Newsgroups: rec.photo,rec.scuba
From: acs@csri.toronto.edu (Alvin Chia-Hua Shih)
Subject: Re: Camera Rentals In Maui
Date: 30 Dec 92 12:25:55 GMT

In <1992Dec30.022953.3048@mixcom.com> shaw <shaw@mixcom.mixcom.com> writes:


>I have the great fortune of being able to
>travel to Maui in the middle of February.  Does
>anyone know if there are any stores that rent
>camera equipment, ie lens and underwater cameras??

I just did some minor snorkelling, so some of this might not be
to relevant to someone who crossposted to rec.scuba, but anyway...


I can't say much about Maui ('cuz I was on Oahu and Hawaii).  My
experience was that it's not hard to rent an underwater camera, it's
just hard to rent a *good* one.

If memory serves, some places wanted $15/day to rent an underwater
housing for a *disposable* camera!  Total ripoff.  Indeed, Kodak
makes disposable cameras which are submersible, and my friends
there managed to get fuzzy, but still recognizable, snapshots
of the little fishies.  I'd buy one of those just for backup
purposes.

You can find specialized housings at scuba shops (but of course,
they're specialized to the point where your camera normally won't
fit).

In the end, I rented a Sea-and-Sea underwater camera (cheap Nikonos
clone) with fixed focus lens, totally manual aperture, built-in flash,
and motor drive for about $20/day.  I found it at a local rental place
that also handled snorkels, boogie boards, and general tourist
accessories.  The pictures were definitely better than from the
disposable, but still not awesome.  For scuba fanatics, it's certainly
better than submersible cameras.

In my case, the rental place required that *they* load and unload
the film.  They claimed that, in their experience, customers would
allow saltwater to get into the camera and totally mess things up.

So, if you do find (via phone) that a place has some similar
requirement, bring your own film.  I didn't think to do this, and got
stuck with Kodak Gold 200.  (Yuck.)  I'd get faster film (ISO 400)
since any degree of cloudiness can be a problem.  Shooting slides with
a manual aperture camera was definitely out (given that I had no
underwater experience).

Also, for areas near the beach, it gets pretty murky.  Save your film
for the clear water areas.  The fish are pretty friendly there, and
they sell fish food to attract fish to you.

It may be worth your while to take your own film.  Professional films
are hard to come by.  All the places down there are like your regular
1-hour photo lab.  You ask for NHG and they go "Huh?".

With a mask, it's hard to get close enough to the viewfinder to frame
properly.  General rule (on land as well)--closer is better.

When snorkelling, one definitely needs flippers.  Swimming in moderate
currents with a camera in one hand is a total pain.

>I can rent locally, Milwaukee WI, but would like to
>get an idea of price comparisons and maybe save myself
>the energy of lugging the rental equipment some 4500
>miles.

Well, I went a year ago, and like I said, you're not going to get into
National Geographic with the kind of film and equipment I found (but I
only spent a couple of hours looking).  If you're deadly serious about
taking the most awesomest pictures money can buy, you're not going to
have much luck with the local shops unless you're lucky, or know
someone in the know (which I didn't).

If you actually manage to find a place that rents Nikonos V or Nikonos
RS cameras out there, let me know.

>Also any suggestions on sites, on land and dive sites,
>restaurants, dive shops, must see(s) and must avoids, etc??

Sorry.  Can't help you there.

>Any info will be appreciated.

Hope that helps.

Ah yes.  If you're taking your normal SLR stuff, take a macro/closeup
lens.  Interesting stuff lurks on the beaches and on the rocks by the
sea.  (To say nothing of the flora...)  Just watch for spray from the
ocean.

>Thanks

No problem.

>Tom Shaw

ACS
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|   |   | __|"The Nikon lens owners are more gratingly smug, while the     |
| - | --|__ | Canon lens owners are more verbally abusive." - Tony Arnerich|
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