Some Bonaire pics

I'm in Bonaire until Sunday.  Here are some of the images I've taken here.

Christmas Tree Worm with Goby

Caribbean Reef Squid

A lot of Trumpetfish here have blue heads.

The Salt Pier

Rodger in Edmonton wrote:

The B&W wins this set for me - love it -

Almost my first B&W.   Here's another:

That's a 6-foot barracuda by the wreck of the Hilma Hooker.   Probably should do this one in B&W...

Hi Craig,

Beautiful images. Snooting, B&W, squid, silouettes, selfie - exciting, congratulations...

Which snoot are you using and how do you get along with it (easy?)?

Wolfgang

kelpdiver wrote:

after you're back, definitely interested in how worthwhile you found the Shootout event, if you benefited from the manufacturers being at the event with parts and rentals.

Don't waste time now - just keep shooting.

All done diving now. Fly home Sunday.

If you look up the Digital Shootout web site, you'll get a good idea of the sponsors and at least some of the demo gear. Here's my thoughts on it.

Yes - it was great to have the demo stuff available! Most of it was very popular and got checked out a lot. I got to spend a day with a 45 degree viewfinder, and two days with the Backscatter Miniflash with snoot. I'm intending to buy each of these items - the (used) Miniflash today if there is a discount on it.

I could have tried a lot of other stuff, but perhaps the one that most intrigued me was the Pegasus Underwater Thruster (https://www.backscatter.com/Pegasus-Underwater-Scooter-Thruster-Basic-Package)   It would be absolutely cool to be zipping around on that while shooting video.

Isotta was there (including one of the Isotta family) with a range of housings and strobes,  Their newest strobe (RED64) was extremely popular, but isn't released yet.  It is a very powerful strobe suitable for wide angle, and the divers still nursing along their old YS-250's are lined up for it already.

Many Nauticam products were available, including a number of wet lenses, and the big exotic ones, and the weird probe types.  Some of these were priced at the level of 'a small compact car'.  ($8,000 and more).

Results from the lenses were shown at night so people could appreciate the Wow! factor.   The EMWL lens has my attention, but is unfortunately one of those $6000-7000 jobs.

Besides the demo gear, having the reps here (some of them Backscatter employees) were invaluable for not only setting things up and explaining the gear, but also making various repairs.  One of the Nauticam guys fixed a loose wire in my flash trigger so I could shot strobes on the 2nd day.

Rentals - they were loaners, not rentals.  No money to try them out, though sometimes there was a waiting list for certain items.  (Usually, actually).

As for the event itself, I got a lot out of it.   The classroom sessions were very valuable to me, at least this first time here.  Just learning how to use the HSL sliders in Lightroom to remove cyan was a huge benefit.   I also started to learn a fair amount on post-processing video, in Adobe Premier Pro.

Each attendee received a spiral-bound notebook they called the 'hymnal' with summaries and instructions for each session,  Super useful later.  We all got 128GB high-speed USB drives as well to store images and transfer them to the staff for critiques and the contest tonight.   Should be interesting to see the winners in each category.

By the way, I sho it uld have done more preparation for the trip.  I came with my old 3 mil wetsuit, and I froze.  Within a couple of days I had borrowed someone's Shorty to wear under my wetsuit and bought a hooded vest to go with it as well.   Finally one of the divers pointed out to me that my wetsuit was simply no longer any good as it had become compressed over the years.  (I think I bought this one as long as 7-10 years ago!)  I rented a 3 mil (best I could find to fit), and coupled with my usual hood I was able to go 60 minutes without too much shivering, though I was only ever warm when fighting current.

And current there was!  Not Cozumel, but constantly annoying and something to be taken into account.   Coupled with cool-ish temps (remember, I'm 42 years in Phoenix...) and near constant wind and clouds, I struggled every dive with water temps and conditions.  Really makes me appreciate Roatan even more, though the 'resort' there is nothing like the Divi Flamingo where I'm staying here,

I plan on ordering a custom-fitted 3-mil and a custom-fitted 5-mil when I get home.   I'm very happy with the wide-view prescription mask I ordered before I came.

For my last two dives I put the macro lens back on and borrowed a miniflash with snoot.  Got some nice shots on the first dive, and none from the second.  (Second was Salt Pier).

Azure Vase up close

Great set of pictures, especially the last ones. I still prefer your first B/W. Great job!

kelpdiver wrote:

after you're back, definitely interested in how worthwhile you found the Shootout event, if you benefited from the manufacturers being at the event with parts and rentals.

Don't waste time now - just keep shooting.

OK, I'm back for a week now with some time to reflect.

While there, I mostly marveled at the variety of camera equipment in use and available for demo.  I was focused on improving my weak spots, so didn't try much new equipment.  I did try - and later buy - the Backscatter minflash and snoot.  I also tried a 45 degree viewfinder, which I didn't like as much as expected.  (I do a lot of portrait mode shooting, and my 180 degree viewfinder works perfectly for that.)

But now that I'm back, I've been reflecting on my skills as a diver and my diving equipment.

This was the first time I've been around a lot of experienced divers.  That allowed me to observe their skills and equipment and ask about them.  Plus I could evaluate my own skills and equipment against theirs.   Skills-wise, I'm fine with buoyancy, but really struggle with colder water.  Currents stress me a bit, but that's mostly a matter of not having legs in shape for continuous kicking.  Still, I think I've been spoiled by my Roatan experiences because it seems everywhere else is stressful to me - currents & cold weather bother me more than most.  I'm thinking my age (68) is coming into play now.

And equipment.  I was happy with my equipment, because I've mostly been using the same stuff since 2009 or even earlier.  But I'm now looking at it a bit as 'beginner stuff'.  I did get top end equipment when I bought it, so regulator is fine.  And I think I picked a good BCD (Oceanic Islander) - only 6 pounds.  It seems like a backwing in terms of inflation, and I had some backwing divers check it out.  I don't see the benefit of a backwing over it so far.

My wetsuit was worn out before I got there, and I left it behind.  Too many dives compressed it I guess.  Now I need to get a custom-fitted 3 mil.

My new mask was excellent, though a bit hard on the nose.  Love the wide angle of view, and the bifocals once I got used to them.

Which brings me to fins.  I'm still using the original fins I bought in 2006 (Apollo Bio-Fin Pro) split fins.  I think I was the only diver there using them.  I love them for going forward, but they are poor at backing up.  And they are so heavy they are the limiting factor on my buoyancy control.  Probably why I only need 8 pounds of weight in a 3 mil - the fins weigh 8 pounds total.   I've purchased a new set of fins which haven't arrived yet, but which have good all around performance and only weight 4 pounds.

While my equipment was very stable from 2009 to 2019, in the past year I've replaced my mask, computer, fins and wetsuit (soon).  I'm interested in backwings too.

kelpdiver wrote:

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

I also tried a 45 degree viewfinder, which I didn't like as much as expected. (I do a lot of portrait mode shooting, and my 180 degree viewfinder works perfectly for that.)

Interesting - why not? On paper, the 45 seems better for macro in the valleys where currently I have to shoot inverted. But it's a big expense to trial, and would be less beneficial for other situations, so I'm reluctant to buy without trying as well. Also why I'm looking at the external monitors instead for Macro diving.

Well, I've never shot my D810 or D850 rigs without using the 180 degree viewfinder I bought for it.  With the 180, it's natural to just turn the camera for portrait mode while looking through the viewfinder.    That can be extremely handy when needing to do it quickly and is entirely natural.   Besides having to turn the viewfinder, there are times when it is unnatural to be wanting to lift your head to reposition for the 45 viewfinder, though a lot of that is just being used to the 180.

For $1300, it really matches up to the FF camera underwater reputation for costing even more $$ to do more specialized shooting.   I agree it's great for macro shooting with a snoot where you are much more likely to crop a vertical from a FF landscape shot.

And equipment. I was happy with my equipment, because I've mostly been using the same stuff since 2009 or even earlier. But I'm now looking at it a bit as 'beginner stuff'. I did get top end equipment when I bought it, so regulator is fine. And I think I picked a good BCD (Oceanic Islander) - only 6 pounds. It seems like a backwing in terms of inflation, and I had some backwing divers check it out. I don't see the benefit of a backwing over it so far.

My wetsuit was worn out before I got there, and I left it behind. Too many dives compressed it I guess. Now I need to get a custom-fitted 3 mil.

Might have been good to cut up as armor for strobes.

Hadn't thought of that, though I thought of using it for packing, as usual.   But I had bought a new hooded vest to bring back, and I had plenty of neoprene and other padding.

I ended up donating it to the dive shop.  I think they gave me a discount on my wetsuit rental because of that.  They only charged me $39 for the week I had the rental, which I thought was $13/day.

The shop only had 2.5mil shorties for rent, but would also rent you full-size wetsuit from ones people had left behind.   The biggest problem was finding one to fit, since there were only about 10 to choose from.  (One was a 5XL - wonder who left it?)    Someone tall needing just a touch of warmth might find my old one of some use, if only to lie on the sand taking macros.

Which brings me to fins. I'm still using the original fins I bought in 2006 (Apollo Bio-Fin Pro) split fins. I think I was the only diver there using them. I love them for going forward, but they are poor at backing up. And they are so heavy they are the limiting factor on my buoyancy control. Probably why I only need 8 pounds of weight in a 3 mil - the fins weigh 8 pounds total. I've purchased a new set of fins which haven't arrived yet, but which have good all around performance and only weight 4 pounds.

Split fin hatred aside, the main complaint I have for them is the inability to do fine position control. I'm looking to the current gen plastic remakes of the Jetfins which also suffer from the weight. Yes, this means more on the belt, but less in the checked luggage.

see the Deep6 Eddys

https://www.deep6gear.com/fins.html

I almost bought a pair of those - they seem the non-split version of my Apollos in a way.  Natural rubber and all.   I think I went for a lighter pair, but I had recommendations for those 50-year-old fins from some of the photographers on my boat.

Now I'm sure I'm going to have to add more weight next time I dive.  New wetsuit (to be ordered will have lift, and since my old fins weigh 8 pounds out of the water, I'll need more than the 8 pounds of weights I've been diving with the past 10 years.

I got a set of Tusa Imprex Duo fins, because they did well overall in tests.   Seem like they should be fine.   Can't wait to try them as I've not used other fins since 2009.

And I have a custom-fitted 3mil wetsuit on order, due in about 6 weeks.

Still thinking about wing backs but I really do like my BCD.

I'm getting used to my Suunto D5 as well now. But it frustrates me I can't get a display like my Cobra2, which had everything I wanted on one screen without pushing buttons.   And it sure doesn't like short, fast ascents.

kelpdiver wrote:

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

Still thinking about wing backs but I really do like my BCD.

changing BCDs is like changing camera systems. If you're dialed in on one, a replacement needs to offer a lot to warrant the change.

Agree with this kelpdiver's comment. In my case, I'm diving a 24 year old BCD; nothing wrong with it as I've kept up with its annual servicing.  But, I'm likely going to upgrade to a new one prior to my next dive trip. Staying with the same brand (Aqua Lung), but just something a quarter-century newer.

Ahead of my next trip (December), I'm also wanting to invest in some U/W photo/video gear.  I'm kinda indecisive at this moment, due to having an Oly E-M10.2... being an older camera, its hard to find housings for it that aren't astronomically expensive at the moment, due to being a discontinued product.

My other option is to invest in a tray/strobes/filter for my modern Go Pro 9... not ideal for stills, but I'd be able to get some good video in the FL Keys this winter while I save up to upgrade my stills camera.

Would appreciate your thoughts.

Keith

kelpdiver wrote:

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

Still thinking about wing backs but I really do like my BCD.

changing BCDs is like changing camera systems. If you're dialed in on one, a replacement needs to offer a lot to warrant the change.

The backplate will have less drag than your's. It's like wearing nothing, and you can customize the d-rings and weighting to your precise preferences. It could be less comfortable topside, getting in/out of boat. Padded sleeves on the webbing helps.

I'm getting used to my Suunto D5 as well now. But it frustrates me I can't get a display like my Cobra2, which had everything I wanted on one screen without pushing buttons. And it sure doesn't like short, fast ascents.

if you have the wrist space, it's hard to beat the Shearwater Peregrine for readability and useful display size, esp at the $500 price point.

Well, I have two wrists I suppose!   I see a fair amount of people with their wrist computer not on their wrist, either a d-ring on the BCD or on the camera, like the following shot.  I hate that when I look at my Suunto, it has twisted away from me a bit.  I've taken to wearing it on the underside of my wrist.