what not to do

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gargar

Registered
Messages
36
Reaction score
3
Location
Saskatoon, SK
# of dives
50 - 99
Hey all,

I am heading to Thailand in about 10 days now. I have about 25 logged dives so relatively inexperienced. I have a ton of questions that hopefully some of you can shed some light on. I've done a ton of searching and reading but it all seems geared to specific situations. I'm hoping you guys can give me a good general run down of what not to do. Like things that someone who is relatively new to diving and completely new to diving with a huge DSLR/housing/dome port.

I know I have probably been a little premature in purchasing my camera setup but I love photography and decided to invest in an Ikelite housing (with 8" modular dome) for my Canon T4i with Sigma 10-20mm lens.

I will be doing mostly fun diving and maybe a liveaboard. I also want to snorkel and try and snap some over unders with this setup.

In addition to any basic pointers you guys can give me, I have a few questions:

1) I can afford one DS160 strobe, should I buy it? Or should I save my money and shoot with available light? (I have read about different ways to position single strobes for wide angle)
2) Do you guys find it easier to use the LCD on live view or to look through the viewfinder?
3) I have no control over zoom or focus once my lens is in the housing, should I just set it to 10mm, and manual focus to a certain distance in front of the dome? Or use auto focus?
4) If I want to shoot photos and video on the same dive should I go with auto or manual focus?
5) There are four port locks on my Ikelite housing. Each lock has a small screw that holds it down on the housing. I made the mistake of loosening these screws and now I'm not sure how tight they should be? I looked on Ikelite's site but they don't mention how tight these screws should be.

I think that's it for now. Any help is much appreciated.

Cheers,

Gareth
 
Hi Gareth, I use that lens on a 50D, so I'll try to give you a general run down. If you want color, you will need that light, unless you are shooting very shallow,. like 10 feet or less with lots of sun. Without the light you can shoot your shallow reefs in full color, as well as over/unders, silhouettes,. any natural light technique. I don't know many people who use the live view with a DSLR,.you'll want to look through the lens and viewfinder I think. (plus it saves power) The auto focus should work splendidly in your housing, I would not lock it into manual. Your housing also should have come with a ring that allows you to use the zoom by attaching the spring loaded ring on the lens barrel, which then lines up with the control on your housing,. you will probably want to use the entire range of the zoom at some point on your dives, 10mm for reef scenes, and 20mm if you want an animal portrait, (turtle, etc.) -sorry, don't have much advice on the video,. as for the port locks, put them back in snugly, don't over tighten, then watch them, they should be fine. I recommend shooting the camera on Manual, RAW, Auto white balance, if you have the strobe, set it to TTL. With the strobe I'd set my shutter at 125th, ISO 200 and bracket the Aperture.. if you are diving in deeper water, or it's just dark or murky you can boost the ISO.. good luck!
 
First off, I am concerned for your safety. You going on guided diving? See if they can provide a personal guide for you. You may lose your buddy and be on your own unless you are taking a bud with you that will stick with you AND has far more experience.

See if you can get this book immediately. Underwater Photographer by Martin Edge, 4th ed.

Look up Jeff Mullins in Perth. See if he can give you a training class on your gear before you go. Sometimes he is in Bali so not certain if he is available now or not.
Most people I know shoot manual strobe settings for wide angle. Based on what you have already spent and are spending for your trip, pull out the credit card and buy two strobes and arms. One strobe will not do it for your lens although one strobe would work for macro.
Practice with your gear in a local pool at least 2 times. Do you have floats for balancing the weight underwater? STIX brand floats work great. You will need size XL, likely 4 of them placed on your strobe arms. Otherwise, it will be quite heavy underwater.
As mentioned above, you should be able to obtain a zoom gear for your housing and lens so you can adjust the zoom while diving.

You have bitten of a big bite for limited experience. Use the camera on simple dives. Daytime, little current, good lighting, simple conditions, a guide or buddy that will stay with you not matter how long you putter with your gear. If its hard conditions, leave the camera in the boat or on shore. Your safety is not worth any pics you will take.
You have equipment for a lifetime of fun. Try to make it a long lifetime.
 
Advice: do more diving before you take the camera down. With only 25 dives, you're more likely to be a liability to yourself, and most importantly to the reef, than to take great pictures. Use your great setup for snorkeling and over-unders until your buoyancy is spotless, then add another 25-50 dives before you even consider taking pictures.
This also means you can start getting to know the camera intimately before you add more complications to the rig and limit your diving's necessary learning curve. Enthusiasm is not always a good thing. Restraint and safety are...
I've got 80 dives on my CCR and there's no way I'm taking my good old 5d mkii with me for those dives. 100's of stage decompression dives and I very rarely take the housing down on those either.
There is no rush. Most of the fish will still be there in a year's time (hopefully)!
 
thanks for the advice guys. i'll take it into consideration. except the part about not bringing my camera diving!

I bought one strobe but I might try to get a second one before i go. All the reading I'm doing really seems to recommend two.

I respect your concern for my safety, but trust me, I'm really good at everything I do. Like everything is easy for me. I get better at everything faster than everyone. So I will be really good at this probably before i start.
 
thanks for the advice guys. i'll take it into consideration. except the part about not bringing my camera diving!

I bought one strobe but I might try to get a second one before i go. All the reading I'm doing really seems to recommend two.

I respect your concern for my safety, but trust me, I'm really good at everything I do. Like everything is easy for me. I get better at everything faster than everyone. So I will be really good at this probably before i start.

Hmm... not sure what to say about this other than there really isn't any substitute for experience, so it's not so much about how fast you learn something, but putting the requisite time in to hone those skills. I thought I was good at 100 dives. Now at over 2000 dives I look back and shake my head about how wrong I was at 100 dives. Anyway, I think the concern is generally about the safety of the environment you're diving in as much as it is about you. Just something to think about...

1) I can afford one DS160 strobe, should I buy it? Or should I save my money and shoot with available light? (I have read about different ways to position single strobes for wide angle)
2) Do you guys find it easier to use the LCD on live view or to look through the viewfinder?
3) I have no control over zoom or focus once my lens is in the housing, should I just set it to 10mm, and manual focus to a certain distance in front of the dome? Or use auto focus?
4) If I want to shoot photos and video on the same dive should I go with auto or manual focus?
5) There are four port locks on my Ikelite housing. Each lock has a small screw that holds it down on the housing. I made the mistake of loosening these screws and now I'm not sure how tight they should be? I looked on Ikelite's site but they don't mention how tight these screws should be.


With that a 10-20mm lens, shooting wide angle with one strobe means that you're likely not going to get as much coverage as you would like, but there is still lots you can do with a single strobe set up. If you're going to get a set of strobes anyway, having one in the interim will give you more options. But remember, adding a strobe is going to be more to manage.

LCD or viewfinder? For me viewfinder. I have always found LCD screens difficult to use as it tends to be jumpy when I move that camera around (though I suppose the newer cameras may be better). I find LCD screens are difficult to judge focus and lighting, so I much prefer viewfinder.

For focal length, I suppose it depends on what you want to shoot or the types of shots you're going for. I'd just set it for 10mm (as wide as possible and leave it at that). As for the focus, what's wrong with autofocus? Alternatively, just set focus for infinity and that should do. But seriously, leave it on autofocus.

For the port lock screws, you want to be careful not to overtighten. If in doubt, call Ikelite. They will be more than happy to help you out.


 
Thanks guys. I ended up just buying another strobe so now I have two DS160's. The Sigma 10-20mm is one of a few lenses that is not able to be set up with zoom control in an ikelite housing. So I guess as a starting point I'll be shooting through the viewfinder with autofocus and using the exposure settings recommended by Steven. I should be logging ~40 dives on this trip so I will have some time to refine everything.

I am thinking I will go to a school with a good photographer and hire them to teach me some stuff one-on-one.
 
You might need a diopter for that lens. Check with Ikelite, they should be able to tell you.
 
just to update,

i have 10 dives with the camera and housing now. all has gone well and most of the DM's commented on how good my buoyancy was with the camera.

I do appreciate the words of caution though as it made me focus more on buoyancy and not to get lost in the viewfinder.

photo's have been coming out alright but lot's to work on still. strobe position has been a bit of a battle and I think I maybe need longer arms? I am only using a 6" arm on either side so I think an extra 12" or so on either side would make lighting easier?
 

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