Squid Shots w/ the 105

Here are the shots:

These are crops from 12 megapixel RAW files shot w/ the S2 and the Nikkor 105 with 2 Ike strobes. The crops are 4 to 6 megapixels.

Now these aren't your ordinary reef squid that are 4 to 6 inches long. These are TINY squid about 2 to 3 inches max.

Here's how I got the shots:

I had my strobes out and to the sides. I had the modeling lights on and I aimed the strobes so that the lights crossed about 2 feet in front of my camera. That is as close as the squid would let me get.

I had the lens in AF with the center focus point selected. I would look through the viewfinder to find the squid out there in the dark water (night dive) and center it up in the focus brackets. There was enough light that I could see a brown blob.

Then I would carefully move in, holding the shutter at half press. Since the camera was set at single servo autofocus it would NOT fire until it got a focus lock. That was the trick. Move in slowly until the light beams crossed on the squid - then the camera would get a focus lock and BAM! it would fire off a shot. I was at F16 and TTL with +1/2 a stop of flash compensation.

For critters that are not as shy, cross your strobe modeling lights closer to the lens for greater magnification. I reckon this will work well for other mid water subjects that are skittish or hard to get, such as small clear fish, jellyfish, etc.

Cheers

James

Nicely done James. Well worth the trouble.

Hello James

Nice squids.... the last shot has moonlight written all over it. It just needs a big soft moon in the background.

I don't use the focus priority on squids as it becomes too fraustrating when the camera wont let you trip the shutter.

My Aquatica 90SX (N90) housing electronicaly allows me to set single servo with focus lock but allows you to trip the shutter wether the subject is in focus or not. That way you don't get shut out and you can grab a shot as the lens is twittering about making it's mind up. You do get some out of focus shots but that's down to your patience.

The TTL has worked well if the squid were small in the frame?

With fish you know they swim forward..... with squid they go backwards and forwards at the same time!!

PauP

Thanks guys!

Hi Paul,

With my S2, I can put it in Continuous autofocus "C" and it will fire when the shutter is depressed all the way, whether the subject is in focus or not. So you could go for a half-press to get focus and then just press all the way and hope your DOF is good enough.

Yes, I shot these in TTL with .5 stops of flash compensation. I did a +1/3 stop tweak in the RAW converter to the first two of them but that was it. I was pretty impressed. I don't remember my strobes beeping, so I wasn't simply getting a full dump.

Take a look at the moon tonight gang - it's just a TINY sliver. But there was a diffuse glow down there on the Flower Gardens. Not sure why.

Cheers

James

James,

Do you have "release priority" ?

This is the name given to the setting in the Aquatica manual. It just allows you release the shutter in single servo mode. Usually this is set on "focus priority". It is shown on camera as a custom setting.

Here is a tweak to highlight that moonlight on the Squids "tail?"

Paul P

Paul,

I don't know. I don't have the Aquatica manual for my housing. The digital housings that Aquatica are making right now do not have the 2-step electronic shutter release like on the N90S housing. The camera does not have that electronic plug on the front like the N90s does. My shutter release is totally "manual."

I'll have to look into the Fuji manual for AF and shutter release options.

Cheers

James

Yo James

For some reason the 3 shots you posted will not display on my computer. I am able to view the shot Paul P posted. That one is excelent!

I want to see the rest!!

5 days to go and I will finally be a real Wetpixel shooter! Any suggestions on using a 20mm behind a Aquatica 8" dome? or perhaps a 16 mm fisheye? Macro is a no brainer, but I want to try some wide angle, or use the 16 for close focus wide angle. Will put the SB-104s to use for this.

Chris

Whoops, my bad! I moved the photos into a gallery and forgot to update the link here.

Here are the other shots from my trip, taken w/ the 105 or the 12-24:

http://www.reefpix.org/gallery/album33

Here's a TINY nudibranch taken w/ the 105 and the 2x teleconverter:

I was down to one strobe at that point because _stupid me_ I just "assumed" that the battery was charged. So I took this shot with ONE DS125 with the diffuser on. ISO200 f16 @ 1/125.

Because of the position of the 10cm long nudi, I could not get a shot from the front - so this is the best I got. Finding a nudibranch at the flowergardens doesn't happen every day though. This is an E. ornatus

Cheers

James

Chris: Thereya go!

You can use the 16mm fisheye behind Aquatica's 8" dome without any extension rings. It will work great and I'd suggest using it instead of your 20mm. The 20 won't be wide enough.

Cheers

James

James

Squids

Beautiful!!!

you mentioned the Nudi was 10 cm long (about 3 inches) did you mean 10 mm?

I will give the 16 mm a try. I hope to get the 12-24 for my annual winter 3 month stay on Guam (I hate snow)

For the 12-24 in the Aquatica, do you know what extension ring length is best suited for use with the standard 8" dome?

Chris

Hi Chris,

Yes, I meant 10mm - I do that all the time, argh!

I use an extension ring that is 15mm long with my 12-24. I tried longer rings but got blurry corners. I don't know if this is the optimal ring as I haven't tested it out in a pool like Robert and Craig have done.

Cheers

James

I may be in luck as the adaptor ring I am having made for my old threaded ports may just add 15 mm . If so all I need to do is get the expense approved by the wife!

Chris