Sea & Sea MX10

[flinty96]

Hi,
Could anybody out there give me their views on the above - I've read through a lot of the threads on here and know that that digital is the way to go but I simply cann't afford those kind of prices at the moment (biting the bullet or not). If you all think that I'm wasting my time I'll probably go down the route of trying to borrow someone else's digital to see how I get on with it and buying one in say a year's time.

Thanks for any views/info.

Steve

[John Gulliver]

I've no personal experience of the MX10 (have an MX5 and a MotorMarine IIEX) but it is quite possible to take very nice pics with an MX10. Have a look at these taken by Yvonne Blume ("Bunny" on Divernet).
http://yblume.smugmug.com/gallery/62480/6/2179880
If you get the external flashgun, and macro and wide angle lenses, you have a very decent set-up for the price. Divers Warehouse seem to have the best prices in the UK on Sea & Sea, by the way.
http://www.diverswarehouse.co.uk (Click the Sea & Sea logo).

[Fiona]

<font color='#0000FF'>Steve

I had a MX10 and sold it last year. &nbsp;You can find lots of them for sale either in the classifieds of the dive mags or on Ebay, in fact there are 3 or 4 on there at the moment. &nbsp;I sold mine through Dive Mag. &nbsp;That way if they are local you can have a look, turned out the guy who bought mine only lived about 4 miles away.

They are very robust, but I don't think I had very much patience with it, so I have gone digital. &nbsp;I seem to spend lots of money on film and processing.

Fiona

[John Gulliver]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (FionaB @ Feb. 18 2004,12:51)]I seem to spend lots of money on film and processing.

Fiona

A tip: Use negative film and get the lab to put the pics on a CD - don't bother about prints at this stage. Save the decent shots on your computer and edit them with an image-editing programme - crop the images, remove backscatter etc. You can have prints made of the manipulated images if you wish, or print them yourself. This procedures saves tons of cash!

[flinty96]

John/Fiona,
Thanks for the prompt info on this - I'll have a look on Ebay and Diverswarehouse to compere prices new for used.

John, does the processing work in reverse if I get the prints on CD i.e can I use a programme to tidy them up then burn them onto a CD and get them printed. Sorry if this sound a little naive but normally I just take pictures, go to Boots and get the photos back.

Fiona, I must admit at present I'm the type of person who enjoys getting the photos to see what they are like as opposed to setting up the perfect picture. Mind you ask me that again in six months when I've had a few duff films back of things at I especially wanted and will probabaly have changed my mind.

Thanks

Steve

[John Gulliver]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (flinty96 @ Feb. 18 2004,15:40)]John, does the processing work in reverse if I get the prints on CD i.e can I use a programme to tidy them up then burn them onto a CD and get them printed?
Thanks

Steve

Yes, that must be possible, though I've never bothered. It is probably easier to just order prints on-line from one of the digital labs. I just put the cleaned-up pics onto a CD for my own and friends' amusement. I live in Sweden, so I've no idea what it costs to have the lab put the images on a CD in the UK but I pay about £6.50 per roll of 36 for developing and a CD. They can put several films on the same CD if you want.

[flinty96]

Thanks John, I've discussed the camera with others this afternoon and they have mentioned the backscatter issue you did - any advise on what software to use to get rid of this and tiding up in general.The emailing off of photos seems quite normal (told you I was naive) so what you suggested will definately be the way I'll go for the first few months.

Thanks

Steve

[JAG]

<font color='#000080'>Hi Steve,

Just my twopenny worth.
I have a MX-5 MkII and have found that the best way to avoid backscatter is to get as close as you can to the subject and if possible use a strobe. The strobe really did help me. Failing that Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro have good cloning tools!

If you take a look at the gallery you can see the difference in photos. The reduced backscatter ones are with the strobe..

All the best,

Ian

[John Gulliver]

Yes, do get the strobe. The internal flash is only good for close-ups, when backscatter shouldn't be much problem. Without an external strobe, pics of shoals of fish etc, taken from 2-3 metres, will almost certainly have a lot of backscatter. Because the external strobe is further from the camera lens, this is far less of a problem with an external strobe but you will still have some at times.
As regards image-editing programs, I use Photoshop LE5 (LE stands for limited edition), which came with my scanner. The full version of Photoshop is very expensive (several hundred pounds) but you can buy Photoshop Elements, which has all we amateurs need, for a fairly reasonable price (I'd guess less than £100 in the UK). http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopel/main.html
I'm no expert on all this, by the way, just telling you what I've learnt from my own painful efforts.

[Georgina]

I bought my Sea &amp; Sea MX10 in December 1998. &nbsp; Wasn't very happy with any photos until I added the YS40A strobe and wide angle lens. &nbsp; I have a love/hate relationship with the camera though. &nbsp; Firstly the money I have spent on film processing. &nbsp; Over £90 once after a two week holiday. &nbsp; I'm not particulary good at taking photos, probably because I never have it on the right setting. &nbsp;

Then there's the repair bills. &nbsp; Flooded the camera once after getting the tiniest spec of dust on the O-ring. &nbsp; Then did the same with the strobe. &nbsp; Then fell over on the dive boat and broke the bit that attaches the strobe to the camera. &nbsp; All the repair bills seem to come to around £80. &nbsp; Then the strobe stopped talking to the camera and I was on the verge of giving up completely.

Anyhow, took it away at Christmas for one last try and had the films processed at the end of each day so that helped in spotting mistakes I was making. &nbsp; It was quite nice to hand around photographs on the dive boat the next day rather than trying to peer into the back of everyone's digital camera at a tiny image. &nbsp; Just old fashioned, I guess! &nbsp; Sometimes I send the films away and get a CD copy but don't have any fancy programs to digitally enhance the photos.

I have put a few photos in the gallery on page 19 I think. &nbsp; These were taken at Christmas with my MX10 and wide angle lens. &nbsp; And complete with backscatter!

No plans to change the camera just yet though &nbsp;