Gear Reviews & Guides

James Emery at Backscatter has published a review and a field video of three Nauticam wet lenses that mount on the same macro port: the MFO-1, the SMC-3, and the MFO-3II. All three are 67mm lenses, so on a flip holder you can move among them on one dive without changing the camera lens. They do different jobs. The MFO-1 is the everyday optic: a little magnification, and a shorter focus range so autofocus stops hunting the water column. The SMC-3 is the super-macro lens, about 2.3:1, for the sma

Curious about the new Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 Fisheye G? One of our community members, @Simon Pierce had early access to the newly announced Sony FE 8-14mm F3.5 Fisheye G Visit the forum to explore a detailed pre-release breakdown covering underwater housing setups, size comparisons, and downloadable sample shots. Image Credit: Simon Pierce

There has been discussion recently about the new DJI Osmo Pocket 4P. DJI claims up to 17 stops of dynamic range on its new 1-inch sensor, and comparisons with cinema cameras like the ARRI Alexa quickly surfaced online. Looking at the numbers, it might seem plausible, but visually the situation is different. Waveform plot for the DJI OSMO Pocket 4P 20mm wide D-Log2 ISO1600. Image credit: CineD Spoiler: no, it is not a micro Alexa. PetaPixel confirmed after testing it that LOFIC improves both

Having recently written about installing the o-Turtle trigger into a Nauticam housing, I’ve now had a go with a UWT internal trigger for the Nauticam NA-OM1 housing. UWT describes it as the 11072-22-HSS TTL-Converter for NAUTICAM for OLYMPUS/ OM SYSTEM. The UWT trigger arrives in a bubble-wrap envelope in a small cardboard box. No frills functional. It consists of a small electronics board with two LEDs and a cable leading to a hot shoe connector. The manual explains that strobes are selected

Having bought a Nauticam housing and OM System OM-1ii recently as the base of my new underwater camera setup, I needed an LED trigger to fire the strobes. Although I havn’t used TTL underwater for many years, I did want HSS as I often include the sunball when shooting wide-angle.  This usually requires high shutter speed to avoid exposure burn outs. HSS options for an OM trigger seemed to boil down to the Turtle or UWT. The Nauticam flash trigger, although an attractive option, doesn’t provide

Some time back, I wrote an article about creating your own fibre optic cables: a quick, easy, inexpensive and very satisfying process. In case you missed it it, a link to the piece is here. https://waterpixels.net/articles/articles_technique/diy-fibre-optic-cables-easy-r32/ Now, many months on, a couple of additional suggestions: BURPING On entering the water and descending the plugs at both ends of the cables often need burping. Tiny air bubbles seem to be able to block fibre optic light tra

A few months ago in November, Scubalamp showed a new "small strobe". I like small strobes and wanted one, but they have never appeared on the Scubalamp website. However there is a Fotocore GTM (the same ones in the Scubalamp posts that are available. I bought two of them, and last Saturday, I got to try them out here in Los Angeles. The strobe is a bit larger than the AOI RC strobes, and a bit smaller than the YS D3 Duo. The strobe is machined aluminum and appears to be very solidly built

I have long fascinated with shooting ring lights underwater starting with the Inon Quadflash, through the various Athena modifications to Sea and Sea strobe heads, continuing to the Saga fiber optic rings and now to the Weefine 3000. The Weefine 3000 is the latest version of the LED lights made by Kraken and Weefine. The Weefine 3000 CCW Weefine 3000 CCW Ring Light It's similar to the earlier 3000 lumen LED modules but has adjustable color temperature and a 3000-lumen burst (strobe) mode. It

Like most things, some attention to maintenance is usually a good idea. Underwater camera and cinematography accessories are no different, especially with the use and abuse most of it gets in unforgiving environments. Naturally, the better something is taken care of, the longer it will last, and even though Ultralight Camera Solutions products are virtually indestructible, treating them with respect will keep them in good working order. For the underwater photographer, after every dive, th

Backscatter Smart Control Optical TTL Flash Trigger Review & Setup Guide [Moderators Note: Waterpixels member, James Emery, is the Marketing and Media Manager at Backscatter]   The Backscatter Smart Control Optical TTL Flash Trigger provides super-accurate, automatic flash exposures with Olympus/OM System and Sony cameras using Backscatter strobes. The Olympus/OM System trigger is TTL compatible with the Mini Flash 2 and Hybrid Flash, while the Sony trigger is TTL compatible w

Without a doubt the Olympus TG Tough range have revolutionised the world of underwater photography for both snorkelers and divers in recent years, making incredible results achievable for the beginner as well as giving a vast variety of options to expand creativity.   But with so many options for accessory lenses and makes available, what should you be looking for if you want to start adding a creative wider angle to your images.                        This festive period I w

There's absolutely no doubt that smartphones are an incredible, cost-effective way to get started in underwater photography.  There’s nothing more exciting than being able to view and upload your images to social media as soon as you finish your dive, on a safety-stop or even whilst snorkelling .   Did I say started?  Let me take that back, as it is so easy to get addicted to using one, that you may just want to ditch your usual camera in favour of it.  Of course there are advantages a

Underwater Photography conjures up a vast array of subjects to capture, from the tiniest animals on the planet measuring just the size of a grain of rice to the largest creatures which have ever lived in our incredible blue planet.   But starting out as a complete beginner with such a huge choice of different compact camera systems to choose from and accessories, where on earth do you start to ensure that you come back from your trip of a lifetime with fabulous eye-catching images.

Sony and Panasonic underwater macro photographers shooting full frame should checkout my latest review in UWPMAG.com issue #141. It fully details the Sigma 105mm F/2.8 macro for FE and L-mount cameras. I reviewed the Sony version of the lens using Marelux housing, ports, strobes and Marelux closeup lenses +10, +15 and a +5 including stacking two lenses. If you are looking for a quality macro at a reasonable price or wanting to add to add an additionaly macro lens this may be the lens for you.

Disclaimer:   Thanks to Pietro Cremone, the Italian distributor of Nauticam, I had the opportunity to try out this interesting lens on a recent trip to Anilao for blackwater dives.   Blackwater diving is a form of night diving that involves exploring open waters off oceanic coasts. Unlike traditional night dives, which take place near the shore or in shallow waters, blackwater dives occur in deep waters, typically offshore over deep ocean floors. During these dives, divers im

Underwater photography is an incredible experience because it offers enthusiasts the opportunity to discover the underwater world in its most authentic beauty. To capture these extraordinary images it is essential to have the right equipment, and one of the key elements in underwater photography is the strobe.   SUPE Scubalamp is a company specialising in the design and production of underwater lighting equipment, including torches, strobes and related accessories. The company, a world

Last year I decided to go big - switching from the tiny RX100 to FF (FullFormat). In my case, it was the A7IV as the best value for money. But having made the decision on the camera model is only one step - lens, housing and port is much more difficult. But with the support of the nice guys here and the old forum, I am now the happy owner of a sleek combination that is tailored to my needs. But how do you know what you need? This article might help.       The most common type of camera

This article is a short version of the original post that can be found on my blog. The content is very much the same but this version is slightly shorter and has less opinions than the original. Those opinions are personal and potentially controversial and I do not want Waterpixels to be associated with them.   Warning this is an extremely technical article that I have written on request. If you are not familiar with optics, geometry, housings do not attempt to perform a calculation by

As a DIY Fiber Cable article was just posted, this seems like a good time to share this article on 3-D printing connectors for your DIY cables. The Connectors are really the heart of the cable, as the fiber is simply a manufactured item bought from a supplier.    One of weak points of most of these DIY's is getting the right connectors. The solutions range from buying connectors (at about $10 a pop or $20 per cable), re-using connectors from old cables (which may require drilling them

DIY Fibre Optic cables   Like most members, when I bought my first system that used fibre optic cables, I paid for the ones that the dealers sell. Reading various articles about fibre optics, I realised later that they were relatively easy to make and that DIY cables could cost a fraction of shop-bought. I gave it a go.   I thought it worth a write-up here on Waterpixels. And yes, they are really easy to make and are cheap.   The Cable   The best fibr

I installed my first Leak Sentinel vacuum valve, a V3, in my Subal ND800 housing in 2014. Over 700 dives, changes of camera housing and upgrades to the Sentinel system, I’ve moved through V4, V5 and now the newly available V6. As the slogan goes, I’d never leave home without it. Why? The Sentinel provides a unique extra level of security and reassurance to an underwater camera and has saved me from my own stupidity a couple of times…… So what is it? The Leak Sentinel is a small valve w