ACHiPo

iMovie also works to set white balance.

Welcome from Pleasanton!

I received the Kraken cooler today. It is more compact than the AO. I don't think I'll take either to Roatan, but they will be nice for local diving.

I received the AO cooler today. It is quite large. I don't think I'll take it to Roatan, but I do think it will be nice for local CA diving.

Great video!

Will do, Bill!

That's good to know! I'm heading there with Underwater Tribe in July.

Brilliant idea vacuum packing! I have a food sealer. Of course I won't be able to vac it on the way home?

Welcome!

I just ordered the Kraken. Thanks. Not sure if it will fit in my luggage (or if it'll be delivered before I leave for Roatan), but will good to have regardless. I bought a very nice RTIC, but it's like a Yeti and not collapsable at all so not really an option for travel.

It looks like the Cinebags cooler is no longer available, but the AO cooler is. I can't tell from the photos--does it fold flat? Thanks!

I updated yesterday. No issues so far.

Welcome from another old, but less accomplished diver, also interested in learning underwater photography/videography.

It's my understanding that the HF-1 requires a minimum discharge current to operate properly. The Nitecore NL5500HP that Backscatter initially spec'd (It's now discontinued) had a discharge current of 20A. The Nitecore NL6000HP also has a 20A discharge current, but for some reason Backscatter hasn't yet recommended it. Both Nitecores are vented/protected batteries. Backscatter now recommends the XTAR 25A discharge current 21700. I've used both the Nitecore 6000HP and XTAR 25A batteries successfully, but only for a few test shots each. Backscatter is not terribly forthcoming with battery amperage requirements, but I saw here or somewhere else that the min current of 20A was why they initially spec'd the Nitecore 5500.

I saw that as well. No idea how it ended up in my feed, but I found it pretty hilarious when I'm trying to figure out how to get by with 10kg instead of the allowed 7kg in my carry on!

The 27” is a nice size and certainly makes things more affordable. Looking forward to feedback on which direction you go.

I found a used Saga, but had I not I would have tried the AOI. One thing to be careful about is the weight of the MFO-3. I'm using the Saga with an Inon wet lens and a red filter which are pretty light. Not sure how heavy the MFO-3 lens is?

That looks like an excellent approach! I was looking at NYA-EVO bags and getting sticker shock, plus I'm guessing they are pretty heavy as well. EDIT: Just looked it up, at $450 and 5+lbs empty for the 60I think I'll pass.

Welcome Mr. Duck! You have me beat by a couple years--I got my basic in 1980 and AOW/Rescue in 1981, so another old fart here!

Davide, If you haven’t already bought a monitor you might want to check out the ASUS PA32UCXR. It has 4k and HDR capability, and this tester got 89% of rec 2020 in addition to 99% DCI-P3 and aRGB albeit on the PA32UCXP not the “R” I ordered (the P model has improved off-axis viewing). I found a PA32UCXR $800 off on Amazon. It seems to check a lot of boxes. I wanted a 6k monitor, but I didn’t find one that had all the other capabilities that this has. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDF83MXM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 Evan

After some more hand-wringing, I ordered an ASUS PA32UCXR 4k HDR monitor for video and productivity, although it has 99% aRGB and ~87% rec 2020 so should work great for photo editing. Both the monitor and my new sit/stand desk are supposed to arrive Thursday. Love it when a plan comes together!

To all who recommended the Eizo…wow were you right! The photo and video quality is amazing, and this is on a 12 year old monitor! It really has me thinking whether I want a newer 27 Eizo to pair with the CX271, or if I’m better off getting a monitor better suited to HDR with higher resolution? Thanks again!

North Sulawesi—NAD Lembeh on the Lembeh Strait. Going with Underwater Tribe, who was recommended to me as a great group of photo instructors. Plan to shoot mostly macro stills, but also try some video with the M10 and GoPro.

I upgraded to a Hero 13 last year spring before our trip to Fiji. I wasn't happy with the quality without lights, although after many months I finally started playing with the clips in iMovie and adjusting white balance did some pretty amazing things. I bought a Backscatter Sharp Wide wet lens last fall and dove with it in December in Monterey. Very happy with the improved quality, but not with my ability to maneuver the GoPro in 5mm gloves. Picked up a tray with trigger, but haven't tried it out yet in water--seems to be a great improvement above water. The tray also gives me the ability to add 1 or 2 lights. I started getting interested in diving in Indonesia which means macro. GoPro doesn't do macro realistically so I dove down the underwater photography rabbit hole. I was somewhat restrained in camera and housing choosing the OM Systems E-M10 IV micro 4/3 camera and the AOI octo housing. I also got the 60 mm macro lens, port, and focus gear. I was less restrained on accessories, figuring I could reuse/resell strobes. I bought 2 Backscatter HF-1 strobes/video lights, various arms and floats, as well as an MF-1 with snoot and a Bluewater video light with the idea I can use the MF-1 or Bluewater light as a focus light. I've only gotten the camera and housing wet in the pool using the pancake kit lens and natural light. I'm pretty happy with the results. Heading to Cocoview in April for a couple weeks of intense practice along with a 1-day class with Mickey Charteris, and Indonesia or a couple weeks in July.

I’m just starting photography/videogrphy after several years of GoPro use. I’m familiar with Han Zimmer. The timing seemed synchronized, so I was wondering if it was an app/service that was a custom composition. Very nice.