ramaroodle

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I have a COMPLETE "walk in the water and use it" Subal setup for a Nikon D300/200. The D200 and 300 housing is the same. I have the backs and plates for both cameras. Includes camera and zoom gears, dome port, 2 flat ports, extension port, 2 Ikelite DS125's with TTL and arms and pretty much everything needed to just walk into the water. I'd rather sell it as a complete unit to somebody who wants it rather than part it out on ebay etc. Also have Nikon 14mm wide and 60mm & 105mm macro with zoom gears etc., Fisheye focus light. There is a super close-up "macro mate" for the 105 port. With the foam on the arms it is neutrally buoyant with the dome port on it. If anyone is interested please respond and I can put together more photos and a complete inventory. Includes Pelican case. This new was probably $10K. I need to sell this so make me an offer I can't refuse. Located in Washington (state) in USA. Last used a year ago. Well maintained with extra O rings etc. Would like to get $5K.

I have a Subal 120 flat pot that fits my ND 20 housing. It has been used on about 10 dives and was purchased new from Reef Photo. I have an extension for my short port now and no longer need it. Would like to get $200, but make me an offer. No scratches. Just the wear from being on the boat and rubbing shoulders on the camera table. andybryant57@gmail.com

Thanks for the reply. I guess what I'm asking is what format should I give to someone who is going to use it in a FCP project witout losing much quality. I do run Vegas and PS in Bootcamp but have it loaded in parallels too. Much faster in Bootcamp.

I like Vegas Pro more than FCP. There. I said it so don't hate me. I've used Vegas since it was Sonic Foundry Acid and can use it in my sleep. I'm just too old and lazy to learn and then try and retain the shortcuts and keystrokes that it takes to move quickly through FCP. I have both, but prefer Vegas and have it loaded on my MBP in Parallels. My other reason for using the Windows 7 platform is that using Live Movie Maker to upload to Youtube is just too easy. No settings to mess with. Just hit the publish button and it's up in HD. I've tried at least 10 different combinations and encodes but WLMM looks just as good as any of the other formats. I sent some stills to Animoto while I edited avchd right out of the camera into Movie Maker. The animoto video was done by the time I finished editing the video from a dive and this whole video was edited and up on Youtube in less than an hour. Not pro-quality but not bad for having it up only 2 hrs after the dive. I use vegas for more complex edits. My question is, what is the best way to output video from Vegas for people using FCP (or any other program) to use. I import avchd directly onto the Vegas timeline from my Canon HG10 and I currently use the Main Concept settting to output an mp4 file after doing all of my editing and synching. (plus I love Vegas's multicam editing and after just reading eric's review of Plural Eyes another big pain is handled.) I use TMGEnc when I want to encode an avi file or something that doesn't seem to like Vegas or FCP. I've noticed that some avi files from older cameras don't like to bring audio when importing directly but will hbe fine if I encode it first. Am I making work for myself? Suggestions? Andy

Looking for a housing for a Canon HG 10. Preferably Ikelite.

Walt, PM me if for some reason you separate the two. I'm a buyer for the zoom collar. (Don't need a 2nd lens) :-) Just realized that I'd need a different collar if I stick the tele in there. Andy

Technique question... Is it possible to make a set of some type of cap (like rubber chair leg caps) that fit over the end of the tube with different size holes in them to hold different sized smaller tubes and just change the caps? Would that work? I too spent some time at Home Depot and Lowe's a few months ago before a trip. Just didn't have time to put it all together. Andy

Love my macro-mate. 1. Get the housing neutral with it on or you will have very sore wrists and a difficult time holding it steady dealing with the weight. 2. I have no manual focus gear with my 105mm/Subal so I usually find my subject and keep it in manual focus mode and move the housing back and forth. Even my friends with focus gear use manual and move the housing. 3. Remember the limit switch. A pain to forget it in macro situations but a ROYAL pain with a macro-mate. (see # 2) 4. I see most people with them set up so it flips down when out of the way but have found that less potential damage to the reef is had with it folding from the sides or top. 5. I have found it handy to have a metal rod or chopstick to rest on a spot of dead coral to steady the housing. It is too easy to get lazy and rest the end of the port on the coral, damaging it. 6. A focus light is critical, not necessarily to focus but to focus the bright spot on your subject so you can find it in the viewfinder. So it doesn't have to be an expensive light, just one that has a relatively concentrated beam. 7. Dead flat calm with no surge is best. 8. There is a free Macro-mate out there left in the overhead bin of a Continental Bonaire flight 3 years ago along with my CPAP machine for anybody who can find it. Just my 2 cents worth. Andy

Thanks for the responses. Shorediving.com is where I got most of my info. I'm staying at the Fairmont so Puako is right next door. I have heard that you do need to get to these places early, both for parking and the wind. Don't know about Turtle Pinnacle. Will have to look that up. Thanks again. Andy

Headed to Kona under the guise of a 7 day business trip. I'm looking for some easy entry shore dive spots that I can go to (and dive solo if need be) repeatedly during my stay. If I can find 2 or 3 sites that I can dive 2 or 3 times each (left then right on the reef, macro & WA) that would be perfect. Places that I could dive in the morning before a meeting or head back to for a night dive would be great. From searching the web it looks like Puako and Place of Refuge would fit the bill. Any other ideas? Andy

Looking for a housing for a Canon HG10 camcorder. Ikelite 6080 I think is the Ike model but will consider other brands if there are any. Andy

So, Wagsy, (and Nick) are you saying that I should; 1. do without the filter and WB on something blue, using the lights to illuminate the close stuff and 2. Try Nick's Vegas technique to tweak it? (I love Vegas over FCP but that's another story) My problem with filters has always been that it robs light and I want every available photon of available light i can get going into the camera, so if i can achieve the same correction by WB on something blue then I should be ahead of the game. Am I thinking correctly? Does that mean i could use blue filter material and WB on a Gray or white card on the surface to allow me to find the best shade of blue to get consistency? Thanks.

I think I remember Wags or somebody mentioning this before but I can't find the post so please excuse the repeat topic. I have a set of L&M Sunray HID lights and a Canon HG camera. Video is kind of an after thought so I'm not ready to spend a bunch of money on it. With the housing I have I can't change camera settings after I hit the water. If you look at the first minute or so of this shot without a filter you'll see what I mean. Without a filter the WA stuff looks like crap so I edit it out since I really haven't found a way to make it look acceptable in post using FCP or Vegas. Assuming I'm in relatively shallow (40 ft or less) water, keeping the sun at my back, do I want to use a filter to get better all around WA video and use the lights for close ups and correct in post for the lights? Does that produce better results than trying to correct for the WA WB in post? Didn't Wags have a technique for doing WB on the surface?

I like # 2 only because it appears to me that the eyes are sharper and the others seem to have the claws (or paws as my kid calls them) tack sharp. Might just be my dirty contacts though! Great shots. Great color. Great job.