Took my new rig to the pool today...

[ConchyJoe]

I have tons of questions, and am looking for comments, jokes, anecdotes, harrassment, but mainly constructive criticism and feedback. And thanks in advance for the thrashing I am about to receive.
Background: Calypso and Nikonis II and Giddings flash till I was 21, took 15 years off, bought a C5000Z/PT-019 and Sealife and shot that for two years.
Now I have an Oly E-420, 50mm, PT-E03(Yes it does fit with wheel modification), Heinrich/Weikamp adapter, and two Z-240 Type 3 strobes on a Y cable.
I took it to the pool today to check it for leaks, and take a few shots. The housing DOES NOT have the gap at the top and did not leak up to 15 feet. : The port did leak, so I pulled it off, cleaned it, re-dressed it, and put it back on, and the leak went away.
Questions/Comments:
1. I am shooting a 50MM. I don't plan on anything else right now. Should I leave the port on during a whole trip, and take it off and clean it when I get back from the trip, or should I take it off every day, clean it and reassmble it? My hope is I can set it and forget it for 7-10 days.
2. I took the shots below with the Inon's in the auto mode, the camera in aperture mode, and changed it from F5.6 to F8 to F16 in the photos and the Inon's set at 2.8. Shutter stayed at 100th on all three. ISO set to 100. The Inon at first was set at 2.8, and I moved it to 5.6 to get the light up a little.
Is this correct? Do I have to change the strobe if I change the camera, or is it more auotmatic?
I am happy to hear what I can do to. unfortunately I only get to dive twice a year, and any tips/techniques/setting will help me maximize my time underwater.
Thanks! Bob
Photos:
F5.6 at 100th

F8 100th

F16 100th

 

[gary-ramey]

Hey Conchy,
I'd definitely take a wet diopter with you. If you're using the standard port for the 50mm you can replace the rubber gasket around a woody's diopter with the rubber port cover. Works but requires delicate surgery. It will definitely improve your macros. I would take a fiber optic cable or two just in case your hardwired setup fails. Fiber optics are cheap enough.

With the 50mm on you can start by placing the strobes right near the front of the port on each side for small stuff...then move them out if you decide to do fish pics. and if you don't have a focus light...i'd get a cheap one and mounted it to the arms or port...not the housing.

 

[jlyle]

For macro with the 50mm, go manual - set the F-stop to F/22 for maximum DOF, shutter speed = 1/100 sec, and ISO = 200. Boost the strobes and adjust as necessary. For fish portraits, you will have to back off on the F-stop. Take Gary's advice on adapting a "Woody's" dioptre to your set up.

 

[jlyle]

...and you can leave the port on the housing for the entire trip; no need to take it apart between dive days.

 

[Ryan]

Agree on not removing the port.

However, you paid for TTL conversion circuitry with that Heinrichs Adpater, and if you want to use it you need to set the strobes as follows:

Left Dial- sTTL
Right Dial- 9 o'clock position toward the itty bitty "TTL" tag on the dial
Magnet Switch- Pushed in & Locked

This should provide much more accurate results than external auto, which uses sensors in the flash head opposed to good ole Olympus TTL.

 

[gary-ramey]

Agree on not removing the port.

I'll just throw a caveat in here. I got some water down in the port when it was open...dripped off of somewhere. While cleaning it out, my hand got cut by the zoom gear teeth....so I had blood droplets down in the port. I eventually got frustrated and took the port off. So if you spill some water and don't want to remove the port, use something other than your hand!

 

[ConchyJoe]

I'll just throw a caveat in here. I got some water down in the port when it was open...dripped off of somewhere. While cleaning it out, my hand got cut by the zoom gear teeth....so I had blood droplets down in the port. I eventually got frustrated and took the port off. So if you spill some water and don't want to remove the port, use something other than your hand!

Gary, you know the rule... And you HAD a camera right there to take a picture!

So I tried the mode Ryan mentions and did not have success. Maybe I left the lens cap on Or didn't have the magnets in.

So Ryan's mode works now, and I was sure that was correct according to the "Nikonis Mode", which the adapter supports?

So I am A mode, ISO 100, speed seems to stay at 100th no matter what, is that correct? can I up the speed a little without going manual?

I like that I am seeing depth of field now, and can work with that. But I worry 100th is too slow.

I will play with it more. Any comments on picture mode? I currently have it set at manual

So this is my setup:

This is what I get:

F5.6

F16:

 

[jlyle]

For macro work, 1/100 sec is fine - you aren't trying to stop action and, submerged, camera shake is dampened by the water.

Leave the strobes on TTL and GO MANUAL! MAX the F-stop! Try it, you'll like it.

 

[ConchyJoe]

For macro work, 1/100 sec is fine - you aren't trying to stop action and, submerged, camera shake is dampened by the water.

Leave the strobes on TTL and GO MANUAL! MAX the F-stop! Try it, you'll like it.

J,

Thank for the info. I am going to try a LOT of things. I will go manual and crank the strobes and see what happens. I am simply trying to be more general in nature. The best example id shooting trops on a wall only to have someone bang on there tank and look to see an Eagle Ray cruising by. Do I switch from F6 to F8 and fire away? And not have to change anything else? I am getting tired of seeing the tail of a fish because I had to make 3-4 changes. I want to run out of flash battery before I run out of memory.........

I was mainly wondering if there was a range, say 60th to 200th that will work, and how to set it.

And I promise I will have thousands of pics when I get back.

Thanks again! Bob

 

[jlyle]

Good luck with the eagle rays using the 50mm lens! If you want to make a "Hail Mary" shot, go to P mode and fire away - but be warned that autofocus isn't going to be easy...

I don't know what the fastest sync speed is for the 420; look it up.