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No, you should definitely not accept that and keep in mind what Alex said: I think several of us here, especially Alex and Matthew have experienced more than 2K or high definition in their digital underwater photos, even when taking pictures behind a dome port. It highly depends on your prudeness with port positioning and and dome size selection. .. maybe you can pass him a visit at look at the humongous amount of Nikonos glass he is hoarding 🤪 ( https://achtel.com/nikonos-lenses/ ) which makes me pack my bags and want to move to Australia, instantly! *Alex and Matthew own the "holy grail" (adapted Nikonos RS13 Fisheye) and a (hopefully well positioned) 8-15 fisheyes behind domes and may comment / judge their personal perceived resolution advantage. Alex on top may also compare it to his Ivanoff Zeiss 20mm experience and the Nikonos V 15mm lens on a full frame.

Hi Mike! A warm welcome to Waterpixels. Great to have you with us.

Interesting ..... Achtel is located 5 minutes drive from where I grew up and less than an hour from home by car going by the address on the website. I don't that I would say forced to use conservative f-stops. You can only force yourself to make that choice. Me, I would rather stop down to where I need for depth of field or - say for a fisheye to get around the dome port issues than get the ultimate resolution - the overall image is most important and it's always a compromise. It seems to me that if you accept the statements from Achtel.com that domes reduce resolution to less than high definition partly due to the curved virtual image that you will be looking at fisheye lenses or water contact optics of some type for the highest resolution. Rectilinear lenses have a flat plane of focus parallel to the sensor while the virtual image is curved at some number of radii of the dome port in use. Fisheye lenses do not have a flat plane of focus, generally it is curved surface which may or may not be equivalent to a hollow sphere. Depending on the fisheye projection the focal plane may be circular or it may be flattened. But in any case it is much closer to the shape of the virtual image formed by the dome than the flat plane of best focus of a rectilinear lens. As an aside the S&S corrector lens attempts to do something like this - basically flattening the virtual image so that the host lens can digest it more readily I expect that the ability of water contact optics to operate at larger apertures is related to the fact that optic acts like a fisheye lens and it converts that image in to a flat focal plane that the rectilinear lens inside can digest. If all of this this is correct looking at land based tests of lenses probably only helps with center resolution it would seem??

I would cross Curacao off the list, that is not a big animal destination. Lots of small life.

Nitescuba is operating in the same OEM / ODM space as SUPE/Scubalamp/Fotocore/Divevolk - and it's not really a brand-per se, more a branding of similar products which you can find of Aliexpress or elsewhere in their case. I've had some rather sketchy experiences with these (see here ) so stay away if i can for electronics like lights (but would consider them for a less sensitive products like float arms or a monitor housing - last nightscuba product i bought was a mounting stick for remote lighting but it arrived branded as something else). I really wouldn't trust OEM-ODM maker's lumen, CRI, or burn-time specs... Since you seem to be ok with non-constant output lights (ie ok with buying lights that will constantly dim as they're used rather than provide a set power level), I would look into actual Chinese brands like Big Blue, Orcatorch or Archon, which have been around as such for a few years and tend to have an ok track-record (though the specs are still on the fantasy side). Seafrog/Meikon's new lights are interesting, but rather untested. As a side-note, if CRI / light quality is really important to you, I would definitely focus on the upper Chinese tier brands like Weefine or Kraken (and potentially Kay Burn Lim's new Subnox brand). They are really a knotch ahead in terms of general quality / quality control. Though design on these still suffers from Chinese R&D teams not really understanding how these products are used in real life shooting situations (button ergonomics, or adding questionable whistles and bells that many serious users could do without), at least there seems to be a some sort of feedback chain and some practical improvements on recent models.

I worked on Digurah and yes wouldn't recommend it for snorkeling - main snorkeling event is really snorkeling with the whalesharks, but it's basically trying to keep-up with a swimming whaleshark (and they are fast), and not really suitable for kids. To be honest, it's not something I enjoyed facilitating when i was was there (too much chasing, hectic, too many boats dropping people too close to the sharks), so I'm not the best person to sell this to you. Diving is good with easy access to thilas like Kudara thila, and a manta cleaning station, quite a few grey reefs and sometimes the odd silvertip. Not much of a house reef or land access. La Paz (where I've also worked) would have been a good choice for the California sea lions and also whalesharks later in the year etc, but it's far and you're off-season (Los islotes is closed during mating season in August), and yes, it's far. As suggested, Magdalena bay is really in a category of its own, but check the season. Palau is doable - especially combined with seakayak tours or stand up paddle, but most of Palau's main sites are not the best for snorkeling. Still a good option, but keep in mind that all the action is on the Rock islands, and there's not much in water action around Koror, and no real beach other than PPR's or artificial beaches. I loved the diving when I was working there but have mixed feelings about snorkeling. But yes, you can see mantas snorkeling at German Channel or reef sharks in the Rock islands (there's been some feeding going on around one of the main resting areas on a specific island so lots of blacktips) or snorkel the dropoff or Cemetery / Paradise reef. If you can drop the big-animals requirement (or lower it to reef sharks, turtles and cephalopods), you can find places with excellent snorkeling and diving. Land-based central Raja-Ampat for instance, or Komodo NP in Indonesia. It's probably changed a lot but snorkeling around the Dampier peer house reefs used to be be incredible, as were some islands with resorts just outside the Komodo national park like Kanawa or Sebayur. As others have suggested Bali is still a good option, with mantas on Penida, as is Bunaken if turtles and coral are enough.

I think I can get the same for about half the price in the nitescuba NVS60. Apparently a tried and tested unit, not the average Aliexpress stuff.

They are all over the place at Alki Junkyard. I am not good at spotting them, but my buddy was!

Thanks Dave, that's what I was looking for and aligns with my thoughts as well! Where'd you find the sea spider?

I've done a fair bit of diving in the Red Sea, maybe not as much as some here, but I have tried most areas. As a general rule its 'middle of the road' type diving, fish and reefs rule, and whilst there is plenty of variety on that front its not the best area for really small or really big stuff. Northern sites from Sharm are generally based around the Ras Mohammed and Tiran areas with a decent selection of wrecks available. Very nice but busy and whilst there are a couple of specific times such as snapper aggregations around June or Hammerheads off Jackson reef late summer these are really bonuses rather than basing your trip around. A little further south is Hurghada, and if you prefer day diving this may be worth a look. My favoured area by far is El Gouna to stay in as you have far more freedom of movement than Hurghada itself, and a few choices of boats. Personally I dive with a local guide called Moustafa Housin but private guiding can push the price up quite a bit. Going further south you're getting more into Liveaboard only territory (yes I know the Marsa Alam area has day boat diving). The classic route is based around Daedalus, Elphinstone and the Brothers, and whilst the diving is excellent it will be busy. The boats do their best to stagger divers but you won't be alone at any of the main sites. A big draw there are the oceanic whitetips in autumn but due to a few incidents elsewhere in the Red Sea I've found the boats nervous about diving with them unless you're on a specific shark itinerary. All told, my favourite area is the Deep South, which generally means liveaboards from the Marsa Alam area. Coral bleaching has occurred over recent years but the reefs are nice, there are some small cave systems to explore, and little gems like snorkelling with spinner dolphins at Sataya reef if that can be organised for an early morning Water temp is nice a. year round, but over winter it can get a bit breezy getting out of the water, and you'll often find guides in drysuits simply because of the wind. Personally I jus dump my gear and take a quick shower (no the ones on the rear dive deck) and put on dry clothes - problem solved) Boat wise, the Aggressors are nice but not what I'd call luxury. You can get fantastic deals on them st the start of the season around March though. I had a nice experience on the Ghazala Explorer and the Emperor boats are generally well regarded

Was there with extended family and we had a very good time. Good for snorkeling to. No mantas there but eagle rays and sharks on the house reef. Was a few years ago tho, 2019.

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Here are two photos from the same dive this last week. I used the MFO-1 and Subsee +10, which is similar to the SMC-3. (2.2x at 105mm) I use the MFO-1 90% of time. The SMC-3/+10 is ONLY useful for super close up tiny subjects. MFO-1: Diamond Back Nudibranch (Tritonia festiva) about 8cm long Subsee +10: Seaspider with eggs. Body is maybe 1 to 1.5 cm across.

I was 2 times at Filitheyo The Manta station is far from the island and not allways theyre. Not sure this is a good destination for a family.. OK for snorkeling you can see some turtle and fishes They resort have a pool and the restaurant wasn't bad... but my experience are 10 years ago... the things change.

Another very exciting topic! Over the years, I've used various setups and have now settled on Carbonarm's strobe arms and their floats. I also used Nauticam float arms for a while, but I've since switched away from them. I'm very happy with the Carbonarm arms, and the floats are excellent and extremely robust. 4 Floating-Rings provide 500g of buoyancy Here you find the Floating-Rings https://carbonarm.com/en/homepage-piu-venduti/128-floating-ring-kit-500-g-0806808287137.html I also still have several old buoyancy aids from Mike-Dive in use, which I've had for ages. Unfortunately, Mike-Dive is no longer in business, and it would actually be cool to know exactly what kind of foam they were made of. For my Macro-Port, I was inspired by Dave Hicks and his port floats. Unlike him, however, I didn't print a solid body, but simply "wrapped" various old Mike-Dive buoyancy aids around my Macro-Port. With this design, I get about 500g of buoyancy at the front of the port, and nothing gets in the way. With a suitable foam, you could even get a bit more buoyancy. My Port-Float from the back with the Mike-Dive Floats inside and some Test-Foam. Carbonarm offers a sheet made of their material, but it's not cheap. We'd need to find out exactly what kind of foam the solid parts currently on the market are made of. Greetings from Switzerland, Tino

Thanks Chris, cropping has generally been the practice so far and looking at the general utility. Here in Seattle and our Pacific Northwest, we have our share of the macro critters but there may be more utility in the MFO-1 on a regular basis.

Maybe, send me a private message.

I have more or less the same as @Dave_Hicks but with flip but the idea is exactly the same

Very nice. I don't suppose you have extras lying around...😉

I’ve belatedly realized that I neglected to provide feedback on my own experience! I had a great time diving in Palau, it is very beautiful above and below the waves. However the conditions on this visit made photography quite challenging. My visit coincided with the tail end of two big storms that passed to the north, resulting in very strong currents and swells even at depth. I spent more time managing my dive than I did taking shots. Nevertheless I did get a few images that I was happy with, mostly on the plateaus. On the walls, the pelagic life was mostly too far away for my fisheye lens. A more flexible rectilinear zoom would have been better - John’s solution above is spot on. When I go back, I’ll take my 12-40 lens on M4/3.

I solved this with custom printed port floats. Pictured here are the port87 and port60+20 versions that I use most often. I also have a version for the port60 alone. They bolt into the otherwise useless M3 holes Nauticam uses to mount a plastic hotshoe that I have never seen anyone use. This provides a solid connection for the float. They are seamless and streamlined for totally natural handling of the housing. Dry weight is 200g and they provide about 350g of buoyancy. The little fins you see on the bottom float on the left are "sacrificial" structures to take the wear and tear of sitting on the sand or boat decks without scratching or dinging the ABS plastic of the hollow float itself. I've been diving these for at least a year on many dozens of dives and tested to about 100 feet / 30 meters.

Wow, thank you for the detailed reply @Davide DB ! I too had looked at Kyno but abandoned pursuing it further once I learned that it couldn't ready the sony XMP files to extract metadata. I've since solved that problem with Evrexpanse, which allows me to export a file which allows Resolve to read the metadata-- I'm wondering if that workaround will allow it to access the metadata. In the sony world I've also looked into their Catalyst Prepare/ browse software, but it isn't good for long term cataloging. @Davide DB Are you still using Kyno? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the software further, especially as it relates to the risks you mentioned above.

Aloha and welcome @Chris Martinat !

@kalani Can't go wrong with the Canon R7, but consider the R50, too. It’s compact, relatively inexpensive, and Nauticam’s housing is much cheaper than full frame. As for the A6500, I agree with other posters here that the A6400 is a better camera. If you’re shooting stills primarily, you won’t miss the IBIS. If you shoot video you might want better stabilization than what Sony offers. The R7 has better video specs: e.g., 4k 60p versus 4k 24/30p in the A6400. Any A6xxx camera before the A6600 also has that tiny W series battery, much improved with the A6600 and A6700.