Reply to: Best camera for an a beginning enthusiast?

[expat]

More or less...

10" by 8"...

Bravo. I've only advanced as far as MF (no not the tat shop).

[expat]

I've taken the snap or two with this...

http://www.vintagephoto.tv/images/shoulder1.jpg

What's that, about 400 Mp?

[bogeyman]

I've got something similar to this (I think mine's a YS25).
http://www.camerasunderwater.co.uk/s...lash/ys27.html

I can't stress strongly enough how important it is to be competent in your buoyancy before you start cocking around with cameras underwater. It's very easy to drift down or up (both equally dangerous) when you're not concentrating. Pondlife's advice re drifts and walls is good. I'd add to that by saying if you think the dive will be challenging, don't take your camera - it's far better to miss a shot and have a memory than an embolism.

As for dive sites, the world is your oyster

My faves so far:
Kandavu (Fiji)
Aitutaki Lagoon & Reef (Cook Islands)
Ningaloo Reef (Western Oz)
Gordo Banks (Baja California/Sea of Cortez)

For something closer to home, you can't get easier than Stoney Cove if you're looking to practise your technique. You will get a bit of a green tinge to your pics though

Thanks MM - good info!

[NickNick]

I've got something similar to this (I think mine's a YS25).
http://www.camerasunderwater.co.uk/s...lash/ys27.html

I can't stress strongly enough how important it is to be competent in your buoyancy before you start cocking around with cameras underwater. It's very easy to drift down or up (both equally dangerous) when you're not concentrating. Pondlife's advice re drifts and walls is good. I'd add to that by saying if you think the dive will be challenging, don't take your camera - it's far better to miss a shot and have a memory than an embolism.

As for dive sites, the world is your oyster

My faves so far:
Kandavu (Fiji)
Aitutaki Lagoon & Reef (Cook Islands)
Ningaloo Reef (Western Oz)
Gordo Banks (Baja California/Sea of Cortez)

For something closer to home, you can't get easier than Stoney Cove if you're looking to practise your technique. You will get a bit of a green tinge to your pics though

I'll see your Stoney as a hell hole. ;o)

And I'll riase you
Truuk (FM)
Palawan (Phils)
Malta
and Pembrokeshire.

[NickNick]

Well finally went for the Nikon D40. Ordered from Amazon.
BTW Jessops sell it for £40 more than Amazon - look for them to go bust soon. Salesman was pathetic and not interested in making a sale to someone who was clearly an interested punter, by chucking in a couple of freebies.

Nice move. I started with a D40 equivalent from Nikon as my first DSLR (admittedly because I was moving from film and had used Nikon Film cameras & Lenses) and it was a great camera. I reckon within the year, you'll want something better (ie more expensive)

[Moscow Mule]

Any recommendations?

I'm getting quite excited about this.

Also, where? I'm not a very experienced diver but can tackle most situations above 20m.

I've got something similar to this (I think mine's a YS25).
http://www.camerasunderwater.co.uk/s...lash/ys27.html

I can't stress strongly enough how important it is to be competent in your buoyancy before you start cocking around with cameras underwater. It's very easy to drift down or up (both equally dangerous) when you're not concentrating. Pondlife's advice re drifts and walls is good. I'd add to that by saying if you think the dive will be challenging, don't take your camera - it's far better to miss a shot and have a memory than an embolism.

As for dive sites, the world is your oyster

My faves so far:
Kandavu (Fiji)
Aitutaki Lagoon & Reef (Cook Islands)
Ningaloo Reef (Western Oz)
Gordo Banks (Baja California/Sea of Cortez)

For something closer to home, you can't get easier than Stoney Cove if you're looking to practise your technique. You will get a bit of a green tinge to your pics though

[Pondlife]

Any recommendations?

I'm getting quite excited about this.

Also, where? I'm not a very experienced diver but can tackle most situations above 20m.

Have a look here for an idea of what's available and then google for price.

As for where to dive, for photo potential I prefer sites where you can take your time at a particular point of interest rather than drift dives fighting the current to get a shot. Also, flat bottom rather than wall dives.

My personal fav is Shark and Yolanda in Sharm. There's an old wreck (not much left of the boat unfortunately) that was transporting bathroom suites up to Jordan IIRC and so there's all the porcelain dotted about. Great for spotted rays which are always photogenic.

[bogeyman]

For the monster ones, yes.

But, if you're just using a compact, a smaller strobe can make the world of difference for about the same price as your housing...

Any recommendations?

I'm getting quite excited about this.

Also, where? I'm not a very experienced diver but can tackle most situations above 20m.

[Moscow Mule]

Underwater strobes == serious cash

For the monster ones, yes.

But, if you're just using a compact, a smaller strobe can make the world of difference for about the same price as your housing...

[bogeyman]

The solution to that is a bloody great big strobe. Or two.

Underwater strobes == serious cash

[Moscow Mule]

Best pics underwater (in my case) are from above 20m as you start to lose the colour depth below that.

The solution to that is a bloody great big strobe. Or two.

[bogeyman]

Hardly a specialist.

I have a Panasonic Lumix TZ3 which I have no complaints about. It is true that the underwater case costs as much if not more than the camera. You can get the cases (camera specific) for most of the makes these days.

Best pics underwater (in my case) are from above 20m as you start to lose the colour depth below that. The other issue is that as you hold your breath to keep the camera steady your bouyancy changes and you start to rise.

Sounds like a bit of an art. I might give it a go when I finally manage to get a holiday somewhere divable.

[Pondlife]

Ah! A specialist.

What do you use?

Never done any underwater stuff although I've often wondered about it.

The cost of decent underwater housings for my Nikon gear seems awfully high, but the Canon PowerShot D10 looks pretty good:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0902/09021805canond10.asp

Hardly a specialist.

I have a Panasonic Lumix TZ3 which I have no complaints about. It is true that the underwater case costs as much if not more than the camera. You can get the cases (camera specific) for most of the makes these days.

Best pics underwater (in my case) are from above 20m as you start to lose the colour depth below that. The other issue is that as you hold your breath to keep the camera steady your bouyancy changes and you start to rise.

[expat]

Beginners' mistake.

My old mentor on the Indie told me:

"always raise the little crank on the spool wheel and watch it when you load a new real - especially when you're use a motordrive and can't feel the friction on the wind-on lever"

He, himself had lost countless, front-page shots by not observing this rule.

Early Nikon F3 were a bugger for this. I always remember crowds of press photogs fumbling around trying to get the spool to take up.

Absolutely. A mistake that loads of people made once, and few made twice. After mine, I always checked the rewind knob for turning, then tensioned it to make sure.

[bogeyman]

See, that's the instant feedback nature of digital. Whereas when you fail to engage the 35mm film in the take-up spool and then start shooting the Latin American mountains at dawn, you don't know anything's up until you reach 37-38 (?)-39 (WTF)-40 (oh tulip)-41-42-43-44 etc...

Beginners' mistake.

My old mentor on the Indie told me:

"always raise the little crank on the spool wheel and watch it when you load a new real - especially when you're use a motordrive and can't feel the friction on the wind-on lever"

He, himself had lost countless, front-page shots by not observing this rule.

Early Nikon F3 were a bugger for this. I always remember crowds of press photogs fumbling around trying to get the spool to take up.