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I have never entered an UW photo contest and the last contest of any sort that I entered was black and white film contest of street and people shots. I entered what I shot and developed in the darkroom. I think there should be two tiers of entries, manipulated/processed using the various programs and AI and then the other being the jpeg straight from the camera with no editing or cropping allowed and verified against the RAW.

From what I can see in testing of Burst shots and recycle time, I think that Retra has designed the Maxi to prioritize triggering the flash with each frame. The Maxi will continue to fire with each frame even if at a reduced the power level. This is probably a valid choice at 1/8th or 1/4 power. At 1/2 or Full power I think this breaks down as the subsequent shots in the sequence become so underexposed that they might not be useful. The Backscatters seem to prioritize hitting the expected exposure with every flash, and will start dropping frames when they can't keep up anymore. At 1/2 and Full power the Atom still delivered useful exposures even if only every second or third frame. The HF-1 only skipped frames at Full power and then exposed every second frame. I think this is a case where preferences will vary.

No, please read it again. I tested with 3fps for 10 frames. The Maxi works perfectly at 1/8th power. Any higher power and you lose start to reduce the exposure with each subsequent frame. It's a gradual drop off at 1/4, and more significant at 1/2 and Full power. The Backscatter HF-1 and Atom are ramp up a bit higher in burst shooting. They never shoot an significantly underpowered frame. Instead they start skipping frames. Both work perfectly at 1/8 and 1/4. The Atom starts skipping every other frame at 1/2 power. The HF-1 starts skipping every other frame only at Full power, and the Atom skips two frames at Full.

I have both SSi and PADI solo/self-sufficient diver certs, so I don't worry too much about getting separated from the group. This is especially so at CoCoView Resort since I have been there so many times. It drives some of the group crazy, but i don't worry about it too much. My wife, who is my dive buddy, also tends to wander off a bit as well. I mostly focus on macro video so I tend to stay in one spot for a while when I can. Same ocean...

We've done a follow up RAW episode - discussion about contests - which will be out in about a week (I am rather busy right now). Alex

Never had an issue operation my gopro with either their housing or an Isotta housing (using 3mm gloves and dry gloves) Matan.

Thx a lot! Do I get it right: 10 frames per second and after a drop? For me its often just 2-4 frames that are critical within 1/3 of a second to capture a certain behavior. I just need very fast recyce times but never more strobe fire than for around 10/15 shots… strobe bursts limit me at the moment and I am looking for a gear change :-( Would be interesting if backscatter hf is brighter / darker and has a fall off sooner/later or is faster at the beginning and have blackouts later… thx in Advance

Don't know where you are, perhaps the dive shop could loan a screwdriver or are there any hardware stores around? The little dials don't require much force to turn so perhaps a small nail file might work? Probably some other household or kitchen items might be put to use.

HI Sabine, So for list prices of A7R5 housings alone in Australia you have the prices below. (Then there is the lower cost Seafrogs around $1500 and the surf housings if you are just freediving.) .... Digital Diver (Cairns) Ikelite deluxe $4665 AOI $2489 Aquatica $6341 UWImages (Sydney) (also Marelux) Isotta $5852 Aquatic Imaging Australia (also Isotta) Marelux $5804 Scubapix (Cairns) Nauticam $6694 All are great dealers. Personally I like Isotta (I love Italy and family run artisan businesses but I also like their double o-ring sealing system) and bought my housing from Brett at UWImages in Sydney. I like the adapted Canon 8-15mm but I don't do video. If the 8-15mm fisheye is used with a teleconverter, the crop of the stabilisation and 1.2x crop for the 4k60 it may end up ok for video, but I guess folks are more likely to use the 16-35mm or WWL/WACP. My Sigma MC-11 used as an EF-E converter does not have autofocus in video but I believe the Metabones does on the rights setting. The Nauticam optics can be used with an adapter on Isotta with the Sony 28-60mm and I believe also on Marelux. I also use the Sony 20-70mm f4. I don't think Canon or NIkon do an equivalent lens that starts as wide, normally starting at 24 or 28mm, but I find 20mm wide enough and versatile (I put some photos on a thread about Palau a while ago.) I know some others use the Sony 16-35mm or Tamron 17-28mm. I do have a WWL-1C and also a Kenko 1.5x teleconverter for the 8-15mm. My smallest setup is the 8-15mm fixed on 15mm without a zoom ring in a small Isotta 4.5 inch dome. The cropping ability of the Sony A7Rv then can be used. An extra 20mm extension enables the teleconveter to be added. This photo below is taken with the Canon 8-15mm using the Kenko 1.5x teleconverter and small dome.

Maybe have a look at submitting it for festivals like the ocean film festival in Australia! Looks like it's too late for this year (as it's in March) but maybe you could submit it for next year? https://filmfreeway.com/OceanFilmFestivalWorldTour

Thanks I hope in the next few weeks. The work was funded by this European Project so it will published on the University YT channel I guess.

Thanks for the nice words. The story behind the footage of bottom trawling in action is long and, in some ways, controversial. I’ve seen those BBC shots, and I’m thrilled that icons with the communicative and economic power of David Attenborough and the BBC have produced and published them. Footage like this has always existed among professionals, but it has always been kept well-hidden in the archives of companies and research institutes. Nobody wants to show them because they speak for themselves. Even a child can understand them, and the damage to a company's image is immediate. Consider that for years, various environmental organizations (Oceana, WWF...) have used very old, poor-quality, and almost incomprehensible images for their campaigns against bottom trawling. Ten years ago, in one of my videos, I tackled the subject of indiscriminate fishing and asked them for permission to use that footage. They told me the clips had been passed down for years and they didn't even know who the original owner was. So, I decided to find others. First, I tried to shoot them myself. The technique is well-known and used specifically by those who study and improve fishing gear: usually GoPros mounted on the trawl doors and at the end of the net. My attempts with fishermen were, obviously, unsuccessful. You take a risk just by asking to film! It was the same story with universities. Later, I found some beautiful footage on YouTube shot in Northern Europe by a university professor working on modernizing fishing techniques. No story, permission denied! Then I found footage from another foreign university that never replied to my requests. After months of unanswered emails, I decided to use them anyway, given that on YouTube, unless otherwise specified, Fair Use guidelines apply. They aren't as beautiful as the BBC's, but they’re enough for my scope. The onboard footage, however, is real, and that too is like a punch to the gut when you realize that, on average, 30% of the catch from bottom trawling is thrown back into the sea, and very few species survive. As Professor Carlo Cerrano says in my video: 'It's like harvesting a vineyard with a bulldozer. Bottom trawling images start at about 60" and there are English subtitles. https://youtu.be/lWX7xY4HHw8?si=8dx9w4ZxNthlzo7b&t=58

How are you supposed to turn the rotary dial? At home, I used a jewelers screwdriver, but didn't bring it on the trip.

Hi Sabine, I have A7R5 in Nauticam housing and this is my preferred WA configuration (in this order): #1.: Canon 8-15mm with 140mm domeport and Metabones V adapter. With (more flexibility, even better as WACP-C, as even 180° diagonal is possible) and without Sony 2x TC (very sharp, but only 180° diagonal or circular fisheye view). This combo is quite travel friendly (25mm, 30mm and 35mm N120 extensions are required for housing both configurations). #2.: Sony 20-70mm f/4 behind Zen DP170 (best IQ as tack-sharp; 20mm may not be enough WA. Ideal for fish portraits) #3.: WACP-C/Sony 28-60mm (IQ similar to #1 with 2x TC, but widest angle is 130° diagonal). I never have been to Tiger beach, so others can recommend better specific configuration. I think when taking #1, you can take the bare fisheye lens for optimum IQ, but when you discover that you need to zoom in sometimes, you can mount the 2x TC and have zoomrange comparable to WACP-C, but 180° is still available when possible)... Wolfgang

Hello On this page : SALTED LINE Europe / Sea Frogs EuropeSea Frogs Salted Line Underwater Camera Housing for Sony...Sea Frogs Salted Line Underwater Camera Housing for Sony A7III/A7RIII | 6'' V7 Dome Port | Acrylic | White 90mm Bayonet|40m/130ft|6'' V7 Dome Port|Acrylic|White Also available on the Sea Frogs' websit We can see that v7 dome ports would work with Compatible Lenses: Sony Lenses: Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM (autofocus, manual focus gear available) Sony FE 28-60 F4-5.6 (autofocus, manual zoom gear available) Sony FE 28mm F2 + Fisheye Converter SEL057FEC (autofocus only) Focus Gear not Available Sony FE 28mm F2 + Ultra Wide Converter SEL075UWC (autofocus only) Focus Gear not Available Sony FE PZ 16-35mm F4 G (autofocus, manual zoom gear available) Sigma Lenses: Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN E-Mount (autofocus, manual zoom gear available) Canon Lenses: Canon EF 8-15mm F4L Fisheye USM + EF to FE-Mount Adapter (autofocus only) Zoom Gear not Available Samyang Lenses: Samyang AF 14mm F2.8 FE E-Mount (autofocus only) Focus Gear not Available Tamron Lenses: Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III RXD E-Mount (autofocus, manual zoom gear available) I also saw this on instagram : https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRia9c7km4t/?igsh=MWcxcHpjYnF6a2Fwdw== And in the comments they said that no vignetting at 15mm with the setup used. And a quick video on youtube showing that the buyoncy seems good : Concerning the fov, I currently have a Sony 16mm with fisheye converter so is should be equivalent to 10mm fisheye on apsc. So if i m not wrong, it should be the same fov as the tokina 10-17 at 10mm on apsc or the canon 8-15 at 15mm on full frame. Is it correct ? I agree that i don’t need zoom gear for the canon because i would use it at 15mm. I also have the Sony 10-18 with the 7’´ nauticam dome port and i used it just a couple of time because i prefer the fisheye fov.

It would depend on the type of coating, but I expect it would require strong mineral acid to have any impact, magnesium fluoride is often used as a glass coating and it's reported to be quite resistant to acids. Searching showed that magnesium metal is treated with HF to provide a MgF coating which resists corrosion by acids, much more so than the bare metal.

Yes of course, but I was told that several dome/ports are treated/coated on the inside.

Hi Chris, Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I have a friend shooting with the A7RV and she recommended the Metabones adapter as well. Definitely something i am considering. Cheers!

the method shown below using Levels will automatically setup your colours - providing you have a full histogram with a bit of room at each end to allow you to make the needed adjustments. https://www.photoreview.com.au/tips/editing/advanced-levels-adjustments/ It will properly correct a photo that is under flashed for example, very occasionally it might need a little more green removed or blue added, which you do with the midtones slider in the appropriate channel. Sometimes you might need to tone down specular highlights, but it works well for 95% of images.

The cheapest path would be to adapt what you currently have most likely. Recently another member was looking at switching from Aquatica and went with an Isotta housing and an Aquatica adapter ring: Isotta is well supported in Australia with a few dealers selling them and they also have solutions to use WACP/WWL with their system. Aquatica also have a dealer in Cairns. You could start out with a metabones adapter with your Sigma fisheye. For easy travel a small dome with a fisheye is hard to beat IF a 180° diagonal fisheye has enough reach for you. Another Australian member recently went with an adapted Canon 8-15 on SONY along with the Sony 2x TC. A few members are using that solution it's not as sharp as the bare 8-15 but gives superb flexibility zooming all the way from 180° diagonal to a frame that is wide as a 28mm rectilinear WA lens. I don't shoot Sony but I use an adapted 8-15 on an OM-1 and used it for the entire trip when I went to Walindi in 2024 I get the same field of view range with the bare 8-15 on a m43 sensor.

Stunning visuals! I have been to Atmosphere Resort in Negros Oriental and the diving was fantastic - now putting Anilao on my bucket list :) Thank you for sharing Valerie.

Hi all, long time canon shooter moving into Sony mirrorless territory. I am primarily a wide angle shooter and have been shooting many years with the Canon 5D MkIV + Sigma 15mm fisheye in an Aquatica housing paired with the Aquatica 8" glass dome port & 2 Ikelite DS165 strobes (before that i shot with the Tokina 10-17mm & Canon 7D and dual Sea & Sea 250s also in Aquatica housing.) I have just recently purchased the Sony A7RV body and looking to build a kit around this new camera. Open to all brands and would be very grateful to hear from those who have made the switch to Sony mirrorless & enjoy shooting wide. My first dive trip of the year will be to Tiger Beach & Bimini in April. What is the ideal wide angle lens for this trip? Ideally something that will work well with dynamic reefs scenes as well since I will also using this setup for a trip to PNG and Indonesia this year. Open to all options that are travel friendly and not crazy expensive. I have been reading a lot about the Nauticam optics and been down the rabbit hole of WWL and WACPs to the point where my brain is a bit scrambled. Have not decided on the housing yet, and would like to hear from those that are currently shooting Sony and what lens/optics you really enjoy shooting with. Willing to spend on the right combination- but needs to be easy to travel with! Pic of a beautiful Misool reef scene for attention :) Thanks in advance for your thoughts! Cheers, Sabine

This is a subject that crops up regularly and is a pain to resolve. As Chris explains, prevention is the best way! Once the problem is there though I remember a range of solutions have been suggested; dilute citric acid or white vinegar; Coca Cola, Mothers glass cleaner, Brasso. I’m not sure anyone has nailed a clear winner. At the end of the day, re-glassing is only the 100% solution I’ve heard of.

I suppose most didn't catch Matthew's comment, but I'd also be interested in how other color-deficient folks handle that defect. I also have a bit of red-green deficiency but rarely have someone tell me my colors are out of whack.

The short answer is that the Maxi can shoot steady across 10 frames at 1/8th power (+1). At 1/4 (+2) there is a gradual drop off in power over 10 frames. At 1/2 the drop offs are significant and its a no go at Full. There are no blank or skipped frames. I shots at 3 frames per second in these tests.