What's your dream rig?

You're a freak about UW photography. You can't think about anything else. You spend all day dreaming about your next dive trip and wishing you had unlimited funds to buy all the newest, coolest, most incredible cameras, housing, strobes etc to take underwater on your next dive. What's on your lists???

Steve

well, for me.

i would like the Nikon D200 with Aquatica and the new external viewfinder... i think the D2x is too big for me and would prefer the D200

I already have everything else.. which includes 2 Ike DS125s and TLC arms with a bunch of different lenses.

i would like:

1. canon 5d x2 (just in case! heh heh)

2. EF 100mm f/2.8 USM macro

3. EF 14mm f/2.8 L

4. ikelite housing for canon 5d

5. macro flat port

6. dome port

7. DS51 strobes x2 with arms and stuff

8. a 30 foot cruiser with a wonderful cook and masseuse

9. a "dive anywhere, anytime, for as long as you want" season pass

thank you santa, i've been a very good boy this year.

I'm lucky enough to have a D200 (with Subal housing) which, as Mike has implied, is a great camera in a reasonably compact package.

A selection of lenses including 10.5mm FE, 12-24mm zoom, 17-35mm zoom, 60mm and 105mm plus dioptres wouldn't go amiss.

Then there's the strobes, and that's where I wish someone would tailor-make something to my ideal spec.... I love my Subtronic Alpha Pro which hasn't ever let me down. The thing is I really have to start shooting with dual strobes now, and I'd love a Subtronic of similar performance (powerful punch, fast recycle, warm light, wide angle, tank-like build), but wish it could be half the size and weight. It might as well have a reliable TTL as an option, even though I would probably be shooting in manual most of the time. It would also need to be a lot more reliable than the new generation of Subtronics which seem to be causing a lot of people a lot of grief. So, as an interim solution, I'll probably be going with Inon's Z240s.

Mark

You spend all day dreaming about your next dive trip and wishing you had unlimited funds to buy all the newest, coolest, most incredible cameras, housing, strobes etc to take underwater on your next dive. What's on your lists???

Don't ask me why, but when contemplating what my "dream" rig might be, the only thing that popped into my mind was Salma Hayek modeling for me

ahhhhhh

Salma.....

Minus well add Angelina, Eva.......

20 MP Nikonos w/ modern controls.

All the best, James

-A full-frame nikon digital camera, 16MP+, 100% view finder coverage, in a d200 body.

-Aquatica d200 housing w/view finder magnifier

-housing/strobes/arms balanced and about 1#(500g) negative in saltwater

-a dual channel manual strobe controller (full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, off; half or 1/3 stop increments), LCD display, two 1"(25mm) rotary dials to adjust strobe power (easy to use with cold water gloves), independant of the housing, input = nikonos standard, 2 outputs = connections to strobes, (not necessary but could be useful for macro: allow digital TTL pre-flash with old film TTL UW strobes), microcontroller controlled, powered by 2 AA batteries which allow 100+ hours run time

ports (with extensions where necessary) and lenses:

8" dome port for wide: 17-35 AF-S, 18mm, 24mm, 35mm f/2, 16mm fisheye

flat port for macro: 60mm micro, 105mm AF-S micro, 200mm micro

Strobes:

a pair of ike SS200s

a pair of ike SS50s

Steve,

I would agree with the D200 / Aquatica setup along with a pair of DS-125's. I haven't had a chance to look at the new viewfinder but Christmas is right around the corner

Kory