Been trying to digest the information available on the internet about the Nauticam WACP-C and WWL-1B for the Sony system.

I currently shoot with a Szabo converted Nikonos RS13 fisheye which absolutely blows my mind in regards to it's performance, but I'm hoping to pair it with something not quite as wide that can zoom underwater to allow for a different perspective.

Heading to Niue next year for some whale swims and looking for an option which allows tighter shots of the whales with a more rectilinear look to them.

My options seem to be:

• Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM ii (which I already own) behind a glass dome

• Nauticam WACP-C paired with the 28-60mm

• Nauticam WWL-1B paired with the 28-60mm

My biggest concerns about them are:

• 16-35 behind dome: Soft corners.

• WACP-C: flares badly when shooting into the sun.

• WWL-1B: needs burping upon entry to water, which for live drops with some megafauna means missing the shot.

Has anyone got any thoughts on these options? If they were to be ranked based on sharpness, zoom range and overall image quality, which one wins ?

I know that my best bet would be the WACP1, but it's just too big to travel with all of my other above water photo gear unfortunately, so I'm leaving it out of the conversation at the moment.

I have the WWL-C (pretty much the same as the B) and while i do usually burp it I sometimes forget to. I have never noticed any defects in the photos from bubbles. They are there floating at the top but don't seem to be in the frame at all.

I dove it yesterday and forgot to burp. No bubbles here:

Great to know !

I do wonder if that would be a different story when freediving however?

Perhaps on scuba it's not a problem as the depth compresses the bubbles and/or gives them time to release themselves?

Have you tried this setup whilst snorkeling/freediving on the surface ?

Mine doesn't need a burp screwed directly to the port (WWL-1). I don't think the bayonet mount is particularly water tight.

Your other option for whale swims, assuming you are on Sony is an adapted Canon 8-15 with a Sony 2x, reported to be as good as the WACP-C and Sony 28-60. Configuration is Camera - Sony 2x - Metabones adapter (V5 or newer in think) then the 8-15. It works very well in a 140mm dome. You get a fisheye able to zoom into the equivalent of a 28mm lens. The barrel distortion lessens as you zoom in to be similar to what you get from a WWL/WACP setup. The advantage is the small dome, disadvantage, depending on housing fairly negative in bouyancy. it doesnt have quite as much reach but it's close to the other options.

If you fancy using the 16-35mm that you already own, then the last thing you need to be concerned about in this particular scenario is soft corners - you'll be shooting open sea blue backgrounds with no corner detail.

I have a WWL-1b and last year did a dolphin snorkelling trip - in and out of small boats quickly, no time to burp and never had a problem

I'd certainly have the opposite opinion to Chris though, I can't see a 2x converter behind a zoom lens and a port matching the IQ of a wet lens

Mike

1 hour ago, Pooley said:

I'd certainly have the opposite opinion to Chris though, I can't see a 2x converter behind a zoom lens and a port matching the IQ of a wet lens

Mike

I'm only quoting people who have used both this setup and the WACP-C. They have switched over to mostly using the fisheye zoom. The thing is that the Sony 28-60 is an OK lens while the Canon 8-15 is an exceptionally sharp lens that behaves well behind domes. Here is a link:

and again in this post:

To my personal and subjective experience (no tests with test charts), Canon 8-15mm with Sony 2x TC is a bit soft, but WACP-C/28-60mm is not better...

I cannot tell about the Sony 16-35mm GM II, but I have Tamron 17-28mm and use it behind Zen DP-170. Compared to WACP-C/28-60mm (and also Canon 8-15mm/Sony 2x TC)) this combination is clearly the sharpest (in the center). The Sony lens is certainly optically better than the Tamron per se, but UW it depends how good it works together with a domeport and which size is required..

Wolfgang

P.S.: See also the shark photo of Fabian from August 10th (who was the first to use Canon 8-15mm with Sony 2x TC here) as an example for Canon 8-15mm&2x TC: https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/2735-bluesharks-manual-or-s-priority/#comment-18172

Edited September 15Sep 15 by Architeuthis

Get WACP-C and don't look back. From some reason WWL-1B is a bit soft at the long and while WACP-C is razor sharp. Plus not dealing with bubbles especially when you do freediving is an enormous plus. I lost so many opportunities at Galapagos with sharks present at the drop but I had to burp lens first... I would dismiss adapted 8-15 for your application. You need perfect AF.

These pictures are with WACP-C and at 60mm from Indonesia this summer. I got better quality and clarity from WACP than from 90mm (!!). It is one image - the whole frame and the crop. You can't believe this unless you see it!!!

Thanks for everyone's input on the topic !

It seems like perhaps the WACP-C is going to be the most versatile of the options when considering:

Size (ease of travel)

Zoom (versatility)

Cost (doesn't break the bank)

Image quality (acceptable sharpness)