Posted by Paul Inglis on July 10, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for not being around for what seems like an age - I’ve had withdrawal symptoms with the effect of going cold turkey . Anyhow I’ve been busy, busy, busy!!! Not all photography mind!
I’ve had some wonderful experiences with Basking Sharks lately! Unfortunately my photographic skills above the water and windy conditions prevented any decent images of the sharks. The above is a simple fin shot while they were breaching!
I have actually invested in a small camcorder which allowed much better footage than I anticipated to be honest but I now need to look for a software to edit it properly (I’m a complete novice when it comes to filming but it’s great fun!!! – Any suggestions on software is welcomed!)
Anyhow back to the point! I was wondering if anyone knows of a decent underwater housing that’ll fit the D2Xs and D300 into it (but doesn’t cost a fortune). I won’t actually be diving as such more snorkelling as the sharks cruise just beneath surface when swimming/feeding/breaching. I’d love to get some shots of them next year with their mouths wide open. Swimming with the sharks is an awesome experience – believe me!
I’ve seen a few 40ft plus but I know they can get much, much bigger!
The water is very cold! For those that are unaware I explain a little about the Basking Shark.
The basking shark, scientific name Cetorhinus maximus, Manx name Gobbag vooar (big mouth) is the second largest fish in the world and we, in the Isle of Man, are fortunate enough to have a large number of them coming through our coastal waters from May to September. They are named basking sharks because of their habit of 'basking' at the surface of the water. They feed by filtering out plankton from the water in a similar manner to whales. Despite their huge size they are completely harmless to man. Unlike bony fish that can produce millions of young in a year basking sharks are viviparous (live bearing) and therefore breed exceedingly slowly. They are, therefore, very vulnerable to over-exploitation.
nice to know someone is seeing them this year paul!!
we had a trip organised last week to go down to cornwall to film them underwater, but the skipper rang the night before to say that they hadn't had a sighting for three weeks, so we've postponed it. if you know we might have a better chance up where you are, and there is a chance for this year, do let us know, as there are four or five very keen underwater photo/camermen hanging out to get in with these guys :)
as for a housing, those ewamarine things make me cringe, they are little more than a sturdy carrier bag with a lense port, ok they are cost effective, but you wouldn't catch me putting my D2x underwater in a placky bag!! i'm not sure what the optics are like on the ports, but a flat port is little use for anything except macro, and i don't think those ewa bags come with a dome port, which you will need for a wide angle lense, totally essential for large underwater animals.
you are a bit limited for the D2x for a purpose built housing, and you can expect to pay over £2000 for a second hand unit, but there are some options coming available for the D300 at a lot less than that. you won't find a purpose built housing that will take both.
whatever you buy, go for the best you can afford, there's nothing more awful than watching your best camera body filling up with water, and it happens very very quickly.
I'm not a shark man (at the moment) but I got the advice to buy a compact camera with an underwater house. The reasons : 1. it's much cheaper (I paid around €425 for the underwater house and my caon powershot A710 IS), 2. it's less weight, 3. you have all in one (so you have a camera and flash).
If you're using a SLR you also have to buy a seperate flashunit and that kind of things.
Hope this helps you in making a choice. I have tested the stuff in a swimming pool and I'm happy with the results sofar.
Interesting image, Paul, as someone else said, it maybe worth looking at somethign other than a SLR... watching several thousand go glug would make me cry...
Discussion
15 repliesSorry for not being around for what seems like an age - I’ve had withdrawal symptoms with the effect of going cold turkey
I’ve had some wonderful experiences with Basking Sharks lately! Unfortunately my photographic skills above the water and windy conditions prevented any decent images of the sharks. The above is a simple fin shot while they were breaching!
I have actually invested in a small camcorder which allowed much better footage than I anticipated to be honest but I now need to look for a software to edit it properly (I’m a complete novice when it comes to filming but it’s great fun!!! – Any suggestions on software is welcomed!)
Anyhow back to the point! I was wondering if anyone knows of a decent underwater housing that’ll fit the D2Xs and D300 into it (but doesn’t cost a fortune). I won’t actually be diving as such more snorkelling as the sharks cruise just beneath surface when swimming/feeding/breaching. I’d love to get some shots of them next year with their mouths wide open. Swimming with the sharks is an awesome experience – believe me!
I’ve seen a few 40ft plus but I know they can get much, much bigger!
Happy shooting,
Look for EWA marine bag housing -
T
EDIT: At a reasonable price too!
As a start try Windows Movie Maker, free to download and dead simple to use.
Regards
Rob
Rob - Cheers I'll have a look at that!
Not for the shark thing, but for the cold water swimming thing
cheers,
john
Matt
The basking shark, scientific name Cetorhinus maximus, Manx name Gobbag vooar (big mouth) is the second largest fish in the world and we, in the Isle of Man, are fortunate enough to have a large number of them coming through our coastal waters from May to September. They are named basking sharks because of their habit of 'basking' at the surface of the water. They feed by filtering out plankton from the water in a similar manner to whales. Despite their huge size they are completely harmless to man. Unlike bony fish that can produce millions of young in a year basking sharks are viviparous (live bearing) and therefore breed exceedingly slowly. They are, therefore, very vulnerable to over-exploitation.
nice to have you back.
One day without photography is a lost day.
cheers,
Bertl
nice to know someone is seeing them this year paul!!
we had a trip organised last week to go down to cornwall to film them underwater, but the skipper rang the night before to say that they hadn't had a sighting for three weeks, so we've postponed it. if you know we might have a better chance up where you are, and there is a chance for this year, do let us know, as there are four or five very keen underwater photo/camermen hanging out to get in with these guys :)
as for a housing, those ewamarine things make me cringe, they are little more than a sturdy carrier bag with a lense port, ok they are cost effective, but you wouldn't catch me putting my D2x underwater in a placky bag!! i'm not sure what the optics are like on the ports, but a flat port is little use for anything except macro, and i don't think those ewa bags come with a dome port, which you will need for a wide angle lense, totally essential for large underwater animals.
you are a bit limited for the D2x for a purpose built housing, and you can expect to pay over £2000 for a second hand unit, but there are some options coming available for the D300 at a lot less than that. you won't find a purpose built housing that will take both.
whatever you buy, go for the best you can afford, there's nothing more awful than watching your best camera body filling up with water, and it happens very very quickly.
hope that helps
mark.
(I'll stick to my 3 inch deep puddle )!!
JohnR
I'm not a shark man (at the moment) but I got the advice to buy a compact camera with an underwater house. The reasons : 1. it's much cheaper (I paid around €425 for the underwater house and my caon powershot A710 IS), 2. it's less weight, 3. you have all in one (so you have a camera and flash).
If you're using a SLR you also have to buy a seperate flashunit and that kind of things.
Hope this helps you in making a choice. I have tested the stuff in a swimming pool and I'm happy with the results sofar.
Happy "hunting"