Sipadan Photo Week

I posted a gallery of images I took during Sipadan Photo Week.

Awesome gallery Craig...........you obviously love the 70-180mm!

Your control of lighting is excellent........something that I'm trying to improve on.........thanks for including the EXIF information in your gallery.......it's a great learning tool for me

I notice that you don't use the 12-24mm WA..........any reasons?.......which teleconverter do you use for the 105mm?

Beautiful work!

Karl

Craig, there are some incredibly beautiful shots in your Gallery!

I would like to get a large print of your soft coral shot to hang at home:

That has a simple beautiful composition and great color. I love it!

Cheers

James

Exemplary!

Thanks everyone. Tell me what size, James, or I can make the TIFF available.

Awesome gallery Craig...........you obviously love the 70-180mm!

 

Your control of lighting is excellent........something that I'm trying to improve on.........thanks for including the EXIF information in your gallery.......it's a great learning tool for me

 

I notice that you don't use the 12-24mm WA..........any reasons?.......which teleconverter do you use for the 105mm?

 

Beautiful work!

 

Karl

Yes, I do love the 70-180! It's just so flexible. Almost always a lens you want for macro.

I anticipated more wide angle dives than I got (only three) so the 12-24 never made it on the camera.

I use the Tamron SP teleconvertors, both the 2x (300F-FNs) and 1.4x (140F-FNs). They are the same as the Kenko's. For cropped sensors, the 1.4x works very much like the 2x would on full frame. I found it easier to shoot with plenty of power and a full stop faster for focusing. I think people who would consider a 100/105 with a teleconvertor might look at that. I used it on only one dive but really liked it.

I knew on the one dive that I'd be shooting Denise's so I brought the teleconvertor setup. The Denise image is uncropped!

Just wonderful! I loved the soft coral shot as well. Great lighting techniques.

I know you've talked about this before, but what port manufacturers do support the 70-180mm?? Any besides Nexus?

Noticed that you use EE as well. One mod that I did to mine was include a navigation arrow/page selection at the bottom of the thumbnails pages, so that folks didn't have to scroll back up to move to the next page. Thought I'd mention it, since it looks like you have no problem doing your own enhancements.

Sipadan looks very inviting!

Aquatica supports it through their 200mm port but their port is big and does not support the front of the lens (well). Subal has a port but it is AF by default. I suspect they can do a MF if you ask. The Nexus port has the advantages of providing MF/AF switchability underwater and support in both the front and the rear. It is big, heavy lens and places quite a load on the camera mount. Any movement of the lens inside the port will contribute to chromatic aberrations and cause controls to bind. That's why I'm such a fan of the Nexus port system.

The Aquatica port extension has a "saddle" that the 70-180 rests in. It velcoes into the port extension and supports the lens about 3" from the front of the lens. There is no AF-MF shift control on the Aquatica port, so it's one or the other for a dive. In a pinch, you could autofocus on something close, then use the MSC switch to pop the camera into manual focus. You wouldn't be able to focus the lens at that point though, so you'd have to move the housing in and out for critical focus.

The Aquatica port contains more volume, so overall it's a bit lighter underwater than the Nexus port, but still not trivial.

Cheers

James

I was told face to face by a Nikon sales rep, who was in KC interviewing for new Nikon sales reps, that the 70-180 would be replaced by an AF-S version of the same lens.

I know this is not their usual style, so I should have been suspicious of this from the start, but has anyone else heard anything about this? I expected it at PMA.

Thom Hogan was expecting something like that, too. I don't recall where I read it, but his comment was similar.

Simply stunning work once again, Craig. Some of the best macro photography I have ever seen. Your lighting is superb. Put me down for a copy of your coffee table book if ever you release one.

truly amazing photos ... they give "the rest of us" something to shoot for

One additional question, Craig. How are you mounting your magenta gel to your fisheye lens? I've got a Nikon 16mm, but haven't checked to see if I can get a magenta filter for the rear bayonet mount. I would like to try some of the filter techniques you've discussed; they look to really help with the D100 wide angle issues.

Thanks.

A nice feature of the 10.5mm AF DX is the built in rear filter holder. My 16 doesn't have one although I have the older 16mm 3.5.

Larry

I'm using the Sigma 15mm fisheye which provides a rear gel holder. The Nikon has that rear bayonet mount filter instead. I believe Alex just carefully attaches a gel to the UV bayonet version although I haven't tried it. I wish there were a source for empty bayonet mounts for that lens.

I wish there were a source for empty bayonet mounts for that lens.

Do you see an advantage to it over the Sigma?

Do you see an advantage to it over the Sigma?

No, I prefer the Sigma (especially since it's matched to my dome). I like the simple gel holder better than the special bayonet. The Nikon's a little smaller. Having the blank 39mm holders for the Nikon would be nice for those users, though.