- 126
- 348 500
TropicLens
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 27 เม.ย. 2016
Follow us (David and Leslie) as we pivot from being productive corporate employees to productive retirees. We hope to encourage and inspire other people to start diving or try diving in new places by documenting the sites we visit and, in the case of shore diving, how to dive those sites as well.
Bonaire Underwater In Slow Motion - December 2024
We took the best of our 120 fps footage and set it to beautiful music to highlight the amazing underwater sea life on Bonaire. Enjoy!
UNCOMMON SEA LIFE AND FIRST TIME CAPTURE IDENTIFICATION
We primarily use two sources to validate sea life we don’t recognize. The first is Florent's Guide To TheTropical Reefs which can be found at reefguide.org. Its free and has lots of pictures, but is not comprehensive. The second is “The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes)”. The box set can be found on Amazon; however with all our travels, we also purchased the eBooks (fishid.com/store/product-category/ebooks/) so we don’t have to carry an extra five pounds of paper in our luggage. :-) We also reference other sources from time to time as well.
Here are some links to more information/images about animals from this video.
* Atlantic Spadefish - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_spadefish
* Flying Gurnard - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_gurnard
* Beaded Sea Cucumber - www.inaturalist.org/taxa/255692-Euapta-lappa
* Balloonfish - www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/balloonfish
* Ocean Triggerfish - reefguide.org/oceantrigger.html
* Queen Triggerfish - fishbase.mnhn.fr/summary/19
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
* Underwater Camera - iPhone 16 Pro Max
* Underwater Housing - Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max Plus
* Underwater Lights - Kraken Hydra 8000 WRGBU
* Camera App - Final Cut Camera App
UNCOMMON SEA LIFE AND FIRST TIME CAPTURE IDENTIFICATION
We primarily use two sources to validate sea life we don’t recognize. The first is Florent's Guide To TheTropical Reefs which can be found at reefguide.org. Its free and has lots of pictures, but is not comprehensive. The second is “The Reef Set: Reef Fish, Reef Creature and Reef Coral (3 Volumes)”. The box set can be found on Amazon; however with all our travels, we also purchased the eBooks (fishid.com/store/product-category/ebooks/) so we don’t have to carry an extra five pounds of paper in our luggage. :-) We also reference other sources from time to time as well.
Here are some links to more information/images about animals from this video.
* Atlantic Spadefish - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_spadefish
* Flying Gurnard - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_gurnard
* Beaded Sea Cucumber - www.inaturalist.org/taxa/255692-Euapta-lappa
* Balloonfish - www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/balloonfish
* Ocean Triggerfish - reefguide.org/oceantrigger.html
* Queen Triggerfish - fishbase.mnhn.fr/summary/19
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
* Underwater Camera - iPhone 16 Pro Max
* Underwater Housing - Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max Plus
* Underwater Lights - Kraken Hydra 8000 WRGBU
* Camera App - Final Cut Camera App
มุมมอง: 382
วีดีโอ
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - November 2024
มุมมอง 91114 วันที่ผ่านมา
Sorry this took so long. There’s been a myriad of reasons; but it’s done now! The highlight was seeing branching tube stones spawning across one of the reefs; but there were other amazing first time captures as well including an auger snail, chocolate brittle star (aka circle-marked brittle star) and yellow belly hamlets. We also witnessed a sharpnose puffer eating a feather duster and a differ...
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max Pet Peeves
มุมมอง 597หลายเดือนก่อน
While I love the Seatouch 4 Max housing, there are a couple of design issues that I feel could be improved. Specifically, the tray could be modified to delay contact with the inner membrane and the overall size of the membrane could/should be expanded to allow better use of Assistive Touch without impacting camera app functionality. The video shows what I mean. Also, if there’s a topic you’d li...
Diving Vista Blue Bonaire | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens
มุมมอง 750หลายเดือนก่อน
Vista Blue is a beautiful dive site. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the few months we shot this were chock full of bait balls! We also caught two other first time captures including a juvenile Nassau grouper and chocolate lined topsnail. It’s a bit of a drive south and there is no dive shop support nearby. That said, there is a very nice sandy beach…somewhat of a rarity on Bonaire. It’s also q...
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - October 2024 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 6962 หลายเดือนก่อน
There were so many good things to celebrate in October including seven first time captures, some absolutely terrific weather/visibility and quite a few interesting sea life behaviors. Also, the Uncommon Animals section includes an Atlantic spadefish which we haven’t seen in literally ten years. If you’ve never seen a king helmet, goldspotted eel or the eyes of a scaley-tailed mantis shrimp, you...
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Sea Life Frequency Tracker | TropicLens
มุมมอง 3012 หลายเดือนก่อน
Unfortunately, the “Uncommon” meta tag I use for sea life video clips has been expanding and losing its definition over time. Also, much of its application was just me thinking anecdotally about how often I think I see certain animals. So, I’ve decided to apply a more rigorous approach to categorizing how often I actually see things. It’s been an interesting exercise over the last three weeks a...
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max Apps - 3D Mapping
มุมมอง 6042 หลายเดือนก่อน
Divevolk gave a presentation on Facebook in September that highlighted several third party apps and how they were being used in the Seatouch underwater housing. One of those that piqued my interest was a reef mapping effort by Citizens of the Sea using Polycam. So I took some time to explore that and another app called 3D Scanner App. The initial results blew me away and the potential use for a...
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - September 2024 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 5923 หลายเดือนก่อน
Wow, another month of spectacular diving and discovery. Our first time captures included a buffalo trunkfish, lightbulb anemone, red fanworm, common sundial and a white-spot dove snail. We also saw a thrush cowrie which we found out is an invasive species and a pretty cool orange sponge called a Dragmacidon Explicatum. Of course the sea life was interesting to watch as well. Some of the more in...
Bonaire - Playa Frans | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens
มุมมอง 9213 หลายเดือนก่อน
Playa Frans is a bit of a trek. The last 4.5 miles is over dirt roads with deep potholes and long tire ruts, giving your vehicle quite a workout! Driving carefully will ensure you get there and back safely, which is important because there is no cell service the last three miles. When you arrive, you will see some beautiful landscape including a nice salt pan that is home to a number of local b...
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max Platinum Underwater Housing | TropicLens
มุมมอง 1.7K3 หลายเดือนก่อน
Divevolk launched a “Platinum” version of their Seatouch 4 Max underwater housing, so we picked one up on a recent trip to the US. There are quite a few differences between that and the original version. We thought some were good, while others had adverse impacts. Check out the video to see whether or not we think it’s worth getting. If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover more in depth relat...
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - July/August 2024 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 6694 หลายเดือนก่อน
We went on a little hiatus from mid-July to mid-August; so, while this highlight video still covers about four weeks, it actually spans two months. We saw an incredible number of underwater animals including nine first time captures: worm sail (Vermetidae), delicate swimming crab, black grunt, ringed shy blenny complex, reaper murex shell, circled bumblebee shrimp, orange marginella, harlequin ...
Channel Update - September 2024
มุมมอง 3764 หลายเดือนก่อน
We took about a month off between July and August; but we’re back! We picked up some new toys and have spent the last couple of weeks trying them out in the water. Next week we’ll share some long overdue first time captures. Other September videos will include our next Shore Dive Collection location Playa Frans and a review of Divevolk’s new platinum underwater housing. So stay tuned for a bunc...
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - June 2024 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 9105 หลายเดือนก่อน
We had a record month with 13 first time captures. Among our favorites were reticulated and bicolor flatworms, shortfin pipefish, elkhorn coral crab, brownstripe octopus, Caribbean flagfin glass blenny, unicorn filefish yellowface pikeblenny, Barbados miter/mitre, netted olive, coffee bean trivia and a devil Worm. We also saw some amazing behaviors like a convoy of single file needlefish, retic...
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - May 2024 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 9266 หลายเดือนก่อน
May was too kind to us with eight more first time captures including a couple of Cuban aglajas, an umbrella corallimorph, a post larval queen triggerfish, two spot cardinalfish, Atlantic giant cockle and a colorful moon snail. We were also able to capture a number of unique behaviors like a flounder/box crab hunting team, a club-tipped anemone catching a bloodworm and a crawling murex. Of cours...
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max - Cleaning | TropicLens
มุมมอง 1.4K6 หลายเดือนก่อน
I have made hundreds of dives with the Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max. Over that time, the inside has gotten a bit dirty; but the small opening doesn’t make it easy to clean. Here are a couple of methods I have used to clean the inside. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:16 Soapy Wash 2:51 A Gentle Rub
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just A Bait Ball | TropicLens
มุมมอง 1.3K7 หลายเดือนก่อน
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just A Bait Ball | TropicLens
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max Accessories - AOI UCL 900 +15 Close-Up Lens | TropicLens
มุมมอง 3.2K7 หลายเดือนก่อน
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max Accessories - AOI UCL 900 15 Close-Up Lens | TropicLens
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - April 2024 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 8787 หลายเดือนก่อน
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - April 2024 | TropicLens
Diving Superior Producer - Curaçao | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens
มุมมอง 2.2K8 หลายเดือนก่อน
Diving Superior Producer - Curaçao | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens
Curaçao Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - March 2024 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 6778 หลายเดือนก่อน
Curaçao Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - March 2024 | TropicLens
Dive Highlights - Mating Yellowline Arrow Crabs | TropicLens
มุมมอง 1759 หลายเดือนก่อน
Dive Highlights - Mating Yellowline Arrow Crabs | TropicLens
Curaçao Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - February 2024 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 74210 หลายเดือนก่อน
Curaçao Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - February 2024 | TropicLens
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max - iPhone Settings | TropicLens
มุมมอง 9K10 หลายเดือนก่อน
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max - iPhone Settings | TropicLens
Bali Dive Highlights - Nudibranchs | TropicLens - 4K
มุมมอง 33210 หลายเดือนก่อน
Bali Dive Highlights - Nudibranchs | TropicLens - 4K
Bonaire Dive Highlights Just The Good Stuff November 2023 | TropicLens - 4K
มุมมอง 621ปีที่แล้ว
Bonaire Dive Highlights Just The Good Stuff November 2023 | TropicLens - 4K
Diving Angel City - Bonaire | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens - 4K
มุมมอง 1.8Kปีที่แล้ว
Diving Angel City - Bonaire | The Shore Dive Collection | TropicLens - 4K
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - October 2023 | TropicLens
มุมมอง 756ปีที่แล้ว
Bonaire Dive Highlights - Just The Good Stuff - October 2023 | TropicLens
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max | Tips & Tricks | TropicLens
มุมมอง 19Kปีที่แล้ว
Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max | Tips & Tricks | TropicLens
Dove the Hilma Hooker in 1985. Only rust on it at that time. Got a picture of a 5 ft. barracuda hanging out by the propeller with my Nikonos 5.
Awesome as always!
Thanks Robert!
Hi! Love you're videos! Did you ever hear back about the new tray or the Max Plus version from DiveVolk?
Oh, thanks for the reminder Larry. Yes, they have a 16 Pro Max tray for the Platinum version. That said, it appeared to be 3D printed (not that there's anything inherently wrong with that) and the one I received was a bit tight. Your results may vary; but it worked in my housing. :-)
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS - more dinner time entertainment!
It's a short one and I didn't have time to complete the usual monthly highlights. So that will have to wait until we get back from the US at the end of the month. Still, enjoy!
I love the slow mo vibe. I need to shoot training videos to support my new book on Octocoral identification and am thinking of using the same kit as you. Could you please comment on the best way to shoot sequences (wide / mid / close-up) on the same subject - e.g. a soft coral -with this rig. I have heard of red filters for the wides but can one also add a macro lens for CU at the same time? Cheers. Russ
Oh and a supplementary question. What do you like about Final Cut Camera?
Yeah, Leslie loves it and has encouraged me to show it more. I feel much better about the footage at 120fps than 60fps. Generally, I always start wide and zoom in just so I get "something". Even if it is bad, I have a "Bad video, but proof we saw it" meta tag. I stick with the 24mm lens and pull back the zoom as I move closer to the subject to get better quality. (The "zoom" on iPhones is just digital and gets pixelated.) If the subject allows me to get fairly close, I use a +6 diopter to reduce the focal distance and if the subject really doesn't care about its personal space, I can then get very close with the +15 close-up lens. Yes, you can use both the red filter and a macro lens. Many diopters are "stackable", meaning you can screw one on top of the other. Alternatively, I made a custom set-up that allows me to easily switch between two lenses or use both at the same time. Check out our Divevolk Tips & Tricks video to see how I did that.
Well, I first started using the BlackMagic Cam app, but (for me) it was crashing once in a while and since I use Final Cut Pro for post production, I just started using their Final Cut Camera app when it came out. When the iPhone 16 came out, I really wanted to start using the 120 fps; but FCC didn't update their app for a little bit, so I went back to BMC because they updated to 120 fps fairly quickly. Again, (for me) BMC would crash once in a while, so when FCC updated to 120 fps, I switched back. To be honest, both are very feature rich. It just may be that I have something else on the phone that is causing an issue with BMC. Since both are free, try each out to see which you like more. Hope these answers help. Happy to talk camera/apps all day. :-)
@@TropicLens Thanks for the thoughtful replies! I am yet to make any purchases so what I know about using this gear is from videos like yours (thanks for making them ). For my training videos I would be establishing the soft coral / sea. fan / whip etc in its wider context followed by a mid shot then close up studies of the salient identifying features. Usually closer is better for the ID features providing the beastie is well established in the wider context. Most of my diving is in the Coral triangle where water clarity is rarely super clear. So I imagine the landscape / wide shots will be done using natural light with a red filter. However when I get within a metre of the subject I will use a combination of the Backscatter Hybrid flash & the Macro Wide 4300 - so essentially good video lighting for the mids and CU's. I am hoping your patience will extend commenting on how to get the best macro using this kind of housing. If I understand your comment you use the +6 diopter to do 'macro at a distance'. With soft corals etc. I can generally get quite close, so if animal skittishness is not an issue does the iPhone 16 Pro max +15 macro lens deliver your macro needs on its own? Cheers Russ www.byoguides.com
@@wireruss No problem with the additional question(s) Russ. Since the 16 Pro Max upgraded the sensor on their 13mm lens, all of my close-up macro is done with that iPhone lens and an AOI UCL-900 +15 close-up lens on the Divevolk clamp/lens adapter. That said, be aware that the AOI lens is quite expensive; but, of course, there are other +15 lenses out there that are cheaper. That combination works fairly well for the moving critters, so I suspect it would be awesome for your coral shots. :-) Hope this helps.
Cheers from Cayman- another great vid!
Thanks! Cheers back at you from Bonaire! :-)
Geweldig weer
Het is inderdaad altijd geweldig! :-) (I hope I got that right.)
Super cool video 😉Hope to someday go to Bonaire 🤞
Thanks Dakic.
Wow, that was filmed with an Iphone. Wow.
They are pretty good, right? :-)
My favourite shore dive in Bonaire! Tons of Black Durgan! Favourite route is dropping at the buoy marker, heading straight for the big brain coral that sticks out into the sandy channel from the second reef, and then going south toward the big coral structures!
One of my favorites as well, Leslie, not so much. :-)
That wrasse eating the puffer is such a wild capture! Great video as always! Just got home last night and am already missing Bonaire watching your videos.
Thanks Big V! We get lucky sometimes. We're happy to help with your Bonaire withdrawals. :-)
LIDAR will work underwater, but it must be very clear and you must be closer to the object you are scanning
Ahhh, good to know Nate. Given the varying degrees of visibility/particulates in the water on any given day, it seems the photo option works best (or at least much more reliably) underwater...at least in our neck of the woods. :-)
Great video, and I love your dedication to identifying the fish and other marine life. How was the progression of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD)? We’ve been on 7 dive trips in the last 8 years to Bonaire, and are heading back in March for number 8. Earlier this year the hard corals looked very bad. The hard corals in your video look similar, including some active tissue loss and death. It’s very sad. Thanks!!!
Indeed, SCTLD has taken a toll. There are coral restoration efforts that are seeing some success, particularly with staghorn. There are lots of robust outplantings. Hopefully, others will be successful as well. Swimming over 6 - 10 foot dead brain corals is a little depressing. :-(
Which photo app would you recommend? I am a beginner. I’ve splashed out on this housing having only just got used to my GoPro.
For the last year or so, I've been using Final Cut Camera. There was a brief stint of about a month in October as they didn't update to 120fps quickly;, so I went with BlackMagic camera which did update quickly. Both are good apps. I do also use the default iOS camera app once in a while, but only for spatial videos. The bait ball videos look great in 3D. :-)
Can a shortcut be set up on the top teir menu to go into "Pre-set" Blackmagic camera settings??? Say you set the camera up with different lighting scenarios or 'scenes' to a new shortcut, this might allow you to have a number of different light settings pre-set and just hitting a different BlackMagic shortcut (say they are numbered 1,2 &3) will open the camera at those settings. Could that work?
I believe you can do that. When in the camera mode, adjust the settings (lens, fps, ISO, etc.) to your preference. Then go to Settings and the Presets. There is an option to Save New Preset. Give it a name and click Save. Add another if you like. It seems a little buggy as I couldn't get 120fps to save properly and you can't change/tweak a preset. Instead, you have to delete it and save another with the new configuration. Also, I don't know if there is a limit, but I created three. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Hope this helps.
@@TropicLens Great. thanks for the advice. And I can assume any "backtap" shortcut to engage these presets would NOT be felt through the housing, correct?
I have not had any luck with backtapping using the Divevolk. :-( Once you create the presets in BlackMagic, it would be a 3 step process: Settings > select your Preset > go back to Camera mode.
@@TropicLens Again, thanks for that.
@@gbsailing9436 Well, I haven't been able to get it to work. It could just be me or the accelerometers are too sensitive for the slower motion caused by the water. If you conduct your own testing, please share the results. 🙂
Nice video, David! So, with all the first time captures every month, can your spreadsheet predict when you will identify everything there is to see in Bonaire? 😂
Ha! I hope I don't ever see that. :-)
Your videos are stunning! So much so that you inspired me to give it a shot. Not diving, which I've been doing for some time, but the video thing. I'm nowhere near your league, but I've learned so much just from watching. At this point I'm low-tech... I might rebrand myself as "just a guy and a GoPro...!" It's also good to see videos from Bonaire - a place we've been to many times. It's really special. Thanks for all the videos!!
Thank you so much, Stephen. We are very glad to hear our videos inspire others whether it be from a diving, underwater conservation, marine study or even a content creator perspective. Our first videos from Aruba and the early Curaçao stuff were all shot with GoPros. You can do amazing things with those. :-)
Very cool video David. Is it just me or did the Creolle Jack swimming alone have a big bite out of its belly? I've heard there has been sightings of a Manta ray. Have you seen it?
Great eyes, John! I hadn't noticed that; but went in for another look and it does, indeed, look a bit odd. I then looked at a few other resources as well as online photos and it appears they typically do have a downward turn at the belly just in front of the anal fin; although some are more pronounced than others. Nice observation! With respect to the manta, we have seen a few Facebook postings; but have not (yet) had the pleasure of seeing a manta live on Bonaire. Someday... :-)
May the force be with you!!@@TropicLens
Love the Atlantic Spadefish at the end!! :)
I can't believe that guy is still hanging around!
So many bleached corals! Bonaire was one of the last healthy refuges in the Caribbean. Very sad to see.
Indeed, it was sad to see. Fortunately, the water temps are cooling down now. (I moved back to my 5mm wet suit last week!) The algae is starting to come back and the corals are looking a bit healthier. :-)
We spotted a couple of "Blu Tang Clans" last week!
I see what you did there... ;-)
Fantastic video !!!
Thank you Dakic! :-)
What!!! What an honor to be included in some of your underwater work. Thank you so much, David and Leslie!!!! Can't wait to see you guys soon!
No, no...thank YOU for your footage. It was nice to see a different perspective from a different camera and I am sure others will appreciate that as well. There are so many tools and ways to communicate the beauty of the underwater world. Let us know when you're coming down next and there will be a table at Rum Runners for four waiting... :-)
Great video as always! Looking forward to meeting you guys next month.
Thanks Kamal. We are too! Let us know when you will be available (e.g., if you have any scheduled boat dives or other excursions) after the 24th.
Great job! As usual! Very similar to the Philippines for clarity. The best use of a spreadsheet ever!!!
Oh... the Philippines are on our list to visit sometime! Thank your for the kind works Patrick. As for the spreadsheet, it felt good to dust off those skills. :-)
Amazing vids as always! Going to Curacao this July, any recommendations? I’m a diver with camera and my wife likes to snorkel…cheers! Love your channel!
Thank you Robert! You will love Curaçao! We've done lots of videos on the sites over there; but there are certainly a few better sites for a dive/snorkel combination. Piskadó is great because of the turtles; but I recommend getting there by 7 and be in the water by 7:30 or 8 at the latest...not only from a parking perspective, but the cruise ship tours hit the beach in earnest by 9 (and then it's a madhouse!). If you head west for Pisakdó, Lagun is very nice plus there is a dive shop there and a restaurant with an amazing view! We also enjoy Tugboat beach; but that was a bit busy as well when we went in Feburary. There is a ton of life in the shallows and the wreck is only 5-10 feet below the surface depending on the tide. And definitely explore under the pier! Finally, and there isn't snorkeling here; but if you get a chance to dive the Superior Producer, take it. It is a tremendous wreck! If you're interesting in hiring a local dive guide to have a buddy (not sure if you're a solo diver); Daan at Rebel Diving Curaçao is excellent. She will take you just about anywhere on the island and knows where most of the critters are.
@ thanks for your reply…great advice…cheers!
@ hi and thanks again, definitely going to contact Daan…just wondering if you have a suggestion as to which area we should stay…so far have plans to rent a car and an air b and b…cheers!
If you do reach out to Daan, be sure to tell her TropicLens says "hi". :-) As for where to stay, I suggest staying central. We've stayed in Lagun way on the west side and as far south as the Sea Aquarium. The last two times, we stayed in the Piscadera area which we found ideal. Not only is it equidistant to the far west and south sites; but it is also close to Centrum and Carrefour which are great supermarkets. Other recommendations include Emma Car Rentals if you haven't rented a car yet and Baoase's Culinary Beach Restaurant if you have a special occasion. It's a bit pricey; but I've taken Leslie there twice for her birthday and we love the experience. Hope this helps. Enjoy Curaçao!
@ thanks so much ! I’ll say Hi for sure…cheers!
Any tips on Samsung S24 Ultra setting?
I am sorry Lim; but I don't have an Android phone.
But you already know that you tried to use the divevolk screen bag the wrong way round? The long side goes over the screen, the short side over the lens. Actually quite simple 😂
Yeah, blast from the past. :-) The general point was that it isn't the easiest thing to put on...especially backwards!
Great information, but not a deal breaker for me either, by the way always enjoy your fantastic images., greets Walter.
Thank you Walter! :-)
Great video! I am forwarding your feedback to divevolk now and will help pushing them making some adjustments :) One question: you suggested that you don't want the assistant touch bubble to cover the flash, I understand that ideally it should not cover anything but do you use the flash underwater? Or is it just not ideal because it may cause accidental press of the flash control?
Thanks Shiqi! Both situations apply, really. I have made dives where both my Kraken batteries ran out (at night), but then saw something I wanted to shoot. Having access to the phone’s flash/light can help in a pinch. Also, if you accidentally press it while trying to use Assistive Touch and don’t realize it’s on, the light goes on whenever the phone is recording which drains the battery faster.
I look forward to seeing whether experience and expertise will be respected at the desks of design engineers.
Yes, it will. ;-)
I'd say the phone orientation should be changed. Why dont flip it to allow access to the charging port to charge and offload data? Its so annoying to always have to remove the phone entirely!
I certainly agree that a better/faster solution for charging would be great...especially when on long two-tank boat dives! That said, rotating the phone would put the lens on the lower right side and since 85-90% of people are right handed, that is where they probably hold the housing and fingers might get in the way of the lenses...if they don't use the handles. Also, I suspect some users may think a lens at the bottom of the housing is a bit awkward. However, there are a couple of options that might work for you. First, Divevolk came out with a dual-handle tray that allows the housing to pivot without removing it. While I am not a particular fan of the preformed metal handles (I prefer the rubber coated, textured handles from Ultralight), I understand and appreciate that option as a solution. Second, you could get a slightly longer tray and position the housing more to the left handle. Both options should give you plenty of room to open the tray door and slide a USB cable in for charging and/or offloading images. Happy to hear others' solutions as well.
@@TropicLens what I meant is that they could change the design of the housing to make charging and data connection possible.
Ahh, like a little accessible port? That would be interesting.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YES - Dinner time watching! Saving this for tonight!
Well, it will cover appetizers, anyway... ;-)
What was the tray that was use to mount the SeaTouch Max Platinum to? Do you have a link?
The try set up is from Ultralight, Sam. Specifically, the bar is part # "TR-DM2" and the handles are part # "TR-DH". You can order them directly from Ultralight or check other places to see if there are any sales going on. (I picked mine up from Backscatter several years ago.) Also, the handles don't come with arm mounts, so you'll have to purchase the appropriate mounts if you plan on using lights.
wonderful
Thanks Jimmy!
Perfect dinner time view! Thanks for all the hard work on these!
Thank YOU for watching! :-)
Wow! This really has been the year of the baitball! Love the juv Nassau grouper and the topsnail. I always go a little farther south to the big shade tree. Wendy can stay out of the sun while i dive, and there are always turtles there for her to watch. There is also a great stretch of sand to walk along the water almost to Sweet Dreams all the way up to just south of Margate Bay. Thanks for the Bonaire fix, David!
Yeah, the bait balls have been nuts this year! We haven't really explored Sweet Dreams yet, so thanks for the tip, Chris. We're always on the lookout for nice sandy entries. :-)
Were these videos taken using the filters, or just the camera? I just got back from my first trip with my Seatouch 4 Max plastic, and all my pics and vids totally blue. I would love to see a video where you hold on a nice colorful section of reef and then move the filter in and out of frame for comparison. Does the BlackMagic app or FinalCut app have a software setting to add the red filter effect? Ive not seen that mentioned anywhere either. I liked using the housing, but the lack of built in attachment points on a version 4 was quite disappointing.
Generally, I have Divevolk's red filter on all the time during the day. (No filters at night, except when fluoro diving, where yellow is used.). The shallow footage does come out a with a bit more red than I would like; however I use FCPX in post and that cleans it up nicely. With respect to other tools, both the Final Cut and BlackMagic apps have a customizable slider to adjust the color temperature and BlackMagic also has some presets as well. Also, I do use my lights quite a bit during the day. Early in the mornings, under a ledges and cloudy days all require some help to bring the colors out. Finally, great idea about the color filter video! I have two physical filters (Divevolk/Backscatter) and it would nice to methodically test those against the in-camera tools. Will definitely add this to the list. :-)
@TropicLens thanks for the info, I'll try to play with the other camera app, but black magic won't install on either of my phones (too old) and i don't want to spend another$800 to get a new phone... I'm going to try to cnc mill a piece myself to clamp around the housing to give me the mounting points that should already be there. What software would you recommend to change color temp in post, or is it even possible? I'm not familiar with fcpx.
@@starhawke380 I completely understand about a new phone expense! 🙂 And kudos to you for having the ability to manufacture a part you need! I wish I had the knowledge, skill and tools to do that sort of thing. It would be interesting to see pics when you finish that. With respect to post production, I use Final Cut Pro on a Macbook. (I guess I should stop referring it to FCPX, since X is for ten and they just released 11.) Another, probably equally sophisticated, tool is Davinci Resolve. Both require a bit of a learning curve. An easier route might be the Dive+ app. I know some divers use it and the color correction looks very good. That said, as with all apps, make sure to check the developer/privacy information in case any of the specifics concern you.
My favorite Island that I wish to visit in the near future!!!!
Bonaire is a great place to dive. That said, if there time flexibility, waiting a few months until the bleaching subsides would provide a better reef experience. :-)
Where can i find the protection bag for the whole housing
I had a dive shop in the Chicago Suburbs (Dive Rite In Scuba) make a couple for me. I really like having the protection for the camera and lenses from home all the way into the water. They help keep sand away from everything on the walk in/out for shore dives and offer some protection when the housing is in a rinse tank with other gear.
Went to salt pier for the first time last week November 12,2024. Enjoyed the site very much.
Salt Pier is awesome. Did you see the Atlantic spadefish? It's been hanging around for the last month or so.
Cute eagle Ray
Thanks!
@@TropicLens your welcome
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh gonna be watching this tonight during dinner!!!
If you liked that, Vista Blue coming shortly! :-)
Hey Leslie and David, We are coming to Bonaire at the end of November (for the 3rd time now in two years). We would love to meet you guys as we love your content and you are a great inspiration for us. Let us know if you would be available. Thanks, Melanie & Patrick
Hello Melanie & Patrick! We are happy our videos have inspired you both. There are a lot of ups and downs in life, so being on the positive side of that equation for others feels good. To that end, we have been lucky enough to meet a few divers through the channel and are always happy make new friends. Send us the dates and your contact information through the Contact Us form at TropicLens.com and we can try to get something scheduled. Travel safely! :-)
Hi Dave, lots of cool stuff. Nicely done once again!
Thanks! That said, it's kind of easy when there is so much good diving. :-)
Nice video David!
Thank you sir! Hope this scratches your itch until you make it back down. :-)
Fascinating! There were so many fish I never knew about. I loved seeing the octopus. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it Sonya. You'll have to come down to experience it in person sometime.
Knocked it out of the park as usual! Leaving tonight. Will be on Bonaire tomorrow! Super excited to say the least. Hopefully we can get that dive (or 2) in. What's a good method of communication beside youtube after we arrive?
I bet you are excited! Travel safely. We have you in the calendar for Friday, if that still works for you. Drop an email to info@tropiclens.com and we can exchange info. Looking forward to it!
Hope you guys made it down here safely John. Drop an email to info@tropiclens.com with your contact information (email, WhatsApp, etc.) and we can connect.
It remains fantastic to see these images
Thanks!
I have watched many other TH-cam videos of divers in Bonaire but yours are way better because I can tell you do your research, take the time to label all of marine life, are very detailed (you show us how to get to the dive spots and what we can expect to see at different depths), and take super high def videos. We have created a playlist of your videos and are creating our itinerary based on your suggestions. We have never done an unguided dive before so we want to make sure we’re prepared and your videos have been so helpful and have made us really excited to go shore diving in Bonaire. I’m so glad Leslie has fully recovered and you guys are back diving again. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the diving community. ❤
Thank you so much for the kind words Vanessa! Once you start feeling comfortable with unguided diving, it opens a lot of opportunities and flexibility.
@@TropicLenswe have arrived to Bonaire! We got here yesterday and did our first unguided drives at Buddy Reef. Tomorrow we start our Advanced Diver course. We are hoping to do a night dive afterwards. If you’re available to meet up sometime this week, let us know. 😊
Glad you made it to the island! Our first unguided dives on the island were at Buddy as well. It is a great site with lots of support. (And lunch at Blennies is good too.) Hope the course is going well. How long are you on the island? We already have three dives planned with visitors/friends of the channel and one day needs to be spent on house stuff with our builder. Send us your info through the contact us form on TropicLens.com and we can see about meeting up.