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Isotta housings get away from the N85 port restrctions, they use a 102mm dia port for m43.

I thought I’d share one of the more memorable encounters I’ve had while filming underwater here on Vancouver Island. I was diving at around 100 feet, originally looking for giant Pacific octopus to film, when I turned away from an octopus den and saw a large bluntnose sixgill shark emerging from the darkness and coming directly toward me. My first few seconds of footage are a little chaotic as the shark came extremely close, but once I got myself sorted out I was able to spend roughly three minutes filming it as it slowly cruised alongside me and over the bottom. I estimate it was around 10–12 feet long and believe it may have been female. The conditions made it an interesting filming challenge. At that depth it was extremely dark, visibility was very good though, and I obviously had no opportunity to plan the encounter or how I wanted to shoot it. I basically had to work with what I had and try not to waste the opportunity. The footage ended up getting picked up by CBC National News, Global, CTV and CHEK, which was a pretty unexpected outcome from a dive where I was just hoping to come home with some decent octopus footage.

The housing brand question is a real challenge with no one right answer. I went Marelux, not only for the housing cost but every accessory adds up very quick and when I priced the housing I was able to get much more. The flip side (for better and worse) is that Marelux all uses the same size port... which is just a weeee bit bigger than the N120 that Nauticam uses on many of their housings... except the Sony's which use a N100. This means the camera housing is larger even if the body is smaller. On the other side - all marelux housings use the same ports so if you change cameras in the future you are still good to go. As for the 45 degree viewfinder - I just invested in one. I like it. I would not get it for the A7c(series) as the EVF is not good. The reason why i really like it is because I need reading glasses and means I can see the screen crisply. The 45 degree viewfinder is also a big beast that is one more thing to bounce around. This is another place where the difference in cost between other companies and Nauticam is apparent. 780 USD (Marelux) vs 2000 USD (Nauticam). The Nauticam may be better? But for the A7c(r) or A7cII the evf is not why one would choose this camera.

Like the WWL-1 or WWL-C or not, this "scenario" is exactly why I have the NA-R50 and the WWL and CMC lenses and my new Maxi strobes. The rig can cover a huge range of opportunities and is relatively compact and travel friendly. No unreliable triggers, no ports, no multiple lenses and domes. No I do not switch from the WWL to a CMC in the water but it usually becomes quickly apparent that an area is more suited to one than the other.

20mm (FF) is about as narrow of a lens as I would want on the wide end this is roughly where the Nikonos 15mm sits, I found 12mm on MFT was just too tight especially behind a flat port. The 8-25 was a lens I considered on MFT but having to front load it wasn't appealing. I'm kind of avoiding N85 sized housings for this reason. To be clear: I'm not camera shopping, mainly curious. The other side of the coin is flotation and strobe arms. That seems to be at least half of the bulk on my systems. I'm having to run at least 800g of flotation or more.

WWL-C is more compact than the WWL-1 units. Burping is not required once you are a few meters underwater. I have not burped it dozens of times and never noticed. Shallow or snorkeling is not advised however. And i would never plan to remove and swap out the WWL during a dive, the lenses in question just don't merit using diopters.

Of course! Do not take me literally. Besides, what else should we talk about between one diving trip and another? 😁

I practically only do technical dives with rebreathers and multiple stages, so: no DPV, no party 😉 Because of this I have always used an M43 system to limit bulk. I only shoot video and I have given up on having a kit that does everything. Depending on the dives or my mood I choose: 14-42mm plus WWL-1 for mid-wide 14-42mm plus CMC-2 on a flip for details and macro 45mm plus CMC-2 on a flip for exclusive macro. I rarely use the 12-35mm with a 6 inch port for general mid shots and I regret not using it more often. In his range is tack sharp and better than WWL but most of the time it's not wide enough. Impossible to swap lenses on my dives. With the 6 inch port or the WWL I sometimes mount everything on the scooter otherwiseI clip my kit on a D-ring or I bring it on the left forearmlike a basket. Never had a blurp on the WWL and never had bubble issues. From 40 meters down everything washes out. 😅

All modern strobes, if you go back decades perhaps not. I think it would be a little presumpus to say every single strobe.

Hey Phil Most all? It works with most or it works with all?

Welcome!

Ask 10 different photographers the same question and you’ll get 10 different answers. All we can really respond with is what has worked best for ourselves. First off, I predominately shore dive, but do not dive with a DPV, so can’t comment on that piece of the puzzle. I have shot the following in order: Sony RX100IV Oly OM-D E-M1 MKII 12-40mm + 60mm macro + 8mm fisheye +7-14mm wide angle kit lens+WWL-1B + CMC-1 Sony AC7 kit lens + WWL-1B + SMC-1 Canon R5 14-35mm wide angle + 100mm macro + 8-15mm fisheye + 50mm + 20-50mm I went the WWL-1B + CMC/SMC-1 route, but found it was awkward and fiddly underwater swapping lenses and trying to carry them on flips and arms. I also didn’t enjoy using the CMC/SMC-1 on kit lenses, part of that would my level of skill and experience with a razor thin depths of field. The WWL-1b was nice for close focus wide angle, but for me it just wasn’t something I enjoyed swapping…also, I didn’t enjoy burping the lens when offshore in deep water. Fisheye and macro lenses are awesome, but specialized. My favorite do everything, go-to lenses which I’ve used are these (in order): Canon RF20-50mm (Perfect compromise for my regular diving. Close up dolphin passes. Distant tiger sharks. Good fish portraits. Crop for nudibranchs. I’ve been shooting it in a 230mm dome, but it should work nicely in a 180mm dome too. I’ve also used it in a 140mm dome with surprisingly good results, but the edges would be too soft for some folks). Olympus 12-40mm (Great all around lens and sharp. Not quite wide enough for me though.) Canon RF14-35mm (A little distorted at 14mm and not enough magnification at the 35mm end).

I had a WWL-1 (original recipe), just wasn't a fan. Then again I was on M4/3 at the time and the WWL-C would have probably been a better choice. Wet lenses have been rather heavy and bulky from my perspective plus I want something wider when I shoot wide. I'm currently using a DP100 and Tokina 10-17 then just shooting CFWA if anything smaller becomes available (it covers FF at 16mm) or the Nikonos 15mm if I think I'll get static shots with most distance. I'm tempted by an 8-15 plus 2.0 TC, especially if the any of the native E mount 8-15 coming out can take a TC. The higher quality over the Tokina should allow for more cropping. All of my set-ups are pretty heavy in the water without adding additional bulk from flotation.

There's also ZereneStacker. You'll still have to do touch up in places where it doesn't quite stack well. I've only used it on land with a tripod. Works well for flowers but parts of small animals sometimes look slightly misaligned.

Aloha and welcome @Rinjani

As we contend with multiple variables, we are doomed to live in a tangle of equipment. So much simpler if we limit what we do. I have a dive buddy who takes only an Olympus TG and a dive light. He looks for the tiniest things. Simple system and actually pretty versatile. I do wish for a new version with a larger sensor and bit more in the way of manual controls. I use a DPV pretty regularly, and I hate hauling it in and out of the water for mostly shore diving. I’ve mounted an Olympus TG, on top of which I’ve mounted a GoPro, plus strobes or video lights. Really unwieldy until you’re in the water, and then you have to repeat the process. Lately, I’ve just gone with an action camera and a single 10k lumen video light while using a DPV. For stills and no DPV, it’s a subject matter decision for me. Macro or wide? Here in Hawaii where I live, shooting fisheye means you won’t have many chances at very skittish wildlife. I’ve lately come around to thinking that a kit lens and wet optics may be the best solution to shooting a variety of things.

This is when the WWL setups excel. They are pretty compact and can shoot macro to wide with very good quality possible. Not the best wide or macro solution but competent at both.

Size seems nearly the size of the m43 Olympus 8mm fisheye lens. It could be interesting to know if it will be compatible with a 1.4 TC to have an alternative field of view...

I was advised today that this TTL trigger works with most all TTL strobes.

I dive in BC where we have both inconsistent visibility and also a very wide variety of subjects on any given dive (Nudibranches to GPOs to Sealions). I also use a DPV and do technical diving which makes dealing with a bulky system with large strobe arms, wet lenses etc a bigger challenge. I enjoy the process of making pictures with something that offers more control than a compact/GoPro but that comes with compromises in terms of overall system size. My question is how do you build the system you take on every dive, especially the ones where you don't know exactly what you're going to find (if anything)?

The shade will likely conflict with inside a mini (100mm) dome, but should have zero issues with 140mm fisheye dome port. On a APS-C camera, your diagonal view with drop from 185 degrees down to around 120 degrees. So yes, your FOV will be smaller..

🧐... we also need to provide a reason for the companies to sponsor our site! Such a discussion is, (un)fortunatly, only a couple of clicks away from the shopping basket. (and that is part of the fun)

Less distortion should require a larger dome than a traditional fisheye correct?

Further to the points made by @Davide DB. In addition to my OM/Nauticam/Retra kit, I travel with a DiveVolk. While there is no substitute for planning and composing a picture with the little big rig, the iPhone affords a different sort of photography, as we all know from carrying them in our pockets so much of the time. The iPhone facilitates images like this one, of a guide excited by a little turtle at our three-minute stop. Had I taken the OM-1, it would likely have been turned off, arms folded in, ready to hand up to the boat; having the iPhone allowed me to grab a far-from-technically-perfect image which conveys what I find to be an evocative moment. It's long been said that the best camera is the one you have when you need it, and the mobile phone housings are, for me, a welcome addition to Gear Mountain.

Fair point. We're all here to learn, share and have fun with something we love. Enjoy!!!!!