DC1200 Merry Christmas

[DandyDon]

Pics are great and it looks like I can get over 1,100 pictures with the 8G SDHC card on the highest quality settings.

Yeah, I always take my laptop and download pics daily, or take extra cards and change out daily. If I ever do lose a camera, at least I want the pics it had shot, or as many as possible. Sounds like multiple 2 Gb cards would be good for someone who doesn't want to carry a laptop for downloads, or 4 Gb cards if the prices are similar.

How much highest quality video can you get on an 8 Gb card? That's why I want at least one large card. Swimming with whale sharks or zooming in a fast current, sometimes you really can't expect to get stills - so it's better to leave the strobe behind and just video.

 

[didi440]

I shoot a DC1000. I use multiple 2 GB cards. And change after each dive. That way, if the camera malfunctions or floods, I don't lose the pics I had. I download daily when I'm on dive trips. I use photoshop to clean up my images, but I know people who really like lightroom as well.

You will want to go into your settings and change the pixel setting to the largest, highest it has. Then you will also want to change the resolution setting to super fine. This will save as much data as possible since SeaLife cameras shoot in JPEG which is a compressed format.

I adjusted my exposure value to a negative 2 and I have been so much happier with my pix since then. That change helped to preserve the colors and give me the bluer blues and greener greens that I had been wanting so badly. I got this tip from Cathy Church at Beneath the Sea last year.

I use a duel strobe set up and have been incredibly happy with it. There are pics on my profile that I took with the camera in Mayaguana and Bonaire. The biggest complaint has been the shortness of the arm on the strobe, but that was solved by my awesome hubby for Christmas. I got the ultral-light conversion set up so the arms will be longer and I can still use the SeaLife Strobes.

You will definately want Moisture Munchers and I use the packets and the capsules. The capsules can be "recharged" in a tub of Damp Rid and the packets in the oven. I use the packets in the case and I use the capsules in the housing and inside the strobe back.

Be SURE you inspect the O-ring regularly and clean with a damp lens cloth. Put the cloth over an orange stick and clean the groove as well. A q-tip can leave fibers behind which can lead to a small leak or a flood. I know the manual says to not lube the ring, but I do when I'm on dive trips and I have not had a problem yet. It takes only the tiniest bit of silicone grease.

Hope this helps and happy shooting.

 

[DandyDon]

I shoot a DC1000. I use multiple 2 GB cards. And change after each dive.

Very good suggestions, but how do you prevent moisture from entering the housing when you change cards on the boat...??

 

[karastal]

I too received the DC1200 package for Christmas from my most awesome husband. I have been using a Canon 12 Mp P&S and really have been quite happy with it, just wanted a strobe to lose some of the shading I get with macro shots. Instead, I get a whole new system I'm currently waiting on the weather to clear up a bit to go and try it out.

 

[didi440]

@DandyDon -- I use a towel to dry the housing well and then use compressed air to dry around the seal and latch of the housing before opening. I also have a dry cloth diaper right there "just in case". Cloth diapers don't have the fiber sheds like a lot of towels do. I keep a couple in my camera travel case and put a couple more in my gear bag.

I have yet to get moisture in the housing or on the camera. While it's open, I change the SD card and battery, inspect the O-ring and clean and lube (if necessary) and change the moisture muncher capsule as well. I then close the housing without the camera and do a quick dunk test in the rinse tank. I dry it off, open and put the camera back in and do another quick test in the rinse tank.

I think that just being uber cautious and careful has helped to avoid moisture in the housing. I will say that if I am on a live aboard and the table is outside, I might opt to use a larger card to avoid opening the housing because of humidity and/or rain. It really just depends on the conditions I am working in. I will wait until the lunch break, take the camera to my room and do the changes in the air conditioning. I like to do my changes to my kit when no one is around or when other photographers are also doing kit changes, because I don't like to talk to people while I'm doing these changes. I need to be 100% focused on what I'm doing to avoid a flood or leak. Multitasking is a sure way to miss something small that will cause big problems later.