First pics with D200

Hi There!

Wanted to post some pictures I took with my new (but second hand bought) gear: Nikon D200, Aquatica housing, Tokina 10-17mm (all at 10mm end) and Inon Z-240. Well, it was my first dive with a SLR. Before I was shooting a P&S (Canon A620) only. Unfortunately the visibility was less than expected; so don't be too hard on the quality, I know there is lots to learn before the pics get better.

One thing I would like to know: What do you think about the composition?

I think pretty good for your first outing. I like the composition of the wreck pic.

Hi Pfifikus25

I also like the wreck photo the most.

Strangely the first one does not give an impression of an wide angle shot.

It would be great if you can share your experience on the transision going from P&S to the DSLR setup.

How easy did you find seeing the subject in the view finder? I take it that one does not bring the camera to your eye as one would on land.

Any other info on the transition you would like to share would be great.

Thanks

Geo

Hi Pfifikus25

 

I also like the wreck photo the most.

Strangely the first one does not give an impression of an wide angle shot.

 

It would be great if you can share your experience on the transision going from P&S to the DSLR setup.

How easy did you find seeing the subject in the view finder? I take it that one does not bring the camera to your eye as one would on land.

 

Any other info on the transition you would like to share would be great.

 

Thanks

Geo

Hi Geo!

I do not have much experience with the SLR gear so far, only one dive with the wide-angle lens because I was so curious about the new possibilities. Also, there are quite a few bigger wrecks (up to 140m, 460ft) I can reach within 2-3 hours from where I live, so this offers great opportunities for wide angle. On the P&S I was mainly shooting macro because of its limitations, in fact none of the shots of wrecks I tried are worth so show anyone. At the moment I am equipped with the Tokina 10-17mm, the Nikon 60mm Micro. So both, macro and wide-angle are possible now.

Using the viewfinder of the SLR in wide-angle on this first dive I did not find too difficult. Water depth was only 20m, no current and a nice sandy bottom as reference. And the wide-angle is somewhat forgiving due to the wide coverage. However, I have cropped the pictures only marginally. It might look different when I think of the depth and the location of the other wrecks though (and the deco with all the necessary additional equipment I will have to face). Also I think it will be more difficult when shooting macro (adjusting the focus directly to the eyes of a fish, getting the correct composition, getting an upward angle, etc.). But I will find out this Thursday when I will use it.

Another big difference is the handling under water. Although bulkier than the P&S, the camera handling is much easier due to the ergonomic handles. I find it easier to change the settings of the camera since there is a dedicated knob for all relevant functions on the camera. Also the shutter release lever is a big advantage, no need to hold the camera in awkward style to take a picture. And this big ting is much steadier in the water.

The good thing about my old P&S was, that I had full control over aperture and shutter time. So I am familiar with the settings I need to set. I guess that someone only shooting in automatic mode will have a much harder time to get used to a SLR camera. But the downside is that I used sTTL with the Inon Z-240, which gave me good exposure in 9 out of 10 cases. Right now I have to run the flash manually, since I do not have a TTL converter yet. So this will take some time until I can master this.

So far so good. More experiences to be made as I grow more into the new gear. Looking forward to winter time here, when the nudibranches come out and mate. Got a lot of good pics last winter, until then I have to be ready with the new gear to proceed from that level.

If you have further questions, just ask.

Cheers, Wolfgang

Hi!

As promised a few shots with the Nikon AF-S 60mm Micro lens attached to the D200.

Experiences:

• As expected the composition of the picture is more difficult with the macro lens. I applied quite some cropping to these pictures
  
• Since macro is the domain of moving life, this adds more complexity in taking a picture ... well, no surprise in that
  
• The lens has a very fast focus motor; shutter release lag compared to P&S ... not existing!
  
• Using the viewfinder for macro turned out to me easier as I expected. The viewfinder works sufficiently well to see that the focus is on the eyes of the object
  
• All pictures were taken with the flash and camera on manual. Either I was lucky, or it is not that hard after all. Some modification was necessart, but not too hard to achieve
  
• Digital manipulation: auto contrast, cropping and sharpened with Picasa. Need to get into Photoshop or s.g. similar now. Took all pics with JPG and NEF
  

Dragonet ... a very patient subject, you can approach quite close

Lobster

Cockoo wrasse

Hello,

Those first pics were taken with the Tokina 10-17mm? I have a D200, and a Sea and Sea housing and dome I just got. I was trying to decide between the Tokina 10-17 and the 12-24.

How do you like the 10-17?

Tony

Hello,

 

Those first pics were taken with the Tokina 10-17mm? I have a D200, and a Sea and Sea housing and dome I just got. I was trying to decide between the Tokina 10-17 and the 12-24.

 

How do you like the 10-17?

 

Tony

Well, as I said it was the first dive with the Tokina 10-17mm lens. And I liked it a lot, because I did not have wide angle on my P&S camera. How the two lenses compare to reach other, I cannot tell you since I only have one of the two. The fundamental difference (if I am correct?) is that the Tokina is a fish-eye, and the 12-14mm is a rectangular lens. The angle of coverage of the fish-eye lens is substantially bigger than on a rec. lens (at the same focus length).

Search the forum for the Tokina 10-17mm, the Nikon 12-24mm and the Sigma 10-20mm lenses, and you will find a lot of info. For the Tokina I have a good link to the web page of on of the members here (Ales Mustard), he did a report about this lens which finally convinced me to go for the Tokina: Tokina article

Cheers, Wolfgang