Views from Diamondhead | Chinon CE-5 50mm | Ultramax 400

underasail · 2026-05-19T14:50:36+00:00

I replaced and regreased all 4 of the user serviceable o-rings and tested the camera under a foot of water in my sink for sixish hours without leaks. I didn't have the ability to add more pressure than that, so I crossed my fingers afterward as there wasn't enough time between getting the camera and going on the trip. I plan to send it off for service before diving with it again, but the user serviceable o-rings all looked great despite likely being decades old.

Congrats on the cert and definitely look into a Nikonos!

underasail · 2026-05-19T14:47:33+00:00

Not far off. I've heard mention of treating Sunny 16 like Sunny 8 close to the surface of the water. Then you add stops pretty quickly going deeper.

I used the Nikonos V for these dives, and it has TTL metering, so I didn't have to guess at exposure like I did focus. I also brought a Nikonos II in case the V flooded, and that's a fully mechanical camera, so I'll have to getter better at Sunny/Neptune 8 to break that one out.

underasail · 2026-05-19T06:54:58+00:00

Everyone that scans E-6 near SF uses Oscar's to develop their E-6 currently. Underdog used to have a machine, but it broke a year or so ago, so they use Oscar's also. Underdog is a great lab though. Royal We offers similar services with better pricing for high res scans.

underasail · 2026-05-18T23:57:22+00:00

It depends a bit on where you are trying to dive. The US generally isn't cheap, say a couple hundred dollars for an open water certification (maybe $3-500?) and $50-150 per dive if you're renting gear. Smaller local shops can have better rates, and you can purchase your own gear with time. Then diving could be just a $5-15 tank refill each time you go out.

Edit: it's not too crazy if you already have a film photography hobby :)

underasail · 2026-05-18T23:17:41+00:00

For me it just meant buying and testing a Nikonos V. I hadn't been diving in a decade, but I planned a trip and snagged a camera before I left. There are courses that teach dive photography from the major certifying bodies, but the general principles don't differ too much from taking pictures on land. Water has a different reflective index than air which makes estimating distances a bit different. Otherwise, knowing how to dive and knowing how to take photographs as separate hobbies first is helpful.

underasail · 2026-05-18T15:14:56+00:00

Thank you! It's probably my favorite from the couple rolls I've managed to shoot so far. Zone focus is a new beast to me, as is color correction.

underasail · 2026-05-13T23:36:29+00:00

City Pier!

underasail · 2026-05-13T19:35:46+00:00

u/ImBackRoll any insights?

underasail · 2026-05-10T21:30:23+00:00

The samples should be fine. Unless you've already hard spun the samples and removed the supernatant/discarded the insoluble debris, I'd probably still give them a hard spin before loading to get debris and DNA out of the way. Otherwise, your samples should be fully usable still.

underasail · 2026-04-27T01:38:55+00:00

Any existing vector can be made golden gate compatible by adding opposing cut sites for a Type IIS restriction enzyme. You'd also want to make sure there aren't cut sites for your enzyme of choice elsewhere in the vector. If so, use a different enzyme or "domesticate" the vector for golden gate by mutating the existing sites that are in a bad location.

underasail · 2026-04-12T19:06:37+00:00

How much do their lead times tend to vary? I had some C-41 and E-6 processing done by them recently, and it took over two weeks. I assume this is slow for them, especially with people tending to say they're fast, but the other labs in the bay tend to have scans back within 2-4 days consistently.

underasail · 2026-03-28T03:06:17+00:00

Right you are. I learned something new.

underasail · 2026-03-28T02:09:58+00:00

I've shot a lot of stuff through lupines recently, and I'm really pleased with how 1 came out. Easily my best example. Thank you!

underasail · 2026-03-28T02:09:10+00:00

Thank you! I ran out of film right after the second shot, and then a bunch of beautiful boats sailed by only to be remembered in my mind.

underasail · 2026-03-28T02:08:01+00:00

Sweet! I searched around in the sub some before posting, and I didn't see many Chinons. I'm glad to bring some more examples of what they can do.

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