SUBAL ND30 Nikon D300 Tokina 10-17mm

Hi to all,

I have just received a Subal ND30 housing for my Nikon D300 to use with a Tokina 10-17mm FE lense and dome port. Its my second dslr (1st was a D80 for land use only).

I have shoot with a compact camera underwater for 6 years now and decieded its time to upgrade. I use a pair of Sea&Sea YS-110a strobes.

Its such a massive leap and im off to the Red Sea in 2 weeks, if anyone could spare a few minutes to offer me any advice it would be very much appricated.

For example camera settings for CFWA, Reef scenery, Sunballs, etc.

What is best to use to clean the dome port.

Any suggestions for a memory card.

Actually and advice or tips anyone can think of.

Many thanks in advance.

Big love to all,

Log.

I just got my Subal and D300 ripped off. Great combination with the Tokina 10-17mm. Don't forget a 105mm and maybe a 60mm for macro with macromate if possible. Have a great trip.

Hi Log

I've got the same set-up as you and love it. It's brilliant!

I'd suggest for cleaning the port the type of spray cleaner and microfibre cloth you would use on a laptop. I try and clean mine every evening.

Memory card: it depends on how many pics you take during a dive! I dive twice a day almost every day and shoot a total of about 150-200 pics. I use 4GB cards which covers that nicely. I find reviewing a 4GB card worth of pics is fine - but if it were adding up to over 300 images on an 8GB card to review I think I might be choking!

The 10-17 is fabulous. Make sure the strobes are WELL behind the camera line and pointing out or straight otherwise you will see either the flash in the margins of the picture - or tons of backscatter. I tend to use the strobes just to highlight an element of the photo - and balance them against the ambient lighting - as opposed to trying (and failing) to light the whole picture with the strobes. I will sometimes turn one or both strobes off.

I always shoot manual exposure and set the aperture depending on whether I want a black background (f22ish) or shallow depth of field. I usually have the shutter speed at 250th. I use AF most of the time although have to switch to manual focus sometimes with the 105.

Have a wicked trip!

Hey Log

I also shoot with a Subal ND30 & D300 with the Tokina 10-17 and love it!

The standard set-up for me includes the following

Focus: AF-C continuous . 51 point set on the Dynamic AF area mode with 3D tracking switched off. Focus point wrap around swithched on.

For the Tokina I set the AF sensor mode switch to auto area (the white rectangle) it's easy to switch modes U/W if needed.

Manual "M" mode so I can control everything.

ISO 200 although I will reset this to Lo 1, 2 or 3 for shooting sunbursts if needed.

Flash synch speed set to 1/320s auto FP (e1 in the menu)

WB auto, RAW 14 bit lossless compressed, metering on matrix.

I also put an 18mm ext ring behind the dome port to place the front glass of the lens level with the back of the port.

Don Silcock suggested to me on this forum that the Tokina has a sweet spot around f8 to f16.

Hope this is of help and have great fun in the Red Sea

Nige Wade

Hi Flipken,

Sorry to hear about your miss fourtune. Nice on for the advice on the macro lenses. I just picked the 60mm and ordered the port.........hope it arrives in time.

Log.

Hi TimG,

Thanks a million for taking the time to write.

Shit, you got so much information into it. Fantastic tips for the strobes which i will follow. You have saved me alot of heart ake, thanks.

Do you use ant particular brand of cleaning spray.

I will post some pics on my return, give you all a good laugh.

Take care.

Regards,

Log.

Hi Nige,

Bloody hell, thats fantastic information. Thank you. I also have the 18mm extension ring, good call. Great advice about the focus and sweet spot. I love this site guys. Theres no bullshit you all have been so helpfull. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge, i will also pass on mine to anyone who i can help.

Dont worry i wil make sure i have a great trip. Thanks.

Kind regards,

Log.

hey Log, congrats on your new rig. I shoot with a D300, 10-17mm combo also, you are going to love it! The red sea will be a great trip.

Tim and Nige gave you some excellent advice. My settings are pretty similar to Nige's.

I also wrote up some settings, tips, etc. on my web site that should be helpful, just take a look at the 2nd link in my signature below.

Scott

Hey Scott,

How are you. I sent you an e-mail a few weeks ago from my personal address and hence was invited to join your facebook group (which i did). Thanks for posting your link. As i said to you before its an amazing site with invaluble information and such detail about everything.

For anyone who hasnt had a look at Scotts site, he didnt write a few tips. He wrote a bloody book, highly reccomended to check it out you ll love it. Thanks again Scott keep on posting articles.

Big love.

Log.

Hi, although not using the same housing its still of great help to me, thanks all!

Under pressure, why do you set the flash sync speed to 1/320s auto. i.e. what advantages does that have?

Thanks

Hi, although not using the same housing its still of great help to me, thanks all!

 

Under pressure, why do you set the flash sync speed to 1/320s auto. i.e. what advantages does that have?

 

Thanks

It gives me the option of using "up to" 1/320th sec shutter speed which helps to freeze sunrays better than 1/250th and makes getting black negative space when shooting macro a breeze, especially when I'm shooting shallow where the ambient light is stronger.

Tokina 10-17 @ 10mm f8 1/320th iso 200

Hope this helps

Nige Wade

Hi Nige,

Thanks for posting that image, its fantastic. If i am able to one or two photos half that quality i will be very please. Anyone else want to share some images with camera setings please post away. Thanks all so much guys.

Kind regards,

Log.

I use the same set up, except use the 15 mm ext ring.

I'll have to try 1/320th. I always stop at 250.

Manual everything. Unless I'm shooting dolphins or sealions. Then I use shutter priority at 250.

Don't forget you can go up to 400 ISO and still get clean shots with the 300.

The one drawback to the 10-17 is that either you have to get CLOSE to your subject or the subject has to be big.

It gives me the option of using "up to" 1/320th sec shutter speed which helps to freeze sunrays better than 1/250th and makes getting black negative space when shooting macro a breeze, especially when I'm shooting shallow where the ambient light is stronger.

 

Tokina 10-17 @ 10mm f8 1/320th iso 200

 

 

Hope this helps

 

Nige Wade

Hi Nige, what exactly does the 1/320th setting mean. I notice you put "up to"

Thanks

Geo

P.S. Great Photo!

Hi Nige, what exactly does the 1/320th setting mean. I notice you put "up to"

Hey Geo

All DSLR's have a maximum shutter speed that will synch with either the built in or external strobes.

The Nikon D300 has a default synch speed of 1/250 which can be over-ridden using Auto FP.

What this does is increase the maximum shutter speed available for use with external strobes from 1/250th to 1/320th.

This means you can shoot at any shutter speed from 30 seconds to 1/320th of a second.

When the ambient light is too bright for a properly exposed background or you wish to under-expose the background to darken it (Black backgrounds) there ar a number of options available.

Reduce the f stop, reduce the ISO (Lo1, 2, or 3) or increase the shutter speed. A faster shutter speed also freezes the action more (Sun rays)

By setting the Auto FP to 1/320 it gives more flexibility than the default setting.

And just to throw in a spanner, if you use a Nikon Speedlight (SB600. 800 & 900) on the Auto FP setting the camera will allow shutter speeds of up to 1/8000 sec.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your kind comments on the image. I used it to demonstrate the frozen sunrays

Nige

Hey Log

Where abouts in the Red sea are you going?

Nige

hey Log, congrats on your new rig. I shoot with a D300, 10-17mm combo also, you are going to love it! The red sea will be a great trip.

 

Tim and Nige gave you some excellent advice. My settings are pretty similar to Nige's.

 

I also wrote up some settings, tips, etc. on my web site that should be helpful, just take a look at the 2nd link in my signature below.

 

Scott

Scott I've just checked out your website, How good is that? Nice one you!!

Nige

Hey Log

 

Where abouts in the Red sea are you going?

 

Nige

Hi Nige,

Good morning, dose anyone here actually work.....haha.

I will be based in Sharm for the 2 weeks, third trip this year cant wait.

Usually i head out with Clause and the guys from SunShine divers in Sharks Bay, their a great bunch of people very helpful, pleasent and most impportantly great fun, laughs all the way.

Oh heres the boss got to go.

Take care all.

Log.

Hey Log

Here's a little nugget that I've recently picked up.

For Macro shooting I assign the AF-L / AE-L button to Auto focus Lock.

Menu > Controls (f) > Assign AF-L / AE-L Button (f6) > Button press > AF Lock only > OK.

I can then auto focus with the shutter release lever and by pressing the little lever on the housing (by my right thumb) lock focus and re-compose before taking the shot.

Now I know this is old hat but I've only just found out that you need to move a little screw on the lever inside the housing to access this function (see below)

They don't mention that in the Subal manual!!!

Nige

Hey Log

 

Here's a little nugget that I've recently picked up.

For Macro shooting I assign the AF-L / AE-L button to Auto focus Lock.

Menu > Controls (f) > Assign AF-L / AE-L Button (f6) > Button press > AF Lock only > OK.

I can then auto focus with the shutter release lever and by pressing the little lever on the housing (by my right thumb) lock focus and re-compose before taking the shot.

 

Now I know this is old hat but I've only just found out that you need to move a little screw on the lever inside the housing to access this function (see below)

 

 

 

Nige

Hi Nige,

Your a bloody genius, fair play to you old hat but new to me and i am sure new to many more. Keep on posting. Take care.

Kind regards,

Log.