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Waterproof Protection For Taking Your Camera Underwater
April 8th, 2009 by John Howard, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Waterproof camera housings are a great piece of kit that allow you to take pictures in safety in very wet environments and event take your camera into a pool or into the sea. Different options are available both for amateur and professional photographers.
You can find waterproof camera housing for most compact cameras, but also for more advanced SLR cameras, that allow you to change lenses. There are underwater housing models made especially for specific cameras, and others that cover a more wide range of types.
If you buy waterproof camera housing for a compact camera it assuredly won’t break your bank, and once you have the housing you will probably find that it has a great extra gadget – an outside-mounted lens that allows you to take wider angle pictures underwater.
Most compact cameras have a nice zoom lens, so this extra wide angle lens on the waterproof camera housing allows you to take a more ample type of pictures. The lens is also removable in a pinch, without having to open the case, so you can do this underwater.
While underwater casings for compact cameras are usually made of heat-shaped hard plastic, waterproof camera housings for SLRs are most commonly made of aluminium as they are intended to endure stronger water pressures. Joints and sealings are usually also extra hardened.
Other important elements of a quality waterproof camera housing for an SLR is that the optics before the lens are of high specification, and that you have full control of the electronics of your camera when it’s inside your housing. Advanced SLR underwater cases also allow you to change lenses underwater.
Regardless of your camera, when you buy waterproof camera housing you should check that the maximum depth that it’s made for is right for the use that you will make of the housing. Some housings are good for only 6 feet, while more advanced ones got to 120 feet and more.
Generally, as an underwater photographer, you need to be sure that your equipment will be able to withstand strong demands, and that nothing will be ruined in the process. You can do this by having the right additional protective accessories, such as waterproof camera housing.
Do also bear in mind that not all camera makes enjoy the same availability of underwater housing. There is a lot of availability for Canon and Nikon models, but for other manufacturers, this is not guaranteed and you’ll have to shop around for the right waterproof camera housing.
Boat Values And How To Determine Them
February 5th, 2009 by John Howard, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Boat value appraisal may look like a daunting task but it’s not something limited to specialists, as long as you know how far you can go and what can go wronbg. Estimations could turn out to be wildly off the mark if you do not use the right sources, especially if you then also neglect using the services of a professional appraiser.
Even more so if you have not appraised a boat’s value before, either as a buyer or as someone who wants to sell, you should be aware that the lack of experience may let you make an error that will cost you a lot. The only workaround to this is that you inform yourself thoroughly before making an assessment.
Even when buying a vessel, it is not enough to just look at available listings on the Internet or at your local boat club and go for the one that seems best value for money. By knowing what to look for when evaluating a boat, your ability to negotiate will be increased and you may be able to reduce the original selling price by a quarter or more.
Research on boat value appraisal will actually not only save you money, but has the added benefit of allowing you to better pinpoint the kind of characteristics that you want your boat to have, and as a result you will end up buying a boat that will be right for you, rather than getting a flashy vessel and then finding out that you were really in need of something else.
Boat value appraisal research can come in many forms, but a good start is usually achieved by reading about it. Start with trade magazines, available at most well-equipped press shops, and you will find a wealth of information on current boating prices, trends and features at your fingertips.
Besides the general; trades, there are specialist magazines for different kinds of boats, such as fishing pontoons, sailing craft, or outboard motorboats. These ones are not only useful for the information, but also because toy will find a wealth of classifieds that are relevant to the kind of boat you want and that you can use for some first rough comparisons.
Thousands of boats are bought and sold through the trades and online listing sites, and so by reading through the appropriate listings and comparing the features to your own vessel you will get a fairly accurate idea of the price that you can ask. For leisure craft there are also in-depth pricing guides – most notably BUC and NADA – that give average prices per model and build year.
As both these databases only give average boat values, you still have to take the specific condition of a vessel in to the equation. NADA is a data base that specializes in motor boats and accessories (such as trailers and outboard motors), covering all products in trade since 1978. BUC also covers sailing boats, including multi-hulls.
Bear in mind though, that while self-evaluation of boat values is adequate for small vessels, if you are looking at a bigger boat worth over fifty thousand dollars, you can do your own calculations but it is still available to also get the opinion of a professional.