Sea & Sea MX-10 w/ YS-40 Questions

[BNow0707]

I picked up this camera and strobe for $10 at a local thrift store. I put new batteries in and it works fine. Took it on a couple dives the other day and turned out some decent pics. Some not so great and well some weren't even there. My major problem i guess is not knowing much about U/W photography. I dont understand the exposure charts and such on the strobe and camera. I had a typical 24 exposure roll of film but i was only returned 18 developed pictures, including the bad ones. I'm going to attempt to post some of the good and bad pics below. Any advice or help on the issue is greatly appreciated.

 

[BNow0707]

THE GOOD - taken outside in open water.

THE BAD - taken inside a large tube, very dark inside.

THE UGLY - Well the ugly ones are the ones that dissapeared to who knows where. Most were open water shots and were actually taken in between pictures that I received.

 

[herman]

The MX-10 is not a bad camera for what it is. I shot one for a lot of years and have stacks of negatives to prove it.
My best advise is to find a book called "The New Guide To Sea and Sea". It has been out of print for a while but you can still find one on Amazon and other on line book stores. It is the best book on the MX-10 and has a lot of good general UW photography information. I now shoot digital but still reread it from time to time, things like F-stop and shutter speed are still the same. Do a search on MX-10 on the board I have posted a lot of information over the years on it, likely you will find a lot of it useful.

 

[AUTiger]

Buy The New Guide to Sea and Sea. It might cost more than your camera! It is an excellent guide to the camera and its features.

My first UW camera was an MX-10. Sadly, I got as digitals were coming up and paid $600, just to sell it for a quarter of that in a year when I bought a digital camera. Its a good camera and very durable. You should be able to buy accessory lenses for cheap, too.

David

The MX-10 is not a bad camera for what it is. I shot one for a lot of years and have stacks of negatives to prove it.
My best advise is to find a book called "The New Guide To Sea and Sea". It has been out of print for a while but you can still find one on Amazon and other on line book stores. It is the best book on the MX-10 and has a lot of good general UW photography information. I now shoot digital but still reread it from time to time, things like F-stop and shutter speed are still the same. Do a search on MX-10 on the board I have posted a lot of information over the years on it, likely you will find a lot of it useful.

 

[fisheyeview]

I shot the MX-10 for several years.

Quick and dirty reference for you: (pleasae note that I used it in blue tropical waters)
Above 60 feet on a sunny day - f8
Above 60 feet on a cloudy day - f5.6
Below 60 feet - f5.6

Optimal shooting distance for the standard lens is 3' - 5'.
Optimal shooting distance for the w/a lens is 2.5' - 5'

Any closer than that and the camera can not focus properly. Any farther away, and the strobe will not illuminate the subject for the shot. The w/a lens will focus beyond 5', but beyond that it becomes an ambient light shot.

When ever possible shoot at a slightly up angle to get some blue water in the back ground.

With the YS40 do not use rechargable batteries. Rechargable batteries off gas as they heat up during use. The YS40 is not rated to take this. The increased pressure from the off gassing can cause the cap to the batterey compartment to warp and leak.

Get out there and shoot. PM me if you would like any additional info.

 

[BNow0707]

Thanks I think that distance is one of my problems the two shots inside the tube were about 10 - 15 feet away and there was no ambient light.

Any ideas on why the "missing" pictures would not be taken or on the developed disc?