McGizmo for Photography

[McGizmo]

DTF,
There is no doubt in my mind that full sensor DSLR like the Nikon will give one a better image and there is so much good glass out there for these cameras. When I go out on a boat and hope to get whale or dolphin shots I have my Nikon D300 coupled with a 70-200 mm f 2.8 and it's a great package! Would be super cool to upgrade the body to a D800 ( I won't say it won't happen). But I can't see myself popping for $6k for a Subal housing or less for an even bulkier housing and going back to the Nikons for underwater. The Hugyfot proto housing in your link looks pretty nice and certainly a better price than I would anticipate from Subal. I should mention that you also need to consider a dome port which can be $1500 by itself.

It would be different if I were selling images or a professional.

95% of my shooting is free diving and the bulk and drag of a DSLR in housing is significant. I got my feet wet with an Olympus PL-1 in their own UW housing and was amazed at how decent the shots were. I consider the Olympus Penn series a significant step above point and shoot and with interchangeable lenses you have the option of going super wide to the point that a less than full frame sensor still gathers more of a field of view than necessary. I moved into a PL-3 which clearly provides better image quality than the PL-1 and now I am curious about the soon to be released Olympus OM D. Focus speed and shutter lag have really improved on the smaller cameras but they can't come close in high ISO quality compared to the big boys; at least that I am aware of.

About the same time my brother got the shot of me in the above post, I got this shot of him. (He had the good lighting and I was stuck in a back lit situation but decent quality, IMHO from a much smaller camera)

 

[gapey]

I usually get emails when people reply to this thread but I haven't been so sorry for being so late in responding to some questions.

I've always been an Olympus fan. Pretty much all my restaurant photography that I do now is with an Olympus Pen (micro four thirds) camera, currently the E-PM1 but I have the OM-D on pre-order and am hoping to get it soon. As for lenses, 90% of the time I use the Panasonic 20mm F1.7. I also have an adapter for it so I can use old OM lenses and my four thirds lenses. I have actually had pretty good results using OM lenses on it and should use them more often than I do. Next lens on my shopping list is probably the Olympus 45mm 1.8.

Also, Olympus makes underwater housings for most of their cameras. My first Olympus was the C-5050 and I had an underwater housing for it and took it diving a few times but I don't dive anymore. You should definitely check out the OM-D if you are considering going back to Olympus and want something smaller. One of the big complaints about Olympus has always been the poor ISO but this new camera is the best yet with ISO. Underwater housing for it is due out in July: http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/26/2902785/olympus-om-d-em-5-underwater-housing-available-july

As for the light I'm pretty happy with it. Sometimes the light is a little hard and putting something in front of it to diffuse it like a napkin or something helps with that. I have used it a few times for other things and not just photography. It was helpful when I got a flat tire in the middle of the night.

edit: ok I see you already know about the OM-D. I'll let you know how it is if Amazon ever sends it to me. It was originally supposed to be released next week but the demand is high so not sure how long I'll have to wait for it. I pre-ordered in February so maybe I'm close to the top of the list.

 

[McGizmo]

Hi Gapey :wave:

I took the pic below today with an Oly PL-1 & 45mm F1.8 housed in the OLY UW housing made for the PL-1.

The lens is too long with to distant a minimum focus for the subject matter and vis conditions but I was curious as to what I could get with it. Olympus made provision in this particular housing for the inclusion of the electronic view finder which is really helpful and especially with this rig here which I set up primarily for above surface shooting of whales and dolphin from my wave ski (similar to a kayak) I prefer shooting UW with the PL-3 as it is a better camera but there is no provision in the UW housings for an electric view finder. When I saw that the OM D has a built in viewfinder I was quite confident that I would end up migrating towards it; so confident that I figured I would start out with the OM D topsides and have a good feel for it's abilities before any housings were even available. In checking prices it seemed that everyone was at the same price so I pre-ordered the OM D from Olympus direct and just received notification that the camera has shipped.

I also picked up an adapter for the other Oly lenses and have their macro 60 mm lens which has great image quality but so dang slow to focus. Probably should have gone with the Panasonic. At any rate, I am optimistic about the micro 4/3 platform and it will definitely be easier to take under water. I should take one of my flashlights with me so I could be more on topic here.

 

[gapey]

I've heard a few others have received shipping notifications that ordered from Olympus. How long ago did you pre-order it? Wonder if I should cancel my Amazon order. They have no estimated shipping dates yet.


Oh did you know you get a free accessory with your OM-D order? You can choose between a flash and an adapter. Even though I already have an adapter I might choose that since it is weather proof. I already have a bunch of flashes so don't think I need another one.

Do you ever take your flashlight under water or is it not rated for that?

 

[McGizmo]

gapey,
I placed my order on Feb 27 and the rebate program came about after I had ordered but Olympus contacted me and made provision for me to add to the order the accessory of choice (flash in my case). Once I get the gear I will be able to submit the rebate form and get the money back on the flash. I considered the adapter as well but I have one already and the only lens (the macro) I have that requires it is not weather proof whereas I don't have any Oly flash at present. I ordered the camera with the new 12-50mm lens which is also touted as weather proof and given its higher price I am hoping that it is a better lens than the 14-42mm kit lens which I have a few of and don't consider very good.

I take every new design of flashlight out on the reef for a swim and dunking just to confirm that my design is sound and the light capable of submersion. I don't claim the lights to be dive lights and it is too easy to have a compromised seal and experience some level of flooding as a result. In optimal conditions the lights are capable of going underwater.

 

[kaichu dento]

Do you ever take your flashlight under water or is it not rated for that?

I've had my Haiku underwater in the hot springs for up to a couple hours at a time, and while not deep, I do regularly swim underwater with it too.

 

[fyrstormer]

I've never heard of someone complaining about water getting into their Gizmo. All of mine have been disassembled and reassembled multiple times and they still tolerate being scrubbed under running water with a toothbrush without any issues at all, even when I intentionally loosen the head to expose part of the head/body O-ring so I can scrub gunk off it.

 

[DTF]

I've been using both my Hi-CRI mule and Sundrop on every night photo shoot. They're great, but, I'm always looking to do something different so went looking for a way to attach filters. Found that the old Kodak series V to 26mm adaptor works almost perfect. It does take just a bit of tightening of the push on lugs to make a tight fit but after that it works perfectly. This way, it's easy to place an old series V filter in front of the flashlight. These old filters go for about $5 on Ebay and just about every color can be found.. Here's an example with a yellow/green filter.
Sean Crogan 4-6-2012-18.jpg by Dean Fletcher - Photographer - Portland, on Flickr

This place is called Dante's and all the lights are red. Without the flashlight, the subject would be awash in red.

Here's another pic in the same location but without the filter.

CRN_6174.jpg by Dean Fletcher - Photographer - Portland, on Flickr


Another example. First picture without any additional light and the next with flashlight.

CRN_4937.jpg by Dean Fletcher - Photographer - Portland, on Flickr


CRN_4938.jpg by Dean Fletcher - Photographer - Portland, on Flickr

 

[McGizmo]

Gapey,
I received the OM-D with 12-50 mm Lens yesterday and have now played with it a bit. Wow! It adds a completely new dimension to UI and controls but appears to take some really fine images as well! The 12-50 mm with Macro is really something in its own right.

 

[fyrstormer]

The hipsters, they burnnn usss, precious!

 

[DTF]

Took a look at the OM-D and it certainly appears to be a nice camera. The knock against MFT format has been the absence of fast prime lens but it looks like that has changed. The Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 Nokton in particular looks interesting. http://www.adorama.com/VT25095.html Yes, more expensive than the OM-D body but the only other lens in the same category is a Leica lens that goes for more than $10K. With the Voigtlander being all manual, I suspect that it may be difficult to utilize in an underwater housing. The wide-open depth-of-field of the Voigtlander is going to be razor thin. I've never considered a MFT camera but this lens alone makes it a more interesting prospect.
Another interesting lens is the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2.0 http://www.adorama.com/IOM12M.html

Of course, underwater you must have one of these: Panasonic 8mm f/3.5 Lumix G Fisheye Lens http://www.adorama.com/IPC835.html


I imagine that when taking underwater pics of small fish (like the seahorse) that blend into the background, the goal would be to use a Hi-CRI McGizmo flashlight on the subject, to highlight them from the background, and to use a fast prime lens wide-open to throw the background out of focus.

 

[DTF]

The hipsters, they burnnn usss, precious!

Using a strobe in this type of situation washes out all of the environment and usually makes for a boring picture. Plus, I need hundreds (I took more than 3,000 pics at this show!) of pictures to make a good video and firing a strobe that much at a venue like this would get me tossed out.

 

[McGizmo]

....
I imagine that when taking underwater pics of small fish (like the seahorse) that blend into the background, the goal would be to use a Hi-CRI McGizmo flashlight on the subject, to highlight them from the background, and to use a fast prime lens wide-open to throw the background out of focus.

Unfortunately with sand and other particles in the water column, back scatter is a real issue and light needs to be off angle from the camera quite a bit. Most often I am shooting one handed and not even able to look at the display for center focusing; need good depth of field. I agree with your goal in theory but in practice it is often not possible. Regardless of subject size, you want to get as close as possible and still cover the subject so super wide angle is called for. Not knowing what the target will be ahead of time makes a good justification for a zoom lens and not a prime. The Olympus 9-18 mm is a nice lens and well suited for a lot of the critters out on the reef. I picked up the Panasonic 7-14 mm lens primarily for whale season and I find I prefer this lens over the Oly in terms of quality and it uses a larger diameter dome port which enhances any split view shots I might want to take (above and below the surface split). In selecting a lens for UW you have to confirm that a proper port for that lens and your housing exists. Some of the glass dome ports are more expensive than the lens and specific to only one lens.

 

[fyrstormer]

Using a strobe in this type of situation washes out all of the environment and usually makes for a boring picture. Plus, I need hundreds (I took more than 3,000 pics at this show!) of pictures to make a good video and firing a strobe that much at a venue like this would get me tossed out.

I was referring to the lumberjack shirts, wool beanies, and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans, but your explanation makes sense nonetheless.

 

[tino_ale]

95% of my shooting is free diving and the bulk and drag of a DSLR in housing is significant. I got my feet wet with an Olympus PL-1 in their own UW housing and was amazed at how decent the shots were. I consider the Olympus Penn series a significant step above point and shoot and with interchangeable lenses you have the option of going super wide to the point that a less than full frame sensor still gathers more of a field of view than necessary. I moved into a PL-3 which clearly provides better image quality than the PL-1 and now I am curious about the soon to be released Olympus OM D. Focus speed and shutter lag have really improved on the smaller cameras but they can't come close in high ISO quality compared to the big boys; at least that I am aware of.

Actually Don per my reading, the Sony NEX 5N is not only in the same class but even a bit better than most DSLR, even from the very latest generation, when it comes to ISO performance thanks to it's excellent APS-C large sensor. The limited range of glass for the E-mount found on NEX cameras is the only thing that keeps me away from it, for now but I consider it to be a very serious alternative to consider!

 

[McGizmo]

Hi Tino,
Yeah, I have seen and heard some about the Sony mirrorless cameras and they do sound good. I am now well down the road once again with Olympus and there are more glass options for them as well not to mention housings and ports. I took a look out of curiosity as to what is available at present for the Sony and the offerings are limited as you have stated.

 

[gapey]

Thought I would share another photo I took recently. I lit the drink from the back with my McGizmo Mule.

 

[McGizmo]

Cool Gapey!

 

[nbp]

Looks like a Mojito...

 

[nbp]

Note: I know little about photography and little about PWM.

When using a Mule and my iPhone to take some pictures, I had some pictures end up with all kinds of little lines across it, which I understood to be a result of the light using PWM on the lower modes. I could see the lines on the screen when on the lower modes but on the high mode it went away as I aimed the camera at the lit object. Is this inevitable when using a light that uses PWM for photography or how does that work? My friend wants me to find him a small light to use for some soft flood when photographing, but I'm concerned that some lights may mess up the pics. I need the gurus' advice here. :help: