BonaireTalk Discussion Group
Diving Bonaire: Renting U/W photo and video equipment
Bonaire Talk: Diving Bonaire: Archives: Archives 1999-2005: Archives 1999-05-18 to 2000-12-28: Renting U/W photo and video equipment
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Wilson on Monday, June 5, 2000 - 10:42 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Has anyone rented under water photo and or video equipment from Toucan divers? If so, how would you rate the availability, quality, and price? I am trying to decide if it's worth it for me to buy a SeaLife Reefmaster or Ikelite before I leave for Bonaire.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glen Reem on Tuesday, June 6, 2000 - 1:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I can't speak to Toucan divers rentals but
several other operations rent photo and video
equipment including Sand Dollar Dive & Photo
and the photo operations at Habitat and at
Flamingo. I wouldn't spend the money to buy
gear for just one trip. Maybe Mike G. can
expand or comment on this.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Antonio Ferrer on Tuesday, June 6, 2000 - 6:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

The main problem with buying photo/video U/W equipment is the diversity in price and quality. Between the Aquashot and the Nikon equipment there is one order of magnitude in difference, with others in between. Is the price of the more expensive stuff worthwhile? There is no single answer: for some, only the very best is good enough; others will be extremely pleased with the less expensive set-ups; in fact, many people can't tell the difference (they don't enlarge their photos, for example).
Bottom line: don't buy anything before trying it for yourself: rent first, and talk to the pros you find at the Photo and Dive Shops (such as the Sand Dollar's). Jake Richter might have something to say: I have seen his photographs at the Sand Dollar Photo Shop, and he certainly knows what he does!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - NetTech on Tuesday, June 6, 2000 - 10:07 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Gosh, Antonio - I didn't realize anyone looked at those pictures (I wonder if they all got washed out to sea during the wave damage in November).

Since Antonio has led me into this conversation, I might as well add my two bits on the topic of renting vs. buying.

First, UW photography can become an expensive hobby because it's addicting. It's a great way to share your love of diving with friends, be they non-divers or divers. The expense comes in via many means, including classes to help make you a better underwater photographer (UW photography is quite a bit more challenging, I think, than land photography), an ever increasing number of UW photo gadgets (cameras, strobes, adapters, lenses, etc.), and more dive trips to locations where you can use the vast array of UW photo gadgets (to help justify/rationalize the expense of these).

And, no matter what equipment you use, you'll always look back at great pictures you took some time ago and wonder how you could like (and admit to) such dross, while at the same time desiring some new UW photo upgrade to further help you take better pictures than you do now.

My path to UW photo enlightenment took me from a Minolta Weathermatic (a snorkeling camera with integrated flash) to a borrowed Nikonos IVA, to my own Nikonos V, to a housed Nikon 8008s in a Subal Housing. I still own all of these, and use them all in various situations, as each has its strengths and weaknesses.

Where is all this leading? I'm not sure, except that I would recommend that you rent (or borrow) before you buy. That's the only to make sure that you end up with something you're going to use instead of a really cool paper weight.

For folks without much land camera experience (especially in terms of scene lighting), rent something like a Sea & Sea MX-10, which has a strobe attached to the body, and is pretty simple to operate. I've seen great pictures taken with one of these, and most Bonaire dive/photo shops have them for rent. One nice feature of such a camera is that you can swap lenses underwater, going from wide angle to standard to macro. Very convenient. Only real drawback is that with the attached strobe, you're more prone to backscatter (which can be an issue if you're trying to take wide angle or even standard lens shots in most of Bonaire's waters, which have a fair amount of suspended particulate matter).

For more photographically adept and experienced folks, a Nikonos V with a positionable strobe. This camera requires a little more knowledge and skill to use, but can produce excellent results. Lenses are generally not exchangable underwater (the exceptions are a screw-on Sea & Sea wide angle adapter, and, for the daring, the UW Close Up lens).

For those willing to plunk down the bucks, a housed SLR camera is something to try, but not until after you've put a Nikonos V through its paces. The major benefit of an SLR is that you can focus on an object via the viewfinder (with the other cameras you have to guess the distance and set the lens appropriately), and you have the option of using most any land lens (adds to the cost of lens ports for the housing though). However, the drawback is that housed SLRs are more expensive and more bulky to take with you on trips, on boats, etc.

So, there you have it. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't suggest one more thing, and that is to get at least an hour of professional instruction for whichever camera you rent (or buy). Practice can only get you so far (usually far enough to be frustrated with the results and possibly give up this art form as hopeless). Had I gotten instruction in my UW photo taking at the start, I could have saved myself countless wasted pictures and hours of experimentation which could have been better spent taking pictures I wanted to keep (as opposed to ones I don't want to admit to).

By the way, by professional instruction, I mean an instructor that really know his/her stuff. The only UW photo pros I have personal experience with here on Bonaire are Jim Brandon (who taught me an amazing amount about wide angle UW photography) and Julie Morgan. There are certainly others, and I'll leave recommendations of those to other participants here.

So, Antonio, after that diatribe, are you sorry you asked for my input? :-)

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael gaynor on Wednesday, June 7, 2000 - 9:42 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I will now add my two cents as well. Save your money until you try them all out. You can rent a different camera on different days and check the results as all our photo shops can develop the flim quickly. I graduated from a cheapo up to a Nikonos over a two year period since no one gave me the adive to try before you buy. If I had a bit of experience under my belt, I would have gone for the best before wasting money on the mediocre.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Wilson on Thursday, June 8, 2000 - 7:54 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks, all. I think I've gathered some good advice- rent before you buy and get some instruction. Don't think I'll be buying a Nikonos or SLR any time soon. I just want to come home from my first trip to the Caribbean with some fairly good shots. Thanks again.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill Kuhlman on Friday, June 9, 2000 - 10:49 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Post the pictures where we can see them!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Baranoski on Friday, June 9, 2000 - 12:00 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I know there are ALWAYS those moments when you wish you had one, but in general, for us snorkellers, is a flash necessary?

Also, my kids are keen to take some UW photos. How well do those "recyclable" UW cameras work?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Antonio Ferrer on Friday, June 9, 2000 - 7:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

IMHO, a flash is not really necessary for snorkelers. In fact, whatever your skill and equipment, snorkeling pictures are never really top class: you can't choose distance, macro is practically out of question, fish are viewed mainly from top, etc. But the occasional picture comes out OK, and it is a souvenir of a good moment. So, after my own experience, and having sought professional advice, I recommend: don't spend a lot for snorkeling photography; a recyclable camera is fun, or a rented MX 10 at most.
However, not all is lost for us snorkelers: my video efforts came out (comparatively) encouraging. Somehow, the added motion seems to make up for the shortcomings experienced by surface-bound picture takers.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Flanagan on Saturday, June 10, 2000 - 7:39 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Ken- Your kids will probably have fun taking pictures with disposable (recyclable?) underwater cameras. As Antonio says, a good picture is the exception, but here are a few things we have learned. 1) A sunny day in shallow water will generally give better pictures. 2) You can't chase a fish to get his picture!!! 3) With a view finder camera, what you see in the view finder may not be what the camera sees. There's a pretty good description of this, and some diagrams, at
http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~read/aquashot/aquashot.html

Have fun!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Baranoski on Monday, June 12, 2000 - 12:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you, gentlemen! Your advice will be put to good use (cool site, too!). I have considerable above water experience, my subjects mostly close-ups of insects and flowers, so I understand “don’t chase” and patience! I did take some UW photos while snorkeling on St. Thomas almost 15 years ago on my honeymoon. I had borrowed an UW camera from a friend and, if I may say so, they came out pretty good for a first attempt! Thanks again!

 


Visit: The Bonaire WebCams - Current Bonaire images and weather!
The Bonaire Insider - the latest tourism news about Bonaire
The Bonaire Information Site, InfoBonaire
Search Bonaire - Search top Bonaire Web sites


Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration