kdietz 0 Posted September 28, 2004 Kimberly and I returned last week from a 17 day adventure to Wakatobi Dive Resort, Sulawesi in Indonesia. We had a fabulous time....1st trip to the Pacific and 1st trip with our D70's.....we were very happy with both....we found the D70/Ikelite combination to be very easy to use underwater....we had no problem adjusting to the viewfinder and I now find it easier to compose shots with the viewfinder vs a LCD screen....that was a surprise The diving was all we had hoped for in respect to fish life and reef diversity....the clarity during our trip could have been better.....75' max I'd guess.....the regulars said this wasn't normal, but it certainly didn't tarnish the trip I've spent the last few days and countless hours preparing photos for posting on our webpage....please visit and let us know what you think... www.kdietz.com Karl and Kimberly Dietz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lionfish43 0 Posted September 28, 2004 Welcome back and congatulations. You've both outdone yourselves. Many excellent images. My personal favorite is the banded sea snake. You captured it perfectly. Lary Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeVeitch 0 Posted September 28, 2004 Outstanding stuff! Nicely done, can't wait to get my D70 housing, hopefully this week. My personal fav is this nudibranch http://www.kdietz.com/galleries/underwater...bi_2004_071.htm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Craig Ruaux 0 Posted September 28, 2004 Not getting 404'd anymore Excellent stuff, congraulations. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
herbko 0 Posted September 28, 2004 Karl and Kimberly, Beautiful shots! I like this one best http://www.kdietz.com/galleries/underwater...bi_2004_081.jpg Any idea what this is ?? http://www.kdietz.com/galleries/underwater...bi_2004_083.jpg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starbuck 0 Posted September 29, 2004 Hey Karl and Kim - welcome back! love all the new stuff.. The spinecheek anemonefish and fluttering flatwork in the black abyss are wonderful photos.. http://www.kdietz.com/galleries/underwater...bi_2004_086.htm which lens did you and kim like working with best? M. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leslie 0 Posted September 29, 2004 Stunning photos.... I normally just glance at reef shots on my way to the macros but your opening reef shots were just too beautiful to pass up! And the macros were equally good. A few taxonomic notes: 71 is Chromodoris magnifica; 75 is a flatworm, Pseudoceros lindae; and 83 (the yellow one Herb asked about) is a holothuroid, Colochirus robustus. The swimming flatworm (apparently Acanthozoon in Newman & Cannon's new book) is indeed a knockout! Thanks for sharing-- Leslie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detonate 0 Posted September 29, 2004 Man, you guys really out did yourselves! What a first trip with the D70's!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detonate 0 Posted September 29, 2004 So what is the D70 verdict? Any comments you want to make about lenses? Seems like you shot an awful lot with the 60mm and the 10.5. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex_Mustard 0 Posted September 29, 2004 Really nice set of images. I have just spent ages looking at them. I really like the dynamic composition of the C. magnifica 70. But I have never seen Splendid dottybacks - nice fish. A group of UK divers are going out there next week - I'l pass your galleries on to get them in the mood! Alex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kdietz 0 Posted September 29, 2004 Thanks for all the positive feedback....our learning curve has gone straight up thanks to this website....we've also learned how important great subject matter contributes to the overall quality of a trip....the 22 hour flight to Bali and on to Wakatobi was definitely worth it We shot everything in AF-S...single area focus mode.....all manual controls and manual strobes....I had intended to try AF-C if I had problems getting good focus, but I was pleased with the performance from AF-S and never changed Kimberly shot the 60 for the first several days, but after she used the 105, I had a hard time getting it back from her ....overall the auto focus worked great except in the worst lighting conditions, but we could always get the shot off......I used the 12-24 quite a lot until I finally got the nerve to try out the 10.5mm.....I really liked the 10.5....while it's difficult to light and compose because of the wide view, it seems sharper and well suited for underwater subjects....however be warned, you really have to get all over what you are shooting....my strobes were probably 6"-8" either side of my handles and aimed straight ahead....I tried aiming out, but lost the center....not much room for error with this lens The real value for me in the 12-24 was the ability to zoom the lens...duh!...gave me more range and the ability to compose on smaller subjects.....I tried to shoot everything in the f8 to f11 range...corner sharpness seems to fall off if you open it up too much....must be the dome, because it's much sharper for topside work We used the 18-70 several times and found it very acceptable....while this lens serves the middle zoom ground, we found that we liked the extreme ends the best and gravitated back to the macro lenses or WA...could be dive site related, as Wakatobi doesn't really have anything big to shoot.....it's either macro or beautiful walls I was amazed how easy it was to get used to the viewfinder....sure, bigger would be nice, but we didn't have any trouble composing and being able to read the information across the bottom....the Ikelite housings worked great and were very light underwater....changing shutter speed and f-stops became automatic....while I still have aluminum envy, I can't imagine how other housings could be any better underwater Herb, I think Leslie answered your question...we sure didn't know what it was Leslie, thanks for the head's up on the mis-labeled flatworm and sea cucumber...I've corrected my webpage :wink: Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ikelite 0 Posted September 29, 2004 "Aluminum envy?" Here, here. Think of your housing as clear aluminum and remember how it sparkles like a fine jewel when underwater, besides being lithe and easy to use............. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
herbko 0 Posted September 29, 2004 "Aluminum envy?" Here, here. Think of your housing as clear aluminum and remember how it sparkles like a fine jewel when underwater, besides being lithe and easy to use............. The technical term is "Transparent Aluminum". Didn't you see that Star Trek movie with the whales? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kdietz 0 Posted September 29, 2004 Transparent aluminum works for me Ike Yes...it does sparkle 8) Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave H 0 Posted September 30, 2004 Karl, It’s great to see pics from the D70, very impressive. I really like the wide angle reef shots, the camera has captured the colours very well, especially with the water surface. Outside of the wide angle shots I like your anemone shrimp pics, the blue ribbon eel, the splendid pygmy goby and the clown trigger fish. Here’s my suggested nudibranch ID’s: 69: Chromodoris annae 70 & 71: Chromodoris magnifica 72: Philinopsis pilsbryi? 73: Phidiana indica 74: Nembrotha lineolata 76: Chromodoris annae 77: Phyllidiella pustulosa 78: Chromodoris dianae 79: Fryeria picta (or maybe Phyllidia varicosa?) 80 & 84: Phyllidia ocellata 81: Phyllodesmium longicirrium 82: Thurdilla bayeri? 86 & 87: Flatworm: Aacanthozoon sp 89: Pseudoceros gratus I think I spelt them correct, you might want to check a book. cheers, Dave Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kdietz 0 Posted September 30, 2004 Thanks Dave for the nudi names....too bad they don't have common names that we can pronounce down here in Texas I'll update my site tomorrow .....Leslie do you agree? Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leslie 0 Posted September 30, 2004 Well, I certainly wouldn't disagree with Dave! He's in the right part of the world to see them all the time & live (lucky so-and-so) while I know them from books & web images. Leslie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leslie 0 Posted September 30, 2004 oops, I do disagree with Dave on one. #72 - I believe that's Berthella martensi. Leslie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kdietz 0 Posted September 30, 2004 many, many thanks Dave and Leslie......I've updated everything except #88 Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AengusM 0 Posted October 1, 2004 Karl, when you make it over this part of the world next, make sure and time the visit with one of Dave's "Marine Species ID" course's, an excellent foundation for identification, as I found out a few weeks ago. Cheers, Aengus Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ponsui 0 Posted October 1, 2004 Amazing pictures Karl and Kimberly!! I really love the worm with the black background. By the way Karl did you use any diopters or telephoto lenses attached to your 60 or 150 lenses? Peace, David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kdietz 0 Posted October 1, 2004 David....we did not use our close up diopters with these lenses....probably should have tried them out, but we didn't ...we could have used them for the pygmy seahorse shots, but they reduce the focus range so much that it's hard to justify for an entire dive Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detonate 0 Posted October 1, 2004 Did you use the Woody's Diopter at all? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kdietz 0 Posted October 1, 2004 Hi Jim....Kimberly used Woody's Diopter with the 60mm on a couple of dives....I'll have to go back and look at them and let you know we think....we shot so many since then that I can't remember how it did :? Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
