Mike Saunders

perhaps I could put this another way sea and sea ysd3 or backscatter hf1 hybrid?

i fear my 2 x solis ys01 are ok for macro but a bit weedy for wide angle what’s the logical upgrade - looking like sea and sea DS3 to me- is this reasonable?

i’ve finally got diving with it - one dive in at iso 400 and f16 it’s very much a macro light for small and very close things for more than 6 inches the light falls off. for up close it is brilliant- i’m using f16 and aperture priority. you can see the lizard fish is well lit at the front but a bit blue at the back I think it would also work ok as a focus light for macro using strobes. planning to find out tomorrow on a night dive.

Qualifying question: If you started diving after the age of 50, this survey is for you

just out of curiosity - is diving with orcas safe? -or do you look too much like a seal?

Depressing instagram post https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU9X8SegftG/?igsh=b3ljNDV4cXV6c3Zs

only very slightly jealous watching this from my outpatient clinic this morning....

your CV to date is making me feel pretty pedestrian.....

South Ari atol in Maldives is organised snorkelling trips not diving Can also get crowded -about 6 boats when we were there 2024

I’ve found some slightly thicker garden irrigation pipe which can squeeze over the end of the L-shaped plug to make a complete cover Looks robust but time will tell

swimming over sharks towing a dummy seal behind you is not something I would rush into...

attached image is ISO200. shutter 1/250 f16 and pretty much as close at the outfit allows

the bath test are pretty much done and I am looking impatiently at the calendar for my first warm water trip of the year in conclusion the 90mm on an APSC is not great unless you are prepared to go high ISO or not take macro images at f16 or f11 but happy to go wider, significantly sacrificing depth on a long focal length. I will use the traditional strobes with this lens. Smaller apertures are leading to unacceptably long shutter speeds and unless you are able to sit tripod still it will blur the newly 30mm f3.5 Sony macro is a whole different story. It is incredibly close focusing so that illumination with the ring light is brilliant and allows small aperture and a decent ISA. Photo of a British banknote is my standard test of image and luckily recent UK banknotes are waterproof... Can't wait to give this a go, the small rig with no strobe arms will also be a major plus. If I get any decent pictures I will post them.

Huge level of smugness! 👍

not directly relevant but in the Similan trip the guy on the left had brought along a lot of toys including a long selfie stick with his go pro. This made quite a good entry shot my wife on the right