[echeng.com] Australia/Coral Sea 2003

Sea & Sea D30/D60 underwater housing
Sea & Sea Fisheye Dome Port (for Canon 15mm fish-eye, Sigma 14mm)
Sea & Sea Standard Flat Port (for Canon 50mm compact macro)
Sea & Sea Port Extender (for Canon 100mm macro with standard flat port, and Canon 16-35L with fisheye dome port)
3 Ikelite DS-125 Strobes
2 Ikelite Manual Strobe Controllers
ULCS Strobe Arms
Hartenberger Maxi Compact Dive Light
Minolta Marine Case (for DiMAGE X)
Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod

Computers, etc:

IBM Thinkpad A31
X's Drive, for image backup
Chargers for D60 batteries, cell phone, strobes, and computer

... and one big Pelican case, a Domke bag, and a computer backpack to hold it all.

I don't think I've ever traveled with so much camera equipment. It's just crazy.

I'm pleased with the quality and ergonomics of the Sea & Sea housing. The UK Germany housing has advantages because it is so much smaller than the Sea & Sea housing, but the Sea & Sea has considerable flexibility with its extra bulkheads and easy availability of parts.

Ikelite Manual Strobe Controller

I've also been testing out Ike's new Manual Strobe Controllers. They are wireless slave controllers and have ten power settings for wired control of Ikelite strobes. Because I use a sync chord and don't want my strobes firing every time someone else snaps a shot, I blocked the front of my controllers with electrical tape (the light sensor is behind a clear window on the front of the controller). The Manual Strobe Controllers ended up being extremely convenient; changing strobe power no longer involves large camera movements (to reach each strobe) and can be done very quickly.

For more information about digital underwater photography, please check out wetpixel.com.

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