Light & Motion Sola Photo 1200 – The Ultimate Focus Light For Night Divers

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Admin11

The Light & Motion Sola Photo 1200 is the most popular modeling light used for underwater macro photography. I have been using Sola lights for over seven years now. All Light & Motion lights are easy to use, lightweight, and reliable. My favorite feature of the Sola Photo 1200 is the red light option. This feature enables the user to photograph marine life without disturbing them. Some marine animals do not see red light.

Sola 1200 focus light

Best features of the L&M Sola Photo 1200

Factory sealed body ensures flood-free performance
Compatible with a ball mount, ys mount and loc-line
SOS mode – Emergency function
Adjustable light output -1200 lumens (white light max)
Red light feature

Nauticam housing – Nikon D500

Nudibranch and Sola 1200

The red light feature works outstanding underwater. Get creative with blending red and white light during your dives.

Sea cucumber Art

The red light feature works great for photographing nudibranch’s, sea turtles, and cephalopods during night-dives. These animals are less affected by the red light.

Nauticam and Sola 1200

Check out the eye of the cuttlefish. The pupil is wide open (dilated)

Photographed using the Sola 1200 (red)

With white light, the pupil is constricted. The cuttlefish looks irritated by the bright light.

Photographed using the Sola 1200 (white)

Below are a few photographs of my dive buddies using the red feature.

Motion sickness (In camera triple exposure)

Multiple exposure Ie Island

Scuba-diving with a spin

If you would like to test the Sola Photo 1200, please let me know. Friends and supporters – Save 20% off your first Light & Motion purchase https://prz.io/648x6bGC1

Learn more about this product and accessories offered at the Light & Motion Website.

Shawn Miller Underwater by Russell Gilbert

I want to thank Tokina, Light & Motion, Nightsea, and Black Fin Grouper for all their continuous support over the years.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

The Art of Underwater Wide-Angle Photography – Tokina 10-17mm fisheye

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Admin11

I started shooting with the Tokina AT-X 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 DXA back in 2012. It is the most popular fisheye lens used for wide-angle underwater photography. It is also known for its close focusing capabilities underwater and on land. The lens is a high-quality product built for professionals working in the field. The Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye is my favorite lens in my bag and has been my go-to lens for the project “Crabs with Beach Trash Homes“

If you plan on using the fisheye lens underwater, you will need an underwater housing. I currently use the Nauticam Na-D500 with the 100mm Zen dome port (Dp-100-N120T).

If you want to use the zoom function underwater, you must attach a zoom ring (P#19127) to the lens. The Nauticam zoom ring installation process is relatively easy.

Below are some of my favorite underwater photographs taken with the Tokina AT-X 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 DXA combined with my older Ikelite underwater setup. I mainly focus on macro photography, but I will be pushing myself to shoot more wide-angle this year.

Okinawa is best known for its beautiful beaches and seascapes. All photographs were taken with the Tokina AT-X 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 DXA.

Learn more about my favorite lens @ Tokinalens.com

I want to thank Tokina, Light & Motion, Nightsea, and Black Fin Grouper for all their continuous support over the years.

Have a great day!

Testing the Nauticam NA-D500 Underwater housing

Posted on May 4, 2019 by Admin11

It’s been a blast shooting with the Nikon D500 DSLR combined with the Nauticam Na-D500 housing. I am pleased with the superior quality and design of the entire system. My underwater rig is setup for shooting macro with two Sea & Sea YS-D2 strobes and a variety of Sola lights. I customized it slightly by mounting a Light & Motion Sola compact tray and loc-line arm kit to the bottom of the housing. This allows me to easily attach other Sola lights underwater based on my vision.

Nauticam NA-D500 shower

My favorite features of the Nauticam NA-500 Underwater housing

Internal camera lock-to prevent movement
Vacuum and leak detection system, Green is good!
Port lock system and audible housing lock latches
Super responsive optic flash system
Comfortable hand grips

I tested the Nikon D500 system with the Nikon AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED lens and the Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens. Both are responsive and quality pieces of glass. The great news is that they 40mm is compatible in the NAU-18701 port as well.

Below are my favorite fourteen photographs taken with the D500 underwater in the beautiful waters of Okinawa.

Bobtail Squid – D500|40mm

Hermit crab – D500|40mm

Reef squid D500|60mm

Nudibranch D500|40mm

Chromodoris hintuanensis D500|60mm

Paintpot cuttlefish D500|60mm

Dinahs Goby D500|60mm

Flatworm D500|60mm

Ryukyu Eyes D500|40mm

Pontoh’s Pygmy Seahorse D500|60mm

Fluorescence Nikon| 60mm

Bobtail squid D500|60mm

Eyes of Okinawa D500 | 60mm

If your planning on buying a Nauticam underwater housing online, I recommend Bluewater Photo, they are extremely knowledgable and have outstanding customer service.

I want to thank Black Fin Grouper, Light & Motion and Nightsea for all their continuous support over the years. Thank you!

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Testing The Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens Underwater

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Admin11

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens for Canon EF

Underwater Housing © Shawn Miller

The Laowa D-Dreamer 12mm lens is a technical lens with great optics. The specialized lens is manual focus and manual aperture selection. I decided to see what it could do underwater.

The lens was used in combination with a Canon 70d DSLR, mounted in an Ikelite housing with an eight-inch dome port. For all the underwater shots, I preset the aperture to f11 before I locked it in the underwater housing. I tested it under ambient light, with the use of modeling lights and underwater strobes. I only had time to test it four times underwater due to bad weather and family obligations. It was challenging for sure. By the fourth dive, I started getting the hang of using this manual lens underwater.

1st issue – Reflection when shooting into the sunlight. (see the bottom right corner)

Venus 12mm underwater reflection © Shawn Miller

I made an anti-reflection lens ring cover to reduce reflection and eliminate the letters and numbers in my image.

Anti-reflection lens cover © Shawn Miller

Anti-reflection lens cover attached to the lens. (Nice and simple)

Anti reflection lens cover Anti-reflection lens cover

Anti-reflection lens covering © Shawn Miller

2nd issue – Locking on focus. Many of my images were soft due to user error and malfunctions. The focus ring kept slipping off. I adapted with some orange nonstick stretch tape to prevent it from slipping again.

Underwater setup by Shawn Miller © Shawn Miller

If you plan to use this lens underwater I would recommend a camera body that has focus peaking. I tested it without the function and had some difficulty underwater. Below are some of my favorite photographs using the Laowa D-Dreamer 12mm lens underwater. Okinawa, Japan

Light & Motion Sola 3800 © Shawn Miller

Saddleback anemonefish, Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Longfin snake eel © Shawn Miller

Teira batfish, Maeda point © Shawn Miller

Bleached coral and prism © Shawn Miller

Underwater sunburst © Shawn Miller

To be expected the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens was a lot easier to use on land. Below are some of my documentation photographs of the marine debris washed ashore on local beaches.

I hope these photographs will inspire people to care more about nature and make difference in the environment

Tidal flats of Kaichu-Doro by Shawn Miller

Tidal flats of Kaichu-Doro © Shawn Miller

Ever wonder where your balloons end up © Shawn Miller

Teniya cove, Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Marine debris, Nagahama bay © Shawn Miller

Uninhibited island beach scene © Shawn Miller

We are polluting our oceans with single-use items at an unstoppable rate. Let’s work together to make a positive impact!

Nature Mirai -Mangroves © Shawn Miller

https://www.venuslens.net/ref/40/?campaign=OkinawaNaturePhotography

Have a great day – Shawn Miller

The Light & Motion Stella 2000 rocks part 1 – Okinawa, Japan

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Admin11

The Stella 2000 offers lightweight professional lighting for photographers and videographers. It delivers 2000 lumens of beautiful wide light on high power. It is waterproof to a depth of 100 meters and extremely durable.

Stella 2000 waterproof lighting © Shawn Miller

My favorite features of the Stella 2000

Waterproof to 100 meters
Can be mounted on the camera hot-shoe, light stand, loc-line arms or ball mounts.
Quick adjustable power output control
Fast charging and the ability to use the light when it’s charging

I tested the Stella 2000 in the humid jungle and on the shorelines of northern Okinawa. I used it as a spotting light, hiking light, camera modeling light and video light. I tested the light with the 120-beam angle with no modifiers, with custom-made soft-boxes attached, studio umbrellas and with the combination of on-off camera flash.

I concentrated on the reptiles, amphibians and land crabs of northern Okinawa. Below are some of my favorite photographs.

Shawn Miller – Crabs with beach trash homes. photographed by David Orr

Okinawa green tree frog -Stella 2000 diffused on hotshoe

Okinawa green tree frog -Stella 2000 diffused on the hot-shoe’ © Shawn Miller

Holst’s frog (endangered) Stella 2000 bare with backlighting from headlights © Shawn Miller

Namie’s frog threatened species – Stella 2000 diffused through an umbrella © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Tip nosed frog ( Endangered ) Stella 2000 diffused through an umbrella © Shawn Miller

Ishikawa’s frog (endangered) Stella 2000 diffused with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Princess habu - Diffused through an umbrella

Princess habu – Stella 2000 diffused through an umbrella © Shawn Miller

Namie’s frog – Stella 2000 modeling light – back-lighting with the Gobe 700 wide © Shawn Miller

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko (Endangered) Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

IHallowell's tree frog -Stella 2000 with fill flash

Hallowell’s tree frog -Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Pryer’s keelback feeding on a white jawed frog – Stella 2000 diffused with fill flash © Shawn Miller

No need to worry about dropping the light in the salt water or placing it on the sand. The Stella 2000 is extremely durable.

Ghost crab – Fill flash and back-lighting Stella 2000 © Shawn Miller

Crabs with trash homes -Stella 2000 and fill flash © Shawn Miller

Making the journey (Geograpsus grayi) Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Hermit crab and plastic- Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Ghost crab feeding- Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Crabs with trash homes -Stella 2000 and fill flash © Shawn Miller

Geograpsus grayi feeding on the Ryukyu kajika frog – Stella 2000 and fill flash © Shawn Miller

Solid as a rock- Stella 2000

Friends and supporters – Save 20% off your first Light & Motion purchase https://prz.io/648x6bGC1

I have been using Light & Motion lights for over four years now and they keep getting better! Stayed tuned for testing the Stella 2000 underwater !

Testing the Venus Laowa 60mm F2.8 macro lens underwater

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Admin11

Dive Team Miller Underwater set-up with Canon 70d Laowa 60mmn f2.8 macro lens- Ikelite housing with 8inch dome port, 1 ikelite 160 strobe , 1 ikelite 200 strobe, 1 sola 600 and 1 gobe 700 focus light.

The Venus Laowa 60mm macro lens is a technical lens with great optics. The specialized lens is manual focus and manual aperture selection. I had to use my wide angle dome port since this was the only port I had the lens would fit into. I preset the lens to a 1:2 ratio and used an aperture setting of F8. I went with the aperture setting of F8 since it was an overcast day and I wanted to see my subject through the viewfinder in the low light. I used two modeling lights to add artificial light, which allowed me to see through the viewfinder at a depth of 100 feet. The focusing distance was already preset on the surface, so all I had to do was to move the camera until I saw the subject was in focus and take the shot. It was very difficult to use with subjects that were moving. This was my first dive using this lens underwater and have more testing to do. Here are some of my images using the Venus Laowa 60mm macro lens underwater at Maeda point, Okinawa-Japan.

Tomato anemonefish -Laowa 60mm macro F8

Cushion starfish underside abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Clark’s Anemonefish – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Coral abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Canthigaster coronata -Laowa 60mm macr0 F8

Bubble coral -Laowa 60mm macro F8

Coral abstract – Laowa 60mm macro F8

Test dive two, I set the aperture to F11 with a focus distance between 1:1-1:2. It was challenging working with all moving subjects. The dome port was to close for comfort for moving subjects such as fish. Stay tuned for more images later this week!

Coral abstracts -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Sea anemone -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Cushion star -Laowa 60mm macro F11

Coral abstract -Laowa 60mm macro F11

July 8th 2017, I took the Loawa 60mm out for another spin. This time I did not use underwater strobes. I set the Aperture on F5.6, shutter speed 1/200-1/640 sec and ISO settings 400-2500. I used the Light&Motion Sola 3800 and Sola 1200 to provide beautiful fill light.

Underwater setup – Laowa 60mm

Mushroom coral -Sola 1200 red

Octo coral- Laowa 60mm

Bubble tip anemone – Laowa 60mm

Stag horn coral – Laowa 60mm

July 9th 2017, I did some more testing using two Ikelite strobes and the Light&Motion Sola 3800 modeling light. I set the sync speed at 1/250sec, Aperature at F8 and Iso 100.

Finding Nemo Okinawa

Brittle star on coral -Okinawa

Scythe triggerfish -Laowa 60mm macro

If you plan to purchase any Venus optics please click on the Affiliate link below * http://www.venuslens.net/ref/40/?campaign=OkinawaNaturePhotography

Have a great day!

Capturing fluorescence – Fluorescence enhancement photography by Shawn Miller

Featured

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Admin11

All photographers experience a time when their work becomes redundant and lose vision. The Light & Motion Sola Nightsea has opened up a new style of photography for me. Recently I have been blending the Light&Motion Nightsea blue light with ambient light underwater and getting beautiful vibrant results.

Some of my Fluorescence enhancement coral images were featured in The Blue Planet 11 publication. It’s always nice to see years of hard work finally pay off.

Underwater fluorescence – Shawn Miller featured Blue planet 11

Here are some basic lighting examples using different techniques.

Here are some of my favorite images using this fluorescence enhancement technique. All Images I used Light&Motion Sola lights to achieve these beautiful vibrant results.

Nightsea and Sola 600 blended- fluorescence

My fluorescence camera rig for underwater

Friends and supporters – Save 20% off your first Light & Motion purchase https://prz.io/648x6bGC1

Know your nature with Shawn Miller

Light and Motion macro field setup – Constant lighting by Shawn Miller

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Admin11

Light and Motion lights produce constant lighting with studio quality output. This light configuration is convenient while shooting macro photography at night. The camera, tray, arms and lights are combined into one lightweight unit. The light output can be easily adjusted with a touch of a switch. Having the lights on loc-line arms allow simple light angle adjustments.

The custom Light and Motion macro field setup consists of

Sola Tray kit with extention tray and arms
Third custom loc-line arm mounted
GoBe 700 wide light
Sola 600 light
Sola 1200 light
Canon 70D with 60 mm macro lens and strap

Light and Motion macro field setup by Shawn M Miller.

I was fortunate to have beautiful weather both nights testing the constant lighting setup in northern Okinawa. Six of the animals below are endangered species listed as threatened on the IUCN red list. All of these night dwellers are decreasing in numbers due to deforestation.

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko -Red list

Namie’s frog (Limnonectes namiyei) – Red list

Okinawa tree frog (Rhacphhorus viridis)

Ryukyu Tip-nosed frog -Red list

Anderson’s crocodile newt- Red list

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko -Red list

Ryukyu brown frog -Red list

Holst’s frog ( Rana holsteri ) – Red list

Ryukyu Kajika frog

If you would like to learn more about these lights, check out the site!

http://www.lightandmotion.com/the-perfect-light

Have a great day!

Using the Light & Motion Sola red light feature to document the marine life of Okinawa

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Admin11

I have been using the Light & Motion Sola series underwater lights for over two years now. They are the most reliable lights I have ever used underwater. The Sola photo series 800 and 1200 offer a red light feature. This feature enables the user to photograph the marine life without disturbing them. Most marine animals do not see or react to the red light.

I decided to put the Sola red light to the test on some marine subjects. I first setup a small studio saltwater aquarium to place the specimens in.

Aquarium setup - Documenting the Marine Life of Okinawa

Aquarium setup – Meet Your Neighbours Project

I wanted to photograph some marine gastropods with their shell and body showing. I first tried using white light, but they immediately retreated back into their shell. As soon as I turned on the red light the marine snails crawled around as if it was nighttime. This red light feature allowed me to get the documentation photograph that I planned.

Cowrie shells are one of many beautiful marine animals found in Okinawa. Photographing the animals on white isolate the subject without any distractions.

Chinese cowrie ( Ovatipsa chinensis )

The animals are handled with care and then released back into the the environment without harm. The Images are used for conversation awareness and educational purposes.

Teres cowrie shell ( Blasicrura teres pellucens )

I usually use the Sola Red light underwater. This is my underwater rig with the Light & Motion Sola 600 mounted on top of my Ikelite underwater housing.

Underwater setup with sola 600

If you would like to test the Sola Photo 1200, please let me know. Friends and supporters – Save 20% off your first Light & Motion purchase https://prz.io/648x6bGC1

Learn more about the Light & Motion Sola series. https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/sola

Learn more about the Meet Your Neighbours Project. https://meetyourneighbours.net/okinawa-neighbours/

Have a great day-

Light & Motion – The ultimate flashlight for wildlife photographers.

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Admin11

I have been using the Light & Motion Sola underwater lights for over two years now. I take them on all my adventures to include scuba diving, river trekking, caving and nature photography trips. These lights provide constant beautiful lighting and are extremely reliable, which is why they are the perfect light for me.

I recently purchased the Light & Motion Sola compact tray with the extension kit and one GoBe 700 wide light. I have been using this setup with the Canon 70D to document the wildlife in Okinawa. The flexible Loc-line arms are an awesome advantage. They are easy to move while having full control over the constant lighting.

Light & Motion field setup Photograph courtesy of Ross Gallardy

A photograph of a Ryukyu kajika frog in northern Okinawa using the Light & Motion field setup

Ryukyu Kajika frog ( Buergeria japonica )

The Light & Motion Sola 600 has a built in feature most people do not take advantage of. The light has a red light function which allows the user to get close to land and marine subjects without disturbing them. This red light is very effective and I highly recommend using it.

My underwater rig with the Light & Motion Sola 600 – Ikelite housing and strobes

The Light & Motion Nightsea Sola light can also be used on land. I am always searching for animals that fluoresce in the Yanbaru forest in northern Okinawa. You never know what you will find!

Light & Motion Sola Nightsea Blue light - Riukiaria falcifera

Light & Motion Sola Nightsea Blue light Millipede – Riukiaria falcifera

If you would like to know more about the Light & Motion Sola series visit. https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/sola

Have a great day!

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Category Archives: Product reviews – Underwater

Light & Motion Sola Photo 1200 – The Ultimate Focus Light For Night Divers

The Art of Underwater Wide-Angle Photography – Tokina 10-17mm fisheye

Testing the Nauticam NA-D500 Underwater housing

Testing The Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens Underwater

The Light & Motion Stella 2000 rocks part 1 – Okinawa, Japan

Testing the Venus Laowa 60mm F2.8 macro lens underwater

Capturing fluorescence – Fluorescence enhancement photography by Shawn Miller

Featured

Light and Motion macro field setup – Constant lighting by Shawn Miller

Using the Light & Motion Sola red light feature to document the marine life of Okinawa

Light & Motion – The ultimate flashlight for wildlife photographers.