January 1998
Spyder man
Forget your diving watch and join John Bantin in the admiration of a pint-sized computer that does two jobs for the price of one
THE diving watch is dead - obsolete, superseded, no longer necessary! A full-function dive computer the size of a meaty diver's watch has replaced it: the Suunto Spyder Advanced Computer Watch (pictured right).
I have noticed a growing habit among divers of wearing their wrist computers between dives. I'm not sure if this is for reasons of security from theft, or so that if they suddenly fall ill with DCI the computer will go with them to the hyperbaric centre. Whatever their logic, they need a Spyder.
Available with gold, silver or black trim, and with either a steel bracelet or a rubber strap, the Suunto Spyder is a day/date digital watch with alarm and chronograph functions. Its display is about 3cm in diameter and it is rated to 20 bar of pressure. In dive mode it does everything its sibling, the Suunto Solution Alpha, does, with a couple of notable improvements.
The "altitude setting" is separated from "personal adjustment" instead of being one and the same - something that still continues to puzzle many Solution owners. And, for decompression status, there is now a graphic display with three green sections and one yellow.
If you think the display is so miniaturised that it will be unreadable, you're wrong! I used it and managed quite well, and am famous for getting grumpy with things that strain my eyes. Some of the icons are noticeably tiny, but you soon get used to knowing what comes up where.
Even at the least cautious personal adjustment setting, we found the Suunto program to be one of the safest during our side-by-side computer comparison dive. I used it at that setting, did 30-odd dives at varying depths, and I seem to be just as fit as when I started.
Quite frankly, this instrument does everything except tell you about air-supply management. Like the Solution, it has an ascent rate indicator, continuous decompression display including the total ascent time needed, and visual and audible warnings.
Not only that, but by pressing the appropriate button you can tell the time and date during a dive! And, if it's dark, you can illuminate the display. It tells the temperature, too.
The Spyder offers all the dive-planning possibilities of its larger brother, and it interfaces with a PC for downloading the last 36 hours of diving.
The comprehensive instruction booklet makes a long read, but I was surprised at how quickly I was able to get to grips with the instrument and, by deftly pressing each of the four external buttons, hop about the menu of possibilities. There are four main modes: time, setting, dive, and memory of these. Each has sub-menus.
It did not seem so long ago that computer-users were in the minority. Now everyone seems to use one and tekkies use at least two. Some even choose to back up their computer with a watch and depth gauge. I can see many divers buying the Spyder instead of an expensive watch, even if they already own a dive computer.
It runs on a 3V lithium battery, which should last about two years when used solely as a watch, or around 350 dives if used for diving.
The stainless-steel bracelet is adjustable for use with and without a diving suit. My only gripe: I needed to remove a couple of links so that I could wear it at the smaller adjustment on my wrist in between dives! Of course, I would not have had the problem with the less-stylish rubber strap.
The Suunto Spyder ACW costs £499.
Blandford Sub-Aqua 01923 801572
Nikon F50, Sea & Sea housing
Nikon's sensible alternativebr>
ELECTRONICS have revolutionised our lives. They are now found in just about every appliance we own, from cars to kettles.
Nowhere is this more true than with cameras. I know a few divers who still insist that their mechanical Nikonos III underwater cameras are best, but I rarely get to see the results of their use! Recently, when an important part of my photographer's kit was broken in transit, I was forced to go back to traditional methods and use my camera in "manual" mode. I remember how difficult it was to get a perfectly exposed picture - especially when trying to combine flash with daylight.
State-of-the-art cameras can do that for you - automatically. The latest Nikon single-lens-reflexes, for example, can in an instant adjust things so that the photographer gets correctly exposed, natural-looking, sharply focused pictures every time - frame after frame, roll after roll. The problem with such cameras up to now has been their cost.
Enter the Nikon F50. This is a less- pricey version of cameras such as the Nikon F90 and F5, but seems to have most of the features that underwater photographers use. Sea & Sea has made an underwater housing - the NX-50 - specially tailored for this camera.
Like all modern Nikon SLRs, the F50 transports the film and rewinds it automatically. It uses the standard range of Nikon AF lenses that focus automatically with this camera. Macro photographers have the option, above or under, to switch to manual-focus mode and move the camera back and forth from the subject to make fine focus adjustments.
In line with most computer-driven electronics, there are endless peripheral functions available to the user, but here I will concentrate on what is relevant to the ordinary underwater photographer. The film is loaded automatically and the whole thing runs on a DL245-type lithium battery, which is good for between 40-80 rolls of 36-exposure film, depending on circumstances.
The F50 has two separate modes that must be chosen before shutting it away in its Sea & Sea underwater housing. These are called the "simple" and "advanced" modes.
I started by using the "simple" mode. The camera's computer gave me a choice of four different settings by icon - general, views, portraits and close-ups. That set, the camera does the rest.
The four choices can be varied underwater by using the buttons at the top of the housing. From then on I simply framed up subjects through the eyepiece, pressed the large red shutter-release lever and listened to the camera whir into action. Sea & Sea provides an eyepiece magnifier that slips over the original Nikon eyepiece when you install it in the housing.
Installation is quick and easy once you have fitted a small mounting block to the base of the camera. Then, with both housing and camera set to manual focus, the whole lot slides in and is locked in place by a large cammed lever.
It is not necessary to remove the camera from the housing to reload it. A flash synchro lead slides onto the camera hot shoe, and an exterior lever gives you the choice of auto or manual focus.
I used the camera with a Nikon flashgun. The synch connection to the outside of the housing is the standard Nikonos fitting, and the camera will mate with a large range of underwater flashguns, including all those from Sea & Sea.
Most will give automatic through-the-lens flash exposure control. Some, however, will use a less sophisticated centre-weighted method, rather than the superior full-frame matrix metering that is so successful at giving a natural effect when balancing flash with daylight.
The F50 has its own built-in flash; this is, of course, useless when obscured inside the NX-50 underwater housing.
Once I had mastered the "simple" method, I progressed to "advanced" setting. This gave me the option of manually selecting my shutter and lens stop settings using the in-built exposure meter to guide me, or using the automatic exposure functions of the camera.
The camera is menu-driven. I could choose to set the shutter speed and leave the camera to do the rest, or choose the lens stop setting (aperture), or go into program mode and choose one of several ways in which the camera could decide things for me.
These included all the settings of "simple" mode, plus "action", "action with blur" or "motion effect", "silhouette", and a program for night scenes. All these program variations are available to the underwater photographer by way of the buttons protruding from the top of the Sea & Sea housing. However, none of them seemed relevant to underwater photography with flash when the camera always switches to 1/125sec shutter speed. I therefore chose to use the aperture-priority mode and the lens settings that I knew would work well with my flashgun.
Remarkably, the lens settings (f/stops, or apertures) are also controlled by way of the top-of-the-housing buttons. In this way, Sea & Sea has neatly done away with the need for lens gears unless you want to use a zoom lens or focus manually.
The lightning icon appeared in the camera viewfinder when the flash was ready, and blinked for a few moments after an exposure if I had the lens setting very wrong. The selected lens-aperture and shutter-speed were also displayed in the viewfinder.
The Sea & Sea NX-50 housing is one of the smallest I have used - it fits the camera like a glove. Its body comprises two halves of an aluminium casting which shut together clam-like with the aid of two cam-buckles.
If I have any criticism, it is that the camera on/off switch can sometimes be very difficult to engage when the camera is inside the housing and underwater. One must also ensure that the housing O-ring is correctly seated after being removed and lightly lubricated with O-ring grease. You really should do this after every dive. The NX-50 housing initially sent for test came equipped with a flat port, ideal for macro and close-up work. Each port fits by means of a bayonet mount, and is securely locked from within the housing.
The camera came with a 35-80mm auto-focus zoom lens. This was fitted with a gear, and the zoom setting could be adjusted by turning one of the knob-controls mounted on the port. There is also a knob for manually focusing any other lens equipped with appropriate gears.
This zoom might be very useful when the camera is used in air, but was less so under water. It was not good for macro work, and not a true wide-angle at the widest (35mm) setting. I concluded that it was fine for doing portraits of buddies, but little else.
One of the first rules of underwater photography is to include as little water as possible between the lens and the subject. I asked the importers of the housing to send me a dome port, and fitted my own Nikon 20mm wide-angle lens.
Things changed dramatically during my second outing with the F50/NX-50 combination. I was able to get closer, exclude more detritus suspended in the water, and make more use of my flash.
With the wide-angle lens and dome port, I found I achieved quality as high as with my much more expensive Nikon F90 in its housing - provided both I and my subject kept still. The only crucial difference seemed to be the ability of the F90 to fully synchronise with flash at 1/250 sec. This proves very useful when involved in shooting action like shark feeds.
The F50 is a financially sensible alternative to the more expensive Nikons. The Sea & Sea NX-50 housing makes easy and full use of all the functions needed by the underwater photographer.
The Nikon F50 camera costs £329, or £439 with Nikon 35-80mm zoom lens. The Nikon 28mm 2.8 wide-angle lens costs £299; the Nikon 20mm wide-angle lens £649.
The Sea & Sea NX-50 housing with a flat port costs around £749. The 180° dome port costs £399.
Nikon UK Ltd, 0181 541 4440
Sea & Sea Ltd, 01803 663012
Mares Vector 1000 BC
We see pricey wannabe BC
TEN years ago, Mares made BCs that rated among my least favourite models. Not only did they not seem very tough, but the styles were garish and out of keeping with what I thought a diver should look like. The company has certainly changed its product range since then, and it now seems to bring out attractive new products faster than I can test and write about them.
A year ago I was shown a host of new Mares models. One of these was the Vector 1000 BC, which has taken this long to reach the British market.
The Vector 1000 is a conventional BC that wraps around waistcoat-style, with shoulder straps that unclip conveniently. It has plenty of lift (18.5kg in size M) and, when fully inflated, sits the diver more or less upright in armchair comfort at the surface. Like all the new Mares products, it exudes quality.
This BC gets its name from the 1000 denier material (denier is a measurement of the thread thickness used in the weave) from which its single bag is made. It is well constructed and looks exceedingly tough.
A single-bag design does not imply weakness. You could find a double-bag design with a tough outer layer but with an inner bag that might go pop when you fully inflate it.
The Mares Vector 1000 is not really a tekkie's BC, but it certainly appeals to the wannabe. It has eight substantial stainless-steel D-rings, four of which are attached to the shoulder-strap facings.
It has a hard backpack with both soft and hard carrying handles, and an adjustable cummerbund to accommodate a variety of paunches from portly to svelte. This is topped with a 50mm webbing belt and buckle, and there is a cross-chest strap too. Pockets are easily accessible using opposite hands, and each has a heavy-duty zip with a pull tag attached. Inside one pocket is a clip.
The tank camband has two positions, and air is fed in by way of the standard Mares ergonomic direct-feed control, and it can be dumped by pulling on the corrugated hose or by using the entirely separate dump valve positioned at the opposite shoulder. This has a heavy toggle on the end of a long cord, which is fed through the front shoulder facing so that you don't have to reach for it. There is also a further dump valve at one side on the lower back.
If I seem over-enthusiastic about what could be a rather ordinary spec, it is because of the Vector 1000's build quality. However, this BC is about 60 more expensive than the next cheapest conventional BC, and getting on for about 200 more than many others that do the same job. Owners of the Vector 1000 will no doubt sport a Rolex watch, wear Lobb boots, and drive a Mercedes Benz sports car.
The Mares Vector 1000 is available in sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL and costs £435.
Blandford Sub-Aqua 01923 801572
Appeared in DIVER - January 1998
Back to DIVERNET NAVIGATOR
or
