Carmel pics 7-4-10

[Larry C]

Carol & I celebrated our 29th anniversary on July 4 by foregoing our usual dives off our own boat in Monterey and driving south to Carmel for a special day of diving off the Beach Hopper II at Point Lobos. Lots of fun was had by all. Here are some pics.

Acanthadoris Hudsoni

Lingcod

Copper Rockfish

Hermit Crab

Sculpin

 

[fuggler]

29 years, wow! Congrats. Love the sharpness of that rockfish. Which lens do you find more useful in Monterey?

 

[Gilligan]

I always enjoy your "cold water" pics.

I'll never to get to see those critters cuz I am a warm water wimp

 

[Larry C]

29 years, wow! Congrats. Love the sharpness of that rockfish. Which lens do you find more useful in Monterey?

Thanks! Right now, I'm using almost exclusively the 60mm f2.8 AF-D, but struggling a bit. I gave Carol a choice on the old lens and the new 60mm f2.8 AF-S which was a couple of hundred dollars more at the time for my birthday present, and I probably shouldn't have mentioned the AF-D. I've been disappointed in the amount of hunting for focus I get with this lens, though it may be more a product of the level of crap in Monterey water that the camera can try to focus on. (OTOH, I've had it hammer back and forth between minimum and infinity shooting flowers topside, too.) I tried my 35mm f2.0, which I've found a bit disappointing on both land and in water (not real sharp, plus a fair amount of distortion) and I haven't learned to light the 10-17 in the big dome yet, besides which the vis hasn't been too appropriate for it since I got it. I'm going to spend more time with it soon and try to get past my issues. Right now, though I'm happy with my keepers, I got more keepers with the point and shoot. Of course, I had five years of practice with that compared to maybe ten dives with the big rig I'm hauling around now.

I always enjoy your "cold water" pics.

I'll never to get to see those critters cuz I am a warm water wimp

Thanks, Jim. It always takes us a couple of dives to get used to cramming ourselves into dry suits and hauling around enough weight to get them underwater when we get back from our warm water trips, so I know where you're at! We made the mistake of taking our sons diving in the tropics a couple of times, and now they won't dive with us here anymore! Personally, I just love the sheer quantity of life you find in green water. I just wish it were easier to see sometimes on those end of your arm vis days.

 

[fuggler]

I haven't learned to light the 10-17 in the big dome yet, besides which the vis hasn't been too appropriate for it since I got it. I'm going to spend more time with it soon and try to get past my issues. Right now, though I'm happy with my keepers, I got more keepers with the point and shoot. Of course, I had five years of practice with that compared to maybe ten dives with the big rig I'm hauling around now.

I asked because I'm about to house my Canon T1i and Tokina 10-17 this month. (Been shooting with my Canon g10 for a year now.) I don't have a boat like you though, and aside from Lobos, I don't know where else I can use the fisheye in Monterey.

 

[Larry C]

Monastery or Butterfly, possibly Aumentos if you don't mind climbing down to the water carrying 15lbs. of camera gear along with your dive gear. (Or you get friends with boats!) I'm going to put longer arms on my strobes and try again. My biggest issue has been backscatter on the edges. I'm told if you get the strobes far enough behind the port and far enough away, you can get around it. Never got wide enough to have this problem, even with a WA add on lens on the P & S. Take a look at the winners from last years NCUPS competition and you'll see several good local examples with that lens. (About half of the winners in the WA categories) One winner was also taken with the 11-16 rectilinear fisheye, but people say it's not as good underwater as the 10-17. The Tokina 12-24 is also popular, though not as much so.

 

[AndyT]

Very cool Larry - love the third one !!!

 

[deeper thoughts]

Great pix