials, etc. That is why you will see many compatible manufacturers based in China where the labor is cheap and more importantly the patent laws are lax. Anyway, you will find that the original cost of the printer in most cases, will pale in comparison to the cost of the ink for the life of the printer. That is why when I decide to buy a printer the cost of the ink and supplies runs a close second to print quality. It is also another reason I will never buy an HP or Lexmark printer (besides the fact that I think the quality from Canon printers is superior). Chris

One last note on NaturePhoto, I received everything I ordered from them within a week, which is pretty good considering it is coming from Japan. Also, the pre- and post-sales support has been very good. They were very prompt and helpful in answering all of my questions. I would do business with them again.

Hi, I was looking over the two Sea & Sea YS-90DX strobes I have purchased over the last couple of months and noticed a change in one of the caution labels between the two (one of the strobes I bought used, the other I purchased new from Japan). The caution label on the new strobe read: "Use only manganese, Ni-CD, alkaline, lithium, or Ni-MH batteries. Other batteries may emit hydrogen gas and possibly cause an explosion." The used strobe I purchased does not list Ni-MH batteries as being acceptable. The manual that came with the new strobe does not make any specific reference to the types of batteries to use. Before noticing this discrepancy between the labels, I had done much research on people's own experiences (at the time I thought Ni-MH batteries were not recommended for use in Sea & Sea strobes) and determined that I would throw caution to the wind and use Ni-MH batteries for the convenience and greater capacity. Anyway, has anyone noticed this change? I am assuming that Sea & Sea now views the use of Ni-MH batteries as acceptable, albeit possibly not at 2000 mah. Chris

I ended up going with the RipVan100 Lightning 4000N charger. It accepts 110-240v and 50-60hz, so it just needs a physical plug adapter (a $2 item) for international use. I ended up buying 3 at $17.96 each (there is currently a 25% off sale at RipVan100's website). This charger got good reviews at Steve's Digicams and imaging-resource (not as good as the maha 204F, but more convenient with the range of power supply accepted).

That would be feasible. It would be one less item I needed to carry with me, if I had three chargers. No savings if I had two chargers (maybe a little less expensive). Regarding, the Ansmann 16, where are the efficient markets? I found the charger for $67 (excl. VAT) on a German website (they don't ship to the U.S.). You would think a few places would start buying these and reselling them in the States. I would expect a price of $80 - $90 would still net someone a profit with relatively low volume. Is there any other source than nexusamerica.com? Call me cheap, but $40 saved in a charger, is $40 I can spend on "fun" camera things. Chris

I have IE 6.0. I have a different browser on my desktop that I can try. The buttons seem to work, but I receive an error message when I mouse over the buttons. Not a big deal and probably just me. The Lenmar charger for 8 batteries only excepts a 110v input, so I would need to get an adapter for different voltages. It looks like I will need to make a decision to either spend $120 on one charger (Ansmann), or buy 2-3 other charges, with 2-3 power adapters for $60 - $80.

I just bought 40 GP 1800 mah Ni-MH batteries from www.cheapbatteries.com for $60. I decided to risk going against the user manual for my Sea&Sea strobe and use NI-MH batteries. It will just be so much more convenient to have just one type of battery. Now, I just need to figure out what charger to get. The Ansmann 16 looks great, but $120, ouch! I also like the Maha 204, but you need to get a power adapter for any voltage other than 110 and it only charges 4 batteries at a time. I would need to carry 3 of these things around to charge a set of batteries (12 batteries, 4 - camera, 8 - strobes). Does anyone have any other charger recommendations? I want something that will switch to a trickle charge, so I don't have to baby sit the batteries. Chris PS Does anyone else get an error when trying to use the HTML code buttons when typing a post? It could be my browser.

Hello Everyone, I have been reading the posts on this forum for a few months now, so I thought it was about time for me to introduce myself. My name is Chris Duncan as you could probably guess from my username! I got my Open Water certification when I was 16 (I am going on 26 now), but didn't get an opportunity to dive much until the past few years. When you are young and the only one in your family that scuba dives not a whole lot of opportunities present themselves, especially since I was living in land-locked Kansas City at the time. I finally convinced my Dad and two brothers to get certified four years ago, and since then we have gone on many trips together, mainly to the Caribbean. On the past four or so trips, I have rented 35mm camera equipment and have really enjoyed showing my non-diving friends (including my wife) what I have seen, and also being able to look back at past dive trips and remember the stories around the dives and the photos themselves. Since I have been shooting digital on land for a couple of years now, and I am a gadget freak (according to my wife), it was only a matter of time before I purchased my own u/w digital camera rig. I just completed the setup (Oly 5050), which I detailed in another post. As far as how I try to support my expensive hobbies, I am a financial analyst at a technology company in Ohio (yes, there are technology companies in the midwest). I am looking forward to the day when my wife completes graduate school and can get a paying job to help support all of my hobbies (don't tell her I said that)! Other than that, I can't wait to posting pictures from my first dive trip post u/w camera purchase (Bonaire this July), and learning many things from all of the experienced u/w shutter bugs on this forum. Chris

My experience has been very good so far. I just placed my order with them yesterday, and everything shipped today with a tracking number. They accepted PayPal and wire transfers into a US bank account. Because I used PayPal, the exchange rate I got wasn't as good as the market rate. I think I got an exchange rate of 113.626 when the market rate was closer to 117 at the time I ordered, but I still felt that I got a good deal on the items I purchased. Shipping for everything came to around $40, which was included in the prices I gave. If you are interested in ordering from them, you can contact them via email at: info@naturephoto.co.jp Chris

Well, I have finally completed my underwater setup. I can't believe that it took me over two months to decide on what setup to go with and then purchase all of the equipment. If you live in an area like I do, where there is very little if any underwater photo equipment dealers, deciding what you need and want is a daunting task for a newbie. Fortunately in this day and age we have forums such as wetpixel for people to share their ideas and experiences. That being said, I chose to go with the Olympus 5050, because for me personally it was the best value. I decided not to house my D60 because it would cost a significant amount more for the housing, the ports, the additional lenses I would just "have" to buy, etc. To help others putting together their system for the first time, I have laid out exactly what I purchased to complete my system, what it cost, and where I got it. All purchase amounts include shipping. Component/Cost/Store Camera - Oly 5050 / $629 / d-buys.com Housing - PT-015 / $269 / ebay Sea & Sea YS-90DX Strobe - used / $365 / ebay Sea & Sea YS-90DX Strobe - new / $425 / naturephoto in Japan TLC Arms - two sets 4",8",8", handle / $263 / bhphoto Custom Tray / $170 / Ron on digitaldiver 2 Fiber Optic Cables for Strobes / $83 / naturephoto in Japan Olympus Wide-angle lens for PT-015 / $267 / naturephoto in Japan 512MB CF Card / $140 / buy.com 2 extra sets of o-rings for PT-015 / $35 / naturephoto in Japan Tube of lubricant for PT-015 o-rings / $7 / naturephoto in Japan 2 extra o-rings for strobes / $13 / naturephoto in Japan extra diffuser panel for strobe / $14 / naturephoto in Japan TLC strobe adapters / $43 / Helix Camera Total $2,723 Anyway, I can't wait to get the system wet, and my wife can't wait for me to stop talking about it. Now I just have to buy something to put it all in and about 100 Ni-MH batteries! Thanks for all of the advice everyone has given, directly and indirectly. Chris