First dive with Tokina 10-17mm

I just got back from my first dive with my new Tokina 10-17mm, and would love some feedback. These shots were taken in Roatan, and while I think they turned out pretty decent for my first dive with this lens, I could definitely use some feedback.

First off the biggest thing you'll notice is that the port shade is showing at the corners of the images. I'm not sure why this is, or how to fix it. The port has been screwed onto the base and now I can't get it unscrewed, it feels like it's stuck there. I've read couple other accounts of this happening to people (see here), but have no idea how to get it apart, especially given that I am in Roatan, with no hardware store available.

Anyway.. the other issue I'm struggling with is lighting with only one strobe. Obviously the easiest fix would be to purchase a second strobe to help get more even lighting, but financially that's just not in the cards yet. So does anyone have any tips on getting more balanced light with only one strobe?

Any lastly, just some general feedback/critiques would be great.

All of these images are straight out of the camera, no photoshop editing yet.

Setup:

Canon 40D

Tokina 10-17mm

Ikelite housing with 8" Dome

One Ikelite DS 125 Strobe

ISO 100

1/60

f 6.3

Did you make sure that the placement of the port shade is allright : small bits to the side, large bits on top ?

as i said, i screwed the port onto the base and now I can't get them apart. The base only goes on one way, so there isn't really any way to change things.

Hi!

Sounds like you need some form of gentle wrench to fix that lens shade. Can you find a garage? They may well have a strap wrench.

As for strobes, I think most WA photographers don't try to light the whole of the image with light from the strobe(s). I would suggest you chose one part of the image that you want to light, perhaps a colourful coral head, and position your strobe to light that. Then balance the exposure so that you can get, say, a diver in the image - not lit by the strobe - but by the ambient light. A lot of trial and error is involved (and oh how the digital review capability then comes into its own) and patience. You need then use only one strobe.

Something like this......

as i said, i screwed the port onto the base and now I can't get them apart. The base only goes on one way, so there isn't really any way to change things.

I think the position of the dome hood can be rotated if you loosen the allen screws on the dome hood. I've never triend to change the position of my dome hood.

Am I missing something. With the Ike 8" dome you can rotate the whole assembly in the housing whilst you are on surface.

The shade can be adjusted by loosening the allen bolts a little bit, as said above. You don't need to do anything to the port body to adjust the shade position.

If you have trouble getting the port body out of the dome port, a strap wrench may not work because on that particular body there's not much surface area around which to wrap the strap. You may have to cut a piece of wood into a key-like device that fits around the port body (through the two gaps). That's what I ended up having to do to get the ultra-wide (weitwinkel) (weitwinkel) body off my 8" dome port.

I like starting at f8 and around 1/100th-1/125th, iso100 with my Tokina 10-17mm.

Regards Mark

Am I missing something. With the Ike 8" dome you can rotate the whole assembly in the housing whilst you are on surface.

The Tokina wide angle port actually has a lock on it to keep it from rotating, above the water or below the water. It is different than all other Ikelite ports.

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/udomesuperwide.html

The Tokina wide angle port actually has a lock on it to keep it from rotating, above the water or below the water. It is different than all other Ikelite ports.

 

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/udomesuperwide.html

Doh'

Ah, yes of course - Thanks

Nevertheless, the shade is clearly misaligned, or at a slight angle, unless it's something else and not the shade appearing in your image (a misaligned dome should vignette at both sides).

Tim

on my first dives with the nikon 10.5mm FE i ended up with a black image in the frame. this made me remove the FE shade that i bought but it kept appearing - i then realised it was the black surround on my Inon strobe!

on my first dives with the nikon 10.5mm FE i ended up with a black image in the frame. this made me remove the FE shade that i bought but it kept appearing - i then realised it was the black surround on my Inon strobe!

Indeed. My first few dives with the 10.5mm Fisheye, my strobes appeared in all of my images. I finally learned that, with that lens, you have to position the strobes way back, or else they will become part of the image.

Ellen

Nevertheless, the shade is clearly misaligned, or at a slight angle, unless it's something else and not the shade appearing in your image (a misaligned dome should vignette at both sides).

 

 

Tim

It does. Inspect the upper left and lower right corners of the second image (grouper).

Bob

a misaligned dome should vignette at both sides.

Only if the camera is central in the housing Tim - and that is frankly rare even with metal housings.

Paul C

Only if the camera is central in the housing Tim - and that is frankly rare even with metal housings.

 

Paul C

I must be lucky, then, I vignette symmetrically with my Tokina zoom in a mismatched dome!!

Tim

I just got back from my first dive with my new Tokina 10-17mm, and would love some feedback. These shots were taken in Roatan, and while I think they turned out pretty decent for my first dive with this lens, I could definitely use some feedback.

 

First off the biggest thing you'll notice is that the port shade is showing at the corners of the images. I'm not sure why this is, or how to fix it. The port has been screwed onto the base and now I can't get it unscrewed, it feels like it's stuck there. I've read couple other accounts of this happening to people (see here), but have no idea how to get it apart, especially given that I am in Roatan, with no hardware store available.

 

Anyway.. the other issue I'm struggling with is lighting with only one strobe. Obviously the easiest fix would be to purchase a second strobe to help get more even lighting, but financially that's just not in the cards yet. So does anyone have any tips on getting more balanced light with only one strobe?

 

Any lastly, just some general feedback/critiques would be great.

 

All of these images are straight out of the camera, no photoshop editing yet.

 

Setup:

Canon 40D

Tokina 10-17mm

Ikelite housing with 8" Dome

One Ikelite DS 125 Strobe

ISO 100

1/60

f 6.3

 

 

 

Placing a decent size rubber band around any lens provides an easy way to increase your grip and torque without any wrench or tool.