We’re just back from West Papua on both Damai 1 and Damai 2. Here’s a look at what we found:
http://timrock.photoshelter.com/gallery/Indo-West-Papua/G00005IUPNsFitE0
We head back to Raja Ampat and Triton Bay next year. One space left!!!
http://www.guammicronesiadivetravel.com/travelblog1/?page_id=406″
Have a good read and let us know if you can come!!
TR
Just in time for summer travel, we are announcing a special offer for travelling photographers. This one is a big deal!
When you order a ThinkTank Airport roller this month, you can add one of the Artificial Intelligence laptop sleeves ($59 value) to the order for FREE!!!!.
Click on this photo to get to ThinkTank’s DEAL!!!
I love the ThinkTank equipment and I have used it for years. You can’t go wrong with these products.
OK, so now, as promised, I took the Aquatica Close-up Kit for a night dive. Armed with 2 Light and Motion Solas (one for the housing and one for the hand) that I got from Backscatter Photo, I proceeded to light up the reef. Using a Nikon D90 in an Aquatica Housing with Ikelite Strobes at 1/2 to 1/4 power, we scoured the area for critters.
First we found a marginated glossodoris of some sort (nudibranch) that had just finished laying eggs. In this series you can see the 100mm shots and then the details with the diopter. On Guam we don’t have nudis that have a lot of passengers although we do get ghost shrimp riding the bigger nudis sometimes. But I could see this CU +10 diopter really being handy in places like Indonesia where commensal shrimp ride the larger nudis.
Here are some more examples of the marine creature with the 100mm lens and then with the addition of the diopter. I had the +10 with me on this dive and the detail one can get is pretty amazing, especially for night when you can get close enough to shoot sleeping fish or get a nice, dark background to highlight detail. The depth-of-field, while limited at this magnification, can be used to create some nice visual effects as well. Here’s a selection:
And the highlight of the dive was when my friend Kim went to show me a small octopus. She couldn’t find it, but instead came up with three harlequinn shrimp, a rare sighting on Guam. One was actually so small I didn’t see it but it showed up in the background of shot of a larger juvenile. A beautiful sight on the reef. I did try a couple of shots of the mature shrimp with the clsoe-up +10 diopter and got an eyeball shot with a claw in the foreground. Crazy macro!
Read ABOUT THE AQUATICA CLOSE-UP KIT HERE.
Again, even at night, the kit was great to use. I had my Sola spotting light on 1 or 2 power, never full power, and was able to focus quickly on most subjects. A few flatworms with little in the way of a pattern dealt the focusing a fit at times, but that was more a function of the camera than the diopter set-up.
This kit is really making macro fun and easy. You can get close, closer, closest with ease.
To see more images from the entire 2 dives, an afternoon dive I did with the TOKINA 100MM MACRO LENS only and then this night dive, CLICK HERE.
Here’s a look at the Aquatica kit using a Sigma 50mm Macro:
CONTACT ME if you are interested in buying a kit.
Contact Tim:
More about this new system:
This Close-Up kit is a new addition to the Aquatica system, which is arguably one of the most comprehensive in the industry, consisting of a macro port lens holder with +5 and +10 diopters lenses, these are water contact diopters and are made from high-quality achromatic dual elements BK-7 mineral glass, each lenses is treated with both a scratch resistant and anti reflection coating for maximum protection and brightness. Optical performance is maintained to the highest standard, providing a very flat plane of focus which is virtually free of color fringing. The Aquatica Close-Up lenses system is equipped with a quick mount, that method allows the mounting and removing of lenses underwater in just matters of seconds. Also found at the base of each of our underwater optics lenses is a 67mm thread mount, this popular thread size makes the Aquatica Close-Up lenses compatible with a wide variety of underwater housing system already on the market.
The dual elements (commonly known as doublets) are sealed inside an air space. This optical formula helps eliminate aberration and distortion, improving sharpness and maintaining the magnification of the original lens when submerged.
The Aquatica close lenses have true magnification value, when a close up lens is not air sealed, refraction will rob it of most of its magnification when immersed underwater. The Aquatica r +5 and +10 Close-Up lenses will retain their strength at all time. The doublet formula also guarantees improved performance over single element design.
Super macro is within your reach, with the +10 offering as much as 2.2:1 magnification using a standard 105mm Macro lens. At twice life size, imagine the possibility of having a radical point of view on your subject, showing details so small that the human eye cannot resolve normally!
This Close up lens holder will mount on any bayonet macro port ever made by Aquatica. It uses non aggressive fastener that will not scratch or damage the protective layer of anodizing on the port. Both the holder and lenses body are machined from the highest quality aluminum, every part is hand polished then anodized to military specifications, optic are assembled by hand and every single one critically inspected before leaving ours premises.
Mounting the close up lens is done via a unique press fit method, this makes for a quick and secure mounting. Both the +5 and +10 close-up lenses also have a standard 67mm thread incorporated in their design for added versatility.
OK, I finally got everything together here. B&H sent me a new Tokina 100mm Macro lens, Backscatter sent me a mountable Sola light and a hand mount Sola light and the tides aligned.
Sooo, as promised, I set out for a favorite Guam dive site called GabGab Beach. On my first dive, I used the Aquatica D90 Housing with a couple of extension rings and the small flat port as this 100mm is reasonably priced but does not have internal focusing. I am pleased to report that the lens is quit fast and accurate to focus and images came out quite sharp.
Here is a selection shot with Ike 125 strobes in the late afternoon, so light wasn’t super bright. But shots came out well.
I also did a night dive shortly after and those shots can be seen with this lens and with the NEW Aquatica Close-up kit using the Plus 10 diopter.
To see a good number of the photos I took with both, CLICK HERE.
Here’s a look at the Aquatica kit using a Sigma 50mm Macro:
The super close and details stuff is obviously the +10 diopter.
In all, I am happy with the 100mm Tokina. It would be better if it had internal focusing but is a great lens at a price under $500.
Read about it in the next Blog entry.
Check out my BLURB site and see the new Guam and Palau e-book dive guides.
CLICK HERE for TIM’s BOOKSTORE
Truk Lagoon coming soon!
Aquatica is always coming up with innovative products. The new Close-Up Kit is one that really got my attention. Now my idea of the perfect dive trip is one where I never have to remove my 10-17mm Tokina. Macro doesn’t interest me much. My macro lens “arsenal” is a 50mm Sigma and a 35mm Tokina. And I use those mostly for fish interaction shots or, the 35mm, to get a model’s face into a shot of a small critter. BUT, after I read about what Aquatica came up with, I thought that macro could finally get interesting.
So I ordered one and when it came I was off to my neighborhood marine preserve, Guam’s Tumon Bay, for a quick test. My immediate conclusion… this thing is a lot of fun!!
Now, I have a 100mm on order from B&H, so I’ll really be able to use this kit to it’s fullest soon. But I really wanted to see how this system would work with the 50mm Sigma Macro lens. In using this lens with the Close-Up Kit 10+ diopter, I would have my choice of extreme close-up at about one-and-a-half times magnification and also have my good ol’ workhorse fish lens at 50mm. Granted, you have to get REALLY close when using the diopters with a 50mm lens. But Tumon Bay has some very tiny Christmas tree worms, some reclusive shrimps and a few willing blennies and gobies. I will also give this set-up a try at the local nudibranch spot, but for now, I came up with some pretty nice results using the 10+ with the 50mm. See these below:
Now the reason I like the way this has been designed is that the diopter pops off easily underwater without having to remove the holder, which easily fastens to the front of the flat port. As I was persuing a goby I noticed I was being circled by a stunning school of silver pompano. I just popped the diopter off and adjusted the strobes and started shooting. Thus I had great flexibility with this set-up. I was also able to approach a lizardfish who was too shy for the super macro to get close but calm enough for the regular macro capabilities of the 50mm.
So I was able to do everything from shooting fairly large schooling fish down to resting lizardfish and finally filling the frame with tiny Christmas tree worms and reclusive blennies and all in an hour and ten minute dive. Pretty handy tool, I must say.
Read about the CLOSE-UP KIT used with a 100MM LENS.. CLICK HERE!
More about this new system:
This Close-Up kit is a new addition to the Aquatica system, which is arguably one of the most comprehensive in the industry, consisting of a macro port lens holder with +5 and +10 diopters lenses, these are water contact diopters and are made from high-quality achromatic dual elements BK-7 mineral glass, each lenses is treated with both a scratch resistant and anti reflection coating for maximum protection and brightness. Optical performance is maintained to the highest standard, providing a very flat plane of focus which is virtually free of color fringing. The Aquatica Close-Up lenses system is equipped with a quick mount, that method allows the mounting and removing of lenses underwater in just matters of seconds. Also found at the base of each of our underwater optics lenses is a 67mm thread mount, this popular thread size makes the Aquatica Close-Up lenses compatible with a wide variety of underwater housing system already on the market.
The dual elements (commonly known as doublets) are sealed inside an air space. This optical formula helps eliminate aberration and distortion, improving sharpness and maintaining the magnification of the original lens when submerged.
The Aquatica close lenses have true magnification value, when a close up lens is not air sealed, refraction will rob it of most of its magnification when immersed underwater. The Aquatica r +5 and +10 Close-Up lenses will retain their strength at all time. The doublet formula also guarantees improved performance over single element design.
Super macro is within your reach, with the +10 offering as much as 2.2:1 magnification using a standard 105mm Macro lens. At twice life size, imagine the possibility of having a radical point of view on your subject, showing details so small that the human eye cannot resolve normally!
This Close up lens holder will mount on any bayonet macro port ever made by Aquatica. It uses non aggressive fastener that will not scratch or damage the protective layer of anodizing on the port. Both the holder and lenses body are machined from the highest quality aluminum, every part is hand polished then anodized to military specifications, optic are assembled by hand and every single one critically inspected before leaving ours premises.
Mounting the close up lens is done via a unique press fit method, this makes for a quick and secure mounting. Both the +5 and +10 close-up lenses also have a standard 67mm thread incorporated in their design for added versatility.
Want to buy one? Contact me
Contact Tim:
Test Drive one of Think Tank Photo’s new Modular Rotation Systems free for 28 days. If you like it, keep it and your credit card will be charged. If not, return it to Think Tank no charge. The Modular Rotation System is the choice of working professionals who shoot sports, weddings, nature or any situation where the need to stay mobile and rapid gear changes are essential.
The Modular Component Set™ V2.0 consists of two individual lens changer pouches, a flash pouch and an accessory pouch that lock to or slide around any Think Tank Photo belt. Since the pouches are modular, the carrying system can be reconfigured to match any assignment, under any condition.
The Modular Skin Set V2.0 consists of two individual lens changer pouches, a flash pouch and an accessory pouch that lock to or slide around a Think Tank Photo belt. Components are lightweight, compressible and easily collapsible. Perfect for traveling.The “Sound Silencer” feature adds stealth by eliminating hook-and-loop tearing noises.
This offer ends on March 31, 2012 or when100 of each modular set has been reserved for the Test Drive program.
* This offer is only available within the United States because of the shipping costs of delivering the product from and to the U.S.
CORON – KOMODO – MALDIVES
Contact Simon or Tim if any of these specials is something we can set up for you:
1) S/Y Philippine Siren
2nd – 12th November 2012 Batangas – Coron 2600 Euro less 15% off now 2210Euro
Wrecks and reefs in the Philippines; 10 nights diving the sunken Japanese fleet in Coron Bay combined with the reefs of Apo and the critters of Anilao. Join the crew of the S/Y Philippine Siren and you too can discover some new species!
2) S/Y Maldives Siren
21st – 31st May 2012 Central B 10 Nights 2600 Euro less 10% NOW 2340 Euro
Departing from Laamu Atoll, the S/Y Maldives Siren will visit Thaa, Ari & Rasdhoo atolls before ending the 10 night safari in Male. Schools of reef sharks & hammerheads can all be sighted in the kandus, whilst whale sharks visit the shallow bays which are excellent for critter hunting too!
S/Y Indo Siren
16th -24th June Komodo 8 Nights ONLY 2300 Euro
Departs from Bima Bay – a macro critter hotspot – for an 8-night Komodo safari which includes Castle & Crystal Rocks, where white tips, black tips and grey reef sharks can be seen hunting and being cleaned. Manta and eagle rays are also likely and the colourful corals and schools of fish round off the trip nicely!
We can make the arrangements for you to get these great discounts and have a great Siren trip.
Discounts apply only to those trips booked between 1st and 31st March 2012
Let us know:
MSY Damai
In case you weren’t aware, the Tim & Simon trips for 2012 have been sold out for quite a while and will visit some new and exciting spots in Western Papua and Raja Ampat. BUT we have great news for 2013!!
For 2013 we have one great trip planned for Raja and the exciting Triton Bay.
On this trip I will be conducting an “informal photo class” throughout the trip. What is an informal photo class? I will give a few evening presentations including slideshows, movies, concept and other photographic topics. Of course I will be available at all times for questions on setup and photographic critique. I will also be available to answer any questions you may have on diving in general, this Indonesian region itself and anything and everything to do with diving and photography.
Of course Simon and his wonderful spouse Sofie will be available to answer any and all diving questions and we all will help the guides and you find critters and have a great undersea experience.
Although many of the guests will be photographers, this is not a trip only for photo and video people; everyone is invited as the Raja/Triton region offers a large “Wow Factor” for every level of divers.
Sunset at top deck
And then there’s the food!!!
The Dive Damai I is one of the most luxurious and spacious ships running in Indonesia and features many amazing amenities not typically found on other liveaboards. Please visit www.dive-damai.com for further information and photos of the vessel.
There are currently only 8 spaces available for this trip with four people already showing keen interest.
Tim Rock has a new diving guide book to Guam and the Mariana Islands and it’s out in Paper and e-book:
To have a good look at it, you can page through it here:
You can buy the e-book directly from Blurb (see shopping cart in the preview above) or from this site by going to this link:
CLICK For GUAM DIVE GUIDE E-Book Here!
If you want to order the paper copy, go to Amazon.com and check this link:
Click HERE: AMAZON Page for the New Guam Dive Guide
Guam is a special mix of urban development and natural beauty. Surrounded by miles of stunning coastline and rich coral reefs, it has one of the most diverse marine life communities in the Pacific with nearly 400 coral species and over 1000 different fish. A melting pot of cultures make up the population and a great variety of marine life, history and natural formations highlight the surrounding seas.
These islands can be aptly described as hard coral kingdoms. There is much diversity and intense growth competition on the healthy reefs. This guide is intended to bring to the diver the most popular and unique dive & snorkeling sites of the Mariana Islands. Guam, Rota and Saipan are places known for their wide array of beautiful hard corals, variety of fish and other marine life and plethora of invertebrates. Plus, there are numerous World War remnants beneath these waters.
This book has 108 pages with over 120 full color photos. It is a handy 8.5 inches high by 5.5 inches wide. Approximate dive positions are shown on the maps and each site is introduced with general location, most frequently dived depths, and type of dive that can be expected, the dominant marine life and the logistical requirements. The author is internationally published marine photojournalist Tim Rock, who lives on Guam.
