I didn't want to hijack the other thread so hope someone pops in here again!

As I am considering my options (and waiting for the R7mkii maybe!), I am wondering if I should consider adding the Nauticam MFO-1 to my kit. I have the older version 100mm macro and the 60mm macro. I may update to the RF100 but that may come later - my budget is healthy, but choices need to be made and planned for.

thanks!

4 hours ago, Kristin said:

I didn't want to hijack the other thread so hope someone pops in here again!

As I am considering my options (and waiting for the R7mkii maybe!), I am wondering if I should consider adding the Nauticam MFO-1 to my kit. I have the older version 100mm macro and the 60mm macro. I may update to the RF100 but that may come later - my budget is healthy, but choices need to be made and planned for.

thanks!

Did you read the MFO thread? mixed opinions there but seems most useful for full frame, though it does add an extra lick of magnification which may be useful depending on your subject.

14 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

Did you read the MFO thread? mixed opinions there but seems most useful for full frame, though it does add an extra lick of magnification which may be useful depending on your subject.

I did. and kinda got lost a bit overall. I'm pretty confident I'll be sticking with crop and thought that was what AlexM was using and liking. Seems like it's not a must have out of the gate...maybe Santa Claus 😁

2 minutes ago, Kristin said:

I did. and kinda got lost a bit overall. I'm pretty confident I'll be sticking with crop and thought that was what AlexM was using and liking. Seems like it's not a must have out of the gate...maybe Santa Claus 😁

My take is it is more useful on FF than APS-C at least from what has been presented so far. Alex likes it specifically as a small increase in magnification. The EF 100mm increases magnification to 1.2x with the MFO. In one of the videos on close up lenses a while back Alex mentioned that his most used diopter was about a +3 unit and it had about a 1.2- 1.3x magnification and this was the original premise of the the MFO. The diopter Alex used was a standard 2 element doublet design, the MFO optics will be superior to this type of diopter more than likely as the MFO has built corrections for the flat port interface.

The problem as you go up in magnification is specifically finding small enough subjects to use them on. If you stay at APS-C then you've already got a 1.6x crop factor over full frame if you use the same lens, so even less critters findable that can use that type of magnification.

@Chris Ross thanks! I do love the teensy stuff and there's an endless variety of critters, never get bored :)

There has been some great information on this thread, but i think one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the R5 (i or ii) is also a really great aps-c crop body when used that way. In addition, as you start stacking stabilization (for video especially) you start using less and less of the sensor so it becomes more cropped in body. Sure you are not using all the pixels that you paid for but it gives a one body solution.

For specifics, I shoot the R5 for stills using the 8-15mm fisheye with a small port. It is a dream - super easy to shoot, FF and TONS to crop with (I also am a cropper). I also have a suite of rectilinear lenses that I use but for stills the 8-15mm is the winner in most situations when shooting stills. For video, I use a big dome, but if I was using a small dome, I would just use the S35/Apsc setting and then there are tons of options that are focused on that sensor size - with no real downsides (in my opinion) compared to something like the R7. If you later decide that you need full frame video (and there are very few need scenarios as David DB pointed out) you can always grow to that but you get FF too.

The only other choice is that N120 vs N100 if sticking with Nauticam for the housing. If you went another brand (Marelux) then R7 and R5 all use the same port and you can adapt your current domes to it using the available adapters. But I understand wanting to stick with Nauticam - great housings.

But I think the R7 (i or ii) are superb choices just wanted to add the above to the discussion.

That's a great point, and the OG R5s are pretty easy to find used

13 hours ago, ColdDarkDiver said:

There has been some great information on this thread, but i think one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the R5 (i or ii) is also a really great aps-c crop body when used that way.

Wait, what? Isn't the R5 a FF camera? Now I'm very confused. If it can be an aps-c crop, will it work with my 60? when I did my little test, it only played nice intermittently but clearly I am missing a whole bunch of knowledge!

9 hours ago, Kristin said:

Wait, what? Isn't the R5 a FF camera? Now I'm very confused. If it can be an aps-c crop, will it work with my 60? when I did my little test, it only played nice intermittently but clearly I am missing a whole bunch of knowledge!

Hi Kristin,

The R5 (and most FF cameras) have settings where they just use the crop component of the sensor - so act like a crop. If you use the RF-EF lens adaptor and you put an EF-S lens on the camera it automatically swaps into crop (aps-c) mode and works perfectly with that lens. You can also manually put it into that setting. So yes! It will work just fine with your 60mm macro. The caveat is that the crop mode is 17 megapixels on the R5 (I think) so much less than the R7. Strange that it only played nice intermittently - I have had zero issues with any ef-s lens with the (canon brand) EF-RF adaptor and EF lenses

Edited July 3Jul 3 by ColdDarkDiver

19 hours ago, Kristin said:

Wait, what? Isn't the R5 a FF camera? Now I'm very confused. If it can be an aps-c crop, will it work with my 60? when I did my little test, it only played nice intermittently but clearly I am missing a whole bunch of knowledge!

Most mirrorless FF cameras have some version of this as an option, you still however have to pay $$ extra for the housing and camera and need to check the fine print on how it does video in such a situation. If it's playing intermittently could be an issue with the RF-EF adapter or some sort of contact issue.

thank you both for the extra information! I did not know that and it adds food for thought. I'll have to have more of a read about the video @Chris Ross

I'm still leaning to the new R7 later in the year, but always good to have more options (sort of!)