New Camera

schford

Ok then I just got me a Canon D20 with the 17 - 85 lens - its yummy :-)

just wondered if you have some advice on when to shoot in raw mode and which underwater housings and strobes to look at (links to manufacturers)

cheers

Stuart

DaveC

Stuart,

I'm not using the D20, but do use a Coolpix 5000 in a Aquatica housing with duel Ikelite DS100 stobes. Check out the link to Aquatica. I believe they're making housing for the D20.

http://www.aquatica.ca/

Dave

AndyP

Hi Mate,

Aquatica make a nice housing. RAW mode theoretically gives the best flexibility when post processing. But, in reality, when you first start using it underwater .jpg is good enough, plus, in my experience, there is no substitute for numbers of pictures taken.

I do digital imaging for a living, I know Mark and you are planning to hook up for a play, if one of you lets me know when I will pop down and have a yarn about options on the camera if you like.

Andrew

schford

Cheers andy - much appreciated will do!

Stuart

h2ophotopro

Stuart:

Congratulations on your new camera, you will love it. Ive been shooting my 20D since they came out in September.

I prefer to shoot in RAW at all times. This way I have maximum control of my photos for editing purposes.

As for housings, you have three choices: Subal, Aquatica and Ikelite. Of the three, Subal is your best option. The quality is far superior to its competition. The glass ports are fantastic, and you cant beat the size of the housing. Subal likes to create their housings with minimal room between the camera and the housing wall. THis means the housings are not significantly larger than the camera bodies. However, quality comes with a price. The Subal is slightly more expensive than the Aquatica (but worth it), however it is signficantly more than the Ikelite housing.

Let me know if you have any questions. Lets get this thing underwater.

Mike

__________________
Mike Luzansky
H2O Photo Pros Underwater Photo & Video
Visit our New Showroom
2429 W. Coast Hwy, #101
Newport Beach, CA 92663

decoweenie

Agree on the quality of the Subal, but one thing I don't like about my Subal housing is the springs are too weak for the rated depth (70m).

When inquired about why the buttons do not work within the rated depth, no answer was given by the owner and no solution is offered after repeated emails/phone calls.

But if using it shallow, the housing is brilliant. However, I will not buy another Subal housing based on that experience alone.

So depending how deep you are planning to use the Subal housing, be forewarned!

ROB DAVIE

Dammnit-all, guys! It's great to have Mike on board to get the good words on photo stuff!

The down side to that is what's going on now. Stuart gets a new toy. Mike gives him the good word on what housing (new-new toy) to put it in, and I wind up slavering at the mouth, and itching to spend money on a new toy for myself. Taint fair, I tell yuh!


Rob

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[SIZE=2]"CC Rebreathers will become a viable part of tech diving [U]WHEN PIGS FLY[/U]!!"--GI3[/SIZE]

h2ophotopro

Hey Deco, what depth were you at when this happened? I know they are rated for 210 ft (ports only to 180ft though). As far as Ikelite the depth rating is about the same. Id have to check on Aquatica's depth rating. However, one issue I have with Aquatica is their customer service, it is quite poor. If the manufacturer is difficult to deal with and unable to take care of problems in a quick manner, I find it di***lt to recommend their products. I have spoken to many Aquatica customers and dealers and I have received the same input. Therefore, I have chosen not to carry the line (I can get them though if someone wants one).

If you ever have any Subal issues or problems, contact me and I can get the response for you and help you get it resolved.

__________________
Mike Luzansky
H2O Photo Pros Underwater Photo & Video
Visit our New Showroom
2429 W. Coast Hwy, #101
Newport Beach, CA 92663

decoweenie

My Subal housing is rated to 70m. I was taking pictures at 70m, but the problem started much shallower in the 55+m range.

What happened was the shutter spring doesn't have enough force to spring back, thus I had to turn the camera off via the rotation switch to free the spring, turn it back on to take another shot, then repeat process. This is a PITA at 70m and limited bottom time.

I spoke to the Subal owner (Mr. Stepanek) about the problem, and he said the only solution is either using a stronger spring or shims to increase the force of existing spring. And he can't offer either parts since he didn't have them in stock and didn't want to special order for one housing.

I reminded him that I was within the rated depth, and the problem actually started even shallower. No response... He mentioned that they only depth test it to check the sealing integrity and not button functionality.

For what they charge for the housing, I call that bad customer service!

I was about to buy an Aquatica housing to use for deep diving, but the last one was sold to Dave (on this list) so I went with LMI and have been happy since.

If anyone could help me with the Subal housing, it would be great since it is just sitting in the diving room gathering dust at the moment to be used as back-up for shallow diving.

h2ophotopro

I will look into it. It wasnt until right now I realized you were shooting a Nikon 5000. The LMI housing for that is awesome. I have been using LM housings whenever possible for the last 5 years. They have excellent customer service and an excellent product line (although a little narrow on the still end)

__________________
Mike Luzansky
H2O Photo Pros Underwater Photo & Video
Visit our New Showroom
2429 W. Coast Hwy, #101
Newport Beach, CA 92663