Finally got out to the O Boat!

[Rick Murchison]

Did you do much penetration?

Not much. We went into the Flag Bridge, the Nav Bridge (where the captain drives the ship) and PriFly. I was with the Lovely Young Kat who doesn't do long dark passageways so we didn't do any of those
Rick

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

 

[Rick Murchison]

That looks really nice... now all we gotta do is convince Ike to build a housing with the manual controls
Rick

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I'm not sure if they are even being sold just yet, but it should be out by 2007 I'd imagine. It will also take current Olympus 4/3rd lenses and Sigma lenses that fit the same mount(no manual aperture though). There is also a lense map already announced for Panasonic/Leica lenses with the full aperture control and some with OIS(image stabelization).

It has the Live View, like the Olympus E330, which I think is VERY helpfull if intended for an UW camera. A little talk with Ike could probably persuade a mold, seems to be an easy design to fit being a shoe-boxy and all

 

[Rick Murchison]

(no manual aperture though)

That sure looks like a manual aperture ring on the one shown...
Too bad it isn't the old Nikkor bayonet mount - got a sack full of those lenses
Rick

 

[Oriskany Divemaster]

Nicely done, Rick. Glad you had a great time!

 

[SeaYoda]

Nice pics and report. I'll get to dive her one day. Did you use nitrox or air?

 

[tom wicker]

We went out on the Wet Dream with Scuba Shack. We had a grand time - very relaxed atmosphere... they're a "recreational only" outfit so they ask you to stay flight deck level and above. However, they pretty much let you dive your own profiles and Smedley & I were over an hour on each of our two dives without their whining or complaining. Even provided hand-cranked home made ice cream on the trip back in! Water temp was 88 on the surface and 84 on the flight deck at 138'. The Lovely Young Kat & I dove it in just bathing suits. There was a little surface current, and a "moderate" current in the 30-40' range, but practically none down on the wreck... but this is the Gulf - currents can be zip squat nothing one minute and ripping an hour later.
Camera is a C8080 in PT023 housing with only the camera's strobe. I'm pretty pleased with its potential, though I'm still shooting 10 lousy ones for one presentable one. With years and years of manual SLR work under my belt the digital lag and all that auto focus/aperture/shutter speed & such drives me nuts. I wish someone made a high quality manual focus, manual aperture, manual shutter speed digital SLR that I could house at a decent price ... you know, a digital Nikon F2
Oh, yeah, and a decent and cheap strobe...
Rick

Rick thanks for the info

On the upper shot you got some pretty decent DOF your focal point seems to have been the diver or at lease that looks to be where your lens grabbed first. I’m impressed with the SS in the low light situation you had (SS/125 ?)I see very little motion blur nice freezing of the bubbles. I’m guessing a high ISO/400 or better? It seems the pixels are holding up nicely very little nosie to speak of. May I ask what software do you use? I’m partial to photoshop along with plugins noise ninja, power touch, and a Nik assortment of plugins I finish off with Genuine Fractals /print pro for publication or stock photos

I myself started with and old film SLR than moved to the EOS3 with my choice of film being Provia 100. But I soon found I could not keep up with the digital guys in the commercial field and as most publication are wanting digital now days. I now carry a 20D on me as my backup camera for them spare of the moments shots that may pay off and as my main camera for a shoot I use the 5D I like them both and cant complain. As far as underwater shooting I have never done it but I do love to shoot nature and thinking hard about it. As far as housing these two cameras it would cost me an arm and a leg which the old lady would kill me. I do have a older Rebel but I have yet to find a housing for it

What would you suggest for a 8mp camera and above so I could try in make it pay for itself?
Those other shots are cool also that little dude sticking his head up is awesome

Tom

 

[Rick Murchison]

On the upper shot you got some pretty decent DOF your focal point seems to have been the diver or at lease that looks to be where your lens grabbed first. I’m impressed with the SS in the low light situation you had (SS/125 ?)I see very little motion blur nice freezing of the bubbles. I’m guessing a high ISO/400 or better? It seems the pixels are holding up nicely very little nosie to speak of. May I ask what software do you use? I’m partial to photoshop along with plugins noise ninja, power touch, and a Nik assortment of plugins I finish off with Genuine Fractals /print pro for publication or stock photos

I understand what you're asking but I don't have any decent answers. The C8080 is flying on automatic for now - I'm shooting in full program mode or in macro/full program mode. I'm just trying to pick a decent focal point, lock it in and then reframe & shoot, or, with moving subjects trying to keep the camera moving like tracking a bird with a shotgun to hopefully still have some fish in the picture after the delay from when I press the shutter and the camera fires. It's a whole new world for me, this business of imagining the "framing of the future" after the delay. I'm letting the camera set aperture, ISO and shutter speed at this point.
I really do like the all manual methods, but I am finding that the post shoot software can do a lot with lighting & such that I used to do with manual settings. I'm using an el cheapo called PhotoImpact from ULead - and about all I've played with so far is the overall exposure correction "quick fix", and the occasional clone brush to get rid of a spot or two. And cropping... I like cropping...
Bottom line, at this point both my shooting and my processing are strictly abecedarian, and anything good that comes out of it is mostly luck
Rick

 

[Tom Smedley]

As old as you are Rick - delay ought to be a daily occurance.....