Latest News. . .
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Solomon Islands 2013 July 30 to August 13
We are going back to the Solomon Islands for our umpteenth trip (I think we are up to 14 or 18 trips??) on the MV Bilikiki. Check out this wonderful trip for 2013.
Sinking of the Kittiwake
Cathy & CJ had a front row seat for this exciting event one year ago -- and were in the first wave of people to dive it once it was down. Watch Tony's terrific video of the event. I know -- this is not exactly breaking news, but it is still exciting.
Cathy's US workshop in 2012 is scheduled for...
Beneath the Sea, March 24 and 25, 2012--Check the seminar page for all of the details.
Evening Photo/Video Classes and Groups are a big hit.
Our evening curriculum for beginners and advanced have been very popular. We also have an active club for photographers and movie makers. Check out the current class schedule for details. We look forward to seeing you in one of them soon.
Cathy Church's Gift Cards are easy to use
If you're looking for the perfect gift for the photographer in your life, you will make a big hit when you give a Cathy Church's Gift Card. Available in any denomination, they can be used for all products and services that we sell. Stop by the Photo Centre to pick up one for everyone on your gift list.
Photo Centre Renovation Complete
Now our downstairs store/gallery looks as spiffy as our upstairs store. Come and visit the basement of the Photo Centre to view Cathy's breathtaking images, take a class, shop for underwater camera systems and studio lighting. Take a peek We have also completely rebuilt our office and framing areas. The darkroom is gone.
Current Cameras for Underwater
There are dozens of in-depth reviews on the web for every camera of interest. What I discuss here are those features that are important to housing a camera for underwater. We only use a few features underwater compared to the hundreds of features available, and it is all too common to choose a camera based on above-water ratings and end up with the wrong camera for underwater. For underwater, we need image sensors with a wide contrast range, such as the newest ones found in the Nikon D700 and D3. We need lenses for macro and wide, and we need easy access to exposure controls.
Olympus E-PL2 camera and housing (Right now I prefer the E-PL2 over the new E-PL3)
SeaLife DC1400 first impressions
Stylus TG610 and TG810 Olympus waterproof wonders with housing to 130 feet
Sea and Sea DX-2G - Discontinued. It is still a nice camera for the versatility especially at the new low discounted prices.
Nikon D3x--a full-frame 24.5 MP marvel -- But keep your eye on that new D4!!!! with full broadcast video capability.
Lens choices for Nikon FX cameras
I am so far behind. The Nikon D7000 has been the latest leader.
Nikon D300s -- big screen viewing at its finest plus video
Nikon D700 -- Much the same as the D3 but a lot less money
Advantages of Nikon cameras over most others
Tips
Those of you who have our Heinrichs Weikamp TTL converter in the Subal housings, don't forget to check your converter battery and carry spares on your dive trip.
Housings
Sea and Sea MDX housing and tips for Nikon D300 & D300s
Subal D700 housing for Nikon D700 now in stock
Aquatica housings are here
Lenses
Lens choices for the D3 and D700
• Nikkor AF-S Zoom 14 - 24mm f/2.8G ED lens
Lens choices for the D300/D300s:
• Sigma 10 - 20mm for Nikon SLR - a fine alternative
• Tokina Fisheye zoom 10 - 17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X 107
Adding an external strobe to any compact digital camera in a clear housing
An external slave strobe can be mounted with any compact camera with a built-in strobe behind a clear plastic port. You can usually attach a fiber optic cable in front of the camera's strobe. When the strobe fires through the clear housing, the signal is carried through the fiber optic cord to the slave sensor of the external strobe. A proper combination of camera and strobe will provide full TTL strobe exposure control. Some cameras, such as the Canon S and G series will NOT TTL when you are using manual exposure control. Since most underwater photographers need manual control for the better exposures, the loss of TTL is a major set back. I would much prefer the cameras that provide manual exposure control while still providing the wonderful advantage of TTL strobe control. For most underwater photographers, the added help of TTL greatly increases their number of good exposures, and we all need all the help we can get.
Advantages of Nikon Cameras over any others
• You can view the highlight warning while the photo is at full size. Many other cameras reduce the playback image to show the highlight warning and the histogram side by side, making it difficult to study your photos. The ability to study your photos is the whole key to taking advantage of shooting with digital. Without seeing your image clearly, you are more likely to miss flaws in your photo that you should correct and this slows your progress underwater while shooting.
• You can change your point of focus with a single touch of a navigation key. (It is often several steps with Canon.)
• You can change the f stop and shutter speed with a single step with independent controls.
• You can set shooting priorities from release to focus separately for Servo and Continuous focusing.
And so forth. Many of my Canon students prefer the Nikon options once they are aware of them. The photos are comparable with either system, but Nikon is just easier.
Nikon D3x
Why would an underwater photographer love this system? The full-frame 12.1 MP D3 and the 24.5 MP D3x CMOS sensors allow us to return to using the 60mm micro Nikkor at its full width. I missed this feature on the previous D2x where the 60mm lens "becomes" a 90mm lens and I have to shoot further away from my subjects. The large viewfinder makes aiming and composing easier than with the smaller viewfinders of the other SLRs. The downside, of course, is the cost for the camera and housing.
(The D3s has 12 MP and thus can record details in the highlights and shadows much better than the higher MP D3X)
The ability to render an incredible photo from dark shadows through rich colors through detailed highlights is unsurpassed. If I had the money, I would get this one in a heartbeat. Add the utterly perfect Subal housing and this is a system to beat all. (Until the next one comes along, of course. But don't miss taking pictures this year, to wait for next year's camera as there will ALWAYS be another on the horizon and you will never get a photo.)
At a suggested retail of only $8000.00 it will be a great tool for the serious photographer. (I say "only" because a few years ago this many megapixels was over $30,000.00.) (The Nikon D700 is also an FX, i.e. full-frame film size, camera and is a wonderful camera for the dollar.)
Nikon D700 compared to the D3s
Take virtually every lovely thing I said about the D3s and lower the price and you almost have a D700--especially when you consider only those features that we use underwater. (The D3s is 12 MP and thus better able to record details in the highlights and shadows, than the D3X) For divers, the biggest advantage of the D3 is the 100% viewfinder, compared to the D700 which shows only 95% of the image. However, in playback mode, both cameras show 100% of the photo. I personally value the 100% viewfinder so much that I would be willing to save up and get the D3. For most divers, the large increase in cost will not be worth it. Many of the advanced features of the D3 are not used much underwater, such as shooting at 9 rather than only 5 frames per second. The faster processing speed of the D3 is of minimal value, as the D700 is still faster than our strobe recycle time. They have the same great three-inch LCD, a huge ISO 100 to 25,600 range, two live shooting modes, shutter speeds of 30 seconds to 1/8000th second and so on.
D3 and D700 lens choices:
With these cameras we are back to the original film format lenses, so you will want the 60mm micro Nikkor for your closest photos and the Nikkor fisheye AF 16mm f/2.8D to get full 180° of coverage. For distant fish, use the 105mm micro Nikkor, and choose from a wide range of zoom lenses, such as the Nikkor AF-S Zoom 14 - 24mm f/2.8G ED lens with an angle of 114° to 84° for everything in between.
Nikon D7000
The Nikon D7000 is a FANTASTIC camera, and at 16 MP, you can make terrific enlargements. It is FAST, has the usual wide range of Nikon DX lenses. Like all pro Nikon cameras, the f-stop and shutter speed are single controls, easily accessed through a housing. Changing the point of focus is also a single button control for fast changes. There are no disadvantages that I can think of to the D7000 except the size of the viewfinder when compared to the D3 and the lack of a true 60mm lens when compared to the FX cameras.
Lens choices for the D7000.
...remain the same that we have used for all previous digital DX models. The 60 and 105mm micro Nikkor lenses for macro photography, the 10.5 mm for extreme wide angle, the Tokina 10 - 17 mm for extreme wide/zoom and there are lots of choices for the zoom range in between, including the Sigma 10 - 20 mm (not available for Sea and Sea housings), the Nikkor 12 - 24 mm and Nikkor 10 - 24 mm and many more narrower ones. Check to see which lenses are supported by the housing of your choice as the zoom gears are proprietary to the housings
Sea and Sea DX-2G
I never did get the review done for this camera, but it is now discontinued. It is still the most versatile choice for underwater, although it was slightly over priced for the image quality. Now that you can get it at discontinued reduced costs it is a good choice.
Sea and Sea MDX for D300
Sea and Sea has upgraded their housing style for the D300. The solid block aluminum housing shows many improved features. The f stop control is now a large gear on the corner of the housing which is easily reached while your index finger is on the shutter lever. The shutter speed dial is large and easy to turn with your thumb, and the focus point navigation buttons are shifted to the right and enlarged for easy use. The menu buttons are slanted to the left so that you can push them easily from the left handle. The focus CSM switch is now an easily accessible gear on the left.
Add the Sea and Sea TTL converter, and you have a fine, modern, improved, easy to use digital system. Ergonomically, this is about as good as it gets compared to Canon and compared to many other housings for Nikon.
Sea and Sea MDX housing tips for Nikon D300
The Sea and Sea housing for the D300 is a great housing but VERY heavy in the water. Use all Ultralight 2" diameter buoyancy arms. We use the 8" and 12" arms. Also, when you add the Sea and Sea TTL converter with the YS110a strobes, you will notice that when the converter is turned off and you are prepping the system, the camera will not fire at all after the metering system has turned off. You will need to turn the converter on to keep the camera functioning.
Revised January 14, 2012