Advice on upgrade path: TG-6 to RX100VII, OM-1, a6700 ???

[fruehaufsteher2]

33 minutes ago, Interceptor121 said:

The post is about snorkeling which means you are at the surface colors are not an issue and you want something easy to handle.For this use case a large sensor is not required. The sony RX100 at 24 megapixels is plenty

 

Thanks for the clarification. I fully agree that if you stay always at the surface then the RX100 Va is the best option.

 

But with respect to the fact that the TO is not only thinking about the past but also about future, it might be helpful for him also lighting up what "snorkeling" can also mean.

 

But regarding the "drag" issue: Overrated. Flashes add much additional drag, but I can assure that the difference between Isotta RX100 + handelbar and Nauticam A7IV + WACP-C is very, very small.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, fruehaufsteher2 said:

Thanks for the clarification. I fully agree that if you stay always at the surface then the RX100 Va is the best option.

 

But with respect to the fact that the TO is not only thinking about the past but also about future, it might be helpful for him also lighting up what "snorkeling" can also mean.

 

But regarding the "drag" issue: Overrated. Flashes add much additional drag, but I can assure that the difference between Isotta RX100 + handelbar and Nauticam A7IV + WACP-C is very, very small.

I skin dive to 20 meters with a Panasonic GH5 and a Sony A1 without strobes 

It is not for everyone is much more demanding and has several risks the drag is important. I dive with my WW1-1 and not with the 180mm dome I cannot comment on other options I would imagine the WACP-C is almost as streamlined except it is very expensive and the op is looking at plastic housings so it is not interested in speding £2k for the sole lens

With the RX100 I think you can use the WWL-C more interesting for sure and you can seal the space between lens and port

 

 

 

[MarkG2]

9 hours ago, Wapiti said:

To tag on to John E's post, if you're cheap like I am the AOI housing for the OM1 is a great option because it opens you up to the whole world of PEN, OMD, and 4/3 ports- some of which have been use for over a decade now, and can often be found used at a great price.

I'm new to this.. is there a standard opening on AOI housing and standard interface ports/domes that fit?  So far I've only used the M52 WA lenses on PT-059/TG-6.  For example, is AOI housing's interface the same as SeaFrongs/Ikelite/Nauticam etc. - screw-on or bayonette? Are PEN/OMD and 4/3 ports the same as other ports and how do I know when looking for used one if it would fit AOI housing?  Sorry for newbie questions...

[MarkG2]

7 hours ago, Interceptor121 said:

For snorkelliking I think the TG-6 is fine and if you don't want to use wet lenses then use it outside the housing

 

I would advice against anything that has a port system if your use case is small and especially fisheye is totally not needed for snorkelling as you will be far unless you are going to shoot whalesharks and in that case a wet wide lens is ok 

I would think you can stretch as far as the Sony RX but going to an ILC is just the path to spending too much money and getting too worried about your equipment especially if you do not have a strong top side use case using an ILC is a total waste

I am a sucker for high image/video quality and spoiled by my topside systems for wildlife photography (Sony FF and OM-1's). I got very nice quality images from TG-6 in Galapagos, so I'm definitely keeping it. That said, I'd like to get an economical bump in image quality (and video too), as I already own both OM-1 and a6700 that I can use. Maybe I was spoiled by Galapagos; we were able to get VERY close to the animals. Penguins were swimming inches away, and sea lions would bump into me, so some shots were at a super close range.  I emailed SeaFrogs regarding Sony 11mm F1.8 and they said that although it has not been tested it should work in their housing/ 6" dome for the a6700+ E 10-18.  This seems like an economical way to go for snorkeling, what do you think? I also have Tamron E 11-20mm that seems to be close in overall length to 10-18mm when set to 12-14mm.  I read an article on your website about dome sizing and where the lens needs to be positioned for optimal quality.  If the lens is +/- 5-10mm shorter/longer than it needs to be with a 6" port, would the image quality still be acceptably good?  Would corners suffer first? As long as the center is OK this may be fine with me.  Thanks for your comments.

[fruehaufsteher2]

For the seafrogs housings: I owned one and were lucky that I noticed the failure just before getting into the water, otherwise I would have flooded my A6400. At my last trip to La Paz another guy had his A7RII in a seafrogs housing and it got flooded - I personally wouldn't go with seafrogs.

[MarkG2]

12 minutes ago, fruehaufsteher2 said:

For the seafrogs housings: I owned one and were lucky that I noticed the failure just before getting into the water, otherwise I would have flooded my A6400. At my last trip to La Paz another guy had his A7RII in a seafrogs housing and it got flooded - I personally wouldn't go with seafrogs.

What were the points of failure if I may ask?  They have a vacuum system - does it help with leak prevention by compressing the o-rings?  Thank you.

[Architeuthis]

I am late to this party, just my opinion (only Mark can decide what, at present, is the optimum for him):

 

 

Any of the three options is a substantial upgrade to the TG-6. From compact to ILC is a big leap, both in size&weight and in money to invest (I estimate that both factors increase approx. like: RX100<<MFT<APS-C<FF)).

 

RX100 vs. OM: I think the difference in IQ between Sony RX100x and MFT is not very big, but the MFT camera offers the possibility to change the lens (some are optically brilliant) and to prepare the setup especially for different purpose (for some a big advantage, others like the flexibility of a compact with wetlenses)...

 

 

=> In any case I believe a smart and elegant compact setup (e.g. RX100 in reliable alu housing (e.g. Nauticam, Isotta) and with high quality wet lens for WA (e.g. WWL-C - instead of the cheapest wet lens available in e.g. Alibaba) and macro (e.g. CMC) is much better than to go for a high end system camera that is housed in low quality plastic housing (high danger of flooding, buttons not available, non-ergonomical, or not working etc...) and using low quality wet lenses.

I also read several times in different treads and forums that the cheap domeports of companies as e.g. Meike have really bad optical performance...

 

=> If I would not be sure jet, whether I liked better a compact or a ILC system, I would step up just to the next level and go for compact, but buy really good quality...

 

 

Wolfgang

Edited May 23 by Architeuthis

[fruehaufsteher2]

4 hours ago, MarkG2 said:

What were the points of failure if I may ask?  They have a vacuum system - does it help with leak prevention by compressing the o-rings?  Thank you.

In both cases that I in person saw the sealing at the back door failed. But I know one case also where the vacuum-valve itself leaked.

[MarkG2]

On 5/22/2024 at 4:46 PM, John E said:

Have you thought about an AOI housing for the OM1? Maybe you would get more help from Backscatter.

 

 The AOI housing seems to be well made and reasonably priced. If I go with AOI, I'd be looking at second-hand lens (8mm Fish-Eye or Panasonic 9-18mm), and a dome port.  I'll check with Backscatter what combinations would work.

 

Is there a good marketplace for used underwater gear?  Thanks!

[MarkG2]

23 hours ago, Wapiti said:

To tag on to John E's post, if you're cheap like I am the AOI housing for the OM1 is a great option because it opens you up to the whole world of PEN, OMD, and 4/3 ports- some of which have been use for over a decade now, and can often be found used at a great price.

 

That would be a great option.  Where do people find used gear? I looked on eBay and they have very limited selection of the AOI dome ports.  My understanding is it much be AOI port to work with AOI housing, correct?

[Wapiti]

50 minutes ago, MarkG2 said:

 

That would be a great option.  Where do people find used gear? I looked on eBay and they have very limited selection of the AOI dome ports.  My understanding is it much be AOI port to work with AOI housing, correct?

Nope, most (but not all) of the AOI housings for Olympus micro four thirds cameras take Olympus PEN ports standard, and they sell an adapter to the Olympus OMD ports (which in turn can be adapted to use older Olympus ports for their 4/3 DLSRs).  For the lenses you mentioned, you could find a couple different options used if you're patient.  There's a ZEN WA-100 port on eBay right now for the 9-18 (not mine, and I didn't check who the seller is), and other manufacturers of PEN dome ports include INON and Athena.  If you're buying new, AOI ports are reasonably priced and readily available.

[vkalia]

On 5/22/2024 at 9:50 AM, MarkG2 said:

2. OM-1 Mk2 + Ikelite housing + 8mm Panasonic or 8mm Oly fisheye + a dome. (probably $1000 more than RX100VII setup)

Pros: good photo quality in raw, good video 4k60, 4:2:2, log + flat profiles, IBIS

Cons: AF not as good as Sony, at least on land. Not sure how it would perform with external flash if that was the next step.

 

 

 

This would be my preferred option.     That’s an excellent FE lens, and the whole system is a lot easier to pack and carry for travel (I put the entire setup in a medium sized Lowepro camera shoulder bag) - that ease of travelling is why i went with MFT over APS-C.     

 

And shooting with a fisheye is… *chef’s kiss*.    My Tokina 10-17 replaced my Sigma 10-20 about 15 years ago and i have never looked back.     With my MFT system, i only picked up a rectilinear wide angle for one specific trip:   After that, i will go back to my fisheye.

 

Yes, they are a little more finicky to use - but the shots that you get with them are absolutely fantastic.

 

HOWEVER - as mentioned earlier, this is for diving.   For snorkeling, I’d go with something smaller/lower drag - I’d hate to drag a full housed system with 2 strobes around on the surface.   But the question you want to ask yourself is - do you see yourself just staying with snorkeling?     Because if you get hooked to u/w photos, scuba is the next logical step and then your camera decision would be different.

 

Re price - as a fellow wildlife photographer myself, i can only say that i have never regretted buying what i needed (with some headroom to spare), as opposed to making compromises in the gear to save some money.   

 

 

[TimG]

8 minutes ago, vkalia said:

Re price - as a fellow wildlife photographer myself, i can only say that i have never regretted buying what i needed (with some headroom to spare), as opposed to making compromises in the gear to save some money.   

 

Totally agree with this. It's always nice to get a new piece of gear - but always awful if it leaves you thinking, I wish I'd gone for the (slightly more expensive) version X+.

 

Buy cheap, regret endlessly, buy twice?

[humu9679]

13 hours ago, MarkG2 said:

 

That would be a great option.  Where do people find used gear? I looked on eBay and they have very limited selection of the AOI dome ports.  My understanding is it much be AOI port to work with AOI housing, correct?

You might try finding used underwater gear here in the classifieds, or on ScubaBoard, and even on eBay. Facebook Marketplace may have some gear, depending on where you live.