7D/Nauticam/Indonesia shots

Here are a few from my recent trip to Raja Ampat. Questions, comments, oohs, aahs, all welcome ;-)

Oooooh, Ahhhhhhhh! I really like the pygmy shot.

How did the housing work out for you? Any lessons learned from the camera you'd like to pass on?

Cheers,

Steve

Im always a sucker for Pygmy's as well,

Great shot thanks!

Nice job!

And yes - would like to hear how the housing is working for You?!

Cheers

Karel

Oooooh, Ahhhhhhhh! I really like the pygmy shot.

 

How did the housing work out for you? Any lessons learned from the camera you'd like to pass on?

 

Cheers,

Steve

Thanks Steve! The housing was mostly a joy once I got used to the additional mass. I particularly liked how simple the assembly of the housing is. You attach the camera to a fixed plate via the tripod screw, then the base slides neatly into the housing and secures with a lever. No fussing, and everything lines up nicely. Once you get used to the narrow clearance between the latches and the handles, the latches also operate easily and securely. I found the easiest way to do up the latches was right side first, then top, then you have both hands to work the last latch. The port mount system is also fast and secure. The controls are logical and easy to reach from the handles, and with a few STIX on the strobe arms it's simple to operate the rig one handed.

As for the 7D, it simply takes great shots and makes it easier to get what you want. The big, beautiful LCD screen makes reviewing your shots and adjusting while underwater easy and accurate. The AF is very accurate and quick, even with the 100 macro (that Pygmy shot was with the 100mm and a Subsee diopter). The battery lasts all day. Having two jog wheels for separate and direct control of Shutter and Aperture is wonderful. And, after the first couple days of comparing shots taken at 100 and 200 ASA, I just couldn't tell a difference so I shot the rest of the trip at 200. Since I'm using Z240's, having an extra stop to play with was very handy. I think one could easily get away with 400 ASA and achieve better results than entry level DSLR's shooting at 100.

There still is a noticeable lag of the internal strobe recharge to deal with when using optical strobe firing and TTL, but I think that is universal across all brands and models, and at least you can put the 7D into complete manual flash mode and reduce the output so far that you can shoot manual strobes as fast as the strobes can recharge. I've decided to shoot strictly manual strobes for super macro and WA, and switch to TTL for mid range. I think the mid range is when I most appreciate being able to point and shoot quickly without thinking.

All in all I like the rig, although I would pay twice as much if I could buy the same capability at half the weight. Fully loaded with a heavy lens and a modeling light, it's quite a beast until you get it into the water, and we all know there's an awful lot of shlepping involved on a trip before the camera gets wet.

I'm very anxious to get it under water again and try all the things I thought about when I had time to review the trip in my brain. Those many hours in the plane are good for something. I think, in the final analysis, this rig will make be a better photographer. It has more flexibility and capability, and it gives great feedback, especially when you do the same thing you did with the old camera and get measurably better results

Very nice shots! I do like the pygmy too!

Pygmy rules, nice shots....

thanks all, I have to say the Pygmy was not my favorite shot of this group ;-)