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Not an easy decision but if you want better macro capability the Isotta looks good. For wide angle, Isotta have ports that work with Nauticam wet lenses so for wide angle the kit lens and WWL-1C should be a good option. I can't see the 16-50mm Z50ii kit lens on their port chart but expect that is because the housing is new and they haven't updated the chart. Or, if you are happy with the width of the 12-24 then that takes a 26 +50mm extension. From the Isotta website the Sealux adapter looks like it adds around 10mm(?) with a corresponding adjustment in port extension length needed. The 26mm then can also be used with the 110mm macro port which covers the Af-S 60 and 105mm with FTZ adapters. For fisheye, I see Chris mentioned it already ... the problem with the Tokina 10-17 with the FTZ adapter is it is only manual focus. The option of the Nikon 8-15 fisheye looks expensive if you are on a budget, but there may be other non-native solutions. A while ago I nearly bought a Nauticam + Nikon Z50. I may be wrong but that didn't seem a popular solution and it is interesting that Nauticam went for the fixed port on the Z50ii. As Nemrod said, more targeted at the evolution of the compact camera market, with advantages and some limitations. The Nauticam Z50ii housing is now lighter and much cheaper than their Z50 housing. Something else ...If you use a 45 degree viewfinder for macro the Nauticam Z50ii just has a compact type over the LCD, whereas the Isotta can use an Inon viewfinder (the Nauticam Z50 could work with viewfinders). It would be interesting to cost out the options ....

So you are saying pressing the AF point button outside the housing activates display off, but inside the housing it won't work, but other functions assigned to that button work inside the housing? Maybe there is a eye detection function in the camera viewfinder and inside the housing it thinks there is an eye at the viewfinder and won't activate the function, because it thinks you are still using the viewfinder? You could test by covering the eye sensor to see if it stops activation outside the housing?

Fair enough, though I would add that ports for Isotta seem to be a quite a bit cheaper and particularly extension rings when you look at the prices for the type II rings from Nauticam - that's a long term cost if you add more lenses later. The Canon 8-15 with metabones and Sony 2x is also a fine option, about as good a quality as WACP-C according to posts on here and combines a 180° diagonal fisheye, the field of a 14-28 rectilinear and the wider end of the WACP. You can use it behind a Nauticam 140mm dome among other options such as Nauticam 4.33"acrylic dome and even the tiny Zen 100mm dome (at the cost of some corner performance). In Isotta you don't need the N100-N120 adapter and you could use it with the 4.5"glass dome.

The adapter is basically an extension tube with different bayonets on each end, so has no impact apart from adding some extension. As long as you can get the right extension length It's no different to using a native Isotta port. The difference you do need to consider is that the Nikon DSLR Tokina 10-17 doesn't work on the Z50 as it has screw drive AF. The solution is to either adapt a Canon version 10-17 or to use the Nikon 8-15 on a FTZ adapter.

I've been experimenting with the Canon 60mm on Sony FF via Metabones adapter. IQ seems quite good and the closer FL is a real benefit in the poor visibility we are currently experiencing. I still need to get a port which sits closer to the lens which would make for an even more compact set-up to get into some tighter spots.

Yes, that's the big advantage of this system. Since I unfortunately haven't had either of them in my hands yet, I'll probably make a trip to Panocean (Münster, Germany) and try to test both systems. Both have their pros and cons. For me, the macro range is more important and I'd also like a larger magnification ratio than 1:1. @Nemrod nice pics, by the way

The non removable port housings like the new AOI for the R50 and the two from Nauticam for the little Z and the R50 should not be thought of as full feature rigs. They are meant to offer larger sensor alternatives to the now extinct pro-compacts and are intended as grab and go travel systems. Toss in your flavor of WWL and a CMC and some travel friendly strobes like the S220s and it will all fit into a sub carry on size case. All of that will go in the little carry on with the camera ensconced in the housing, no gears, no tray to attach, no unreliable trigger that needs batteries and multiple domes and ports and multiple lenses. I can get everything in the case but for the hard float arms. Standard arms and Stix floats might go. Not even getting into the CMC-2/1, I can cover a fairly large range of FOV with up to the dome focus and zoom through.

SOLD

Aloha and welcome @jofische !

Aloha and welcome @wdeutsch ! We are happy to help you spend your kids’ inheritance.

very cool.

If you are going Nauticam then the Metabones/Canon 8-15 and 2x TC is an option.

This I snot a the best combination of lens . I shot with Sony 28-60 on 60mm( in crop mode )with MFO-3 I thought its very interesting field of view and I can do very close focus. more like a close focus wide angle.

@Chris Ross Thank you. I will check where I can get online.

Hey Chris, Thanks for the response! I've been looking at alternatives for quite a while now. Initially, I was planning to go with the A7R V and AOI housing, but I couldn't find enough reviews online, and there wasn't much information available regarding long-term commitment to the Sony system. That was quite important for me before investing in a specific UW lens/ port setup. I also looked at Isotta and even had the chance to handle one to check the ergonomics. Here in the Netherlands, the price difference between Isotta and Nauticam was around €300 for the A7RV. For me personally, I'd rather invest that extra money into better ergonomics. The Isotta felt extremely reliable and sturdy, but the handling and overall user experience felt better with Nauticam. Regarding the WACP-C, I've been told that the image quality is significantly better than the 16-35mm behind a dome port. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to test this myself yet. The price difference between the WACP-C setup and a 230mm glass dome was actually quite similar. I could go with a cheaper acrylic dome, but that might compromise image quality? I also considered the WWL, which is a more affordable option. However, since I'll be doing a lot of humpback whale photography where I need to enter the water quickly, I was a bit concerned about potential bubbles between the lens and the wet optic. All in all, I'm fairly certain that I want to invest in Nauticam. I'm still not 100% convinced on the camera body, though. And yes, because I'd like to bring it on this trip, I'm kind of forced into making a rushed decision..... So it's basically a choice between going for the more expensive option, which may be the better long-term investment, or choosing the less expensive body and having a backup camera on the trip, while potentially wanting to upgrade the camera body sooner.

Thanks Chris and Christian, those were my thoughts too — a proper macro lens with optional wet lenses can do more than the combination in the Nauticam housing. The ability to also use a strobe converter is, in my opinion, another small advantage. Since the budget doesn't allow ordering everything at once, the path is now much clearer. Start with the Isotta and macro ports for the 60mm and 105mm. Then later either the adapter solution or a dedicated Isotta dome port for the 10-17mm. There probably won't be much experience out there with the adapter and a dome port. But maybe someone here uses a similar solution themselves and can say something about it?

Hi, many thanks for the link! Very helpful, please one question, you wrote that you set subject recognition to "on", what kind of (insect, animal, ...) , I would like to ask?l

I would suggest you try polishing with cerium oxide others have reported it works, you would just need to sure the materials used when polishing have no grit in them- you need to get optical grade material, this link talks about it: Polishing vs Regular Grade Cerium Oxide: How To Choose?Discover the essential guide to choosing the right grade of cerium oxide for your polishing needs. Learn the differences between Polishing and Regular Grade cerium oxide, including insights on purity,

I am using printed extension rings regularly these days, with a few dozen dives in the last couple of months. If you decide to try this, work up slowly to build confidence. Vacuum test for a few days first. Then dive an empty housing for the port. In a pool, then the ocean. After that you should be comfortable. I printed an n85 ring yesterday and will be testing it today.

I thought about that, as I have seen the posts by Dave Hicks about his experiments there. I'm weighing the options of saving a couple hundred bucks vs. flooding and killing a couple thousand bucks of gear if I mess up the print. 😬

Ahh, right .. recall now it has a fixed port system. So it can't fit the z105 f2 which paired with a MFO3 is a pretty versatile combo, covering a lot of macro needs. Have no experience with the CMC or how good/bad it is. I'd say the Nauticam route is nice for a lot of WA needs, but perhaps not for macro in the case of Nikon Z50II.

There is also the option of 3D printing your own. Files can be found in the DIY forum.

My concern would be the rushed decision. You are coming from Ikelite so nothing will carry over. Do you want to go with Nauticam? Isotta will be somewhat cheaper but you would have to wait for the A7RVI to appear, in particular their ports and extension rings are quite a bit cheaper. To use a WACP-C based on prices from UW camera store the housing zoom ring and adapter come to 3873 euro with Isotta and 4550 euro in Nauticam. You would need to add the WACP port, lens, camera etc to that total The Isotta housing will be more compact and uses B120 ports while the Nauticam is N100 and requires the pricey N100-N120 adapter for many lens combinations. Isotta have published a port chart for using Nauticam wet lenses on their housings here: https://www.backscatter.com/images/article/content/Port-Charts/Isotta-port-chart-Nauticam-Lenses.pdf Your other option in this regard might be a WWL with the 28-60, somewhat cheaper to purchase and reported to have very similar optical quality. You could do this in Isotta as well.

I reckon it's worth your trying to pick up a used old-style 20mm N120 extension. There are now at least 2 different styles for the N120 extensions, with the latest one super expensive as Chris says. But you should be able to buy the older one for $100-150 used. Look in the classifieds or place a WTB ad. Also, be warned: you are about to go down the rabbit hole of Nauticam accessories! I have acquired a massive collection over the years and can now at least test almost any lens combo. Re the compact port base stuff: yes it's old school flat port combos (I have some). I used to use it for different macro lenses, before I changed to domes for those. I don't think they ever made a screw thread dome to suit. Most likely they discontinued the screw thread experiment because threads can get very difficult to dismantle unless you carefully maintain them. Pre-digital Aquatica ports had the same issue - you needed a pair of strap wrenches in your kit!

No port system, it's a fixed port and it allows you use the 16-50 kit lens or apparently the 50mm macro fits, but it has pretty short working distance. If it were me, I wouldný want to use the CMC to get just 0.9x with little to no working distance. You can take decent pics, but it's a kludge solution compared to a real macro lens.