Underwater images - Margriet Tilstra
My equipment
Sea & Sea Motormarine II (2001-2007)
An amphibian analog camera, to use both above and below water. I started with the basic camera with 35mm lens and a Sea & Sea YS-60 strobe. The first pictures were too dark, blurry or overexposed. I did not understand a lot about aperture and shutter speed settings. After a year, I extended the set with a macro conversion lens and a second flash (YS-50). This produced much better results. As long as I kept the object between the two sticks and set the aperture at 22, I got great macro shots. Finally, I added a multi viewfinder and a wide-angle lens. At that time the world around me was shooting with digital cameras. In 2007 I finally switched to digital with the purchase of a Nikon D80.
Nikon D80 (2008-today)
In 2007 I bought an Ikelite housing and a DS125 flash matching my new Nikon D80 with two lenses (Nikon 105mm and Tamron 17 - 50mm). I looked forward to using my new equipment during our trip to Manado, Indonesia in September 2007. When I wanted to put the set together in the hotel it seemed the underwater housing and lens port had broken in the aircraft. Mildly said, I was not happy.
And so the launch of the Nikon D80 with Ikelite housing was postponed until May 2008 in Turks & Caicos. In 2012 I again had bad luck when my camera housing flooded in Curacao: exit camera and lens. As a replacement for the Tamron 17-50mm lens I bought a Tamron 17-50mm with stabilization plus a Nikon 10-24mm lens. The new Tamron lens appeared larger than the previous one, so it did not fit into the housing. Thus nowadays I shoot with the Nikon 105mm and Nikon 10-24mm. The photos that I take with these lenses have also been noticed in Canada, as seen in this article on the website of Mozaik Underwater Photography.
In 2001 I started with underwater photography, without any experience, since the pictures above water were mostly made by Willem. On this page I describe the cameras and accessories that I have used.
Go Pro Hero (2010-today)
This is the film camera of Willem. He tried some photo cameras underwater before: Sony DSC-P12, Panasonic DMC-FX35 and Canon PowerShot G10. All without external flash, because Willem would take as little as possible while diving. Fortunately, he is still willing to drag my photo suitcases during travel.
The Go Pro is the smallest camera in his collection. Its size says nothing about the impressive movies you can make with this HD camera. Judge for yourself in the folder Movies.
