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A few pictures from my trip to Anilao (Philippines) in September 2024. Unfortunately the weather was very bad and we had high water temperatures, too. So there were not that many critters around as I was used to. Also Blackwater diving was not possible because of the weather. Equipment used: Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 105mm Macro, Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye with 1.4TC (first picture); Trioplan Copy (last picture) Seacam Housing, Seacam D150 Strobes, Retra Snoot

Hey everyone, I’m excited to share that I’ll be upgrading our forum software to the latest version soon. This is a major update focused on backend improvements, enhanced security, and overall modernization. While I’m working hard to make the front end as close as possible to what we’re all accustomed to for this initial migration, you will notice some changes. Here’s what to expect: Classic and Modern ThemesThe current look and feel of the forum will be called “WPX Classic” and will remain the default for now. After the migration settles, I’ll introduce a “WPX Modern” theme. You’ll have the option to switch between Classic and Modern based on your preference. Even in the Classic theme, the forum will gain a more modern, functional experience. Key ImprovementsWhile there is an endless list of little things that are improved on the front & back end, here are a few of the key improvments. Mobile: A significantly improved mobile browsing experience and App Setup. Dark Mode: A native dark mode option will be available from launch. My Streams Menu: A customizable view for sorting articles, posts, topics and even tags, moving beyond just showing “Unread All.” Performance Improvements: Along with the software upgrade, I’m also moving the forum to a new server. This upgrade to both the software and hardware should provide noticeable performance improvements. While things have been running pretty well, now is the perfect time to make these enhancements. Future Customization: This upgrade will enable us to introduce and customize future enhancements on both the back end and front end, giving us greater flexibility to adapt and improve over time. Temporary ChangesTags: Tags will be temporarily disabled at launch but will return soon as we digest how to use in the new system. The updated tagging system will be more useful, allowing features like creating streams based on tags and following your preferred tags. The store will not be available initially after the migration. A new store will be launched soon. Downtime InformationThis migration is a large and complex task. I estimate that the forum will be offline for up to 4 hours during the update. I’ll try to keep the site accessible in guest mode during this time, but you won’t be able to log in. Migration TimelineThe update will take place between April 12th and 15th. Once I finalize the exact date and start time, I’ll post an update here. I’ve already done a few dry runs, and I’m confident it should go smoothly. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to bring you these exciting updates. I’m confident this upgrade will not only enhance our community now but also set the stage for continued improvements and useful features in the future, providing a more secure and customizable platform for everyone. I think thats it for now.. Stay tuned for more details.

Before my most recent trip last year I purchased the Nauticam USB-C bulkhead for my OM-1 housing which uses the M24 bulkhead on the housing. The setup consists of an M16 bulkhead and a specific M24-M16 adapter that is machined so that the right angle USB plug will fit through. In summary it works as advertised, I can charge the camera without breaking the vacuum and also download images. Download is a little slow compared to using a card reader it seems the limit is set by the camera interface. I achieved around 28 Mb/sec, while I can achieve 150 Mb/sec with my card reader. Battery charging seems to be about the same as plugging the camera directly into a charger. I got the bulkhead as I shoot the Canon 8-15 with metabones adapter, which requires placing the camera in the housing then assembling the lens from the front placing the dome over the installed lens. This takes some time to pull apart and re-assemble, so being able to charge and download without opening is one less thing I need to deal with each evening after diving. Here is a couple of photos of the bulkhead installed, it seems to be a high quality cable. and externally the bulkhead uses a sealed cap similar to a vacuum valve to protect the USB terminal inside. It is sealed so holds a vacuum if the cap is removed. Overall I'm happy with it as it does what it's meant to do.

No idea. The normal rule in underwater photography is think of the maximum amount you can possibly justify or afford and then double it!

Hi, i went back to Malapascua Island after 17 years to see Tresher sharks. We saw up to 8 Tresher sharks cruising together in one spot. Luckily i spent 2 weeks in Malapascua, (compared to most other divers who stay only 2 or 3 days), because the viz varied from 25 to bad days 10-12 meters. Afterwards i visited Moalboal to get some Sardine school shots. Enjoy watching! Alex.

A trio of Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) escorted by Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) as they hunt and feed in Magdalena Bay, Baja Pacific, Mexico. Seeing whales underwater for the first time was definitely the highlight of a snorkeling trip to Magdalena Bay with Nautilus Liveaboards. Nikon Z8 w/8-15mm @15mm fisheye lens, f8@1/250s iso640, Natural light

I had the chance to shoot it in Lembeh, last week, while the Backscatter boys were in town. Matthew and I will surely chat about it when I am back.

Starting a new thread to do a quick review of using the MFO-3 with the Olympus 60mm macro. The 60mm is commonly used on m43 setups as the usual macro lens, it's quite sharp and AF is quite good on later bodies but it's a bit on the long side at 120mm FF equivalent, so larger subjects require backing up a lot with a lot of extra water in the way along with all the particles to make backscatter. The MFO3 reduces the field from that of a 60mm lens to about 37 mm focal length increasing diagonal field from 20 to 33 degrees. I used it for the first time in Lembeh Strait this week, popping it on to shoot things like Lionfish, anemone fish and other larger subjects like big cuttlefish. The extra field of view is significant and allows you to shoot these subjects with a lot less water between you and the subject. I found the field to be quite sharp into the corners when reviewing on my laptop and the subject really was very sharp. AF was pretty snappy as well. In Lembeh where you might be shown a tiny emperor shrimp followed immediately by a 200mm long scorpion fish or cuttlefish it was really very useful, in fact I'd say it was indispensable. I carried in a pocket on a pair of cargo shorts complete with bayonet mount and found it easy to get out but a bit trickier to get back in with one hand. I took the supplied neoprene pouch on the boat and after rinsing stored it in there to stop it drying out. some examples: Weedy Rhinopia - slight crop: A False clown anemone fish, I would normally crop and get in closer but this shows the sharpness across the frame: A Trumpetfish which was about 500mm long : A zebra lionfish, cropped slightly: Hopefully this gives some idea what the lens can do. The only real downside is the bulk of the lens, it a big lump but easy to use with bayonet mount. The pics were chosen to show the versatility I found. Lens supplied by Scubapix, the Australian Nauticam distributor it was from the first batch imported. I paid for the lens my myself. Let me know if you have any questions, hope the review is useful for those considering it.

Hello everyone, I've now completed 20 dives with my two new AOI UIS-P1 Ultra and i am absolutely satisfied with my purchase decision. I've used the flashes both in the lake and now in the Red Sea, and I can only say positive things about them. They're fast, easy to use, and they have a lot of power! Even with dry gloves, the flashes are easy to operate. The displays on the back of the flash provide information about the status, battery life, etc. When the flash is firing at full power in TTL, an audible signal is given. Along with the new flashes, I also replaced my flash trigger and treated myself to a Backscatter Smart Control TTL trigger. This is also excellent, and I shot most of my images using TTL, and it works fantastically. For me, the big advantage of the backscatter trigger in the Nauticam housing is that there are no cables going up to the LEDs, which makes the whole process of installing and removing the camera from the housing much easier. Tino

Had a little success with the Frogfish this year, all comments and critique welcomed Mike

Here’s a little clip I shot this week on Okinawa Main Island’s Pacific coast (Kin Red Beach) — a classic but colourful commensal / symbiotic combo: Emperor shrimps (Zenopontonia rex) riding their lofty nudibranch palace (?Ceratosoma trilobatum?). Edited to “Raindrop” by Tomotsugu Nakamura (sound on if possible) This was shot on my old Lumix LX10 compact in 4K/30fps, using either the Nauticam CMC-1 alone or stacked with a UCL-165 close-up lens. Lighting was from two Kraken Hydra 8000 V2 lights and one Backscatter MW4300. There was a bit of water movement and suspended silt, so I'll need to be more careful with light placement next time using the triple-light setup... Cheers and happy bubbles, Ben

With a small "dome" of less than 4in/100mm, the RS 13mm is never going to be as good for splits as a large dome. A large dome makes the water line smaller and easier to keep positioned where you want it - especially in wavy conditions. A large dome also decreases the focus difference between underwater and topside portions (so the topside is less blurry). That said, splits are possible with the RS 13mm, and a small dome actually has a couple of advantages in that you can do splits of smaller subjects and in shallower water. Here are a few examples. Note that I didn't stop down the aperture very much for these (f/5.6-f/.8). Obviously, shooting at something like f/16 would give a less blurry topside if that's what you're going for.

Heres a video from my recent trip to Cocos. It was my second time at Cocos since 2006. We saw six different shark species, but seeing & getting good footage are two different things. As you know, sharks are shy when there is no bait in the water, even the big Tigers. I also saw big Hammerheads schools twice. The first time i had an 18mm WW lense set up (the first time after a few days because the second dive was planned at an arch. I switched lenses too early – a big mistake). I saw the HH school swimming in shallow water, while i stayed at 25-30m at Alcyon. I filmed them, but they looked like ants in the footage…The 2nd time at Alcyone with the proper 28mm lense…the HH school in shallow water again, but too strong current during descent…no chance to set and focus on the camera, as i reached the bottom the sharks were gone I uploaded directly from DVR in 4K on YT. The 4K video has only 360MB…that resulted in some color banding in the uploaded YT clip, which i don´t have in DVR with a 16bit color depth cam or rendered in decent 4K resolution. No slow-down uw footage in post.

A point worth raising is that it is difficult to do really precise test shots with and without the MFO-2. I just wanted to highlight this issue – as surely many with and without shots will be shared in the coming months and you should look at them bearing in mind the difficulty in having a consistent methodology. The problem is two fold. First, the addition of the MFO-2 requires the camera lens to refocus (because of the Focus Optimizing stuff). For test shots this means you can’t simply use a fixed focus on the camera to do a with and without shot. And second the MFO-2 is a macro lens and is very long. I have been doing with and without shots keeping the camera a constant distance from the subject. Theoretically, you might think that it is best to keep sensor to subject the same for both shots. However, because the MFO-2 is so long (and we’re shooting macro here) the front element ends up much, much closer to the subject, than the bare lens. So it has been suggested that it would be a better test to keep the front element of the bare lens and the MFO-2 the same distance from the subject – as this is often the limiting factor in underwater photography – both when approaching as subject as closely as possible and also for shooting through as little water as possible. But doing makes the MFO-2 looks a lot, lot wider than the straight macro lens (because the camera has to be moved further back from the subject). The MFO-2 is already a lot wider! There is no perfect way to show/shoot with and without MFO-2 images. All I can say is that when you put it on it does make a really significant change. This test shot was done with the keeping the sensor the same distance from the subject (keeping the camera in the same place) – although I accept this means that the front element of the lens of the MFO-2 is much closer to the subjects, than the standard lens (so for some this underestimates how much wider it makes the view). Without MFO-2 With MFO-2

I've just got home from a terrific 12-night Raja Ampat trip on Emperor Diver's vessel, MV Harmoni. The itinerary started in Kaimana, covered Triton Bay, Misool and the Dampier Straits - and ended in Sorong. Others have written about the diving delights of the area so I won't rehash that. Suffice it to say that, my first trip to this part of Indonesia, I found the diving just fabulous. Abundance and variety of marine life was something else. Whale sharks and mantas included. I've been fortunate to have been on lots of liveaboards over the years. This was, by far, the best I have ever done. Harmoni has a crew of 21 for 24 guests and is spacious,. comfortable and relaxed. Lead by a first class Cruise Director, the entire crew were unfailingly helpful and considerate. We splurged and got an Upper Deck cabin. This was roomy with a ?king-size bed (depending on what side of the Atlantic you live), sofa, wardrobe and a bathroom that two people could actually use at the same time, tons of hot (and cold) water and quality shower and hair gels. I'm not sure if it is a blessing or a curse, but Harmoni has Starlink WiFi which is included in the trip price. So if the mood takes you, internet is available in the galley at all times throughout the trip. It reaches some cabins too. Diving was from a RIB with four guests accompanied by a dive guide. Nitrox was included in the price. Following the usual briefing, divers put on their wetsuits and only had to carry their mask and camera to the RIB. All gear was loaded by the crew with divers being helped into their BCs etc on the RIB immediately before a backward roll onto the divesite. No carrying heavy gear down to the RIB or down to a dive deck. Luxury. A dive guide was assigned to each group of four and rapidly understood what the group wanted to do in terms of photography, ease of the dive, avoidance of current etc. Dive sites were usually 4-5 minutes (enjoyable) RIB-ride from Harmoni with at least one RIB monitoring the dive with several ready for pick ups at the end of the dive. At the end of the drive, the crew moved dive gear, except mask and camera, from the RIB to Harmoni so, again, no lugging of gear. They even rinsed wetsuits after each dive. At the end of the trip, the crew rinsed all dive gear (apart from cameras), got it all dried and delivered into the galley for collection! Food was always excellent and a mix of Asian and European. The system was the classic light breakfast, dive, big breakfast, dive, lunch, dive and dinner. Harmoni had a well-stocked bar complete with barman and espresso machine (yay!) We used the Aston Hotel in Sorong and the Grand Papua Kaimana in Kaimana. Both were good. We flew KLM to Jakarta and then Garuda to Sorong and Wings Air to Kaimana. No problems with any of the flights and the service was always very good. On one flight there was a tiny charge for excess baggage. We applied for Indonesian visas online and were seriously impressed by the arrival formalities in Jakarta: a quick transit through e-gates. I celebrated an "x0-birthday" during the trip and cannot think of a better way of marking the occasion. I can recommend Harmoni highly.

I've shot over 3000 underwater images with the Sony 100mm now. It is definitely the best macro lens that I have tried on my Sony. And arguably the best macro lens on the market. That said it is small gains over other options, rather than this being a whole new world. AF better, especially tracking and difficult subjects. Sharpness excellent, but not that different. Bokeh more attractive. The 1:1.4 range makes it very versatile - you can definitely do so much with the lens and MFO-1. Works very well with MFO-3, SMC-3 and EMWL-160 (although I find I get a bit more camera shake than with 90mm - despite stabiliser - need to check settings). The most impressive thing to be me is the performance with teleconverter. AF is amazing with TC.

Found an absolutely gorgeous Mosshead Warbonnet (Chirolophis nugator) on Sunrise Reef in Gig Harbor. (About 1 hour south of Seattle in Puget Sound.) This is one of the most amazing fish of the Pacific Northwest. With it's ornate and detailed camouflage mossy head dress, bright red color, and patterned body it's got a lot going on. This one was quite large at about 20cm and more colorful than most of its kind. So of course I had to shoot it! I was carrying a wide-angle lens setup, hoping for big GPOs and Wolfeels. Nikon Z8, 24-50mm, WWL-C port, so really not ideal for this small subject. The WWL-C optics closed the gap however! I zoomed to 50mm and flipped the sensor in the DX 1.5x crop mode to achieve a near-macro framing. My big, high-power HF-1 strobes were powered down to 1/8, angled in, and didn't blow out the scene. I'm happy with the result! Even though I forgot to roll the ISO down toward 100 for a macro subject I can't see anything negative at ISO500. Nikon Z8 w/24-50mm, @50MM, WWL-C, f13@1/200s iso500, Pair of Backscatter HF-1 strobes: I found a Giant Pacific Octopus too, snuggled in a den: Nikon Z8 w/24-50mm, WWL-C, f11@1/160s iso500, Pair of Backscatter HF-1 strobes:

I shot my new MFO-1 last night with a Nikon Z8, 105mm F-mount, and Nauticam housing, dual flip with the MFO-1 and Subsee +5. Quick observations are that the Subsee is likely going on the shelf. The MFO both reduces and extends focus range to over a meter and reduces it beyond what the 105 can do by itself. The Subsee +5 has been my go-to macro accessory as it also reduces the shooting distance while not magnifying too much. However, it has a very limited range of maybe 30cm. I often have it flipped down and then mistakenly try to shoot something larger beyond its range, causing a delay to flip it up. The MFO can get in tight but also provides useful range. The first critter I spotted last night was a pretty large Pacific Ruby Red Octopus, about 12 inches long, This is about as big as they every get. I was able to take full body shots from about 1 meter away no problems. Here are two sample photos: f16, 1/200s, iso250 f16, 1/200s, iso100

We were supposed to finish the day. On the way back to the boat I saw some action across the bay about a mile away. Like geyzers popping up all over the place. I talked others to go to check this out and the rest is history. It was the most spectacular action of our trip and as the guides put it they've never seen anything like it in years. Never mind my battery was exhausted before three humpbacks decided to end the party and splash me away :-)

Hello all, Well, I’ve been giving in to the times and working on vertical-format edits, even though I’m not really phone-oriented (I know, I know, O tempora, o mores! 😢). I thought I’d share this one here, as I’m happy with the shots - the pipefish itself is about as vertical as they come, and it was cooperative enough to let me get close for some nice details. I find the eyes, gills and tiny swimming fins rather fascinating. For the boomers and purists in the back row, a more traditional and civilised UHD edit - horizontal like nature intended - is also viewable here 😁: https://youtu.be/za96mthi8xE Gear-wise, this was shot on the ol' Lumix LX10 in 4K 30fps, with a Nauticam CMC-1 diopter, two Kraken Hydra 8000V2 lights and a Backscatter MW4300. This was filmed last week at Kin Bay, on the Pacific side of Okinawa’s main island. Cheers! Ben

List updated on: August 2025 Prices are just a ballpark This post will be updated based on your feedback regarding errors, omissions, and new models Housing + Monitor Model Size (inches) brightness (nits) UW Weight (g) Avg. Price (Euro) Marelux MX-SHINOBI (SDI) + Atomos Shinobi 5" 5" 1000 ? 2400 (2100 + 300) Nauticam NA-Shinobi II + Atomos Shinobi II" 5" 1500 +80 2900 (2500 + 400) Nauticam NA-Ultra5 + SmallHD Ultra 5 5" 5" 3000 +480 4900 (2700 + 2200) Sea Frogs SHIMBOL-M5 5.5" Professional Underwater Monitor Housing + Shimbol-M5 5" 1200 -280 1000 (850 + 150) Standalone Monitors Model Size (inches) brightness (nits) UW Weight (g) Avg. Price (Euro) Anglerfish HD57 4K 5.7 550 -145 1800 Kraken KRM02 V2 5 3000 -260 1300 Kraken KRM07-2200 V2 7 2200 -560 1900 Weefine WED-5 5.5 480 -260 1000 Weefine WED-5 PRO 5.5 3200 -250 1200 Weefine WED-7 PRO 7 500 -280 1600 Nauticam 7" T7 HD UltraBright Monitor 7 3000 -830 3000 SUPE/Scubalamp UM5.5 5.5 3000 -700 1000 Fotocore MR6 6 2600 ? 1300 Fotocore MR5.5 5.5 2000 -740 1 1200 Dive & See DNC-5C 5 600 -300 2900 Dive & See DNC-7B 7 450 ? 3000 1 = data obtained via private spec request Some monitors are sold under different brand names: SUPE/Scubalamp/Fotocore/Aquatech

I have always taken light very seriously in my photography and been willing to invest in the best strobes around, even when finances have been tight (as they often are working as a photographer). I credit using quality strobes (and me paying attention to using them well) as being a major factor in me developing a successful career as an underwater photographer. I jokingly credit Sea & Sea for my success - and their marketing machine that kept many of my competitors shooting with inferior light to me for more than a decade! The Subtronic Alpha Pro strobes were very good in their time (I also had Subtronic Alphas, Megas and Gammas - but preferred the light from the Alpha Pros). They had a pleasing quality of light, good colour temperature. I used them as my main blue water wide angle strobes from about 2000 to 2012. They were not especially reliable, and Subtronic service at that time left a lot to be desired. I used INON Z240s as macro and green water strobes during much of this period and onwards. When I could afford new strobes i chose Seacam 150s - which I got in 2012 and used these as my main strobes until 2019. These were noticeably more powerful that the Subtronics. The light was not as soft and i usually used the Seacams with diffusers on them and positioned them slightly further back from my subjects than the Subtronics. But the light is very good, colour excellent and the light went further. The Seacams were more reliable than the Subtronics, but still needed regular servicing. The battery packs and cables were their weak points. Many of my friends shot Sea & Sea YS250s at this time - but I felt that the Seacam was about a stop more powerful and had a better quality of light too. I was very happy there were so many people championing other strobes. Through much of this time I used the Inon Z240 as my main macro and green water strobes, upgrading to the original Retra flash for this purpose in 2017, I think. I went for the original Retra flash because it had better wide angle ability too, while still in a small package. I did a couple of trips with the Z330s, but these were too wide angle focused. As the Seacam 150s aged I tried the ONE UW and Seacam 160s as replacements, but settled on the Retra Pros. All there have great powerful light - but the Retra Pros did so in a smaller package and they had the most pleasing soft light in my opinion. They were also cheaper! I stayed with Pros and skipped with Pro X. I then moved to the Pro Max - the light is basically the same as the Pros, but the battery performance is way, way better. I’ve tried various Chinese circular flash tube, lithium powered strobes - Kraken 160, Supe D-Lamp and these are all fine. The light quality is good. Colour temp a bit cool. The power a step below - I think they don’t get enough light out of the tube despite plenty of power behind it. The Backscatter HF-1 is the most powerful strobe on the market currently (thatI have tried). It is fun to have so much power and I have used them in preference over the Pro Max on big animal trips like with sharks. But otherwise they tend to be used as backups or as off-camera strobes. They are powerful and reliable and I think the light is decent, but not exceptional. The light is best with the warmest flat diffusers. The Retra Maxi is slightly more powerful, but is not on sale yet. I’ve not shot the Ikelite 230 in the ocean, only in the pool, but these were a whole stop less bright than the Maxi (and therefore almost the HF-1). Also I did not try the Maxi with the final reflector set up - but as I tried it, it was very similar to HF-1. Retra say the production version will have improved quality of light. I will probably replace my HF-1s with a pair of Maxis when they are available. The brand new Retra Pro Max II pretty much matches the HF-1 in real world power, with a much better quality of light and in a smaller package. I used them on every dive on my last trip and plan to use them as my main strobes going forward. The Marelux Apollo 3 is impressive as a companies first strobe. But they are less powerful and have a poorer quality of light to the HF-1, but they are probably more powerful than my old Seacam 150s - so right up there. The light is too directional and lacks red, giving poorer colours when shooting them on the reef. The high speed shooting mode annoys me. In standard mode you can only shoot slowly, and then in the high speed mode you can’t shoot at high enough power - because achieving 10 frames a second is prioritised (a mode that did 5 frames a second at a high power would be great - but you can’t have that). It is like making a car that can do 50 kph and 200kph, but nothing in between. I also think that the Lumilink system has very limited practical use - so bulking up the strobe and bumping up its price to have this is a pity. And sadly it is also impossible to get a honest opinion on any Marelux product because the internet is filled with paid opinions. As you asked for my subjective opinion - I’d stress that this is all my subjective opinion. We’re lucky now that we have a load of strobes that are way, way better than Z240s and D1s that everyone was using 10-15 years ago. I’ve said/joked several times that the popularity of Retra strobes amongst serious shooters frustrates me - because everyone has great light now - and something that used to differentiate my work has gone.

Seacam updated their port chart, and they recommend the PVL65 extension for the 100mm macro. I can confirm that a 60mm would not work. By email, Harald also recommended the PVL65+20 for the TC1.4, and PVL65+30 for the TC2.0 combos. Given what I already had, I ended up using the PVLs 45+20 for the 100mm, 45+40 for the 100mm+1.4, and 40+35+20 for 100mm+2.0. Stacking 3 extensions isn't optimal, but it works. Now for the test - I had a chance to go to the pool and play with everything. My aim wasn't pixel peeping, but to get a feel for this new gear, confirm that everything works, and see approx what magnification level I can get. Gear: A1, Seacam housing, MIP80 with extensions as above, no strobe, SMC-1. Lighting was inconsistent due to clouds so I did what I could. Some editing to try to get a consistent look across photos. All pictures use the same settings for texture (0) clarity (+10) dehaze (0) sharpening (40) and noise reduction (L15 C50). All pictures uncropped, exported at 1920px. I'm hoping the pictures show up in order. For pictures 2-9 I aimed to achieve the maximum magnification I could. Picture 1: Subject is 10cm long and has 2 rhinophores (elephantophores?) and a snout (snoot?) which is about 3-4mm. Picture 2: 90mm, 1/160, f/10, ISO 3200 Picture 3: 90mm + SMC1, 1/160, f/10, ISO 3200 Picture 4: 100mm, 1/125, f/10, ISO 1600 (inadvertently used different settings) Picture 5: 100mm + SMC1, 1/160, f/10, ISO 3200 Picture 6: 100mm + 1.4x TC, 1/160, f/10, ISO 3200 Picture 7: 100mm + 1.4x TC + SMC1, 1/160, f/10, ISO 3200 Picture 8: 100mm + 2.0x TC, 1/160, f/10, ISO 3200 Picture 9: 100mm + 2.0x TC + SMC1, 1/250, f/10, ISO 6400 (had to use faster shutter speed and bump up the iso) My perspective: this lens is going to be very fun to shoot. It is definitely faster to focus than the 90mm macro. The 100mm is slightly bigger, unfortunately it makes it tricky to take both the camera+lens out of the housing in one go, it's better to unscrew the lens first through the housing front. A battery change on a boat is a riskier operation. I love that we can natively achieve 1.4 magnification without having to add the SMC1, while keeping a greater working distance than the 90+SMC1. I also love that I can still add the SMC-1 to get an even higher magnification, whether used just with the 100mm, or with the TCs as well. Adding the 1.4x TC gives a 140mm lens, which can achieve about the same magnification as 100mm+SMC1 but is much more comfortable to handle. The 1.4x TC is light and adds weight towards the center of the camera whereas the SMC1 is heavy and off balance (I'm aware the SMC3 helps with that). And adding the SMC-1 on top of it really expands the range to super super macro Adding the 2.0xTC gives a 200mm lens. Magnification is great but the 200mm seems really inconvenient underwater, to get the whole elephant in the frame I had to move back more than I wanted, and I can see this would be both harder to frame subjects, and to position strobes. Adding the SMC-1 gives an even higher magnification as well, but the working distance was very small and getting the shot was really hard - despite perfect conditions with static subject and photographer. I can't imagine this working too well underwater. With the TCs, the minimum aperture also increases from f/22 to f/31 or f/45 so that may occasionally be useful as well. So the 100mm + 1.4x TC + SMC-1 will be coming with me to Lembeh, 90mm will enjoy its retirement. I'll keep the 2.0 TC for specific targets on local dives, like Shaun the Sheep

Hi all I see that Seacam has just launched tonight a new type of water contact optic seems it is designed to work with rectilinear lenses (16-35 range) and designed to give the same performance as in air. It uses an Ivanoff-Rebikoff lens system Called the Optical Precision Port it uses what looks like a relatively small flat port and a correction lens that is screwed in the front filter threads. Seems like it is very compact and travel friendly, though perhaps not particularly wallet friendly. Here is a link to their website, scroll down and click on the link "12 month practical test for some more details on the optics." A friend of mine Don Silcock did the field testing. https://www.seacam.com/de/optical-precision-port/ Believe Zeiss many years ago developed something similar for the UW hassleblad system.

Illustrated review of shooting the Sony 100mm in Lembeh is up on YouTube:

Anyone that knows us will understand how passionate we are about our little patch of reef. For years now we have been sharing our discoveries and at the same time documenting the change in the reef environment. On Sunday we were very pleased to host Associated Press Journalist Annika Hammerschlag on some guided dives to show first hand the impact of climate related change and other factors, not the least of which being crown of thorns and earthquakes! Her article has just been published in anticipation of the release of an advisory opinion tomorrow, by the International Court of Justice, on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change. Whether you are a climate change believer or not — the evidence is there – our oceans are suffering, we have witnessed it personally, we live it and we cry tears of despair at times – BUT we have hope. It has been our mission to create awareness of the wonders we have on our doorsteps! We may have our minute of fame, but for us this is a lifelong commitment, this is what drives our passion —- how can we get to the end of a generation and leave nothing for our kids and grand-kids to discover — we simply cannot and whilst we can we will be out documenting it first hand! The video and photos shared in the article except one on the screen are not ours. The jouransiot used her own camera. Thought I would share — This is where our photography is powerful! Link to the video and article: https://apnews.com/article/vanuatu-climate-change-international-court-justice-c34f9a25866159102503ac14ee4ea197

Got the lens from Sony Italy today for testing! Using a 20 mm extension with the 90 mm port works — not perfectly, a bit too much space. (Marelux macro port is 97 + 20 extension = 117 mm;) I also tried the 32 macro port + 60 + 20 = 112 mm setup and is much closer to the glass… First impressions on the lens: the autofocus is super fast… hope to test it underwater soon…

Mid August 2025 I stayed for a weektime at Sali Bay Resort located in the Bacan Strait, southwest of Halmahera. My dates overlapped with another WP member diving from a liveaboard (who might jump in), we exchanged impressions of nearby dive sites almost in real time and got only subtle differences between resort-based and boat-based diving in the same region. Alike almost all of Indonesia this year, the weather in northern Indonesia was unsteady, with grey clouds and intermittent rain squalls. Surface conditions were exceptionally calm—some days felt like on a frozen lake or ice-skating rink. Despite the flat seas, the overcast skies muted underwater light and the absence of current on most of the dives reduced overall visibility (from 10m to 25m when the current was exceptionally present). I hired a private guide but except when a group came in, all the divers (majoritarily a european experienced crowd from Germany, Netherlands,or Italy) used the same big and comfortable boat. Up to 4 dives a day could be planned on demand. The spots we dived alternated Lembeh style black sand dives (to my surprize) and lush coral reefs sloping down to a sandy bottom. Most sites featured abundant hard corals, though broken sections were visible in places (storm or human cause?). Incredibly large and healthy coral fields contrasted with areas of rubble, suggesting a reef in partial recovery. Soft corals were not that abundant although could be very spectacular on some specific sites in teh current. I encountered zillions of small reef fish—anthias, damselfish, and purple queens—but virtually no medium-sized schooling species. Blacktip sharks appeared on almost every dive over reef slopes. Problem is that the resort dive boat avoided even mild currents, despite divers’ experience levels. On one occasion we skipped a site enjoyed by snorkeling families (with kids!) because our guide assessed the flow could be too strong. Which resulted too often on boring dives where I surfaced with 80–100 bar remaining after more than an hour underwater because I prefered to stay in the shallows with the clouds of reef fish rather than finning over semi deserted hard corals. I even found myself switching to video (for the first times in my life!) for a quick and dirty try. Exceptionally, the guides were probably not expecting it, a manageable current picked up at the house reef near Proco Bamboo Resort and litterally transformed the dive. Within fifteen minutes, corals unfurled their polyps, colors intensified, and fish activity spiked. That single drift dive was the trip’s standout. Macro was OK, one of the black sand spots hosted lots of Halimeda GPF and two wonderpus, although not as much abundance of other critters than Lembeh or Tulamben. I had hard times to have my guide confirming beforehand what was the specifity of the site we would be diving, in order to select the kind of lens I would kit my camera with (macro or wide angle). Except for some obvious sites, (black sand for Macro or Proco housereef for Wide ) Often the answer was "whatever you prefer" which in my mind didn't sound really promising in terms of critters to be spotted or for the expected reefscape. Overall this area of SW Hamahera felt like a hybrid of several Indonesian spots: • A touch of Raja Ampat’s reef structure but with fewer fish • Alor’s terrain but with reduced visibility and less colors • Komodo’s drift potential without its vivid coloration and no fish schools • Lembeh’s black‐sand sites yet lacking a dense critter populations Overall biodiversity was respectable but not as spectacular as the Indonesian marquee destinations. It really lacked the currents and the fish action. On the other hand, swiss italian owned Sali Bay Resort excelled in every non-dive aspect: • Spacious, air-conditioned bungalows with open air bathroom and a large terrace only 5m away from the sea • A dedicated camera room at the jetty for gear setup • A lively housereef with walking sharks on night dives • Fresh, varied meals (foccacia to die for) and friendly, super efficient staff The only downside was the divestaff’s reluctance to tackle currents—even when conditions were well within diver capabilities- and quite iffy Nitrox analyzers (after a the initialization readings for ambiant air randomly in between 17% and 26%, I simply set my computer to a minimal 28% ) Unsurprisingly, our return direct flight from Manado to Bali on Lion Air was abruptly canceled. They rebooked us on an earlier flight going through Makassar that departed four hours before our scheduled landing in Manado, despite a single-PNR booking from Labuha (the airport on Bacan) to Bali on Lion Group airlines. Did that raise an eyebrow on their side, I guess not even. Resolving the routing via WhatsApp took my wife seven frustrating hours. So boohs to LionAir as usual. Conclusion Halmahera is quite a long way and tedious to get to due to unmatching flight connexions (Wings air flight Manado-Labuha flies only once/day departing early afternoon, hence not allowing a same day connexion from Singapore ). Sali Bay Resort delivers top-notch accommodations, service, and easy access to calm, (too) friendly dives. However, the conservative current management and modest marine life—particularly the absence of schooling and intermediate fish—may leave thrill-seeking divers wanting. In this respect Halmahera didn't live up the hype it is currently getting. I’m torn on a return visit: the resort operation earns full marks, but I’d hope for more energetic drift profiles and richer fish action next time if there is one. Here are some shots from the reefs : all wide angle shots taken with Canon R7 / RFS 18-45 / WWL1B

A few years ago, I was a Medtronic tech fellow and we had a small ($15K) grant to do anything technical that wasn't about your day job. I decided to learn about batteries, specifically about rechargeable NiMH AA batteries. I talked to colleagues who design batteries for implantable devices as their day job and they helped me build a computer controlled battery tester. I bought every AA battery I could find, lots of cheap Chinese ones, eneloops (white and black) and a bunch of no-name ones from Ali Express. Name brand batteries that were tested at low discharge currents were in fact more is better i.e., if you put them on 0.05 A discharge rates the time to a specific voltage was proportional to the stated capacity. To test utility in a strobe, I took one of my Z240 strobes to the EE boys in the lab and they pulled out the charging circuit to emulate with my computer controller. Unfortunately they were unable to put it back together and keep it dry. In any case I tested all the batteries in pairs using the charging circuit and using a fast discharge and repeated til the battery reached the test voltage. What we found was that eneloop whites (2000 mAh) got the most flashes. Eneloop Pros were occasionally a bit more and occasionally a bit fewer flashes but were quite variable. Most of the Powerex 2700 batteries got 30% fewer flashes than the Eneloop 2000s. I was surprised but when I talked to my battery inventing colleagues they said "of course, we could have told you that" internal discharge is critical. I haven't run the tests lately (the instrument had a loud beep whenever a battery test completed and my wife got tired of 3AM beeps). Bill

Hello all, I'm finally getting back in the water, and here's a little clip I shot in Okinawa on my aging GoPro7, with the AOI UWL-03 wide lens and a Rosco filter, in 4K 60fps. Water might still be a modest 23°C, but spring is here and ❤️ is in the air... Courting Ijima's turtlehead sea snakes (Emydocephalus ijimae) at Gorilla Chop, Okinawa main island, Japan To get into kitchen stuff - we are on an UW imaging forum after all - this is my second dive after a long moving-to-Japan-in-winter-life-stuff hiatus, and also I'm testing a brand new drysuit, so didn't bring my faithful Lumix LX10. But I did carry my old GoPro 7, mounted with the AOI UWL03 wide lens and a filter-gel inside the housing, with the idea of testing what is one of the most promising replacements for the illustrious UR-Pro Cyan. Alas, conditions were really not ideal to test the filter gel, with cloudy murky - if slightly blueish - water and a slightly ridiculous depth ranging between 2 to 5 meters... So yes, clearly in the no-filter zone, but it is what it is, as ruthless lawmaker Mr Murphy always says... The "deeper" shots, on the sand, didn't require as much as a stretch to re-white balance in post (which does affect the highlights), and show the filter's potential a little better. I need to confirm these observations on a ̶n̶o̶r̶m̶a̶l̶ ̶ deeper dive, with a side to side test, but the Rosco seems to be the one I was looking for 🤞 Cheers and happy bubbles! Ben

Hi everyone, Announcing that today our 1000th member joined the Waterpixels community. New member@Grega signed up to the forum a couple of hours ago becoming our 1000th member to signup. A warm welcome to Grega! Thanks to all those who have signed up since we started in Dec 2023. We reached our 500th member Feb 2024 and have seen a continuous stream of people signing up since then. It's everyone's contributions to the site and willingness to share experiences that has allowed the site to continue growing. Look forward to everyone's ongoing contributions and to many new members coming onboard.

I planned for two days of diving in Fakarava; however, the airport fire fighters decided to go on strike while my wife and I were on the island. It did not take too long me to decide to do some more divings as I had to stay 6 extra nights at paradise. I'm actually glad I could've stayed longer... At one point, we were the only guests for days! Most divings at night were 1 to 1. The instructor and I tried something new other people had not done. I am also posting pictures on my instagram if anyone is interested in day divings as well. https://www.instagram.com/dive._.97/ However, night divings were highlight of the trip instead of the famous wall of shark. I am planning to go back in June to do some more night divings with sharks again.

The WaterPixels Shop is now open! You can now grab WaterPixels merch at https://waterpixels.shop. All profits go toward keeping the site online and supporting our hosting costs. One of our major goals is to keep WaterPixels free for everyone, and picking up something from the shop — or even donating any amount — truly helps us make that possible. As before Items are printed in your country or region. We do not have tax or vat numbers so we just pay them when we place the order. This is picked up in the shop under WPX fees. Previously we had to manually make the order and then update the fees and send an update back to the user with the final amount to pay. We are now fully automated to calculate this and get your order in immediately. Much easier for everyone. Also while on the shop site, before check out, you can hit the sign in with WaterPixels button and it will bounce you to the forums and back to the shop. no need to create an extra account. Purchases can also be made as guest. If you sign in with WaterPixels, you will get a supporter badge. If there is a variation or product you don't see and want let me know and I'll see about adding. Thanks for supporting our volunteer‑run community!

A couple of Marlin, Sealion, and Baitball photos!

Magdalena Bay really paid off. We splashed on several mother/baby pairs like this a few times over the week. Running the customs scam gauntlet was a risk but worth the journey.

Here's some Okinawan macro, shot last week on a shore dive at Okinawa Main Island, Japan. The Ryukyu Seadragon - also known as the Japanese Pygmy Seadragon - is a species of thread pipefish (Kyonemichthys rumengani) found in the Okinawa Archipelago. Well camouflaged and quite small (adults reach up to 2.5 cm in length), it is elusive and somewhat difficult to spot in the wild. This little guy had a pregnant partner (not sure if it’s the male or female in their case…), which I didn’t include in the clip for continuity ^^ Technically, the bonfire/planktonic video shooting I’ve been doing is helping with handheld macro shots using diopters, and I’m happy I was able to follow a freeswimming critter this small, as it was really in a walkabout mood that day! 😅 🎧 Music : "Through the green Thicket" by Tomotsugu Nakamura (sound on please) 🎥 Shot on a Lumix LX10 in Nauticam housing, 4K, 30fps, ⚙️ Nauticam CMC-1 and the lovely AOI UCL-05 closeup diopters (well, the old AOI/fantasea version, UCL-05LF to be precise, budget, budget...), two Kraken Hydra 8000v2 and one Backscatter MW4300 video lights Cheers! Ben

Memorable moments while diving the Galápagos Islands on a 7-day journey aboard the Calipso at the start of September. Nonstop incredible encounters with everything from hammerheads and eagle rays to marine iguanas and massive schools of barracuda. Shot with: Sony A7Siii in Nauticam housing Sony 26-60 lens with Nauticam WWL-1B SmallHD 502 monitor in Nauticam housing Slog 3, manually white balanced https://youtu.be/6_QCstrRugw

I've ordered one. No idea on wait, but it would be conveninet if it came in time for my Lembeh trip in November. Very happy that it will work with TCs - something I used to value greatly with my Nikon 105mm - for certain subjects and for adding lens options with little baggage cost for travel. This shot is a Nikon 105mm and 2x TC:

Oh yeah. Love Wolfeels too! This one was right next to the warbonnet.

Overview Hi everyone! I own a Sony A7CII and have been looking for an underwater housing for it. I recently noticed that AOI released a housing for this camera maybe it’s too new, I couldn’t find a single in-depth review online—so here’s mine. This is an honest, independent review. I’m not sponsored by AOI or any dive shop, and I paid full price for the housing. About Me I’m a seasonal diver and underwater photography hobbyist—usually just one dive trip a year. I’m not a professional underwater photographer, but over the years I’ve tried various camera setups and housings to find what works best for me. Here’s what I’ve owned and used: Olympus housing for TG-4 Seafrogs housing for TG-6 (technically my wife’s) Ikelite housings for Nikon D300 & Sony RX100VA Nauticam housings for Sony RX100VA, Canon 5D MkIII, and Nikon D800 With that experience, I hope this review will help anyone considering the AOI UH-A7CII. Why I Upgraded to the Sony A7CII My Nikon D800 with a 17–35mm lens in a Nauticam housing and Zen 230mm glass dome port was a joy to shoot with. Despite being heavy, I had it perfectly neutrally buoyant, and I can always get good still pictures. Everything changed during a recent trip to the Central Atolls of the Maldives with Mrs this January. Despite expectations of calm conditions, we encountered strong currents right from the descent. The current pushed us far from our group, and trying to swim back. However, holding a large camera that created heavy drag in one hand and a tired, slightly panicked Mrs in the other became impossible. At that moment, I knew it was time to downsize. I needed something lighter and more manageable without sacrificing too much on image and video quality. Why Not Other Brands? I looked at all the main players for A7CII housings: Nauticam – Great build and ergonomics, but heavy and extremely expensive. Marelux – Similar pros and cons to Nauticam, so also ruled out. Ikelite – I’ve owned two; both had issues and felt overpriced. Seafrogs – Tempting, but their native vacuum valve can only be used on land. You must break the seal to dive again, increasing the risk of oring issues. Also, no third-party vacuum valves I could find would work underwater with their housings. Why I Chose the AOI UH-A7CII AOI revealed this housing at DRT Taiwan in April, and it instantly caught my attention. It comes with vacuum and wet detection system, flash trigger, standard flat port and zoom gear for 28-60mm lens. Considering the size, weight, and price—it’s an incredible value. Even better, my existing wide-angle and macro wet lenses are compatible with the standard port. I’d already had hands-on time with AOI gear back in 2019 (Olympus EPL9/10 housing) and was impressed by the build quality, especially for the price. Knowing AOI is the OEM for Olympus housings gave me even more confidence. The housing only started shipping in late July/early August, and mine arrived two days ago. I ordered locally, and unboxing it was exciting. Unboxing Highlights Overview of all included items Housing opening – Hinge type and fail-safe latch Double orings design Fail safe port lock design – Port rotates to dedicated position then lock port release lever Water detection sensor Vacuum valve Housing base plate – unadvertised in any description and specification Removable cold shoe attachment – ¼” UNC Unified Coarse Thread Zoom gear & wireless flash trigger Camera base plate for lens release Camera fully setup Camera in housing My Impressions What I Like Compact, ergonomic design – Buttons have varied heights for easier use, and the OK button is positioned sensibly. Double orings – On both housing and port for added security. Triple fail-safe port release – Virtually eliminates accidental port detachment. One-piece rubber zoom gear – Easy to fit, grips well, and won’t scratch or break like metal/plastic versions. Wireless flash trigger – Easier camera installation, supports TTL (AOI/Backscatter flashes) and HSS. What I Dislike Not full camera control – The control wheel isn’t operable underwater (mine is set to white balance on land). Flash trigger limitations – Only supports AOI/Backscatter TTL protocol; my Retra Pro X with optical TTL won’t get triggered. Neutral Points Camera held by snug fit – Uses rubber feet instead of a locking base plate. It works for the small A7CII, but I’d still prefer a locking plate for security. No accessory bulkhead – Not an issue for me as a hobbyist, but could limit pro setups. Conclusion If you’re looking for a compact, feature rich housing for the Sony A7CII at a reasonable price, the AOI UH-A7CII is worth serious consideration. Unfortunately, my next dive trip isn’t until January 2026, and I don’t dive locally in the UK (too cold for my liking), so real underwater testing will have to wait. In the meantime, I can do some dry sim and am happy to answer any questions.

Just announced on socials. Autofocus on Sony and Nikon Z, Canon gets only manual. $699. Will we see a @Phil Rudin test soon? ;)

I asked Nauticam to look into designing such a lens specifically because of the limitations of only having a one "decent" focal length macro lens on Sony FF (90mm) and Canon FF (100mm) camera systems. The MFO-2 basically converts the Canon 100mm into a 60mm macro and the Sony 90mm (or Tamron 90mm, I used today) into a 50mm lens - while keeping the fast AF (arguably helping it focus faster) and high quality optics of these popular lenses (and adding some water correction for good measure). These are simple test shots from toady. First a coral: left - 90mm alone, right - 90mm + MFO-2 - I am sharing screenshots straight from Lightroom without processing: Note it is hard to do an exact and exact comparison on real subjects because the MFO-2 requires refocusing. But it really makes a big difference to the field of view - I'd say at least the difference between the macro lenses many of us have spent years choosing between. Such shorter focal length macro lenses are very valuable for those that dive in poor visibility, for those that like some of the larger macro subjects (octopuses, frogfish, seahorses etc) and for blackwater photographers. And the lack of good options is a frustration. I made the request for this lens after my blackwater trip in March and it is exciting to see it already - I expected it to be more of a niche product for these specific users... I was surprised how long the lens is, which left me concerned it would be hard to aim and could unbalance the rig. The lens needs to be this size to perform well optically, but it is surprising lightweight for its size - and just a little negative underwater. However I was actually surprised that adding this lens makes the rig very comfortable and it feels very natural to shoot through it on a dive. Being noticeably wider than the standard macro lens it is actually even easier to aim and compose than the standard lens. I passed it to a friend during today's dive and he just got on with shooting it (I had to demand it back)! The image quality with the MFO-2 is very good. It is impressively sharp across the frame, with some mild CA creeping in at the corners. I'd like to test back to back to be sure, but I feel it is better in the corners than a Sony 50mm or Nikon 60mm behind a flat port, but behind how these lenses before behind a curved port. Anyway - it is very, very good. This shot shows corner frame detail at 100% on unprocessed RAW file (50MP camera) And here is another more central in frame - this time 200% zoom in on a 50MP file. It also focuses right to the front element - although like a port this starts to limit lighting options. Here is my finger (uncropped) to show smallest subjects it suits (same as 50/60mm on full frame, really). Now I have dived with it, its great strength is that it is light and easy to carry on all macro dives. Meaning that macro dives are no longer a decision between 105 or 60mm, you can now have both options, always. So when you see a great macro subject you can get two totally different macro shots of it very quickly. Before I used it underwater a serious M43 user (OM-1) on the trip asked me if he should order one. I said "No! You have the option of 4 macro focal lengths already, this isn't really for you." After the dive I said "Try it - if you do you will want one - it is so nice having the option of two macro primes with every subject." The MFO-2 is quite long - but this makes it light too - which makes it very comfortable to dive with and very natural to shoot with (contrary to what you might think with the length) - I really can't see me doing many macro dives without it. It was designed for FF Sony and Canon FF users frustrated with a lack of macro options. But others may be interested too, may turns to will if you get to try one. Hope this is helpful.

I do think Nauticam's promotion of the MFO-1 has caused plenty of confusion around this lens, because they have drawn attention to minor features equally to its main purpose. I asked Nauticam to develop this product because I wanted a high quality, but weaker close up lens than the SMC. There are lots and lots of subjects that are a bit too small for a straight macro lens and too big for a SMC. The MFO was designed to plug this gap. The optical design of all of Nauticam's close up lenses includes a correction for the image aberrations created by using a flat port in water. This is beneficial for image quality (especially away from the middle of the frame) and also by presenting the lens with a clearer image - improves focusing performance of the lens a bit. The MFO also improves focusing because it stops the lens hunting as much because it makes it impossible to focus on very distant subjects in UW terms (as the focus range is now shifted closer) . This is particularly helpful with mirrorless cameras (PDAF) - which can struggle to know what to do when a subject is totally out of focus. That said, I would say AF improvement is a minor benefit of the MFO. Image quality improvement is also the same as other Nauticam close up lenses (they all aim to do the same correction for the flat port). I like Mike Bartick's comment on the MFO-1 in this regard - "think of it as a make it 'betterer' switch - stick it on your macro lens and just go and use it". The MFO will allow you to fill the frame with smaller subjects, stop you shooting things that are too far away, give small improvements in image quality and AF. The optical correction that all Nauticam's close up lenses make for the port is the reason it does not make sense to stack the MFO and SMC. As both perform a correction - you end up with a double change, in other words as far away from optimum as having no correction. So they work together, but without the image quality benefit. The other point I want to mention is that you should not ever use the Focus Limiter Switch on your macro lens whenever you might be using UW close up lenses. You need this full range of focus to properly exploit the full range of these lenses. I previously used the FIT +5 and the Nikon 5T for the role of the MFO. But these did not have the same image quality of the MFO, as they did not correct for the flat port aberrations (which is why I pushed Nauticam to make the MFO). I have shot the MFO for over a year (in pre-production form last year). It does not record in the EXIF, but there are 25 pages of images on my website since I started using the MFO and most of the macro shots are taken with it: see this page https://www.amustard.com/library/page/search/alex/26/ and forward to 1, which cover the last year (my most recent trip was sharks - so ignore the newest 90 or so images - pages 1-5!).

I Just did around 30 dives in Lembeh and had the MFO for most of it, I think it's very easy good ot leave on for general macro shooting. You kind of don't notice it's on until you nee dit and it just allows you to get a tiny bit closer than normal. With regard to focusing quicker, I didn't notice that but I am pretty used to shooting macro and generally start off with the camera in pretty much the right place to make focusing instant. The image quality from it and it doesn't have any colour casts like some other macro lens such as the EMWL

Everyone take a bow. I went home amd went into that box of cables i never throw away, found a tos optical and gave it a snip and boom it works again. Returning the other set of cables i paid 100 euros for... Happy days.

I think we need to recognize a few things when comparing strobes. First GN is generally measured in the centre where it probably least useful and of course there is no standard for measuring and reporting GN, it will change for instance between indoor and outdoor test as the walls bounce light back in. GN are regarded with suspicion even on Land based flashes. Second to compare how much we are getting out of the strobe we need to include beam angle - the 580 EX which I own has a GN of 58 at maximum zoom concentrating the light into the field of a 105mm lens. It shrinks to GN of 15 when covering the field of a 14mm lens which is commonly what the UW flashes achieve for field coverage or a little more. Looking at the light required to fill a 100deg cone with light versus a 130 deg cone, and plugging the results into a lux calculator, then assuming 1000 lumens illuminating the circle at the end of a 110 deg cone gives 103 lux and a 130 deg cone gives 61 lux at the same distance of 1 meter. Back calculating, you would need 1700 lumens to achieve the same the same illumination on the subject (as a 100 deg cone) with the bigger coverage of the 130 deg beam angle. So this means to achieve the same GN, assuming even illumination over a 130 deg cone, as you get from a 100 deg cone you need 1.7x as much light and hence 1.7x the battery power. This compares apples with apples and shows that while a 130 deg field might be nice it has a price associated with it. So the INON doesn't need as much power to illuminate the same subject but you have to be more precise in positioning its beams to fully cover a wide field compared to a 130 deg strobe. this demonstrates why the Retra chews batteries faster.

The strobes you listed are very worthy products. I don't discuss products from other manufacturers, it is not my task, sorry. I can only tell photographers about our own HSS system of the flash OPTIMA-10000 and about the essence of the HSS flash lighting in general. The principles of normal flash synchronization and HSS-flash synchronization are explained in the picture below: At slow shutter speeds (up to 1/250s) the normal usual synchronization is in effect - the flash fires once at the moment of the fully open mechanical shutter window, full energy flash usually lasts 1-2 milliseconds. This is called the normal flash synchronization, or "X-synchronization". But at ultra fast shutter speeds (faster than 1/250s) the shutter window no longer opens completely, such a moment does not exist at all, it is a narrow open strip moving along the frame during 5 milliseconds. Here only HSS synchronization is possible, - the strobe makes many small quickly following flashes (the base frequency is usually about 30 kHz) firing during 5 milliseconds, thus exposing the entire frame. And the faster the shutter speed, the narrower the open strip. The method of adjusting the intensity of HSS flash illumination usually is to change the frequency. The main problem with the HSS flash lighting is considered to be the so-called "Banding". These are alternating dark and light narrow stripes on the image. The reason is the parasitic interaction of the pulsations of the HSS flash and the camera shutter work. With an increase in shutter speed, banding increases, sometimes at speeds closer to 1/8000 it becomes unacceptable for shooting. Banding is very dependent on the camera and flash model. With one camera model it is more noticeable, with another less. The problem of banding at the global level in photographic equipment has not yet been solved, even in land photography. Manufacturers of photographic equipment are struggling with this effect, but with varying success. Our strobe OPTIMA-10000 has another HSS frequency and completely different method of HSS flash intensity adjustment, than other underwater strobes. It was our own development. Developing our OPTIMA-1000, we performed hundreds of experiments related to HSS, as a result of which we optimized the electronic components, parameters adjustments and firmware, related to the operation in HSS mode in order to minimize the banding effect. Currently, testing the HSS flash with the camera models we have in stock (7 camera models, including Nikon, Canon, Sony and Olympus), - there is no banding, the image is absolutely clear even at 1/8000. Of course, banding may appear with some other cameras that we do not have in stock, so we plan to gradually test all other cameras popular in underwater photography to confirm the effect. We will publish the results.

Hi, I went to Raja Ampat again, after over a decade absence since my last trip. I have been on 14 nights liveboard. It was a Raja Ampat-Band Sea-Triton Bay itenary. An amazing route with totally different habitats. We covered 740nM. Unfortunately it was only two days diving at Triton Bay (one day with whalesharks). cheers, Alex. Heres the outcome:

Filmed over hundreds of dives around Vancouver Island and the Salish Sea, this is a 1-minute teaser for my full 2-hour film featuring wild Pacific octopus and Ruby octopus. From babies the size of a pea to full-grown giants. No narration, no captions—just octopuses doing octopus things in the cold, emerald waters of British Columbia. You’ll see them hunt, change color, fight, crawl, vanish, and interact with their environment in ways that might leave you with a new appreciation for these incredible creatures. Great to play in the background—or just zone out and watch them move.