Hi everyone,
I actually wanted to PM Interceptor121 with some questions, but thought that perhaps a public thread may be better so that if he replies everyone benefits and others can weigh in with their thoughts/opinions.
I apologise in advance for what is likely to be a long and rambling post!
The situation is that I have some amateur DLSR topside photography experience from the early-to-mid-2000s (mostly landscapes, published in a couple of magazines). I've dropped all that now, but I still understand the fundamentals of exposure control as it relates to topside photography.
Have about 150 dives under my belt (I live in Malaysia and dive tropical reefs in the region), and am thinking now to get into U/W photography to add another dimension to my diving. With this in mind, and with a need for a compact land camera for my travels, I bought a G15 a couple of weeks ago, thinking it would also be a good fit for U/W photography based on some initial research.
But the waters have muddied after hours of reading threads on here, and lots of conflicting opinions. Here's where I stand at the moment:
1) Macro shots are a (slightly) higher priority. I should be able to fill my frame with the bigger nudis, but if I have to crop to get good shots of pygmys, that's ok (though full frame would be nice of course!).
2) Some wide angle would be good, though I don't think I need fisheye. Not too bothered about wreck shots, which I guess means then that CFWA (classic reef and schools of fishes type pics) is what I'm aiming for.
3) Personally, I will not be satisfied with "amateur" holiday shots (flat lighting, no depth etc). I am not expecting magazine-quality photos in the early stages, but I want my gear to be able to deliver wow-factor results. If not, it will frustrate the hell out of me. I fully understand that the photographer will obviously take some time to be good enough, but the gear must allow, and not impede, that growth. Shots of an equivalent quality to those on Interceptor121's Raja Ampat album will be great and is the kind of standard I am going for.
4) My initial idea was to get the G15 (already done) and then go for a full Ikelite system, with WD-4 wide angle dome and a single DS-160 strobe. The reason for this setup is that many people advise to go for the best strobe you can afford, so I might as well get a good one, and I was interested in the Ikelite's full TTL compatibility with the G15 so I don't have to fiddle with the knobs on the strobe. I was considering a dual-strobe setup, but as a beginner I think I should start with one and possibly upgrade later.
5) My mind is still a little muddy after reading all the stuff on limitation of aperture and shutter priority modes on the G15, and why manual control is better. If it makes a difference, I have tested CHDK on my camera and it seems to be working fine, which means I can use Interceptor's script for TTL in manual mode, though why I would want to use manual is a bit beyond my understanding at this stage (topside, I almost never went manual - aperture priority with bracketing and occasional exposure compensation was sufficient).
6) Even though I have a new G15, I am prepared to jack it all in for a totally different camera setup if the G15 is a bad idea. I am not convinced that it is - I understand that every system has its limitations, but I need to pick a wise setup for my needs and budget. I'm not really keen on spending megabucks on metal housings, but am willing to spend on strobes on lenses.
That's it for now I think.
Essentially, what gear would you recommend for me that is easy for a beginner to get to grips with, is able to produce decent results, allows for flexibility in focal lengths and composition, requires little finessing and fiddling (which is why I was initially interested in Ikelite - TTL!) and doesn't cost the earth (DSLRs are completely out of the question)? I would of course prefer to stick to the G15 I just bought.
Would appreciate ANY advise from the collective - thanks for reading and replying!
I actually wanted to PM Interceptor121 with some questions, but thought that perhaps a public thread may be better so that if he replies everyone benefits and others can weigh in with their thoughts/opinions.
I apologise in advance for what is likely to be a long and rambling post!
The situation is that I have some amateur DLSR topside photography experience from the early-to-mid-2000s (mostly landscapes, published in a couple of magazines). I've dropped all that now, but I still understand the fundamentals of exposure control as it relates to topside photography.
Have about 150 dives under my belt (I live in Malaysia and dive tropical reefs in the region), and am thinking now to get into U/W photography to add another dimension to my diving. With this in mind, and with a need for a compact land camera for my travels, I bought a G15 a couple of weeks ago, thinking it would also be a good fit for U/W photography based on some initial research.
But the waters have muddied after hours of reading threads on here, and lots of conflicting opinions. Here's where I stand at the moment:
1) Macro shots are a (slightly) higher priority. I should be able to fill my frame with the bigger nudis, but if I have to crop to get good shots of pygmys, that's ok (though full frame would be nice of course!).
2) Some wide angle would be good, though I don't think I need fisheye. Not too bothered about wreck shots, which I guess means then that CFWA (classic reef and schools of fishes type pics) is what I'm aiming for.
3) Personally, I will not be satisfied with "amateur" holiday shots (flat lighting, no depth etc). I am not expecting magazine-quality photos in the early stages, but I want my gear to be able to deliver wow-factor results. If not, it will frustrate the hell out of me. I fully understand that the photographer will obviously take some time to be good enough, but the gear must allow, and not impede, that growth. Shots of an equivalent quality to those on Interceptor121's Raja Ampat album will be great and is the kind of standard I am going for.
4) My initial idea was to get the G15 (already done) and then go for a full Ikelite system, with WD-4 wide angle dome and a single DS-160 strobe. The reason for this setup is that many people advise to go for the best strobe you can afford, so I might as well get a good one, and I was interested in the Ikelite's full TTL compatibility with the G15 so I don't have to fiddle with the knobs on the strobe. I was considering a dual-strobe setup, but as a beginner I think I should start with one and possibly upgrade later.
5) My mind is still a little muddy after reading all the stuff on limitation of aperture and shutter priority modes on the G15, and why manual control is better. If it makes a difference, I have tested CHDK on my camera and it seems to be working fine, which means I can use Interceptor's script for TTL in manual mode, though why I would want to use manual is a bit beyond my understanding at this stage (topside, I almost never went manual - aperture priority with bracketing and occasional exposure compensation was sufficient).
6) Even though I have a new G15, I am prepared to jack it all in for a totally different camera setup if the G15 is a bad idea. I am not convinced that it is - I understand that every system has its limitations, but I need to pick a wise setup for my needs and budget. I'm not really keen on spending megabucks on metal housings, but am willing to spend on strobes on lenses.
That's it for now I think.
Essentially, what gear would you recommend for me that is easy for a beginner to get to grips with, is able to produce decent results, allows for flexibility in focal lengths and composition, requires little finessing and fiddling (which is why I was initially interested in Ikelite - TTL!) and doesn't cost the earth (DSLRs are completely out of the question)? I would of course prefer to stick to the G15 I just bought.
Would appreciate ANY advise from the collective - thanks for reading and replying!
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