JohnRLewis

I just placed an order for a Canon 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro, and a Canon 15mm f/2.8 fisheye. I will soon be purchasing housing and ports from Ikelite for my digital rebel. I was wondering how the Ikelite 5508.45 Manual Focus port works. The lens has a fulltime manual focus overide feature. Does that mean I can use this lens in this port as an autofocus, and overide it as needed? The information on the port up at ikelite claims that AF/MF and ratio switches can not be operated. What does that really mean? Am I better off just buying the 5505.45 autofocus flat port?

So it is just the size of the subject being shot? So why then do I hear that certain lens/port combinations prevent 1:1? Is it a matter of not being able to get close enough the the subject?

I keep reading about macro photographers here striving towards 1:1 reproducction ratio. I am trying to figure out what is the big deal? As long as the subject fills the frame, isn't it all good? What is so special about 1:1? Also, I am a bit confused about the term 100% crop. What exactly does that mean? :oops: Sorry for the dumb questions. But I keep seeing these terms thrown around, and I am not 100% clear on their meanings.

I have a family vacation coming up in May to Beaches Turks & Caicos. The resort offers some diving included in the package, but I dont know if it is going to be enough. Some days we are going to want to drop the kids off at the kids club and go diving all day long. Any recomendations for dive operators on that part of Provo? Also, all the glossy brocures show bikini clad divers, but all the 'real' photos show some more exposure protection being worn. We are trying to decide if we want to bring our 3mil wetsuits, or our 2 mil shorties. What are the conditions like in May?

Thanks for the suggestions. But it turns out that the airfare from Tucson to any of the Mexican cities along the coast there is a lot more expensive than a flight from my home in Seattle. Strange. This trip will have to wait.

I just got an Ikelite video case with the 50w Pro Video Lite. I pool tested it and found it a little negatively buoyant. I'm hoping it won't be positive in salt water. What is the desired buoyancy of a camera underwater? What feels best? What makes for the steadiest shot?

I have a business trip to Tucson, AZ coming up in April that spans a weekend. I was thinking that since I will be a quick flight away from the Sea of Cortez, that I might plan a one day dive trip. Any suggestions for where to dive, which operator to dive with, etc?

RainX might do the trick, but not sure if you really want to put that stuff on. I dont know what is capable of removing it.

I finally got around to posting my pics from when I went to Maui in May, 2003. These were taken with a Cannon A200 that I got as a door prize. Maui - May 2003

Does anyone add close up lenses to fixed focal length lenses? Wouldn't that allow you a little more room to get the strobes positioned?

Which housing supports that lens? I was looking at the Ikelite, but they do not support that lens. The other two choices I was considering were Sea and Sea, and Aquatica. But I cannot make sense of their websites as far as which lenses they support.

I'm saving up cash for a Nikon D100 setup, researching while I wait. I can't decide on what stobe setup to get. Do I house the SB-80dx? Or do I get something like the Ikelite DS-125? I am leaning towards the latter, because I've heard that the dTTL does not work that well underwater anyway, and that I should just learn to use manual power settings. I plan to do both macro and wide angle. If I were to get a single DS-125 with manual controller would that be sufficient for a while?

I'm saving up cash for a Nikon D100 setup, researching while I wait. This will be my first SLR, so I dont have any experience on which lens can do what. For my first lens, I might get the 60mm, but I wont be geting the 12-24 or 17-35 yet. One reason is cost, another is that I am fascinated by macro. I am thinking about a mid range zoom lens with macro capability. I've heard opinions that this is not the best choice. Not wide enough for wide angle work, and cant get close enough for macro. But this sort of lens gets recomended as a first topside lens. Please help me out by answering some specific questions below. Assume I have the D100 with the 60mm Macro lens that seems to come highly recomended on this forum. Also assume a standard flat port. * How close could I get to my subject? * How big can I make a very small subject appear? * If I took a photo of a large subject at a specific distance, say, 10ft, how much of that subject would I capture? (in other words, when that big palegic swims by, am I going to get a decent photo?) Assume I use the 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D Macro with a dome port and a +4 diopter close up lens. * Using this lens, how close can I get to my subject for macro work? (with and without the +4 diopter) * How big can I make a very small subject appear? (with and without the +4 diopter) * With the lens zoomed out to 28mm, and I were to take a photo of a large subject at a specific distance, say, 10ft, how much of that subject would I capture? Is there some formula that I can apply to help me answer these types of questions for any lens?

My wife and I did not want to dive wet here in the Puget Sound, so we bought a pair of Bare NexGen drysuits before our first open water training dives. We've been very satisfied so far. The primary driving force in our purchase decision was the low price. We now have about 20 dives on the suits, and no signs of wear yet.

So here's what I have so far... Nikon D100 Digital SLR Camera Body $1,699.95 B&H Zoom Wide Angle AF Zoom Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D ED-IF Autofocus Lens $499.95 B&H Telephoto AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D Macro Autofocus Lens $389.95 B&H SB-80DX Speedlight TTL Shoe Mount Flash (Guide No. 125'/38.1 m at 35mm) $319.00 B&H Lexar 1gb CF 32x Memory $269.99 ebay Aquatica D100 housing $1,899.00 msrp Dome port for WA lens $310.00 Flat port for macro lens $255.00 Subal Housing for SB-80dx flash $594.00 $6,236.84 Yikes... I wonder if there is a retailer would work a better package deal.