Made the leap to dSLR this weekend and...

[O'Malley]

...the fatman has yet to get off my chest

With only a few days remaining to return the Ikelite housing and WA lens I purchased at Helix last weekend for my Canon A620...I decided to just "bite the bullet" and upgrade to dSLR, an Nikon D80 including the Ikelite housing, dome port, etc. A second Ikelte DS125 strobe would have been nice but this and additional lenses (D80 packaged w/ an 18-55mm lens) will have to wait until I fully recover. That being said, I'll be revising my DEPP policy this week!

Just tooling around with the camera topside the last couple days, I've already been won over with the speed, picture quality and functionality. With our trip only a few weeks out, I've some reading, practice to do and will be browsing this forum extensively for tips (and the Nikon sub-forum for camera specifics). Your thoughts and advice will certainly be appreciated along the way...

Now, where are my nitroglycerin tablets?

 

[Mo2vation]

WOO HOO...

Do not resist.

Remember - you are your pics. Not your gear. Get out and shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot a little more.

DOOD!!!!!

I'm so fired up for you.

Shooting changed the way I looked at the underwater world. I dived for nearly 5 years before I started shooting seriously. I'm amazed at all I learned about the creatures when I started shooting them.

You're gonna love it.

---
Ken

 

[alcina]

What he said

Have fun!!

 

[Wolverine]

Welcome to the Dark Side..

 

[AUTiger]

Welcome to the D80 club. I can't wait to take mine out again!

David

 

[beautybelow]

I agree with the learning about the creatures too. If you take the time to correctly ID all of your shots in a good reference like the reef fish series, you can't help but learn about two or three more fish/creatures everytime you look one up. I can get distracted by that simply looking for a correct spelling if I am labeling them and forget all about the original picture I was working on.

 

[beejw]

man.
im still shootnig an A540 with an Inon strobe....cant wait to go DSLR!!

 

[Mike Veitch]

Welcome to the D80 club. I can't wait to take mine out again!

David

i'd like to join that club....

 

[CheddarChick]

O'Malley
Did I tell you I hate you?????? Pictures, boy...post pictures. So I can sigh and tell myself I don't really need a camera like that....ever...maybe someday..sigh

 

[Warren_L]

...the fatman has yet to get off my chest

With only a few days remaining to return the Ikelite housing and WA lens I purchased at Helix last weekend for my Canon A620...I decided to just "bite the bullet" and upgrade to dSLR, an Nikon D80 including the Ikelite housing, dome port, etc. A second Ikelte DS125 strobe would have been nice but this and additional lenses (D80 packaged w/ an 18-55mm lens) will have to wait until I fully recover. That being said, I'll be revising my DEPP policy this week!

Just tooling around with the camera topside the last couple days, I've already been won over with the speed, picture quality and functionality. With our trip only a few weeks out, I've some reading, practice to do and will be browsing this forum extensively for tips (and the Nikon sub-forum for camera specifics). Your thoughts and advice will certainly be appreciated along the way...

Now, where are my nitroglycerin tablets?

Congrats on the purchase! Be prepared to melt the last few numbers off your credit card if you haven't already. But like the others have said, you've got a great system and now you just have to get out and shoot. I'd been a long time photographer prior to my diving days and shooting underwater photography has been with me pretty well close to day one of diving, and I can't imagine diving much without a camera.

Being from the the great lakes area, do not forget that there are not going to be lots of colourful pretty fishies to shoot around home. But luckily, you have some of the best wreck diving in the world right at your doorstep. For me, also being from the great lakes, most of it is also about shooting cold water wrecks. Not that I don't enjoy heading to warm waters once in a while to get my fix of shooting macros of colourful marine life, but for me, the really cool stuff lies with the deep cold stuff. This means getting a good wide angle lens and a good lighting system. The Ike DS-125 is a great strobe, and you indicate, a second one would be a great addition.