tom_griffin

Fred,

You have to decide what you want. I linked that picture to show

you what happens without an additional light source at only 12'

of water (4m) -- you lose color. When snorkling, you're not likely

to be going more than 10' deep. You will lose some color, but

not a lot.

You are right -- by adding Nikon's SB-105 strobe, the cost goes

up by around $800. Here's what I'd do. Call two shops in the

U.S. (I'm not sure where you are). If you go "used", skip the

Nikonos IV, it was a bust; and go back to the NIkonos III -- it was

a better camera, though completely manual. Nikon tried to put

some auto metering features in the Nikonos IV and it did not

work very well, hence the Nikonos V, which is a classic.

1. Underwater Photo Tech (Derry, NH); <www.uwphoto.com>

They are a Sea & Sea and Nikon dealer. Ask for advice. They

usually have used equipment for sale and are helpful.

2. Stephen Frink Photo in Key Largo, Florida; <

www.stephenfrink.com> . Steve is one of the world most

accomplished u/w photographers and runs a shop on Key

Largo. He and his folks can give you advice and more

importantly, have a large selection of used u/w equipment for

sale (He can also sell you a $2,500 Seacam housing for the

Nikon F100 as well!). He's a great guy. Explain to him or his

staff what you're looking for and they may have something used

that will work.

The advantage of Nikonos III or V is that if you get tired of it, there

is an instant used market. They've depreciated as far as they'll

go since Nikon stopped production of the V last year.

Good Luck...and enjoy<div></div>

"......have become used to very high quality results. How can I

replicate this, from a underwater AND Poolside point of view?"

The answer is easy...buy a $2,500 Sea & Sea (or Seacam -- your

choice) housing for your SLR at Backscatter.com! But you get no

port or strobe.... That'll set you back another $1500. OK, I'm

done.

Sorry for the poor attempt at humor... but that's the best way to

ensure high quality both underwater and out of it. The other

option is to pickup a Nikonos V with a 35mm f/2.8 lens and have

some fun (about $750). The 35mm lens is the only one that can

be used above and below the water.

None of the cameras you mention will produce high quality

underwater images. However, they'll take pictures in a wet

environment and you'll have something to show friends and

family back home. Light is a key part of u/w photography and

neither the MX-5 or 10 have strobes that provide much light.

The attached photo was taken without strobe (to avoid

backscatter) in 12' of water at Stingray City on Grand Cayman.

Colors are bleached out -- the diver has bright pink mask that

barely shows.

I have seen some underwater photos taken with the MX-5 that

were pretty good -- but the photographer was an experienced u/

w photographer who was using it to see what the camera could

actually do.

You mention liking print film for it's great latitude -- that's not a

good thing for u/w photography. The color mix for u/w is different

and many labs don't adjust for it when processing. That's what

Kodak "Sea Processing" is all about.; the processing machine is

set for u/w color compensation. I shoot exclusively slide film u/w

for just that reason -- if the colors are wrong it's my fault.

Good Luck...

Anil,

A few things come to mind:

1. Your batteries were weak and could not generate the power to

push the flash to the necessary light output. Velvia will cause

most shoe mounted flash heads to work hard -- and drain

batteries quickly. I keep two sets of rechargeable batteries with

me to avoid that problem. If I notice the flash is slow to recycle --

time to put in fresh batteries.

2. Your flash is not powerful enough regardless of battery

strength.

3. You were too far away from your intended subject. I learned

this the hard way in underwater photography.

4. Incompatible settings. You don't say what camera, lens, or

flash settings were. Both the camera and flash should have

been set to ISO 50. If the camera was set for ISO 50 and the

flash for 100 or higher -- there's your problem. If you were in the

manual mode I don't think we can help without specific settings.

That should give you something to check next time....

As far as your first question goes, I've never heard of that lens.

Question #2 are you asking about the mounts or the lens?

Question #3. The Canon 35-105mm f/3.5 FD is a great lens.

Versatile and sharp. I bought mine used in excellent, if not like

new, condition for around $350 back in 1999.