D200 w/Subal Housing Options

Hello All,

After I've been shooting a P&S for a couple of years, I will be upgrading to a D200 and have decided upon the Subal housing. Based on your experiences would fellow D200 and/or Subal owners please help make some recommendations for the accessories you would chose?

My goal is to keep the rig as compact and lightweight as possible. I do a lot of travel, and like so many of you, the combination of the various challenges of so many airlines restrictions and personalities, coupled with the desire to avoid loss by always having the camera set and regs in the carry-on - is my basis to keep this set up as clean and compact as it can possibly be. Other housings were considered, but I think the features and host of ability to use most of the camera features in the Subal is the wisest choice for me.

Some possible ideas I have and would aprreciate your comments and recommendations on include:

For the D200 camera, Subal Housing...

Lens' recommendations? - looking for a maximum of two to three lens' in total

(I'm leaning toward the 12-24mm, 60mm macro)

Stobe - considering the Inon Z240 for possible iTTL in future.

I'm shooting the Ikelite D125 currently and really like it but would like your opinion if the Inon would be a better choice for use with this housing?

I realize that dual strobes would be a benefit, but with trying to keep the rig compact a single strobe is the priority right now.

Ports - if possible, with the above lens', I'd prefer to have a single dome port, as small as possible to work for the various lens' in an effort to avoid two ports. My idea is not to have complete perfection (just near as possible-ha!) so if it is possible to get really decent macro shots through the dome with the 60mm (or another lens you may recommend) that would be great.

In some instances I will be using Alex and Peter's Magic Filters, thank you guys!

What else may I be missing?

Extra CF cards, batteries, etc are all on the list.

I have yet to find a really decent compact carry-on roller bag / case that will accommodate the camera/housing/strobe/accessories/regulators/and laptop - preferrably with padded dividers. Anyone have some good suggestions here?

Thank you for your help and considerations.

Paquito

Talk to Ryan Cannon at Reef Photo video - sponsor in sidebar. They helped me set up my Subal D200 rig. Unlike you, I just went nuts with 2 Subtronic Midi strobes and two ports.

I have only used it once so far, getting some surfing shots of my kids (no strobes of course), but I already love it. Tomorrow I get to do some wreck diving to try out the full rig.

I had a 12-24 and 105 Macro from before, and just added a 10.5mm after reading some of the posts on wetpixel. I may be wrong but I do not think the dome port is ideal for the 60mm.

But Ryan and his crew are very knowledgeable and can set you up the way you want.

Jeff

Paquito,

Your instinct to go with the 12-24 for wide and 60 mm with a DX frame is absolutely correct. If you noticed, there is anther thread talking about which lenses people use the most, the 10.5 fisheye sounds like it's a more popular choice for wide-angle than the 12-24 mm. I'd certainly consider the 10.5 as the third of your three basic underwater lenses. The fourth would be the 105 mm.

I wouldn't be optimistic about shooting the 60 through a dome port, though I can't honestly say I've ever tried. I'd also urge you to consider the large Subal dome port, despite its weight and size. My understanding is that this is the only port that will work successfully with the 10.5 mm lens.

I can carry the Subal D2X housing, the big dome port, a 60 mm flat port and 105 mm (manual focus) port and two extension rings in one Pelican case that is just legal as carry-on. If it had to be checked, the stuff would probably survive, but so far I have never had to check it. The cameras, lenses, laptop and external hard drives all ride in a photographers backpack which is of course never checked. Strobes are packed with the dive gear. (To save checked weight, the strobe arms and NiCad batteries usually go in side-car pockets strapped to the camera backpack.)

And one more..while a lot of wonderful photos have been taken with a single strobe, you will be severely limiting yourself with only one.

You don't mention the arm system you intend to use. If you plan to use the 12-24 with the big dome port, then I'd urge you to consider a (ULCS) tray with handles, instead of mounting the arms on top of the housing. With the big dome port stuck out on an extension ring, there is a lot buoyancy forward that makes the camera want to rotate dome up. By day 10 of a liveaboard trip you'll be in need of a chiropractor. If you plan to mainly use the 10.5 (which doesn't need an extension ring) for wide-angle, however, then using the Subal handles and arms mounted on top of the housing is fine.

Other bits and pieces you might want to consider picking up:

- Extension ring (needed for 12-24 mm)

- +2 diopter (77 mm) for 12-24 mm

- +2 or +3 diopter for 60 mm

- Photographers chamois. (I love these for lenses, eye-glasses. One is dedicated

for cleaning the dome port.)

Frogfish

I really love my new Subal D200 housing. I would get the FE2 dome port, it works great with the 12-24 with an ext ring and a diopter. If you get the 10.5 down the road it works great with it and no ext ring or diopter.

With that lens you have to be careful because of it wide angle that you don't get your fins in the picture or something else.

For the macro, I would get the macro port for the 60 and add an ext ring for the 105 so

you dont have two ports for those two lenses. It takes a 33mm ext ring. You have to decide if you want a manual focus port that allows you to do do auto also or only an autofocus port that wont allow you to do manual focus.

I don't have an opinion on strobes as I may be changing very soon. Of course Ultralight arms are the lightest weight.

I also got the large viewfinder for the housing as I was used to large veiwfinders with my film cameras; but you may not need it as you have never used a housing before.

Good luck

Terry

Jeff, Robert, Terry,

Thank you all for the advice and the help. Originally I was going to stay clear of the 105mm as I thought the 60mm would do the trick for most of what I wanted, but it seems as though the 105 is really becomming more popular everyday (I'm sure it was always popular) and mentioned often.

I thought about skipping the 12-24 and going with the 10.5 FE - I'm just not keen yet on the Fish Eye as I have no experience with it yet. On my housed P&S, my digital's lens/sensor film equivilant is 24mm (no, this isnt super wide, but the widest compact out there) so I've enjoyed some fairly wide angle to begin with before going to the dSLR stage, though without the FE aspect.

Ultralight arms all the way! - Good reminder, I forgot the arms and diopters.

If going with the extention ring for the 12-24 and using the mounting tray, will the extended dome factor be corrected for? Being patient, I will have to work with the housing and strobe as I remember how my DS125 created quite a difference to the ike housing I have.

For the viewfinder, I'm really clueless as I dont have experience. In my current set-up, my e-viewfinder on the camera is true ttl though I dont use it as I do the lcd screen. I am aware that this doesnt work with the D200. How many of you have the extra larger viewfinder and could you go without?

For travel case, the Pelican is heavier than the Storm and both are really close to the carry-on cut off limitations. I hadnt rulled them out, they just stick out like a sore thumb versus a soft-sided look of a wheeled backpack that has that "dont bother me I'm a quiet gypsie" look that lets you slide by a little easier. When I was into places like flying to the Tuamatous in French Polynesia, those island-hopper checkin attendants were a real pain! They wanted 5 kg max carry-on and though I'm normally very patient as I do quite a bit a travel and I dont abuse or try to push the airlines or fellow traveler's patience, I had use my "stern voice" and yell at the premadonna that what I had in my carry-on was life-support gear and there was no way in hades I was going to check it for a this puddle jump that had ONLY 6 people out of 60 seats in the cabin. Venting over, back on track here - I was just concerned I might run into that situation often where the pelican type cases (regardless of size) become defined as checked luggage only - as the "restrictions" around the airline industry keep screwing up the fun factor for these valuable investments.

Okay, one last lens question, for land use, what's a nice all-around zoom you'd recommend?

I will talk with Ryan and obviously I have a lot to learn, but that's the fun of all of this - isnt it! Thank you and please feel free to chime in on anything else that comes to mind - your help and patience is MOST APPRECIATED!

Jeff, enjoy your wreck dives, hope you get some great shots!

Robert, looking forward to being in your part of the world soon.

Thanks guys!

I have a D200 in a Subal Housing with the magnifying viewfinder and have to say that at least for me the viewfinder was worth it but friends of mine have Subal housings without the viewfinder and seem to have no trouble. The big thing you get is the ability to see the whole composition at once without moving your head around.

For wide angle on the Nikons I really like the 16mm fisheye which is about as wide as the 12-24 at 12mm. On the cropped sensor the distortion isn't as dramatic as with the 10.5 and the corners are sharper than the 12-24. The 10.5 is nice too but harder to shoot. Strobe placement and compostion will require more forethought and care.

Regarding strobes I have the INON Z240s but am strongly considering replacing them with something positively buoyant, even if that means going with much larger strobes like YS350s. I'm going to try out a pair of those tomorrow. The INONs work fine but are a bear to use due to the negative buoyancy. I had to add huge floats to the arms to get the rig neutral and by that point it was nearly as big and bulky as it would have been with big strobes.

Clinton

...Originally I was going to stay clear of the 105mm as I thought the 60mm would do the trick for most of what I wanted, but it seems as though the 105 is really becomming more popular everyday...

You can get by with only the 105 mm with a full-frame DSLR, but it's tight with DX frame sensors unless you know you only want to shoot at 1:3 (at the most) or tighter. If you have to pick one macro lens, I think you'll find the 60 mm is more versatile. You'll want the 105 eventually.

....I thought about skipping the 12-24 and going with the 10.5 FE.

You'll probably end up taking some of your best photographs with the 10.5 and possibly using it more than the 12-24, but the fish eye is more difficult to use (and to light). Most important, it's useless for fish unless you can approach very close. If you had to pick one wide-angle, I'd urge you to start with the 12-24, and make the 10.5 the next lens you buy.

If going with the extention ring for the 12-24 and using the mounting tray, will the extended dome factor be corrected for?

I'm not sure what you mean, but you will need the extension ring to position the 12-24 mm lens properly with respect to the curvature of the large dome port. The same extension ring is also required for the 17-35. The dome port is used without an extension ring with the 10.5 and other wide-angle prime lenses, such as the 20 mm etc.

The advantage of mounting strobe arms on handles on a ULCS tray when using the large dome port and an extension ring, in my view, is that it shifts the axis of rotation and lowers center of gravity, reducing the torque on the wrist induced by the positive buoyancy of port and ring, which acts as a lever arm trying to rotate the housing dome up. This can be very tiring on wrist muscles over a long trip with multiple dives every day, particularly high current dives where you may need to hold and manipulate the housing with one hand.

....How many of you have the extra larger viewfinder and could you go without?

I have the large viewfinder on the D2 housing. I like it.

For travel case, the Pelican is heavier than the Storm and both are really close to the carry-on cut off limitations. I hadnt rulled them out, they just stick out like a sore thumb versus a soft-sided look of a wheeled backpack that has that "dont bother me I'm a quiet gypsie" look that lets you slide by a little easier.

Different strokes I guess. The bottom line for me is that I believe my housing and ports would survive being checked in a Pelican if it came to that, but I would be less confident if they were in a soft bag or wheeled backpack. Two camera bodies and several lenses, usually including a long telephoto, the laptop and external drives HAVE to fly with me as carry on or I'm not going. That fills up my backpack.

Okay, one last lens question, for land use, what's a nice all-around zoom you'd recommend?

For a good carry-on single lens, I like the 24-120 mm.

Frogfish

I agree with Robert on the 24-120 for an all around topside lens.

ULCS makes a bracket that replaces the Subal handles. You can

install a handle on this bracket and adjust it right or left to accomodate

you hand size and where you want you fingers to end up.

Tr-SC is what it is called.

YOu will love the D200 and the Subal once you get it.

Terry

I believe with the 9" port the ext. ring for the 17-35 is 60 mm and that for the 12-24 is 50 mm.

Yes I checked on the Subal site and that is what they say.

I have the 18-200 VR lens for topside. It's amazing.

I do have the Pelican case, but after reading the thread on stolen gear through airports in the Caribbean etc, I plan to carry all photo gear and my reg on carry on.

BTW tried the 10.5 yesterday for the first time on the Oriskany, fun.

Jeff

Hello All,

Sorry I didnt respond earlier with my sincere thanks again for all the help and advice, I was away with work.

Sorry Robert, I understood how the extension rings would be needed for the 12-24, and I think that you answered my ill-worded question that though its not perfect, the ULCS tray and handle with this set up makes a large difference on the rotation for buoyancy control. I suppose that, coupled with some other adjustments, neoprene, etc, and it could be made to work out quite well.

My plan is to stick with the original thought, go with the 12-24mm, the 60mm macro and invest in the 24-120 for land use. Eventually I'll look to the 10.5FE, but I feel unless I step up to a second strobe (as I understand I am already limiting myself here initially) I would not get as much value out of this.

There's lots of practice and work ahead, but this will be very fun!

Clinton, how did your new strobes turn out with this set up?

Thank you all for being so superb, I am grateful.

Paquito