ACHiPo

@bghazzal thank you! This is very helpful! A couple live-aboards that look appealing to me are the Andaman Queen and Vela, both look pretty posh, but no idea how photo-centric they are. Someone recommended Smiling Seahorse as a good photo-centric boat—definitely seems more basic accommodation but it could be ok if there are good photo guides and I can get a single room without paying for two people.

I'll be sailing with friends from Phuket to Langkawi late February-early March, 2027. We'll largely be sailing on the east side of Phuket, so while the diving may be ok, we won't be hitting Richelieu Rock, etc. on the west side. I'd like to come in a week or so early (pretty flexible) to dive and photograph the Andaman Sea. I've read several reports about the diving being good to great, but the crowds and divers make it a not-so-pleasant experience. I'll likely be a single traveler. I'm not crazy about the idea of a liveaboard, but would be willing to go that route if the boat, crew, guides, and diving are great (and avoid crowds). Also looking for photo guides, either private or small group. What reputable companies or resorts should I reach out to? Thanks in advance, Evan

Hi Stephen, Welcome. I’m in E. Bay. Been diving for 40 years, but are new to underwater photography and even newer to CA diving. Look forward to running into you one of these days. Evan

Really nice pictures. Thank you!

Outstanding! What were you shooting?

Certainly the episode on Anand Varna and his innovative way of telling stories about macro subjects. Amazing!

Not sure where to post this, but I came across an excellent series on Disney+ from National Geographic called “Photographer”. Not technically underwater related although the first episode certainly touches on it in addition to conservation. Nat Geo Photographer

@Mike Saunders Better luck tomorrow!

Mike, Thanks! It makes sense that the ring light would falloff pretty quickly with distance. How did your experiment supplementing with strobes go? Did you use the ring light in strobe mode?

Thank you for sharing. What fantastic, and creepy, creatures!

This is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing! Looking forward to meeting and hopefully working with Simon in July!

Another vote for Prescription Dive Masks.

PM sent

Pics?

That’s what I’m currently using. Just wondered if making the HF-1 more neutral on its own might make it easier to use.

@waso thanks this is kinda what I had in mind.

Bummer! Sorry for your loss!

Dave, Thanks. The balance on my whole rig is fine, but I would like to leave my clamps a little looser to more easily reposition them and have them stay. My thought is that if I could make the strobes a little more neutral I could could reduce the clamping force. I looked at the HF-1s today and am rethinking--instead of foam all the way around which might make positioning the strobe close to the port, maybe a block of foam bolted to the HF-1 using the mounting screws for the ball mount? I need to do some calculations, but I'm thinking 3/4" thick by 3" x 6" should be close to a 1/2 pound positive. Evan

I saw a post that mentioned how negatively buoyant the HF-1 strobes are in the water, and how tight clamps need to be to secure them. While this is something that hasn’t bugged me too much, it did make me wonder if there is some way to wrap the body of the HF-1s with rigid float material to make it more neutral? I think I saw something from Marelux or Mares that used floats and a strap for dome ports or strobes, but I can’t find it now. Has anyone tried something like this? Is it a dumb idea (I know the heat sinks need to be exposed, but it seems like there’s still space to strap on ~ 0.5 lb of positive float material)? Thanks, Evan

Wow. Thank you for posting this!

It seems like this could be a great thing for blackwater on a 30mm M43?

Thanks!

Dave, These look great! Thank you! Any concern about blocking the heatsinks with the bumpers? I can’t see whether they would impede water access to any of the cooling fins. Evan

Late to the discussion, but I find it interesting as I prepare for my first muck trip to Lembeh in July. I had good results in Roatan with static subjects using my M43 60mm macro plus an Inon 165 (+6 diopter), and even with a borrowed +15 diopter. Based on getting decent Costasiella sp. pics in Roatan with +15 I think I want to add more magnification than the +6. My original thought was just to add a ~+10 so I would have +6, +10, and+16 by mixing/matching. I’ve gotten advice that I’d be better off with a Nauticam CMC-1 to use instead of the Inon +6 and not try to stack. Of course I’ve also gotten advice that I should get an MFO-3! (It’s only money!🤯) In addition to the 60mm I am adding a 30mm OM and 45 mm P/L to my kit to experiment with. (The 30 is primarily for blackwater and the 45 is based on @bvanant ’s advice that it is a great all-rounder macro lens. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! Evan

That’s too bad.