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Regarding Marelux strobes, the third strobe in the line is Apollo Y which has the ability to cancel pre-flash. When Marelux first arrived on the U/W photo scene five years ago they introduced housings only designed for full frame mirrorless cameras. Along with those housings they offered manual flash triggers for around $200.00 which use two 2032 batteries that last for around 10,000 flashes. These triggers were designed only for Marelux housings. Later came FlashFuel 2100 capable of 140,000 flashes and a separate battery connected by USB to the camera extend camera battery life by around double. The FF2100 required a redesign of housings to accommodate the battery. Turtle and UWT also began to design both manual and TTL flash triggers for Marelux housings. The first housings for APS-C cameras were designed around cameras like EOS R7 that have hotshots for MX-triggers and use the native 125mm port system also used for FF. Now that housings are coming for cameras like EOS R50, OM1 II and more the Apollo Y was introduced to include the PRE-FLASH cancelation. Marelux first two strobes Apollo III and Apollo S were designed to allow use of the Lumilink for wireless flash triggering and to focus on speed and battery life. Many folks looking for a new strobe focus first on GN or Watt-seconds without paying any attention to the strobes beam angle. Apollo III, S and Y all have a native 120 degree beam angle expandable to 140 with a diffuser. The GN can easily be increased by simply narrowing the beam angle so while strobes like the Sea & Sea YS-D3 have a GN33 it is at a beam angle of 80X105 degrees. With the included white diffuser the angle becomes 100 X 110 and GN drops to 28. This is not a bad thing but just know that by the time you get to the native 120 angle of Apollo Y the GN's are the same +/- a point or two. Backscatter does the same thing, MF-3 has GN19 and angle of less than 100 degrees. Again the MF-3 is designed mostly around macro so reducing the beam angle to raise GN makes sense. You may also want to consider power source. Nearly all of the newer strobes and video lights that don't have a proprietary battery pack have moved to 18650 or 21700 Li-ion cells. Why does this make a difference just compare specs for the new strobes. The S&S YS-D3 uses four AA Ni-MH cells, S&S spec sheet indicates 220 flashes at full power charge with recycle times of 1.7 sec. on full charge. Inon S2000 with Pro eneloop AA's 500 flashes at full power and recycle times of 2.0 secs. full power. By comparison Apollo Y with two 21700 at full power gives you around 1500 flashes and full power recycle times of 0.6 sec. We of course don't shoot all photos at full power but the specs clearly favor Li-ion batteries. Several talking heads have tried to discourage use of Li-ion cells because of fire risk. Marelux have proprietary cells with protection circularity and because these cells need to be carried in carry-on luggage that also sell completely fire proof bags for travel.

I didn't see this until now. Yes, they are perfect for the work. I also have a Bluerov and the dome ports are cheap, they are around 3 mm thick, I have go with the rov up to 100 meters depth with no issues. They are exactly the same that I ordered to the plastic manufacturer. If I knew about that domes before buying the bluerov I would used it. That said, I didn't found out a big lack of definition in the corners of the image when I used the 4" dome port with the DSLR, but once I bought the FF Mirrorless this lack of definition has become a lot worst. I have ask here in the forum and to two professional underwater photographers that I am friend of, the issue is the dome diameter, 4" is to small, so now I'm using a glass 5,5" and it's not perfect but is good enough. I'm always talking using it with the Canon 8-15 fisheye, with and with no teleconverter.

Sorry guys my question actually doesn’t make sense at all. Just comes to show I still have lots to learn… I somehow assumed that you could mount a dx lens on a full frame and use in fx mode which is either not possible or would vignette heavily. Ryan from Nauticam (really appreciated how quickly he replied which I didn’t expect, especially on a weekend) wrote back with this : There have been some cases where DX lenses will cover a bit more than the APS-C "DX" sensor size, but quite full frame, or will cover full frame over part of their zoom range, but I haven't been able to find any examples documenting this on 16-50 f/2.8. On Nikon full frame Z bodies: When you mount a DX lens on a Z5, Z6, Z7, Zf, etc., the camera automatically switches to DX crop mode and there's no way to override it Digital Photography Review. This makes it difficult to even capture a full-sensor image showing the image circle falloff, since Nikon locks you into the crop. Some users have worked around this with "dumb" adapters that break the electronic communication Photography Life, but I couldn't find anyone who did this specifically with the new 16-50mm f/2.8. Third party cameras can give us some clues about coverage beyond DX, because they don't force the switch to DX when mounted. I searched the RED user groups for some examples as well, but I couldn't find any. On RED V-Raptor: The V-Raptor with the VV (Vista Vision) sensor is larger than full frame, so a DX lens would show significant vignetting. The S35 version of the V-Raptor has coverage for Super 35mm lenses ProVideo Coalition, and Super 35 is roughly similar to APS-C/DX, so the 16-50mm f/2.8 should cover S35 mode cleanly. But I couldn't find anyone who has tested or posted images of this specific combo. What we know about the image circle behavior:Some DX lenses are known to cover more than their rated image circle, especially at longer focal lengths. The older Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX, for example, nearly covers full frame. With zoom lenses, some DX zooms "zoom" the image circle as they get longer, covering more of the full frame area at the telephoto end Digital Photography Review. There's a good chance the 16-50mm f/2.8 would show heavy dark corners at 16mm on a full frame sensor but might be usable (with vignetting) at 50mm.

THIS IS AWESOME!!!

I wonder to what degree Trump’s tariffs are triggering the spread of camera taxes.

it is not as straightforward as better lens=better underwater. Do not own the FCP (would like to) but I think the z24-50 is what’s recommended.

Sorry, my post is lacking a lot of information. I have a z8 and an FCP-1. The hope would be that it would sharper, and if sharper that one could use a smaller aperture and that the reach would be a little further. But agree that this is not a straight forward question to answer. I’m probably looking at this in a too simplistic way ;-)

Yeah, there are rogue ones in most places. And it might be individual confusion sometimes and explanations needed—tax on import of goods is after all normal for most countries. But trying to tax someones personal property which they bring in and then back out… that is a scam and afaik not the norm , even in Mexico. You need to pay ”camera tax” tho in some marine park areas on top of regular fees, in Indonesia too. Not a lot and I see it as a marine conservation contribution.

I've also never had issues in Indonesia, but this post was from an underwater photographer - as mentioned, it was most likely a one-off customs agent trying his luck. That said, Indonesia did try to enforce strict customs rules on electronics when I was living there, and they started controlling incoming travellers (not just residents) for phones, laptops, and cameras, but backpedalled after a few days due to the chaos this caused. I think it was in 2022, IIRC. I don't really understand how Mexican import regulations can be applied to personal goods which are going to leave the country with the tourist, which is virtually unheard of as it's not generally considered an import.

A ”better” lens does not always yield better results than a cheaper one when you put it under water, behind domes or wet optics. The front element plays a role here and at what angle light from dome/wet lens hits the optics. So better check out what Nauticams tests say. The cheap 16-50 might be sharper for a particular set-up. I use the z24-50 for wwl1C and works very well.

Have not had any issues entering Indonesia or heard of anything like it from other divers/photographers. Almost always questions about and brief examinations of gear, but not more than that.

Yeah it is definitely complicated with different TTL protocols even for cameras from the same manufacturer as far as I understand. I must confess I've never tried TTL, I only use my strobes on manual which I've enjoyed, but then I haven't generally been shooting in rapidly changing conditions. I do largely blame Sony for not offering the control to cancel the pre-flash, but ultimately I have to make the most of what I have - which for now is more than enough for me.

The second part of the question is if you have a guide who can find tiny subjects for you. I know I'm not the best at finding tiny subjects.

Is your question around whether it can be used with Nauticam wet optics? with a Nikon Z50?

I've got an upcoming trip to the Port Hardy area in northern Vancouver Island (often referred to as God's Pocket due to the eponymous resort, though I'm not diving with them). I was trying to decide what wet lenses to bring with me. I have a dual-flip adapter, so I'm realistically probably only going to bring 2 out of the MFO-1, MFO-3, and SMC-3 with me on a dive. Assuming the MFO-3 is always coming with me, the decision is between the MFO-1 and SMC-3 as the second lens. As such, I was wondering if there were any notable subjects small enough to warrant needing the 2.3x magnification of the SMC-3, or if the 1.2x magnification of the MFO-1 would be preferred.

Backscatter will send them to you if they have them, though freight might be expensive. I think they have gone back to NiMH throughout. Ikelite would probably send to you as well? Did you check Ikelite website, they list a dealer in Tokyo. Here is the thread on doing the re-pack - it's fiddly and you need to spot weld the connectors between the batteries. There are operations around which will do this work for you as well, but you may not be able to find one locally. My Ikelite Strobe Battery Rebuild - Tutorials, How-Tos, DIY - WaterPixels

Coming to you pros with a question (which I also sent to nautucam and will post their answer if and when I get it): I just found about this lens: Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR It seems compact, sharp and low light and translating the aps-c to full frame would fit about the focal length of the likes of the FCP-1. It’s a little longer than the kit lens so would probably need some extension ring(s). What do you think about its use with water corrected optics? Sergio

Well, if you are David Doubilet, working for National Geographic you probably have a lot more of resources that any other current underwater photographer. I personally know pretty well Manu San Félix, another National Geographic explorer and I have personally seen the tones of equipment they carry, both for diving and for taking pictures and video. There's no secret, money is the key.

I finally managed to take pictures of the big dome. My goal when i start thinking about doing it was that me and my two dive buddies can use it. At that time I had a Sea&Sea housing, and my buddies Nauticam and Subal each. So i had to make a system that can fit in 3 different housing. I first contacted to a plastic manufacturer specialized in manufacturing custom domes for security cameras and this sort of things. I told him the exact measures of what I wanted and in 3 days i had it, I can't remember exactly but the price was really inexpensive, something like 50€. After that I went to a friend who is miller turner, I explained him what I needed and he did it in aluminum, after that i sent the aluminium piece to anodize, again, this was inexpensive, about 50€. After that I assembled the dome with screws, for sealing it the miller did a groove in the edge of the aluminium where I poured polyurethane. For the fitting to the housing, I took a macro port of each housing manufacturer and again the miller turner cutted the front part and machined a male thread and a groove for an o'ring, the same thread is the female in the dome plate. Here you can see some pictures of it and the first picture that I took with this dome, but to be honest I haven't used it that much

Cheers. Thats what my take was and seems my best option. It should allow reuse of what i have within reason and upgrade in pieces. This is looking at my best option for now. Been out of the game too long with my existing setup. Didnt realise everything has changed. Battery repack might work if i can find instructions. The packs maybe sealed though. Ikelite does have the same pack on all strobes so i thought they'd be easily available as they used to be. Seems not though. They did have a LiIon battery upgrade but that also seems to have disappeared. FWIW hate the strobes, too big, too bulky but again they work so cant justify changing those yet.

Exactly what I would suggest doing, this is the applicable part of the RF N100 port chart: You then use the 4.33" dome and the applicable zoom gear with that from the EF N120 port chart. And yes you just add the needed extension to use the Canon 8-15 and the appropriate extension and zoom rings. If you use the 4.33" port with the 8-15 it needs 10mm less extension than the 140mm dome port. As far as an ikelite battery goes sourcing one out of the US might be required. Backscatter have them listed on their website, seems that the same pack is used on all strobes?? There are also videos floating around with instructions on how to re-pack them with NiMH cells.

@TimG I was in Lembeh when David was there (or more correctly, our boat did Nudi Falls when he was set up there shooting the iconic Nat Geo Nudi story). We were both staying at the old Kungkungan Bay Resort. I had dinner at his table one evening - definitely some great great stories. Actually the most interesting person a the table was his Nat Geo "gear guy." Back then he traveled with a Nat Geo technician who handled all the gear, fixed things that broke, and managed traveling with all that stuff. I have no idea how he's managing it now... I remember thinking after the dinner that the Nat Geo technician had a great job - all the travel, all the gear, none of the artistic pressure to "get the shot."

It's such a minefield with all the different options available! Along with the proprietary triggers and TTL formats etc Camera makers don't really help either when they don't give you control to disable pre flash, or in the case of Sony - they don't even let you turn the flash off from the camera in any mode except Auto, which always seemed odd and causes even more fiddling around. When I used the A6400 + seafrogs housing I had a really old D2000 and just used s-TTL mode with the pop up flash - that worked great for me, I wasn't (and still aren't) advanced enough to know how to use anything else anyway. I'm only using manual strobes now because that's the only option for my gear 😂

I did not say that the Backscatter strobes do not have preflash cancel, I said that they do not have a standard, universal sTTL mode (I accept my wording might have not been clear, my apology for that). The Backscatter strobes can only do TTL using their trigger for Sony. And not at all currently with Canon. The Backscatter strobes, using the learning mode can operate in Manual mode with Sony cameras that always fire a preflash like the A6XXX series cameras. The Marelux TTL mode works fine with either pop up and the UWT trigger for both Sony and Canon but will not work in Manual strobe mode with Sony using the pop up flash. The Marelux will work with the UWT trigger in Manual mode with the trigger selcted to (0) which is forced manual strobes, the trigger ignores the preflash. This is because the Marelux Apollo does not have preflash cancel and would otherwise fire on the preflash. I have used the excellent Marelux Apollo S strobes and was very impressed with their quality and performance but they are crippled with my preferred camera, Sony A6400, because they cannot run manual strobe mode with the pop up. And as I said, having used the UWT triggers (plural) they work but not 100%. I like the UWT triggers for macro and general CFWA/WA but anything that is moving and gives only one chance at a shot (turtles, sharks dynamic scenes) I have found their less than 100% sync (in all modes) not acceptable.

Looking at the Nauticam charts (a lot has changed since my last shopping...) it looks like the 10-17 will work in the existing 4.33 acrylic dome via a N100 - N120 adaptor. RF > EF adaptors i have. There appear to be 32 second hand 10-17s in Japan now so ive just ordered 2 (which i can use on 70D anyway). I normally carry the 70D inside the housing (in the hold as i havent found an airline for years that allows more than 10kg hand luggage). Typically my dive kit without camera is about 27kg then a further 13kg for housing, dome, camera, lens, strobes etc. At the moment im leaning towards an R7 bought here tax free with a 10-17 (could also use my 60mm macro and flat port) an double up as a spare body or wildlife body for land use. Housing is surprising about $200usd cheaper in Singapore than Japan but thats wiped out by staying 1 night in SG. FWIW most of my stuff is pretty reef shots with the odd pelagic if i get lucky. I do maybe 1-2 day of macro per trip before getting bored - its nice in small doses. I really want to do more video. The old 8 bit, non log on the 70D is the big thing holding me back. R7 looks good for that. Can anyone see any major downsides of the R7 > Adaptor > Tokina idea above? Obviously i can change lens to 8-15 etc at a later date. Next issue are my strobes. Or specifically, where to find an Ikelite battery!