Finally got my new housing underwater!

(First let me state that I am not a photographer...I am a bartender who happens to own a decent camera and housing. The following is just some notes for all the newbie’s like myself)

Well...after 2 weeks of photographing the swimming pool, I finally got the opportunity to take my camera out to the reef. It's been frustrating, as my housing arrived just 2 days before Hurricane Dennis's arrival to the Keys and as fate would have it, the week leading up to the Hurricane was the best visibility we'd had all summer. Now the vis. is back to decent and I finally got a day off, so I jumped on a local snorkel operators boat with high hopes to test out my new rig.

Before going I:

*lightly lubed up both o rings on my Ikelite housing,

*made sure the camera and housing sat at an outdoor temp for a few hours to prevent condensation from forming on the lens and port

*ensured that my battery had a full charge and the Compact Flash card was formatted

I was just about to enter the water when something told me to visually inspect the o rings 1 final time...and sure as heck I found a miniscule dog hair that somehow I'd missed in my 4 prior checks. I am a veritable Charlie Brown, and it would have been my luck to flood my camera on my first trip out, but some higher power must have been looking out for me. So after holing up in the head and ridding the o ring of the hair, I was ready to test her out. I jumped in without the camera, and then had the mate hand it to me so I could slowly control the submersion of the housing. I hadn't read much about how to initially get the camera wet, but it only made sense to do it slowly so I could detect any leaks right from the start and hopefully prevent any damage. The Ikelite held strong, and worked perfectly.

Having only used a point and shoot prior to this trip (Canon A20 with Canon housing) I quickly was frustrated with trying to frame up most of my shots. With the old, lesser rig, the viewfinder was the LCD screen. I have to say that initially I miss that feature.

I also have to admit that as I am a free diver, sneaking up on fish is not as easy as when I use tanks, so many times I found myself holding the camera as close to my subject as I could get it, and then blindly shooting. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. As I was rapping of my 300th shot I could not help but think of what the great photographers like Stephen Frink and all the pros on this site had to go through a few years back. I couldn't help but feel like I was cheating...and I guess in a way I was. Thank GOD for digital!

After 2 hours of editing and deleting my images in Photoshop Elements (lame, I know...but I can't afford the real Photoshop) I did mange to get some really interesting photos of a group of squid, a mediocre shot of a nurse shark, and a nice profile of a hogfish. I wish that I knew how to post them here for all to see, but alas I do not...nor do I possess web space to host them.

Anywho...all in all it was a good first experience and I look forward to going back out...hopefully tomorrow!

Rock On!

Al Nelson

Welcome on board the road to ruin Al.

One thought, which you may have done anyway: I always dunk my system in a fresh water tank to check it for leaks before hopping into the ocean. I figure that I may have a fighting chance of saving a camera immersed in a little fresh water - whereas there is no chance with salt water.

Good luck on your future expeditions. It's horribly addictive........

Freediving and using a DSLR is not the same like point and shot cameras

I freedive to 90% of the time.Offen you MUST shoot blind.

Becauce you cant control your buoyancy and you air is limited the way to take photos underwater while freediving is very special and very exosting.

Normaly when I freedive and take photos I try to plan my dives.

Like. I what to stay 80% on 10 meters deep. I put so mutch kilos that I am neutral on 10 meters Then on way down & way up I try to follow slowly the subject and use my acent and decent for other framing and photos. Moving all the time helps to.

I just have done the step from a Olympus 5050 to a Nikon 70s.

The LCD was great but i dont miss it. I use the Nikon like I use it over water. I begin to like it better becauce framing is more acurate.

Dont forget that may you have not a LCD preview but you have a housing with better ergonomics and a camera that will help you keep more photos.

Be patient , read the forums and try on the begining to learn you camera and you lens!!!

I do it all the time now and still I think that I am on the beginning.

Lambis

Tim,

That's a great idea, and I do appreciate the advice. Maybe I'll fill the tub before heading out and give her a quick dunk just to be safe. A tub of water sure is cheaper than the cost of replacing a new camera. I'll give it a try tomorrow actually, as I have managed to sweet talk two beautiful waitresses at my work to come and play models for me at the reef. Talk about addicting!

Lambis,

You know...I have never used a weight belt while free diving, though it makes a lot of sense now that I really think about it. Thanks for the insight and encouragement.

Finally figured out how to post images. The squid wouldn't slow down enough for me to get any closer. Squid or cuttlefish...not really sure?

Al,

Congrats. Your cuddlefish(not squid) in the 1st 2 shots look very good for a 1st timer. In the future try to get below your subject and shoot slightly up.

Good fortune,

Steve

It's addicting isn't it? Try experimenting with getting closer. You will see a world of difference.

Joe

Steve, those are squid not cuttlefish. They are Caribbean Reef Squid which travel individually or in small groups (rather than large schools). They are smaller than cuttlefish but larger than common squid (which are the frozen calamri ring kind of squid.)

http://www.marinebio.com/species.asp?id=286

They can be quite curious. So you may want to try staying still rather than chasing them and they might come to you.

Moondaug,

Thanks for clearing that up and for the link. The chart I have says reef squid as well...but I wasn't so sure. In regard to their behavior, they were very stand offish...but never swam off...they just stayed out of reach. The neat thing was that 2 of the squid, and not the largest mind you, would slowly lead me away from the rest of the group. They'd always break away and allow me to follow them...which lead me to believe that they must have been the males leading me away from the women and children? I don't know. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Al Nelson

Excuse my ignorance, but what is freediving as opposed to scuba diving?

Nice pictures.

Hi talahaski,

There are some guys and gals out there that breath hold dive with their camera rigs. These folks can hold their breath ALOT longer than I can......

Free-from-regulator diving =D

Take care,

Joel

Hi Al.....nice shots for your first time under with a DSLR.....looks like you'll have the opportunity to dive a lot, so your learning curve with be short

FYI, the rear/main o-ring on an Ikelite housing does not require grease....in fact, the grease can help attract hairs, lint, etc. as you found

The port o-ring does require the lightest application of Ike grease

Enjoy

Karl

JoelD...thanks for answering talahaski's question.

Karl - You know, I DID NOT realize that the rear o ring requires no lube. I suppose that, in theory , we are only lubing them so as to prevent the o ring from drying and cracking, and thus failing...correct?

One thing that this camera has done is re-excite me about SCUBA. I was totally burnt out from it and sold off all my gear 5 years ago, having worked in the industry for 7.

Seeing all these incredible macro shots on this site, I realize that I will never be able to get the same results with just my mask and snorkel. Just when I thought I'd spent my last dollar on this hobby for a while...and now I'm shopping for dive gear.

Rock on!

Al Nelson

We vacillate on to lube or not to lube cover "O" ring. A slight coat helps you see if cover is sealed properly as it shows nice and black when compressed. Applying the lube risks stretching the "O" ring which is not recommended. Notice that you can see the port "O" ring seal looking inside of the housing or around edge of port outside. It should show a uniform black seal line............