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Grazie mille for the detailed reply. Unfortunately I can't access the WetPixel threads. To answer your question: I shoot in the Mediterranean, mostly Liguria and Tuscany, from the surface to around 60 meters. My main interest is wide angle video, but I will also need to get close-up stills for some conservation projects. On the Easydive, the reason I was considering it is that I found an appealing package deal: housing, 16" dome, external monitor, SDI converter, float arms, and two 15k lights, all together for what seemed like a fair price. On top of that I would just need to service it (as with any second hand housing, I think) and buy the GH5 II adapter. In all the Easydive reviews (I know, a bit biased) they say all major functionalities are mapped, including the focus ones. The bulk out of the water, and underwater too, definitely gives me pause though. As for the neutral buoyancy issue with the lights, I don't see it as a major issue for now. A few of my diving friends use Easydive, all with Sony bodies, all the Leo3 WI (the smaller housing). Some of them mentioned that past 85-90 meters their Nauticam housings started giving them trouble, have you ever experienced something similar, like stuck or unresponsive buttons? Surely I have a lot to think about, upgrading my kit will not be cheap, neither with Easydive nor with Nauticam 😄

Yes i have.... sometimes the simplest solution is right in front of you. :-)

Do you have a diffusor?

Hey James! Great to have you with us. A warm welcome to Waterpixels. You’ve come to the right place to help you kit out that Sony. And spend a ton of cash. Very best wishes Tim

Does anyone have a protective front cover for a Retra Pro Max to protect the lens during transport?

The lack of a battery to replace sounds ideal to me, though for my system I'm quite happy using the little mini flash.

With the 100mm macro you already get 1.4x magnification, double than the best you do with the 28-60 (0.7x) and with more working distance. The question I would be asking is are you able to find subjects that need that sort of magnification? If you dive exclusively with expert guides in macro rich destinations you might get some use out it. Me - I'd be tempted to just crop a little if needed for extra small subjects as I don't find them that often, plus the depth of field won't be quite so diabolically thin. I recall Alex Mustard saying on one his videos that his most used diopter was a +3 or a +5 diopter which gave just a little more than life sized which you already have with the 1.4x available natively, compared to a traditional macro lens with 1:1 magnification

Welcome James, hope you enjoy the forums and sorry to hear you were on that liveaboard, but great that everyone got off!

I noticed a significant reduction in Backscatter first dive with my new Retras fitted with reduction rings. It's not a magic cure all and I can still manage to take a frame filled with Backscatter if I'm not concentrating but it's so much easier now to produce a frame without excessive backscatter.

I only do video, not stills, but use the 100mm and MFO3 for blackwater-like shooting (bonfire dives, hovering in the water column at night). My go-to setup on the A7SIII is the 100mm, MFO1 and MFO3 - I actually have a triple-flip, which I like for having the option to add a diopter for super macro for regular macro dives, but actually only use two lenses for blackwater-type shooting, as it's very difficult to find subjects static enough to go beyond the magnification given by the 100mm + MFO1 combo, and 80% of the footage is shot with the MFO3. As Dave mentioned, the 90mm is fine (I chose the 100mm as it does have some advantages for video AF) - however, a double-flip could be handy with these lenses, so you have more options than MFO3 or the bare lens (diopters for super macro or MFO1)

Thanks for the comments. I am glad you liked the review and found it inforative! Retra states in their product page for the Maxi that it is 4500k with the wide angle diffuser. And it looks like they updated the page to state the native color temp as well. The Retra Maxi delivers GN46 and a color temperature of ~6200K. With the optional Wide Angle diffuser, it provides 160º coverage at ~4500K. Optimized for GN performance, this powerful strobe captures distant subjects with exceptional light output.

Hello all. I'm James from the US. I'm friends with Tim and was on the Maldives liveaboard that burned. I lost my TG-6 in the fire and moved up to a Sony a1 II so I will have plenty of questions. Thank you.

New hobby on a rainy day 🤓

@Dave_Hicks What an excelent review. You covered more than I could ever think of, evidenced with great pictures. And I learned something new, never thought reduction rings would benefit wide angle photography in particle rich water. Sounsds logical, I often get lightened spots in the corners. It will try that out as soon as I can. Ok, one comment. You noted that thant the Maxis are 5500-6000K and you have 4500K diffusers. On Retras website I only could find a -500K one (Wide Angle Diffuser).

Thanks Chris

If you are thinking about saving money, buy one of the many used 90mm lens and port combos that people upgrading are selling off. The 100mm is no doubt better, but by how much really? By all accounts the 90mm setup works great with the A1, focusing fast and very sharp. The Tamron 90mm is also a quality option.

After enjoying macro a ton with my 28-60 + CMC2, I'm planning to upgrade my macro setup and get the 100mm macro lens to pair with my A1 body. I've seen lots of people love the MFO-3 especially for black water photography so I was going to add that to my setup with a flip adapter. My unknown is whether it's worth it to add an SMC to the setup as well? It's relevant now because I'd buy a double-flip instead of a single if I would want the SMC. But, if I'll be happy without the SMC then I'll save the $$ and weight of buying a double flip. Any thoughts or advice is appreciated!

Good to know. The review Maxi's didn't come in original packaging. Sure, take them off if it saves space. I've never actually done that in about 20 years of traveling with strobes. I take mounts off of my camera housings very often as they significantly increases their space requirements.

The ball mount does not come installed. They were in a separate bag with the grease and spares and an Allen key. My recommendation is to remove the ball mount for transport to conserve on space and to remove the ball mount after a dive trip so that trapped saltwater there will not seize the threads or cause corrosion. A little dab of silicone grease will help as an anti-seize. This is not a fault or defect nor a complaint, just normal maintenance on an expensive item you will want to enjoy for many years.

Ciao Alessio, first of all welcome to the forum. I am a long time Panasonic user. Now I use a "vintage" GH5 and a GH5 MKII in Nauticam housings. From the video point of view it is one of the most long lasting cameras I have ever seen. Except for the AF, it is still very usable. Given the incredible success of the GH4 and GH5, it seemed that Panasonic was destined to stay in the underwater market, but the failure after not introducing phase detection AF in the GH6 brought it back into oblivion. On the other hand the GH7 is still one of the best video cameras due to its completeness of features and codecs. It even records in Prores Raw internally. Unfortunately the magical moment has passed. Returning to your question... If you want to buy a used GH5MKII, there are many opportunities around. Complete kits with Nauticam housing. IMHO some prices are crazy but you can negotiate and I think the sellers will come to their senses when the kit stays unsold for months. The choice of lenses and ports depends on your taste. What do you shoot? In what environments? Regarding the Easydive housing if you search here on the forum you will see that there are practically zero results. Ask yourself a question and give yourself an answer 😉 In the father of all forums, WetPixel, there are a couple of interesting threads that summarize the pros and cons of these housings but if you do not have an old account it is not possible to read them, nor to sign up. It is abandoned to itself. https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/63744-anyone-with-experience-with-easydive-leo3-wi-housing/ https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/66750-easydive-leo-3-wi/ Personally, even if it is an Italian housing, it never convinced me for vvfide o. At your fingertips you only have the most important functions but when I checked you couldn't have the Back button focus function. Out of the water is heavy and it is inevitably bulky: it's the prrice to pay for being able to load a Sony A6500 or a nikon Z8. The display could be very far from the back and you could not mount a commercial external hdmi monitor wirhout a pricy hdmi-sdi converter because by default they foresee a SDI bulkhead only. Very odd. Regarding their lights... They are really well made but I have never seen one around except in Italy. Here too, is there a reason for this? What do I need adjustable color temperature for? The color temperature needs to be around 5500K full stop. They have the advantage of having adjustable light intensity via a dial and not through the damned buttons. The shape is particular but in water they weigh 400 grams. What if I want to make them neutral independently of the float arms? Good luck.

I would also suggest reviewing airlines baggage policies - Air Niugini I believe offers 15kg excess baggage for divers if you fly into PNG with them. You can fly Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong - POM with them. Not the most reliable service unfortunately but they will get you there I have been advised by people who have dived there a lot.. They also fly POM-NAD direct every other day, so you could fly into POM via SIN/HKG/NAR and then head on to Fiji. It's pretty easy access for me to POM from Sydney, but not the way you want to do it if arriving from Europe. Alternatives to Air Niugini heading south are basically just Qantas who flies into Brisbane and Sydney. You could always do some temperate water diving in Sydney as well.

The mount is very solid. Oskar told me once you cannot over-tighten them either. Not that I’ve tried!

Excellent review @Dave_Hicks ! Very fair and well written. Terrific images as well! Hope this is just the first of many more to come.

Hi Tim, Yes, impressive but video is not mine but from Kolari, a well known company famous for oplf filters and various camera services. Ciao