xrcjdx
Contributor
i am about to jump full on into the photo hobby. the question is do i jump head first or feet first?
it was about 200 dives in before i felt all the weight i'm going to shed is shed, my equipment is perfectly suited (and fitted) for me, my buoyancy is bomb proof, and my skills were developed enough to put a camera in my hands - saw too many early adapters with rudimentary scuba skills and no business diving with a gopro, let alone a decent camera endangering themselves and others, not to mention the reef system. the last 100 or so dives i've been part time futzing around taking macro with a g-12 in a canon case, relying on the diffused internal flash. my skills with the g12 are basic at best, but i'm very well aware of the need for outboard light. it is my intention to get a dual strobe system as the first order of business, and will retire the g12 shortly thereafter.
i can put together a dual ultramax uxds-3 system for about half the cost of a sea and sea or other comparable. but search as i might, i can't find any user reviews. does anyone have any experience with them? are they reliable? or if you are familiar with the specifications, am i likely to grow out of them in short order and wish i had just gone large(r) to start? i've seen no less than 3 ys-01 floods, all the same way (through the battery compartment), and hear of many other similar incidents. the uxds-3 isolates the electronics from the battery compartment, and therefore reasonably blocks that path to human error (seems like a reasonable idea), and that is what got me to look at these units more seriously. they do seem specification-wise to at least be designed to function on a level a bit less but similar to the ys-01, but without allowing for the same degree of user adjustment.
i am hoping to get 2 or 3 years out of them, and during that time anywhere from 200 - 400 warm water, tropical dives (best guess). at the same time i will be developing an understanding of the full range and functions of the camera i'll be using (holding out for the soon to be released g17) and experiment with some wide-angle and video along the way. i can increase the budget if there is reason to do so. but my thought is, like any gear, i am unlikely to get it right the first time and practice, familiarity, experience and experiment will eventually dictate which is the right way to go for me, no matter what i chose. then again, i could be wrong.... and maybe now is the time to jump up on a giant learning curve.
any comments or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
r
it was about 200 dives in before i felt all the weight i'm going to shed is shed, my equipment is perfectly suited (and fitted) for me, my buoyancy is bomb proof, and my skills were developed enough to put a camera in my hands - saw too many early adapters with rudimentary scuba skills and no business diving with a gopro, let alone a decent camera endangering themselves and others, not to mention the reef system. the last 100 or so dives i've been part time futzing around taking macro with a g-12 in a canon case, relying on the diffused internal flash. my skills with the g12 are basic at best, but i'm very well aware of the need for outboard light. it is my intention to get a dual strobe system as the first order of business, and will retire the g12 shortly thereafter.
i can put together a dual ultramax uxds-3 system for about half the cost of a sea and sea or other comparable. but search as i might, i can't find any user reviews. does anyone have any experience with them? are they reliable? or if you are familiar with the specifications, am i likely to grow out of them in short order and wish i had just gone large(r) to start? i've seen no less than 3 ys-01 floods, all the same way (through the battery compartment), and hear of many other similar incidents. the uxds-3 isolates the electronics from the battery compartment, and therefore reasonably blocks that path to human error (seems like a reasonable idea), and that is what got me to look at these units more seriously. they do seem specification-wise to at least be designed to function on a level a bit less but similar to the ys-01, but without allowing for the same degree of user adjustment.
i am hoping to get 2 or 3 years out of them, and during that time anywhere from 200 - 400 warm water, tropical dives (best guess). at the same time i will be developing an understanding of the full range and functions of the camera i'll be using (holding out for the soon to be released g17) and experiment with some wide-angle and video along the way. i can increase the budget if there is reason to do so. but my thought is, like any gear, i am unlikely to get it right the first time and practice, familiarity, experience and experiment will eventually dictate which is the right way to go for me, no matter what i chose. then again, i could be wrong.... and maybe now is the time to jump up on a giant learning curve.
any comments or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
r
