TimG

Chip made an excellent suggestion in another post about having a pair of the longer clamps to use with arms fitted with Stix. I don’t have these for my system but if I was starting from scratch I’d have two for connecting the pairs of arms fitted with Stix. I don’t think you need them for the other connections.

Hey Johno i think there are only a couple of areas of u/w equipment purchasing where you only need to buy once. Arms and clamps are one of very few. Buy once, buy well. Tempting though it is to get Amazon’s best, I’d advise against it strongly. I bought ULCS in 1999. I still have them all, they work perfectly and never a blip. It was money well spent - unlike some of my u/w investments. I’ve bought a couple of cheap clamps a couple of times. Maybe good for a short time but nothing like the quality or longevity of ULCS. And, if you look at second hand prices of ULCS, they hold their value way better than the rest of the gear we use!

Members have noticed slight differences. It might be better to try and stick with one make if you can.

Big vote for Stix. I’ve been using the same set since 2010 and they’re still good as new and they’ve done well over 1000 dives. They’re very easy to adjust, add, or remove. You can even cut them with care.

Good tip from Chip on the soak and work the buttons and levers routine post-dive. I’d also add don’t let the port glass dry with water on it. That develops water marks in time. It pays to wipe dry port glass with a soft fibre-free cloth. Enjoy your new gear. And be prepared for the initial frustrations! Anytime you need help emptying your bank account, we’re here for you…. 😝

Some great thoughts.... Whatever the tools used, isn't much of what we do all about creating something that gives us pleasure and a sense of satisfaction? Whether that's done with film, digital, AI or a wet finger, does it really matter? Explain Jackson Pollock to Vermeer.......

Great to have you with us, Diver Dave 1. A warm welcome to Waterpixels.

Firmware update now available v2.2 for ProMax

Fibre optic cables: make you own. Easy, cheap, satisfying,….

You make a good point. I had an issue some time ago with a strobe/trigger combination and blamed all sorts of people: Retra, UWT, the Almighty, Life..... It turned out that the problem was with the way I'd cut the fibre optic cables (with scissors and not with a razor blade). Retra were extremely helpful - not to mention patient - in calming me down, identifying the issue and explaining the reasons and the fix.

Fair enough! Wireless transmitter to your dive computer? That can trigger strobes.

No chance you’re near another photographer and the strobes are seeing the other flashes? They can fire under those circs.

Airport porters must love Ashley. 🤣

Hi UWZane! Welcome to Waterpixels. It’s great to have you with us. We hope you enjoy the forum.

Once you have the alignment issue cracked - and that comes from having the right combination of strobe and snoot - it then becomes an issue of composition and understanding what effect the snoot has depending on the angle and light output. So if you've got the right gear, then, yep, 5 dives should do it. One thing I did find - and maybe this is blindingly obvious - the smaller the snoot aperture you use, the higher you need to set the power on the strobe. It's not unusual for me to be using 100% or close. See this example. Tiny aiming point.

It certainly looks solid - which could be good for your RIB entry issue. Other than that though, I'm not sure it has any other significant advantage over the more classic, say 8" +5" +strobe/snoot on the left hand side of the housing. That's just as flexible and manoeuvrable. Actually I do wodner if the Wolf system is less manoeuvrable as you have to bring your left hand over the top of the housing whereas using the "classic" method, the strobe/snoot is close to your left hand anyway. But, hey potato/potahto..... whatever works best for you is the best way.

Jim, presumably no issues with the adjustable mechanism?

The Marelux SOFT does look interesting for sure. Couple of thoughts: - I do think red light spooks fish less- certainly for night dives. That said, I’ve never had a snoot subject skiddadle when using a white focussing light. I wouldn’t pay extra to have a red snoot focussing light. - I thought the variable iris in the SOFT sounded brilliant. However I’ve heard from someone I trust that variable iris mechanisms tend to fall prey to salt conditions and jam. (Advice was to go with the slide in masks). I don’t know if this is the case with the SOFT but it’s certainly something worth checking out.

Great to have another Brit with us , Johno! Welcome!

Hey Mark Im a big fan of snoots for macro photography. Ive tried various options from home made through the Retra LSD/Inon to finally Retra/LSD. Some thoughts: none of the options I’ve used are neat, compact rigs. Almost by their very nature, snooted strobes are unwieldy. I used to dive from RIBs in the UK a lot back in the day. Entry with a snooted system without it being passed down could be an art form. It certainly calls for the most robust you can put together. If you’re not happy with the aiming light of your D1 , I’d suggest ruling that out immediately. The aiming light and its accuracy when snooted is critical. Ive not used the 100bar system. But again aiming is critical as is beam control. A snoot is all about controlling the width , direction and intensity of light. If you can’t do all of those, frustration and disappointment lies down the track. Option 3. I’ve found if you’re diving with a snoot then just do snoot imagery. It takes time to find ideal subjects and time to work the image. Concentrate on that and forget other format imagery. I’ve read good things about the MF2 but no direct experience. Yep, I settled on the Retra strobe and LSD. I’m delighted with results and know I can produce good snoot images in almost any condition. If you’re really serious about wanting to do snoot imagery as a genre, the money “invested” was well worth it. Just be wary of buying cheap, buying twice. An adage which is doubly true with snooting.

That slipping zoom ring seems a standard feature! I’ve had two Tokina 10-17s over the years and both have had the same issue. Happily taping it place, in my experience, fixes the issue and has no impact on using the lens.

Sad to say, I agree with Raph on the Inon/LSD combo.

I’ve got an Inon mount available for the Retra LSD. I switched my LSD from an Inon mount to a Retra one and still have the Inon one……

We do need more creative/compositions articles. I’m going to work on a piece about using Neutral Space. My favourite compositional approach.

Yeah, I do pretty much the same: let the DM know we’re staying put. Model boredom and irritation is always an on-going issue. Luckily my partner is not into jewellery but she does indicate repeats/go-rounds in terms of the number of expected cappuccinos. This is another non-PADI signal she has developed.