Sea & Sea MX-10

[mccabejc]

Heading for Hawaii (Kona) tomorrow, and I decided I'll rent a Sea & Sea MX-10 and strobe when I get there so I can take my first UW photos.

Anyone have any last minute tips for using these particular cameras, for someone who has done a lot of surface photography, but nothing underwater? Wish it was a digital, not film camera, but I guess I'm stuck...

I'm not expecting much in the way of results, but I just want to try UW photography for the first time and document my trip. I'm just gonna use the strobe, get close, stay shallow for good lighting, choose some good negative space background, and fire away. And hope for the best.

 

[herman]

Been a while since I used mine, so I am pulling this out of very rusty memory. The camera is actually capable of very good photos if used within it's limits. The minimum focal distance for the standard lens is around 3 or 4 ft so nothing closer or it will be out of focus- Seems like F 8 or 11 was what I used at 3-4 ft. Much more than 4 ft and back scatter starts to become a real problem. If you can get the macro lens, do so. It does a very good job and is easy to use, set it on F22, place the framer around the subject and shoot. Don't use the 2 Fstops with the lighting bolt. These will set off the internal as well as the external strobe and will increase the back scatter a lot. I found Fuji film had richer colors than Kodak but the Kodak was more true color- you choice there. Hope that helps.

 

[DesertEagle]

F8, 3ft with 100 speed film should be okay.

See if you can rent a wide angle lens. That will allow you to get a lot closer.

Try to photograph from the same level as your subject. Photos looking down don't come out very well. If you can get slightly below the subject the image will be much better.

 

[f3nikon]

Heading for Hawaii (Kona) tomorrow, and I decided I'll rent a Sea & Sea MX-10 and strobe when I get there so I can take my first UW photos.

Anyone have any last minute tips for using these particular cameras, for someone who has done a lot of surface photography, but nothing underwater? Wish it was a digital, not film camera, but I guess I'm stuck...

I'm not expecting much in the way of results, but I just want to try UW photography for the first time and document my trip. I'm just gonna use the strobe, get close, stay shallow for good lighting, choose some good negative space background, and fire away. And hope for the best.

My advice... Punt! Good idea on renting I am not sure how much you rented it for, but with a min. focus of 3 feet in may as well be 30 feet! And its a rangefinder I believe so you will be guessing on the focus. I do recall you having a Minolta digital camera. I just did a last minute trip to Oahu last year and wanted to try out underwater digital for the first time. I only had an old Canon G1 at the time and a box full of Ikelite SLR housings and ports, drilled a new camera mountng hole on one of the housings camera base plate, bend the shutter button to line up with the cameras button, set the camera on auto, lock the lid and away I go. The camera stayed dry the whole time. I have seen Ikelite SLR housings on ebay from between $10 to $50.

Dive Safe