I have the Tamron for use with my D810. I’ve been very happy with it. I bought it from a local dealer. If you don’t have a good dealer in your area, B&H is very reputable and offers excellent service.

I didn’t mention the possible risks of full face masks because there remains controversy around them and their proponents argue that better, more recently designed ones mitigate those risks. But their use still generates a lot of debate and some operators don’t allow them. The article from an Australian operator linked below probably overstates the risk but if you simply Google “the risk of full face masks”, you’ll find many more. Few argue there is no risk; the more temperate ones argue there is not enough data to draw a definitive conclusion.

https://www.scubadoctor.com.au/snorkelling-full-face-mask-dangers.htm

I didn’t mention the possible risks of full face masks because there remains controversy around them and their proponents argue that better, more recently designed ones mitigate those risks. But their use still generates a lot of debate and some operators don’t allow them. The article from an Australian operator linked below probably overstates the risk but if you simply Google “the risk of full face masks”, you’ll find many more. Few argue there is no risk; the more temperate ones argue there is not enough data to draw a definitive conclusion.

https://www.scubadoctor.com.au/snorkelling-full-face-mask-dangers.htm

Cindy. I’ve been scuba diving for 30 years. I have over 500 ocean dives and am a certified Divemaster. I’ve never been to Tonga but I did dive in Fiji.

You don’t say how many days you’ll be snorkeling. I ask because that’ll influence how much you should spend on things you may never use again.

Wetsuit: if you can, rent one from the operator in Tonga. A 3 mil suit isn’t terribly bulky but will take up valuable room in your limited baggage allowance. If you want to buy one, Henderson is as good as any and is very widely available. Proper fit is important so find a good dive shop where you can try them on and where they can advise you on proper fit. A 3 mil wetsuit can easily run $200 to $300 or more which is another reason to rent one if you can.

Fins: Even smaller snorkeling fins are not likely to fit in any of your bags so you should really rent them in Tonga if you can. Otherwise, don’t stress over what kind you get. Smaller full foot fins are more commonly used for snorkeling. You don’t need to spend a fortune on those.

Mask: this is far and away the most important thing and, because proper fit is critical, you will want to buy one. A poorly fitting mask will flood and just be a general nuisance. Again, a good dive shop can fit you properly. Again, no need to spend a ton here. You can spend a lot more but should be able to get a perfectly good mask for around $60. I don’t recommend a full face mask with the snorkel built in. They are harder to fit for a proper seal and they have a much greater volume making them harder to clear when water does get in them. They are also expensive.

Snorkel: simple is fine. Many do come with a valve on the end which will prevent water from entering them if you submerge. They are meant mostly for people who intend to free dive while they are snorkeling. My guess is your operator will have you wear a snorkeling vest so you won’t be able to dive even if you want to. A simple snorkel is perfectly fine and shouldn’t cost much more than $20 to $30.

You’ve already gotten lots of suggestions for underwater cameras. I’ll just add that you’ll be snorkeling, not diving, so you don’t need anything rated to any significant depth.

Finally, when I fly with my serious camera equipment, I use a Lowepro backpack.

I saw it also and was surprised. I know the cameras and sheet film are still around but I didn’t expect to see a photojournalist still using one. Strictly for newspaper reproduction the large format is unnecessary. But if he wants to make larger archival prints for the historical record it makes sense.

Please allow me to differ from the consensus. The rocks are not over processed to the point of looking unnatural. But, in my opinion, they are over processed to the point of distraction. They pull the eye away from what should be the focus of the shot, the waterfall. Perhaps cropping and darkening them would help while leaving the detail.

What he said ⬆️

While post processing can’t render an out of focus image in focus, they are many things that influence what we perceive as a “sharp crisp clear image” and they are achieved in good post processing. The overwhelming majority of images you are likely comparing yours to have been processed.

I’m not trying to be mean but this is more like a “can you find the owls in this picture?” type of shot. The nest is just overwhelming and the owls get totally lost. I didn’t even see the 2 chicks on the left until I looked at the download 3 or 4 times. From that vantage point I honestly don’t think there was anything you could have done to make this a better photo. Sometimes you just gotta take a pass.

Loved the video but it brought back a painful memory. Years ago on a dive trip I lent my brother-in-law my Nikonos with a 15mm lens. Of course you need to soak the rig in fresh water after a dive. He decided it’d be a more thorough cleansing if he soaked the lens off the camera body!!!! (I can’t recall why he didn’t soak the lensless body.) Fortunately I was able to disassemble the lens and save it.

Respectfully, shooting a wedding is not about imposing your “artistic vision” on the client and then blaming the client for being unhappy.

I recently bought the Rokinon 14. Mustache distortion is pretty severe BUT 1) the profile for it in LightRoom corrects for it very well and 2) Even uncorrected, it’s not at all evident in night sky photography. If you search my posts you’ll see one from late last year where I took pictures of a brick wall with that lens and my Nikon 16 to 35mm F4 zoom specifically to test for distortion. Not surprisingly the Nikon is better in every way. But the 14mm is less than $300 and you’re not going to be using it in situations where the distortion is going to be obvious.

I’m aware they are the same company and, you’re right, their packaging is excellent.

I usually use Costco for printing. They produce very good quality prints, are inexpensive and I get them at my nearby store within hours. But I’m now at a vacation home and the nearest Costco with a photo center is 60 miles away so, on the advice of someone in this group, I used Mpix. I started with just a couple prints to test their quality and I was very pleased.

Yesterday morning, I ordered 20 8x10s. Later in the day I realized I needed one print of another image. I did an online chat and asked if I could include that in my earlier order that was in production. Molly from Mpix responded immediately and told me they couldn’t add the additional print but she graciously gave me a code to use for free shipping on it. Furthermore, the 20 prints included free standard shipping which they say can take anywhere from 3 to 8 business days. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive an email last night telling me that order was shipped by Fedex and will arrive tomorrow.

Excellent quality, great prices and outstanding customer service.

[quote=bobmcculloch]Take a look at my offerings, I set my own commission, they add the cost of production and the customer pays,

Thanks Robert. I established an account with them but haven’t yet uploaded any images. I’m trying to figure out if it makes sense to go this route. I know I add whatever markup I choose but without knowing their base prices it’s impossible to determine what markup I need to add that both makes sense for me and will arrive at what I think is a reasonable final selling price. Nowhere on their site do they seem to list their base prices. I suppose that’s so customers can’t figure out each artist’s markup. I even called and they couldn’t tell me. I submitted an email request. We’ll see if they answer.

[quote=billnikon]Depends. Are these local folks? Do they know you? Have you ever sold anything in photography.

They’re all members of a local community FB page for Ocean City NJ. That doesn’t mean they are necessarily local and they are not personal friends. I suspect you’re right that most of them are not prepared to pay that much for an unmounted print. Of course, as someone else said, it’s easier to sell 5 prints at $75 than 15 at $25. I now have over 30 requests and am considering using a service that can print and directly fulfill the orders. I’m going to take a look at their pricing.