Hey...upping my game a bit from GoPro. Have decided against the intermediate step (eg RX100, etc) and think I will just go big and see what happens. For now, my intended subject is large marine life and scenes.

I currently have a Z8. My most suitable underwater lens I currently have is the 14-24 F2.8. Any thoughts on that lens? Any better lenses out there for what I want to do? Just trying to keep from spending $$ on something that I use a couple times then switch to something more suitable for my uses.

Best

With the Z8 two of the best options are:

• Nikon f-mount 8-15mm fisheye with 140mm dome

• Nikon z-mount 24-50mm with WWL-C wet port

You will get a lot of use from these two setups for many years to come. I'd argue these two might be all the wide-angle options you need.

I recently used the 8-15mm for point blank shots of Humpbacks:

Edited yesterday at 01:59 AM1 day by Dave_Hicks

I agree completely with Dave. If, however, you want a rectilinear instead of the distortion inherent in the 8-15 and WWL, AND are willing to deal with a large or huge dome port and long extension ring, the 14-24 is OK, the 16-35 F mount is, I think a bit better, but will have to use the FTZ. Not sure if your 14-24 is a Z or F but am guessing it is a Z mount.

I have heard good things about the Z14-30 and it is smaller and lighter than the 14-24. But I never use any of my wide rectilinear lenses. 8-15 or WWL is it. I think the image quality is a bit better in the 8-15 in a 140 dome, but WWL is more versatile.

(Great shot, Dave)

I recently started to use the z24-50 with the wwl and it is a very capable combo. If you value small and light it is a winner.

Not large animals, but 130 degrees FoV.

Edited 21 hours ago21 hr by Christian K
Added info

Great pics. Looks a bit Bonaire-ish. Love that place

So I have never really handled a full rig under-water. Am I crazy for just going for a 230mm dome and my z14-24 and seeing how it goes?

59 minutes ago, OMB said:

Great pics. Looks a bit Bonaire-ish. Love that place

So I have never really handled a full rig under-water. Am I crazy for just going for a 230mm dome and my z14-24 and seeing how it goes?

Maybe a little crazy. A 230mm dome is a beast and a lot to handle. It will be big and easy to bump it in to stuff and possibly damage the dome. The 230 is really a very niche port and many UW Photographers only use it for split shots at the surface. If you are worried about spending money on gear you won't use much, I'd put a 230mm dome near the top of that list.

You should consider starting a little smaller, maybe with a macro lens or smaller dome. The 140mm fisheye or WWL-C are nice and compact, a lot easier to start out with.

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by Dave_Hicks

BTW, the Nikon 24-50z lens is dirt cheap on used lens sites like KEH. The WWL-C is fairly reasonable too. 

Thanks all!! Exactly the advice I was looking for.

So it sounds like an 8-15 fish + the 140mm dome is a reasonable choice for what I want to shoot.

34 minutes ago, OMB said:

Thanks all!! Exactly the advice I was looking for.

So it sounds like an 8-15 fish + the 140mm dome is a reasonable choice for what I want to shoot.

Great choice. What are you hoping to shoot? Where at?

As Dave suggests, a 230 dome is a beast. It's easy to think that its is just another inch larger than an 8" dome - but wait till it arrives. They are huge. I used to use one with my D800 setup and a Nikkor 16-35 but after a few trips, gave up on it. It was either the 230 dome or my girlfriend. She refused to travel with it - and can't say I blame her. It was like travelling with an extra family member.... (I exaggerate of course, but you get the idea)

I'd go with the 8-15 and a 140 dome.

UW, perhaps not as much challenge with a big dome as topside. It might create weird twisting forces due to the amount of air you have at the front and the risk of bumping and damaging it pointed out by @Dave_Hicks , but traveling with it, as @TimG mentions … I transitioned from DX dslr with a largish dome to FF mirrorless earlier this year and it is much more travel friendly. A small dome and a FE is a very good choice. If you have or can find an 8–15—solid choice. For rectilinear WA, the Nauticam wwl+24-50 produce better IQ inmo than a big dome. Sharper all over the image and more contrast. The wwl-1C which is the compacter version, is ’just’ 1300ish US$.

Housing, camera z6iii, strobes, lens, cables, macroport and extension in a light weight carry-on case. 8 kgs .

👍🏼Not from Bonaire but from Alor in Indonesia earlier this fall. Also a loveable place.

Edited 11 hours ago11 hr by Christian K

The prospect of using the WWL-C was a big reason I upgraded to a Nikon mirrorless Z8 last year. It is just a fantastic setup that combined excellent quality, compact setup, and a reasonable price/performance.

(Looking suspiciously at you WACP/FCP! Too big, heavy, and expensive. Not that much better the the WWL-C for 5X or more $$$)

Thanks much. Exactly the feedback I'm looking for. 140 + fish eye is my plan. I'm going to Socorro early 2026 and Cocos in 2027. Couple others on the books as well....but those are the ones I want to leave with a great pic from. Hoping to sneak out to Catalina before the Socorro trip to give it a test run.

Anywho...thanks a ton. Any extra tips for a total noob bumping from GoPro to a FF rig greatly appreciated.

Kristian...where in Sweden are you from? I lived there a couple of years back in the early 90's

20 minutes ago, OMB said:

Thanks much. Exactly the feedback I'm looking for. 140 + fish eye is my plan. I'm going to Socorro early 2026 and Cocos in 2027. Couple others on the books as well....but those are the ones I want to leave with a great pic from. Hoping to sneak out to Catalina before the Socorro trip to give it a test run.

Anywho...thanks a ton. Any extra tips for a total noob bumping from GoPro to a FF rig greatly appreciated.

Kristian...where in Sweden are you from? I lived there a couple of years back in the early 90's

With the risk of sounding like a Nauticam

rep 🙂 hammerheads, galapagos sharks, manta rays … 110-130ish FoV is pretty damn perfect…

I’m from the South of Sweden originally but live in Stockholm since a long time. Have also spent a few years in New Paltz, NY and NYC as a student and then a couple of years in Minneapolis, MN in the 10’s. Where were you in Sweden?

You might want to consider getting both for those trips. The fisheye works best when you can get really close. Like 1-3 feet. The WWL-C can zoom in and can get good images a bit further away, like 5-6 feet. By good I mean "fill the frame".

In Socorro you will get to fisheye distance of 1-3 feet from the Mantas, no problems. The sharks and hammerheads, not so much. The WWL-C is better for sharks. You can probably do great with FE in Socorro and be happy.

In Coco's you will likely see more hammerheads but they probably won't be in fisheye range. Maybe if you see whalesharks the FE will pay off, but the WWL-C will be better overall I would think. Don't be afraid to crop or switch the camera to DX mode if you want to get even more reach. The Z8 will let you program a quick menu or even a single button to make the switch.

The good thing is that both of these lens setups will focus right up to the glass. It makes them both very nice for reef scenes and creatures. The FE excels when you have a massive animal just in front of you.

Thanks. So it sounds like it is hard to go wrong with the 24-50 + WWL-C combo or the 8-15 fish + 140 dome combo....but the z24-50+WWL-C is a bit more versatile? Probably a better "first rig" setup to get my feet wet? To be clear....we are talking about the Z24-50 f/4-6.3 that costs about $450 new correct?

Kristian.....I travelled around in Sweden a bit. 2-6 months in Helsingborg, Ostersund, Gotland, Stockholm, Uppsala. Haven't been back yet :( I want to do a month+ long motorcycle trip at some point and hit Sweden and Norway.

8 minutes ago, OMB said:

Thanks. So it sounds like it is hard to go wrong with the 24-50 + WWL-C combo or the 8-15 fish + 140 dome combo....but the z24-50+WWL-C is a bit more versatile? Probably a better "first rig" setup to get my feet wet? To be clear....we are talking about the Z24-50 f/4-6.3 that costs about $450 new correct?

Kristian.....I travelled around in Sweden a bit. 2-6 months in Helsingborg, Ostersund, Gotland, Stockholm, Uppsala. Haven't been back yet :( I want to do a month+ long motorcycle trip at some point and hit Sweden and Norway.

Yes, the WWL-C is more versatile with a range of full wide angle to near macro. That would a great first lens.