
Everything posted by bghazzal
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Compact Cameras, Another Choice :)
Same here on the Lumix LX10 for video - it's working within clear limitations, but acceptable ones, and there are some perks to the system as well. For video uses, what I miss the most on a compact would be: 1. the option to fit an extended battery in the housing - turning off the camera between every clips to save battery life 2. 4K 60fps instead of 30fps - I don't use slowmotion a lot, but it's nice to have the option to extend some clips in some cases (I can do 1080p 60fps but...) - no compact does this at the moment, and given that it's a dying species, not much hope. 3. HDMI screen option, for shooting comfort Then there's the subject of magnification / depth of field for macro, where you can't beat a proper macro lens, especially for super macro, but in most cases, when you're focused on catching behaviour rather than working the artistic palette options, it's enough. Image quality would surely be better with a M4/3 sensor (which is what I would get when stepping up to an ILC), and it would open up a lot of possibilities/creative options, but in most cases you can already do quite a lot if you understand the limitations you're working with. As a side note, a friend shooting the RX100vii hit me up a couple of days ago as he's actually considering switching to Panasonic or Canon for better white-balancing capabilities... b
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
Ouch... Sad but not surprising, unfortunately. I see that Inon is now a Waterpixel sponsor - fingers crossed for a little more reactivity and feedback? An Inon rep in the industry forum maybe? ---- To sidestep and sidetrack the thread a little, I ended up drifting on RGBLue Japan's website after reading your post, and found a interesting video, possibly the most saturated UW piece I've ever seen, by Sachi Murai & RGBLue, called Super Natural Color: https://rgblue.jp/blogs/story/写真家-むらいさち-さんによる-スーパーナチュラルカラー撮影動画を公開しまし, Nick Hope did little piece called "Saturation" a while back, but this is next level sat really taken to 11.... A little wobbly (hand-held, I'm guessing) and also you can see colour flickering that seems to comes with wide apertures (I think it's coming from variations in ambient light in the background), but colourfully abstract and well, something else! Anyway maybe I should share / discuss this somewhere more appropriate.... 😆 --- Returning to the subject at hands, another SUPE rep has now stepped in and is coordonating things with the distributor to make sure the replacement will be delivered quickly. Might be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel (bad pun intended) b
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
Thanks Tim, yes, this is still a major issue. And since the pandemic the government has pushed even more protectionist measutes, which really makes life trickier than it already was. Last few months have seen a new regulation forbidding the import of articles under $100 US for instance... For smaller goods, it's now often easier/cheaper to fly to Singapore to buy goods and return with them than trying to import...
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
Yes, I'm not surprised - despite Japan's reputation for quality (well, since the 1980s, let's remember that before that Japanese products were viewed as cheap junk) and great customer service - especially domestically - when it comes to warranty issues and the like you're not in Kansas anymore... My dealings with the main Japanese Nauticam dealer when I was living in Japan where not the most pleasant and very time-consuming same goes for Panasonic Japan in Japan (and this was all done in Japanese...) One thing to keep in mind for Japan in particular, is that niche Japanese brands have little to fear from bad reps outside Japan - a post or rant in English will have very little impact on their domestic image, and even in Japanese the culture doesn't really favour confrontational actions like posting a experience report on a brand company on social media or similar, which is rather rare. It does happen, but then usually it's on a bigger scale, with media also involved, etc. The language/cultural barrier is still quite strong, and generally there's not much investment in overcoming this (read, they don't really care), which is why you'll rarely see Inon reps joining the discussion somewhere... It's like "decorative English", no one seems to really care, actually. This is the case elsewhere, but it also depends on who you are, what your relationship to the brand/retailer is. If there is a personal relation in there somewhere, it generally goes much smoother. My Japanese boss in Thailand had a "connect" with Inon, and that was really something else, same goes for getting help from Nauticam Japan ambassadors to smoothen out the process... This has been something a constant - service is good, efficient, but when something goes wrong, or for anything outside standard operating procedures, not so much... By experience, when it comes after-sales customer service, this seems to be quite common in many places, especially in Asia, where the notion of "consumer protection" as found in Europe (or elsewhere) generally spreads much thinner, and after-sale service is much more limited. That said, the difference in treatment I've had between Scubapro Europe and Scubapro USA was also quite striking, and I've also had pretty dreadful experiences in Europe in the past (France-based postal services losing parcels, anyone?) cheers b Some parting wisdom by SAS Corporation:
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New Set Up <US$5,000 - What would you get
Interesting, thanks - I actually speak/read/write japanese so language is not an issue, and my wife is also Japanese (and a dive instructor like myself) but overall we haven’t had much success finding cheap uw equipment in Japan, I must say. My brother-in-law actually used to work at Yodobashi camera but that ship sailed years ago, unfortunately… 😅 Bargaining (or rather asking for a discount) is actually quite common in Osaka - different culture from Tokyo though. Maybe it's different for photo gear, but I used to do it a lot for electronics when I was buying computer stuff a few years back- now that was a good deal!- in DenDen Town they'd usually whipout the calculator and tell you what can be done, no issues there. I would still try and not worry about it too much - worse that can happen when asking for a waribiki is that they'll say no-can-do, right? Interesting that you'd mention Mic21 - I’ve visited Mic21 a few times (the Osaka one, not Tokyo) but found gear to be generally more expensive that what I could get outside Japan (I was a resident so no tax rebate, unfortunately) especially prices for regs or computers which were really high compared to European prices, otherwise more locally Singapore was usually cheaper. Back to Japan, just to give a current example, the Aqualung Legend Elite retails for ¥192,500 on the Mic21 website, so roughly 1,230 euros, where as the same model retails for 699 euros at Vieux Campeur in Paris... Sure, Aqualung is still something of a French brand, but this also applied to other brands like Scubapro etc - we were actually buying quite a lot of dive gear in Europe for Japanese friends at some point, as it would save them quite a lot! Japanese dive gear brands were usually cheaper in Japan of course, but other than wetsuits and gyosan I’m not a great fan of Bism, Reyson, Gull and the like. Aqualung Japan actually has a product line aimed exclusively at the Japanese market, but same, not a great fan, and the prices, ouch.... You check out the prices at Divesea Singapore (given in Sg dollars) for reference here Returning to imaging equipment, Fisheye is the main Japanese Nauticam importer, and their prices are pretty much are pretty much the same as what you would find elsewhere ( which I believe is a Nauticam policy), the CMC-1 lens I’m interested in sells for $415 US in Japan, which is fairly standard (but if you get the tax rebate, that would knock of a little) On Mercari however, this second-hand CMC1 sold for $286 US, which is indeed a good deal if you can get it - but such specialised equipment isn't the most available. which is why I'm really interested in specialised UW gear shops offering 2nd hand goods I’ve ritually checked prices on new camera bodies over the years, in places like Bic or Yodobashi to see if there were good deals to be had on Japanese brands, but like Troporobo mentioned pricing was on the same lines as what I could get elsewhere, or actually more expensive, so I kind of gave up. The glorious 1980s when new Japanese-maker cameras were almost half the price are long gone… But second hand, yes, and quality can be high. I’ve bought a lot of things on Mercari over the years which is way better than Rakuten for that btw. I’ll keep the tips in mind for second-hand standard photo gear. Now the yen is quite low which is good (for visitors...), and I revoked residency so could get the tax rebate next time I visit as a tourist. On the tax rebate, please note that they migh be changing the system so that the refund is upon exiting the country like in many other places, see here Sorry for the total off-topic spin out!
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New Set Up <US$5,000 - What would you get
Little side track but I'm curious - where do you shop for second-hand camera gear in Japan? Sofmap? Bic Camera? or do you have any specialist stores to recommend? Most of the second-hand stuff i bought in Japan was on Mercari, but I'd love to have a set of good addresses for 2nd hand, especially if it's a good deal - new gear is often overpriced in Japan these days, especially when you can't make use of the tax refund because you have residency... cheers b
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
Good to know, thanks. In Indonesia buying electronics directly abroad (from China, I presume?) would incur a minimum 40% import duty markup (and recent legislation changes have complicated things) so it's not really a viable option anymore. SUPE has now informed me that they communicated with the distributor to try tp deliver the goods "as soon as possible", including a copy of the email. The distributor has, on their side, said that in this case SUPE is in charge of the waranty and the ultimate decision maker, and apologised, saying it was not the first time they had aftersale issues with the company... 🤫
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
Not yet. The issue I have is that I have two interlocutors, and as remarked the retailer/distributor seems to primarily responsible, unfortunately - they're is no real point in blaming and shaming them, as they're pretty much in a monopoly situation on the island (with only 3 other competitors), and don't have anything to win by being seen as reputable, as this isn't what drives a business selling anything from inflatable canoes to dive computers or wet-lenses.... I'll be sticking to the Jakarta UW photo equipment retailer for sure though... But i guess a little heads up on SUPE's FB page couldn't hurt...
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
The distributor has just informed me that their order is now in Indonesia, and should be available after Christmas, so there might be some resolution in sight. "Hello, good morning mr, We really apologize for this inconvenience mr, about the SUPE shipment just arrived in our branch in Surabaya, and they will send it to bali today. As we said before it takes around 2-3 month from October, that mean still in shipping estimation. and your replacement will be arrive after christmas day because the expedition was closed when christmast day" To which I answered that the issue wasn't so much respecting the shipping estimation as the actual length of the delay (3 months and 3 weeks, if it does arrive after Christmas day), and that this type of after-sale service on their part and/or SUPE-Scubalamp's (since it is not entirely clear who is responsible here), an experience which is now shared online, could be something of a red-flag for potential customers... A remark which will most likely get swept under the rug by both manufacturer and local distributor forced to deal with yet another grumpy high-maintenance foreigner... Bah, humbug!
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
Thanks Chris, good to know - it's actually the first time I've been placed in a situation like this. I've had a few replacement issued over the years, including in South-East Asia - Thailand for instance - but in most cases the manufacturer was shipping to their distributor, who then handled the replacement - but this was for bigger brands like Aqualung for instance. The retailer acted like an intermediary, handling the testing / assessment, return process to the the manufacturer, then the issuing of a replacement to the end-customer. it wasn't always super smooth, but once the issuing of a replacement (or repairs) had been anounced, it was processed straight away, and there was only to wait for the repairs and/or shipping back to the distributor, which was also usually done in weeks. For even bigger brands like Panasonic or LaCie / Seagate, it's easier as they have a local branch, which liaises both with local distributors and the main company - I've sent back a camera to Panasonic in Bangkok, and a hard-drive to LaCie/Seagate in Jakarta - this was really smooth. Contact the distributor/retailer, who activates the warranty process, send back to the local branch of the company, and wait for replacement/repairs, either shipped back to the distributor or customer. Returning back to this specific case, standard cargo shipping from China to Indonesia is around a month, and there are quicker air-freight options, so it's really a question of how the process was handled. Indeed, duty / import fees are pretty hellish in Indonesia, but I've heard there is a system of permits in place for repairs - you obtain a re-import permit from customs for the item to be repaired - this would be the responsiblity of the distributor/distributor in this situation, who probably prefered to have me wait for their next PO instead. I understand what you write about the division of warranty responsiblity between the manufacturer and importer/distributor, and agree with the logic, but in this situation it's not too clear. The distributor mentions "the factory" as issuing the replacement for a defective product, so it wasn't unilaterally their decision. I actually asked SUPE/Scubalamp customer service about this yesterday, to clarify who was handling the warranty / replacement in this case, and got the following answer today: "Generally if you purchased the product from a reseller or you live in a place where we have a reseller, we prefer you to go to the reseller, which will be more convenient. But if all the above conditions can not be met, our factory side is also available after-sales." Ultimately, the responsiblity for the wait probably does lie with the distributor/retailer's offhand handling of the process - but SUPE/Scubalamp was clearly informed of the situation, most likely validated the warranty-claim somewhere along the line, and yet did not take any action to ensure a swift resolution. Hadn't thought of the Facebook option, thanks for the tip, I'll keep it in mind! cheers b
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
Yes, I agree - it's a major letdown and should be a warning to future SUPE / Scubalamp customers, since the brand seems to be trying to position itself as a less-generic UW photo equipment brand at the moment. The retailer I went through is probably the biggest UW equipment (including dive gear, not just imaging) in Bali now - the other options given were a retailed in Surabaya, and one based in Jakarta. The Jakarta-based distributor is actually very well known and only does UW imaging equipment, good reputation, also with a main branch in Singapore. I regret not having gone through them, but since I am in Bali and bought it through the Bali-distributor, and needed it to send it back for inspection, it seemed logical to go through their Bali distributor/retailer... Yes, the retailer apparently didn't have the lamp in stock, but unapologetically sending a PO late October for a replacement validated in August seems a little dodgy to start with... In this situation, regardless of who the responsability lies with (the manufacturer for having issued a defective product, the distributor for having sold one), one would thing that there would be some coordination between the distributor and manufacturer to avoid months of waiting for a replacement. A month, for shipping, yes sure. Two months, ok, it's a bit slow but still understandable - 3, 4 months or more, it doesn't really make sense anymore, as this is a product sold worldwide, with 3 distributors in Indonesia and others in neighbouring ASEAN countries, so surely something could be worked out. As a customer, I don't expect to be always right or treated like a king, but this kind of treatment feels like SUPE/SCUBALAMP and their Balinese distributor couldn't care less. And I feel that the manufacturer itself chould take some initiative to try and solve this, since they have been notified from the start and have 3 distributors in the country. b
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SUPE Scubalamp warranty / replacement procedure - a little feedback & caveat
Hello all, Currently in east Bali, Indonesia I've been focusing on macro video for the past few months, and very quickly realised I would need to up my game in terms of underwater lights. This, along with a growing interest in black backgrounds soon led me on the path of snoot video lights, and my first purchase was a reasonably priced SUPE (Scubalamp) MS-10 snoot light: https://scubalampusa.com/products/ms10 And the MS-10 snoot light turned out to be quite nice, 100,000 lx @ 100mm, 1000 lm, strong directional beam, multiple power settings and an attachment to further reduce the optical snoot beam for tiny subjects (this video was shot with it for instance). I was still figuring it out when the light died out during a dive, roughly 2.5 months after purchase. Cause was water ingress through the push button - this was quite clear as I actually saw little bubbles come out of the button after pressing it during the dive, light has colour LED array around the button which buzzed out during the dive, and the snoot light header for dive-light paradise there and then in the warm waters of the Lombok Strait... Back on land, what I had seen during the dive was confirmed - battery compartment was completely dry (I'm still using the battery which was in the light to this day), completely clean and uncorroded, but there was water in the main (sealed-off) unit. The leak came from the light's single push-button, and to nip the suspense in the bud, this is not a post about o-rings, user-serviceable superchargers parts, product quality and leak responsability issues, but something else: the timeframe and procedure for the replacement for a defective product. *** After the light died out, I contacted SUPE / Scubalamp customer service to see what could be done, and they told me get in touch with one of their 3 Indonesian distibutors / retailers, since the product was still under warranty. Which I did immediately, explaining the situation - their Bali-based Indonesian retailer was responsive, and asked me to send it in for inspection, which I did. 10 days later, on August 30 2023, the retailer contacted me saying that: "I just got the information that the factory will give the replacement to our shop, and you need to wait it. Usually take a few month" All good then. *** I must admit I didn't pay much attention to the "a few months" part at the time, thinking this was probably just a bit of jam karet, Indonesian "rubber-time", aimed at soliciting the necessary patience to cover the minimum 1-month wait incurred for all (non-express) shipping endeavours from the Middle Kingdom to the isles of Indonesia... Big mistake. Today, as I write on December 19, 2023, my defective Scubalamp SUPE MS-10 snoot light still hasn't been replaced, and I don't know when it will be. *** Since then, I've followed-up on the replacement multiple times with the Bali-based retailer, and also with SUPE customer service, but there is still no replacement light in sight... In our globalised, intertwined world of multiple delivery options and services, where even a grain of salt could (probably) be delivered to one's home by legions of toiling couriers, why is this defective light replacement process taking nearly 4 months already (and probably more), one might wonder. Well, it's not so much that SUPE / Scubalamp has opted for some radical slow-life eco-friendly shipping by foot, bicycle and sailboat to Indonesia but rather because of their procedure: From what I've understood from our exchanges, in such situations ( = replacement of a defective product still under warranty) SUPE / Scubalamp manufacturer / factory does not proceed to ship a replacement of the defective product directly to the customer or to their local distributor/retailer. Instead, it is the local distributor retailer who needs to place the order for a replacement to SUPE Scubalamp which - in this case at least - is done through their standard Purchase Order system (= grouping orders to save on shipping/import costs). And this is where things start getting complicated - in my case the Bali-based retailer placed their PO / order to SUPE/Scubalamp at the end of October (even though I had been informed that the defective light would be replaced by SUPE/Scubalamp on August 30.) Thus, I still do not know when it will arrive in Bali. SUPE/Scubalamp customer service has actually confirmed this situation by email today: Hello Ben, Normally, we only ship to agents if they place an order with us. If the store promises you a replacement, but if they don't have it in stock, they'll wait until the next time they buy products from us and that list might include your product. So I suggest you check with the store. I might be getting a little paranoid, but I must say that don't like the sound of that "might" now... 🙄 Anyway, so it goes - just a little feedback, and heads-up to all potential future SUPE / SCUBALAMP customers. Be aware that if you end up having to replace a product, even in the case of a defective product under warranty like mine, you might be in for a rather long wait, as your retailer might be responsible for ordering your replacement, which might take a while for it to "might" be included in their next PO to Scubalamp / SUPE. I don't know if this is common practice, but I've never really encountered such an issue when dealing with warranty / product replacement issues before. *** Here are some screenshots of some of the key exchanges with the retailer and SUPE / Scubalamp customer service Bali-based retailer, 10 days after sending it for inspection: 30/08/2023: Last retailer follow-ups on 07/11/23, then 18/12/23: SUPE customer service email, 19/12/23: An interesting little detail is that in this case SUPE/Scubalamp customer service seems to imply that the distributor/retailer ("the store" / "agents") is in charge of honouring the warranty, whereas the distributor/retailer seems to imply that it is SUPE/Scubalamp ( "the factory") issuing the replacement, which to me seems a little more logical and standard as a procedure, but who knows. *** Anyway, such is life, and wishing you all happy bubbles - coming out of regulators more than video light buttons - and happy holidays! cheers ben
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Documentary: Big Pacific - Behind The Scenes
Great, thanks. I watched the Japanese sequence (pufferfish nest, now a famous Amami Oshima highlight!), and happy to see the Toby Sensei Slate saved the day, again 😁 "He cuts through the language barrier in a clever way..." Will be watching the rest, great stuff! cheers b
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Rising Sun, Hidden Depths: A Dive into Japan's Scuba Culture
Thanks Dave, what an amazing print! Definitely a Thunderball feel to it, I'd say a touch of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas as well, wow! Looking into it, the triptych depicts an underwater fight during the "Battle of the Yalu River" (or Yellow Sea), which took place in 1894, during the first Sino-Japanese war. Most Japanese sources I've found seem to mention that this is a fantasy aiming to emphasize the fierceness of the fighting, which extends even to the underwater realm, more than the depiction of an actual event - very very impressive! The hard-hat divers are not surprising - the pearl industry was starting out in Japan and there was a growing interest in diving apparatuses - I've written a little bit on this here cheers! b
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The Taiwanese AOI for GoPro
These are the full specs for the AOI UH-GPx: COMPATIBILITY: GoPro HERO 12, 11, 10, and 9 DEPTH RATING: 60 Meters / 196 feet BODY MAIN MATERIAL: Marine Grade Aluminum Alloy SURFACE FINISHING: Hardcoat Type III Anodizing MAIN BODY COLOR: Anodize Flat Black LENS PORT MOUNT & FILTER SLOT: AOI Quick Release System (QRS) - QR2 Mount with Color Filter Slot LENS PORT GLASS: Multi-layer AR and Hydrophobic Coating WATER LEAKAGE PROTECTION: Built-in Vacuum Analyzation & Water Detection System (VWS) BUILT-IN WATER DEPTH MONITOR: Max. Monitoring Depth up to 100 Meters with Preset Depth Alarm Function BUILT-IN DISPLAY MONITOR: 5" Full HD (1920x1080 pixels) 16:9 Display Monitor Viewing Angle 80° / 80° (L/R & U/D) High Brightness 400 cd/m2 and Contrast 1000:1 Focus Peaking Assist Digital Zoom (4x, 9x, 16x) Assist RGB Histogram, Waveform, Vector Scope & Monochrome …etc. Functions Two Custom-setting Buttons (F1 & F2) POWER SUPPLY: Removable Power Bank (22.5W, 10,000mAh) - Operation Time: 2 Hours 30 minutes MAIN BODY DIMENSIONS: 192mm(W) x 114mm(H) x 106mm(D) / 7.5in (W) x 4.5in(H) x 4.2in(D) MAIN BODY WEIGHT: On Land: Approx. 1,877g / 4.1lb - Underwater: Approx. 546g / 1.2lb STANDARD ACCESSORIES: Detachable & Foldable Monitor Hood x 1pc. Removable Power Bank (22.5W, 10,000mAh) x 1pc. Vacuum Hand Pump x 1pc. Spare Main Seal O-ring x 1pc. Spare O-ring for Vacuum Valve Protection Cap x 1pc. Silicone Grease x 1pc. Moisture Muncher CapsulesTM x 1pc. *** It does have focus peaking, which is nice and would probably make a GoPro much more "macro-capable", instead of having to guess critical focus... But 1.800 euros for an action cam housing with a screen, ouch...
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Prescription Masks
Hi Klaus, Indeed, I think it's also a good way to try underwater readers and see how they work without committing to stick-ons or a dedicated reader-mask. The other thing I really like is the ability to have the readers in the middle of the mask rather than below - this is clearly due to the fact that I'm currently shooting macro video without an external screen or 45° viewfinder, but I'm often quite low, checking the screen at the same level as the camera, so this is really handy. To answer your questions 1. Nope, ne never had an issue with the glasses slipping off and falling onto the reg. That said, even though I have a landyard, I never keep them around my neck, but in small pouch clipped onto my BCD. After entering, when I start swimming around and spotting, I take them out and place them in the low position as shown in the pic. I just place them on the nosepocket of my mask and then tighten the landyard behind my head. It's really nice and snug - the combination of nose pocket + tightened landyard means that they don't slip down around my neck. In the higher, midmask position the nose pocket isn't doing as much support, but the edges still sit on the mask's rubber, and it doesn't slip. Definitely wouldn't want them around my neck to avoid any regulator hose tangles, but even if it did happen for some reason, as strong pull would easily break the landyard away from the plastic frame, so it's not much of risk. 2. Yes, this is also why I thought it wouldn't work, as ordinary magnifying glasses don't really do much underwater, but the readers work. I think it's also linked to the fact that the reader's lenses are directly on the on the glass of the mask - magnification is not much different from what you get if they're placed inside the mask, a little weaker, but not much. I would say it really depends on your needs - I have astigmatism so on land I use two pairs of specs, one for reading and the other one for long distance (driving), as the ophtalmologist said I wasn't quite at the stage where single progressive lenses were the best choice - meaning I don't really use readers, but magnification-wise would be comfortable reading reading with +1.50 or +2.00 on land. However, despite not correcting the astigmatism (which isn't as marked underwater in my case) the readers' extra magnification does make a big difference underwater, I can spot animals that would be lost in the fuzzy bluriness, and see focus points clearly (especially focus peaking points). I would say maybe get two pairs, one just a little stronger than what you would need on land, and the other the maximum you can find (within reason... for cheap plastic readers it's usually +3.0 to +4.0), that way you can see what works best. The reader integrated mask I tried was +1.75, which was ok but a little weak - when I first started experimenting with external readers I go +2.50 lenses, which worked really well, but then tried stronger (+4.00, or so they say...) and decided I liked this the best for my purposes. If your aim to read your instruments, a little stronger than your land readers will probably do the trick - but if you're interested in extra magnification (keeping in mind that you will need to get a little closer to the screen you're watching), go for stronger readers. Hope this helps! cheers ben
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The Taiwanese AOI for GoPro
Thanks Puccio! I'd been following this product, and expecting a steep price, but €1,800.00, wow, that does exceed expectations... It's an interesting product, clearly well designed, but for most budgets it will hard to justify such a price tag for an action camera brand which upgrades its models every 12 months or so, with no guarantee newer models will fit (even if there was no real change from 9 to 12...) The screen is good (any info on the nits?) but also not crucial for gopros where focusing isn't so much the issue (unless working with macro, but even then there's no peaking), and framing is pretty straightforward (remember when the first models didn't have screens?) and as you've said, adjustable would have been nice... A vaccum valve is probably overkill on a cheaper camera already waterproof to 10m, and yes, 60m does seem limited since many divers investing in an aluminium housing are often looking to extend the standard dive housing specs. An external battery is nice though, if I was still using gopros (which I've also used a lot until switching to a manual-capable compact, see here), this would be nice to have to make sure you don't run out underwater - that said it's fairly straightforward and risk-free to change a gopro's battery in between dives, compared to non-waterproof cameras - and also the screen display will be eating up some of that extra autonomy... The external lens / filter, which is going in the right direction to remove barrel distortion which plagued gopros while preserving a wide field of view, but the AOI/ Inon products can be adapted on standard housings as well... We'll see how it catches on, but at this price tag, appeal might be limited as we're venturing into a price range a little different from that of most GoPro users. The Hugyfot screen integrated housings didn't have the exposure AOI products now have, but didn't really spread like wildfire either. cheers ben PS I think AOI is Hong-Kong based rather than Taiwanese
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Spiny Tiger Shrimps - Lumix LX10 - east Bali
Thanks! Yes, we're lucky to have found a few living in this clearly defined area, and spotting them has been pretty constistent. Really pretty and fun little guys, I just love the way they move, suprising close to harlequin shrimps. cheers b
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Spiny Tiger Shrimps - Lumix LX10 - east Bali
Thanks! It's the same, but overall I'd say Tulamben is better for macro - generally clearer water, more diversity of substrate, and just generally more things to find (probably linked to the topography of the little bays, and exposure to current) - Amed is closeby, only a few km away, but it's more built up close to the shore. For macro dives, no real reason to come to Amed if you're in Tulamben... However Amed is a way nicer/easier place to live long term, it's more quiet underwater, especially on the macro sites, and there are no entrance fees to nearly all sites (for now anyway), where as in Tulamben it really adds up when you're diving almost daily... And I'd say that macro Amed does have its own charm - it's more mucky, so more like a real muck diving experience, great for cephalopods for instance. But for nudis for instance, Tulamben sites definitely have the upper hand! cheers b
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Spiny Tiger Shrimps - Lumix LX10 - east Bali
Thank you - In this vid I didn't add any tracking / movements in post - this was using the front legs of the quadripod as a pivot point, which is something I'm working on for small actively moving subjects. I never really managed to get the pan movement right (it's always too fast), but using the legs, some tilting is possible if the rig isn't too negative - mine is just a little negative now, and can be used handheld, which opens up possibilities. Shooting this, the main issue I was having is that the shrimps live in a thick bunch of tangled old ropes - the ropes themselves are quite thin, but it's a big bundle on the seafloor and really moves a lot, current/water movement but also any close camera movement is enough to make the shrimps' little rope world shake - if you look closely you can the ropes wobbling in the background at times. And it was also difficult to be in a good position to avoid having the legs of the quadripod touching the ropes - but at least the shrimps were quite cooperative and doing their thing! cheers b
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Spiny Tiger Shrimps - Lumix LX10 - east Bali
Thanks! It's what I'm trying to focus on at the moment - coming from working mosly with ambient light there's clear learning curve, but a lot of useful info to be found in strobe placement concepts. I'm using a Backscatter MW4300 light, which is really flexible and can be used with the OS-10 snoot, but filling in with 2 smaller video lights. It's really flexible, but it's surprising how much difference a few degrees of angles make when shooting small things, still a lot to work on there. cheers b
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Spiny Tiger Shrimps - Lumix LX10 - east Bali
Hello all, Here's what I've been working on the past few days, a clip of Spiny Tiger Shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalma). In this video, you can see both a juvenile (roughly 0.5 cm in size) and a slightly larger older Spiny Tiger Shrimp foraging and carrying various preys/lunch items, including a small crab head, in the bundle of old ropes where they live. Adults tiger shrimps grow up to about 2 cm in size but also have, as seen here, a more complex shape, with many spikes growing out their body, more or less randomly. I love the way these guys move, which reminds of Harlequin shrimps, and their eyes... Equipment used: - Panasonic Lumix LX10 (LX9/LX15 in some locales) compact camera in a NALX10 Nauticam housing, AOI UCL-09 +18.5 diopter, Inon UCL-165M67 +6 diopter - Backscatter MW 4300 video light and two Archon D11V2 video lights - Homemade quadripod Shot in Amed, east Bali, in 4K 30fps, CineD profile, edited/graded in FCPX. cheers! ben
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Clownfish Eggs in Amed, Bali (Lumix LX10)
Thanks a lot Gary! I'm shooting a lot of macro at the moment, being in a very nice area for this, but getting increasingly fond of juvenile forms, really interesting to observe. If you watch closely, you'll see the larvae moving in their little egg shells - seeing this, I was thinking that Iwould love to catch the moment when some leave the egg and swim away, but that's not going to happen on open-circuit! 😅
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I feel sad for Eric Cheng
Just to make sure my answer to Ian above doesn't create confusion. Eric Cheng, who created the original Wetpixel brand (but was no longer active there), has joined the new Waterpixels community (https://waterpixels.net/profile/228-eric-cheng/) The link above is to his member introduction post, posted shortly after Ian opened this thread - serendipity? 🙂 cheers ben
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Rising Sun, Hidden Depths: A Dive into Japan's Scuba Culture
Thanks Mark, great tips, and totally with you on the luggage delivery! I've actually been on the receiving / packing+ sending end of the dive-gear baggage handling on a remote island, and takkyubin/takuhaibin delivery services are just great, main ones are (Kuroneko) Yamato and Sagawa - it's not just for dive gear, it's anything, including fresh fish in some places 😃 In the Izu islands, we were diving 10L or 12L steels, but you'll find aluminium tanks in warmer waters. Our tanks they were at 200 bar however - I don't think there is a special law in Okinawa, as Japan has national regulations - I'd need to check my sensuishi material, but from what I remember it's a standard 180 to 200 for a full tank. That said, maybe the shops where you dived filled to 180 bar for their own specific reasons... I also love Japanese wetsuits, especially the very common open-cell 6.5mm that are super warm, and some drysuit brands are pretty awesome (I tried World and Mobby's). Custom-made is the standard in Japan, and the quality is high! Regarding dive shops, this article focused more on lesser covered cultural aspects than the more common where/how to dive in Japan angle - indeed there are many dive shops with English speakers these days, even outside Okinawa. For more practical info on, NPO Dive in Japan has a good list of shops here and we've compiled more general practical info on this non-commercial website here, and there are some good Facebook groups on the subject as well. cheers! b