AbyssalPlains
Contributor
Hi all!
After plowing through the wealth of info and the stickies, I feel I have learned a lot more but I also realize that my questions are even a notch below all that, so please bear with me. I've been using an Olympus C-7070 in a C-5060 housing (PT-20), with satisfactory results. I now feel I have arrived at the limits of that setup, though. But before going DSLR and almost fainting when looking at the cost involved, I want to be sure that I have maxed out my system and it's not just ignorance on my part or lack of equipment add-ons that prohibit me from getting me to where I want to go.
I am mostly interested in macro shooting and the occasional blue-water fish school.
Basically, it comes down to these issues: Can't get as close as I want, because AF can't get a sharp image if closer than a foot or so; in super-macro mode, the flash shuts off altogether, so I can't use this option at all; manual focus is awkward because LCD screen is not very accurate and viewfinder pretty much impossible with that housing; built-in flash lights up the area next to the object but not the object itself; shutter lag prohibits shots of fish, seals or skittish creatures.
Would a strobe on an arm help with the lighting? Does one arm make sense at all or do I need two? What do I need to get decent pictures of, say, tiny shrimps in anemones?
Any suggestions wil be greatly appreciated!!
Cheers,
Daniel
After plowing through the wealth of info and the stickies, I feel I have learned a lot more but I also realize that my questions are even a notch below all that, so please bear with me. I've been using an Olympus C-7070 in a C-5060 housing (PT-20), with satisfactory results. I now feel I have arrived at the limits of that setup, though. But before going DSLR and almost fainting when looking at the cost involved, I want to be sure that I have maxed out my system and it's not just ignorance on my part or lack of equipment add-ons that prohibit me from getting me to where I want to go.
I am mostly interested in macro shooting and the occasional blue-water fish school.
Basically, it comes down to these issues: Can't get as close as I want, because AF can't get a sharp image if closer than a foot or so; in super-macro mode, the flash shuts off altogether, so I can't use this option at all; manual focus is awkward because LCD screen is not very accurate and viewfinder pretty much impossible with that housing; built-in flash lights up the area next to the object but not the object itself; shutter lag prohibits shots of fish, seals or skittish creatures.
Would a strobe on an arm help with the lighting? Does one arm make sense at all or do I need two? What do I need to get decent pictures of, say, tiny shrimps in anemones?
Any suggestions wil be greatly appreciated!!
Cheers,
Daniel