sea&sea mx10

[missy]

hi

i am new to underwater photography and have just bought the sea and sea mx10, can anyone give me some pointers on how to get the best piccies out of this camera and general guidance on this hobby

thanks in advance

 

[herman]

Hi Missy,

I have used a MX-10 for several years and it does a pretty good job for me. If you don't have the YS-40A strobe for it, by all means get one, you really need it if you dive with the MX-10. A great book on the Sea & Sea cameras, including the MX-10 is one called "The New Guide to Sea & Sea" by Joe Liburdi and Cara Sherman. It is loaded with how to information on the MX-10, some of the company's history and a really good rundown on the other lenses that are avalible for the MX-10 and how to use them. Some where on this site are pictures I took in Bonaire this year with one (king neptune do you know how to find them??) also my local dive shop has some of them on the web as well ( http://www.downunderscuba.com ) It isn't a Nikonos but it is a tough and dependable camera that is capable of taking better pictures that I am.

 

[missy]

thanks for your reply
I have just about all the accessories for it.
What points should i bear in mind while using this camera, is there anything that i should or shouldent do while taking pictures (except for the obvious).
Is ther anything you recomend doing maintainence wise with it???

thanks in advance



[Edited by missy on 08-24-2000 at 12:20 PM]

 

[herman]

The little camera is pretty tough, the main thing is to soak it in CLEAN water for a while ( I like to rinse mine under running water as well)and then make SURE it is dry before opening it. Also open it with the back cover down just to make sure you don't get water in it. Replacing the o-rings every year is a good idea as well. If you get click happy like I do, 36 exposure rolls help to avoid the need to change rolls on boats when you are doing 2 tank dives. With me dripping wet and the boat rocking, I don't want to take the chance of changing rolls on a boat if I can help it.

 

[missy]

thanks

sorry to keep bothering you but what kind of film do you find works best in this camera and what sort of stuff makes the best shots.
this may sound really dumb but i have never done this before and i am new to the diving world

 

[herman]

I use print film as I don't care to deal with slides. I usally use Kodak gold or Fuji 100 speed film. By the way, 200 speed film with the camera set to the 100 speed setting does a fairly good job as well. If you intend to do big enlargments then switch to Kodak Royal Gold 100, it is a bit more expensive but it makes better enlargements. I tend to prefer the Fuji film for underwater pictures because it tends to give a richer color than the Kodak, the Kodak on the other hand will give you color that is closer to "real life" and so I usally use it on land, which by the way, the MX-10 does a great job on land as well. As for actually taking underwater pictures, I found that I tried to get to far away from my subjects and consiquintly (?) they were too small and dark. Don't try to take long range, wide angle views ( like landscape on land), they don't work worth a darn except in very shallow and clear water. You are familiar with the effect depth has on color, well distance has the some effect, afterall, depth is the same as distance , just in a different direction. Try to take pictures in an upward direction or at least straight ahead, down angle pictures don't work too well. Last but prob most important, tell THE PERSON ( and write it on the envelope) that these are underwater pictures and to adjust the color correction during processing to increase the red level. As you know, colors are attenuated the deeper you go and the red's are the first to go, IF the processor knows what they are doing, they can dramatically improve the look of your pictures. If you find a picture that you really like but the color is off (too green/blue)find a REAL photo lab who's name does not end in "mart" and show the print to the photo tech and tell them what you would like to see because the color correction is done in the printing process and not the developing, so as long as the neg is in focus and reasonably exposed, a good lab tech can do wonders......Next Question?

 

[missy]

and my next question is .....................

when you say to take pics at close range how close do you actually mean??
thanks for the developing advice, i never thought of doing that and i am sure that it will be handy

 

[herman]

As close as you can get as long as you stay above the minumum focal distance of the lens and the f stop you are using. I have played with the close up and wide angle lens for the MX-10 and I think I will get one of the wide angle lens as it decreases the minumun focal length to just over 1 ft and increases the field of the picture. How close also depends on your photographic "style". I tend to like larger, single subject shots, ie one fish taking up most of the frame. By all means, try a varity of distances and angles, you will soon find what appeals to your style and that's really what is important..The real trick is getting your bouyancy control to the point where you can get close to your subject, maintain position and not scare the subject away all while staring thru the viewfinder.

 

[divetex]

I had pretty good results with rented MX-10s in Grand Cayman and Roatan, so I took the plunge and bought one and a YS40A strobe. I was very pleased with the photos I took with this rig at Cozumel and Grand Cayman on a cruise last month. I just purchased the 20mm wide angle lens, which I plan to use during a shark dive next month. I've never used any film other than Kodak Max. I'd like to try some slide film in this camera, too, but have no idea what to try. Fuji? Which film, Herman? Thanks in advance.

 

[herman]

Hi Tex,

If I remember correctly, Max is actually 800 speed, not the best all around film. I don't shoot slides so I can't be much help there. Fuji film tends to give more vivid colors, almost unnatural looking to me. Personally, I like Kodak Royal Gold, not to be confused with the regular Kodak Gold. It is a little harder to find and cost about $1 a roll more but the colors are more "real" and if you want to make large blowups, it has a finer grain so the enlargements look better. Try Fuji and Kodak and see which suits your taste better. I usally shoot both, sometimes the extra color helps. Try to keep the speed down to 100, the grain is finer and makes better enlargements. Also, think about using the Kodak Seas Processing. They do a really good job and will make your pictures look a lot better. Check out http://www.seaandsea.com they have a link to the Kodak site.