blimbo

I returned from my Red sea trip a few weeks ago and also got on very well with my Hugyfot D90 set up. I was using a Tokina 10-17 and a Sigma 17-70 - I didn't get the gearing or extension for the Sigma, but with the aid of a little velcro I could use the Tokina gearing on it without problems. I couldn't zoom it all the way though, so it was effectively a 17-55. I also put a bit of padding on the end of it to stop it hitting the dome port. I found the LCD on top a little difficult to see at times but I just used the info button and looked at the main screen instead. Other than that, no real problems to be honest; didn't take long to mount the camera and the Hugycheck system worked fine and provided me with piece of mind. On about 2 dives I had problems with the gearing but I think it was my fault for not securing the camera in exactly the right position; it does take a little getting used to. I just had one Inon z240 this trip so spent a lot of time learning how to light shots with the Tokina; I think I started to get the hang of it. Next time round I'll either get another strobe or maybe the flat port seeing as I have a Nikkor 105mm. The Hugyfot flatport doesn't allow gearing to use the (new) 105mm in manual which is a slight issue but I think I'll go with it anyway. Here are some samples, the rest of them are here: http://flickr.com/gp/25320274@N03/ow3sNa

I've just got back from a week in the red sea with my Hugyfot + D90 set up. I didn't have any problem using the bolts - takes about 2 minutes to unscrew them both and the hole for the allen key is deep so there was no wear and tear. While I've never used any other SLR housing, it gave me great piece of mind knowing I wasn't going to unlatch the housing accidentally.

Fundamentally different? But what does that mean in terms of day to day usage? And is it really more tweakable than Windows? I've used Linux almost every day for the last 5 years or so, but regularly use both Macs and Windows machines. Linux is truly tweakable because it's an open source OS unlike OSX and Windows; I don't see much difference between those two in terms of tweakability. The Unix side of things should make very little difference to the user other than the filesystem layout; these days I believe Windows etc asks for the admin password when you're altering the system, much the same as Unix systems.

Beagle, meet Tokina/dome port/Inon combo!

I was wondering - when people use a teleconverter with the Tokina 10-17, what focal length do they usually go with? My zoom gear won't let me zoom the Tokina once the teleconverter is attached. Cheers, Tim

I received my Hugyfot for my D90 last week but am still waiting for the dome port so I've not had a chance to try it out yet. Hopefully I'll take it for a test drive in the pool over the next few weeks, then I'm off to St. Johns mid November. First impressions are very positive - ergonomics seem very good, great build quality and finish, viewfinder seems fine. Admittedly I've not tested it u/w but I've been running round my garden in the fading light with my mask on taking photos of my dog One of the main reasons I went for it is the leak detector; in terms of value for money, I think this option makes the Hugyfot the best package, and gives me piece of mind. A potential issue I'll face later on is the lack of gearing for the Nikkor 105mm AF-S micro which I own. Leaves me with the choice of just going down the autofocus route or getting a Hugyfot adapter for a different manufacturer's port. As soon as I receive the dome and get underwater I'll report back some findings. Cheers, Tim

Thanks Dave, Nice shots and thanks for the settings tips. Got my housing last week (a Hugyfot) but there's a problem with the dome port so I'm still waiting on that. I've been using manual mode a lot more recently so I guess I should use that to set my minimum shutter speed, now I'm getting used to the housing I'm a bit more confident I can control more things at once. Only have one z240 (and no strobe cable yet) so lighting at 10mm is going to be interesting.. Cheers, Tim

Clever techy bods can download it using this and may even be able to do so via a proxy server if they're outside the UK at the moment (and have paid their BBC licence fee of course).. Moderator: Sorry, but that is illegal even if you pay the BBC fees. Please read the following: iplayer terms and conditions I've removed your link as it is against the terms and conditions of BBC.

I feel your pain.. I had the same problem with my G7 housing the other week. I bent the tool and made my hands bleed. Tried putting it in the freezer, in hot water, everything. Gave up in the end and sold the housing on ebay with the short port firmly attached. Out of interest, why would you want to put the long port back on? I never used it once I got the short port.

Hugin is a great free program for creating panoramas, and you can create them in HDR too http://hugin.sourceforge.net/ [Disclaimer: I am one of the developers] For tonemapping try this: http://www.mediachance.com/hdri/index.html The demo is fully functional - it just puts a watermark at the bottom of the image, so if you edit your image to put some space there then you can crop it off afterwards. Not expensive though so I recommend you buy it if you like it.

I'm about to go on my first dive trip with a D90 next month and was thinking about this minimum shutter speed issue, as I shoot AV topside pretty much all the time. I also tend to use Auto-ISO; I'm not sure how this behaves on other cameras but on the D90 you can set the max ISO (I'm happy up to 1600) and you can also set the minimum shutter speed (which I have set to 1/60). What do people think about using auto-ISO under water, and is this a good way of ensuring at least 1/60 while in AV? For me I'm hoping there'll be less to worry about if I do things like this: I just have to set my aperture, EC and strobe power while ISO and shutter speed are taken care of. Cheers, Tim

Yes I will.. postage calculated using this thing: http://sg.royalmail.com/portal/rm/PriceFin...finder_redirect Cheers, Tim

Just put a load of stuff up on ebay, please have a look: IKELITE UNDERWATER HOUSING FOR CANON G7 (includes short port): http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:L:LCA:GB:1123 INON Optical D fibre optic strobe cable and holder: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...=STRK:MESELX:IT INON UWL-100 WIDE ANGLE CONVERSION LENS 67mm TYPE 2: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:L:LCA:GB:1123 UR-PRO CY Color Correction Red Filter for 67mm Thread: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:L:LCA:GB:1123 INON UCL-165 CLOSE UP MACRO LENS 67mm http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:L:LCA:GB:1123 Cheers, Tim

Thanks Tim, St. John's is looking like a distinct possibility at the moment, and the oppportunity to spot a dugong or two is certainly exciting. I'll check out the Umm Rus and Abu Dabab options. Cheers, T

I'm in the process of booking a liveaboard trip to the Red sea for October or November. I did Simply the Best last year which was fantastic (with my G7/Ikelite setup), but this year I'm going to have a Nikon D90 with Tokina 10-17mm. Does anyone have any suggestions on an itinerary which would maximise the potential of this lens (with a single Inon z240)? I'd be happy with any of the itineraries except perhaps one of the wreck focused ones. Cheers, Tim