3 minutes ago, Tom Kline said:

These time series images are priceless - having the dates on them especially. I think it is going to take a lot more of these to convince some politicians as well as the body politic.

Totally agree. Anyone who has a series of shots like these over a period of time, do post them!

Super pics, Dave.

Maybe the shock of going from really good viz in the St John’s area to the Port Ghalib harbour messed with my viz calculations 😜. But it was really poor viz where normally I wouldn’t bother trying WA pics. 

Tom, do you think you could do a post about your pole-cam arrangement? I think that would be of interest to folks here.

I know a few members use the Retra reflector but I thought I'd post a short piece about using them as it was something relatively new to me. Apologies if this is old hat!

I was in the Red Sea out of Marsa Alam a few months ago. The last dive was the usual outside-the-harbour type dive and the viz was utterly cr*p: maybe 3'-4'. One of those dives where I wondered why I was bothering. I'd been using my D500 with the Tokina 10-17 for the whole trip and usually had the Retra reflector in a BCD pocket (yeah, a big pocket!) but hadn't really used it.

There were loads of juveniles knocking around on the site so I thought I'd take some pics just for the fun of it. I gave the reflector a go, reducing the power from the strobe a good bit and using the reflector aimed more directly at the subject to try and reduce backscatter. Results on the camera screen looked ok. When I got back and looked at the images on the big screen I was pleasantly surprised as to how well they came out given the viz and turbidity.

On the pic below, there is some backscatter on the top left but, generally, give the viz, not a bad result I thought (yeah, the picture is nothing special, I appreciate)

Hi MrC. Delighted that you’ve joined us. Welcome! We hope you really like the new forum. 

9 minutes ago, Architeuthis said:

I know, the Tokina 10-17mm is a lousy lens over the water. The UW performance is, however, almost a miracle

I agree with you, Wolfgang. The Tokina is amazing underwater - certainly with the DX sensor cameras that I have used. I can't say I liked it all with an FF Nikon D800. Horrible!

The only slight hesitation with the lens is the build quality. Over maybe 15 years I've had two of them and they have both had the same issue - the zoom ring detaches. This is user repairable with some tape but it is a bit of a shock first time around. I know too others have had the same issue and it's something to watch out for.

But IQ on sub-FF? Superb.

Ian, would you be happy to talk to Will Green and see if he'd like do do something for Waterpixels? I'm happy to contact him but if you know him well enough to ask.....

7 hours ago, johnvila said:

We became grandparents last week for the first time

Congratulations to you guys - a nice ray of hope! 

3 hours ago, ianmarsh said:

but we may be the only ones who care.

I fear that might her scarily true, Ian

Go for it, Massimo!

5 hours ago, freedivenz said:

Sadly mourning the demise of Wetpixel, while hoping that Waterpixels takes off 🙂

Amen to that!

I thought just struck me on re-reading this thread, does it make much difference to the placement of the lenses whether you use a 45-degree finder or a straight-through or screen?

Might sound an odd question but when I got my readers fitted in my mask, I found them slightly higher than, perhaps, I would have liked them. The company that did them, advised on the position and said where I had them was the usual place but that  it was, of course, largely down to personal preference. They offered to redo them but I felt that maybe I was being too nit-picky.

I wonder now reading these posts whether the angle of viewing makes quite a difference? I use a 45-degree finder all the time and I've adjusted the camera's diopter setting so I guess effectively only use the lenses just to read the housing labels or to try and finder macro critters on the reef.

"Investment" eh? LOL, yeah, good one.... 🤣

As I think I have explained in a previous post, I moved from Z240 v4 so I can't give a defect comparison with the Z330 v2. As Dave says, I found a huge difference using a snoot with the Retra after the Inons and shoot macro almost always with a snoot. So for me that was a major benefit.

I had never used HSS before getting the Retras. I now find I use that setting a huge amount especially when shooting upwards with wide-angle towards the sun.

I do find the Retras easier to use than the Inons. The controls, to me, are simple and self-explanatory. Though I was used to the Inon Z240s, I did find the controls a bit pokey and confusing.  

Colour and coverage? Hard to compare. I feel that I get a wider coverage and more power with the Retras but couldn't quantify that.

The other thing I like about the Retras is the range of accessories. They give you options for controlling and shaping the light. Using a reflector, with lowered power in poor, turbid viz was a revelation for me in terms of reducing backscatter. And I like too the macro rings when not using a snoot. 

Thanks, Justin - food for thought for sure.

We wanted to try and keep the hierarchy as simple and as flat as possible. But let us chew over this..... it's most certainly worth some thought.

Wolfgang mentions a loupe.

Yep, I find one of those very useful for all sorts of small tasks. I got one from Amazon. They're very good for checking a sensor 

Yep, the front fits. Unfortunately Retra don’t sell the rear bumper alone. If you want a rear bumper for the new strobes you have to buy front and rear. 

Hey Tony! Welcome aboard. It’s great to have you with us although, like many, just sad that it was necessary. 

Yep, I’m with Dave. Wrap a clean Pec-Pad in the swap and add a spot of the cleaner fluid.

My experience is that it takes several attempts and a lot of courage to get a sensor completely clean and, yes, there will be smears en route - which made my heart sink. 

I used to photograph a white wall for the image check but Dave’s blue sky is even better as that’s generally where the problem becomes visible. Basic problem though is that a blue sky in Amsterdam is horribly rare! 

Good luck, John. We feel your pain. Not easy especially on a relatively remote location. Do report how you get in. 

5 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

Got my OM-1 housing wet for the first time today,

Congrats, Chris. Pretty good image too to start with.  

Hi DriftC, welcome to Waterpixels. Great to have you with us. How about an article on what you guys are doing?

Sounds fantastic, John. A big welcome, great to have you here. 

Great to have you with us, Sandra. Welcome! Sounds like a wonderful setup you have there. 

Picture of the werewolves?

Great to have an old geezer like you with us, David. Welcome! Now sit down and rest….. 😜

You can retire now, Ian