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

This is a real challenge for Compact Categories in contests. Compact Categories were started to enable those with lesser cameras to show what could be achieved without spending the big bucks. In recent years some Compact Category winners have been rightly criticised for using super expensive lenses, that take the system cost way above that of most SLRs or FF mirrorless. Now we have a compact that costs more than most of those cameras too...

Will stick with my RX100IV.

I am sure that this camera is not for me. Besides this, this camera has a fixed 35mm lens. I am not sure whether wet lenses exist to make the camera useful for UW, 35mm alone is not really phantastic (if no wetlenses fit, I doubt that someone will ever make a housing)... A Sony A7cR e.g. has the same sensor, is much cheaper, has similar size&weight and, with the 28-60mm lens, goes very well with different wet lenses the way just as compact cameras are normally used (in addition, all other lens/domeport combinations would work as well as this is a real interchangeable lens camera)...

Raise! And you can change lens Or a fixed lens camera

5100 USD or 4900€ No, thanks 😊

I dive every single week when at home and 1 diving trip per year, so my process is, when at home, It doesn´t matter if I have dive one or four times in the weekend, during sunday afternoon I import all the pictures to LR, I organize it by year, month, day and something special on the pictures. I make a selection between the pictures and usually keep 2 or 3 pictures, not more. I only keep the pictures that I really like, obviously all of them with technical fails are deleted, everything is tagged by species, place, etc. After that I process it and keep the jpeg in my computer. I upload every file to my NAS since LR every month. During a dive trip is almost the same, but I make the selection every night and make a copy of everything in an external hard disc. When I arrive home everything goes to my NAS from LR.

Hey Everyone, joining up from North Carolina! Happy to be a part of the forum!

I am still happily using my Lumix GX9 in a Nauticam housing. It mostly gets used recreationally in Scotland (lots of sea lochs), but has served me equally well in the tropics. I used to work in Antarctica as a marine biologist, used the camera with 7mm mitts no problems and I got some of those pictures published in dive magazines - full two-page spread of photos under ice in winter, so dark and really pushing the camera, but still publishable. The setup is a dream to take abroad, it all just goes in one carry on bag, which is admittedly a bit (very) heavy, but I've never had any problems. I use a Sony A7iii topside and have been considering an underwater Sony A7c setup, mostly because I dive some pretty dark environments and find doing wide angle at depth tricky if you want to get nice ambient water colours, I wouldn't push my GX9 camera past 2000 ISO, but luckily it's got good image stabilisation so I can usually manage. Realistically, given all the lenses and ports I currently own, I'm hoping for a GX10 with new tech and a Nauticam housing with a reasonable price...likely I'll be using my GX9 for a while yet!

Let me guess, it's repeated winners who mounted EMWLs on a Sony RX100 series camera. 😅 @Davide DB there is also a tradition for expensive compact cameras by Leica https://leica-camera.com/en-GB/photography/cameras/compact-cameras But I guess this new Sony beast is much more performant. The 35mm fixed focal length is actually not that bad, I can imagine that some uw optics will work fine with it. 24cm MFD is not that bad. In Macro-Mode it will focus between 14 and 29 cm.

I've been a long-time user of Eneloop Pro's in Retra strobes (orig, Pro, Pro X). I recently tried PowerOwl Goldtop batteries... These are Chinese... definitely more variable in what you get, although they advertise both higher capacity (2800mAh for AA) and more recharge cycles (1200) - neither of which I put a lot of faith in. They are also about half the price of Eneloop Pros. I've yet to have any real issues with them, although I'm expecting I will at some point. I usually travel with 32+ batteries (2 sets of 16 plus a few spairs)... Got the idea to try these out by watching one of Alex Mustard's YT videos (he's been using PowerOwl brand AA's for at least some of his recent shooting). Here's the thinking: All AA's will fail eventually. I'm okay getting fewer consistent cycles from the PowerOwls because the overall cost is more aceptable for replacement. I don't like the idea of being frustrated with something like a AA battery (when diving and shooting). I'd rather replace it and move on.

I should say first that I'm a fan of the M43 system and Panasonic, so don't expect me to be unbiased 😇 When we talk about the M43 system, Panasonic's cameras in this lineup are super underrated. Historically, Olympus (now OM System) was always seen as the go-to for photos, and Panasonic for video. But guess what? Panasonic cameras have a shutter button too! 😁Their big weakness used to be the autofocus, but now, for a while, all their new Full-Frame (FF) and M43 cameras have switched to PDAF, and from what I saw, they're nearly on the same league with other brands. A killer AF on land doesn't mean it will be as good underwater. For the M43 size, the top camera designed specifically for photography is the G9II, even though the GH7 has similar specs. If we're talking Full-Frame, the best camera for photography is the S1RII, which packs a 44-megapixel sensor. Now, about size: I actually think Panasonic has somewhat betrayed the true spirit of M43. The whole idea was to have not just smaller lenses, but also tiny camera bodies. Many people saw this as the system's biggest selling point. Yet, a lot of Shilltubers and pro photographers always complained that the camera bodies were hard to hold and not very ergonomic because they were so small. Panasonic, mistakenly I believe, listened to these voices. Now, we have camera bodies that are pretty much the same size as many FF cameras. Except for the GH7, all their new cameras basically share the same body. This might be a way to save money since they've lost some market share. The G9II, for example, has the same body as an S5II. In reality, what many M43 enthusiasts really dream of is a new camera with a rangefinder-style body, like the old GX9, but with all the latest sensor and AF tech. Get this: even really old and tiny GM cameras are now selling for the same price as new ones! It's totally the new trend. I used to have a GM1 and I seriously regret selling it. It was a real gem, and I loved putting old manual Zeiss and Canon FD lenses on it. And what about housings for these cameras? That's the real problem. It seems like after the success of the GH5, housing manufacturers have slowly started to abandon Lumix/Panasonic. Their FF cameras are practically unheard of in the underwater housing world except Nauticam but with a caveat. Nauticam actually has a housing for the GH7, which is basically just the GH6 housing (they share the same body). But for some inexplicable reason, it's one of the most expensive housing in that range! This has basically doomed the camera from being widely adopted for underwater use. I say inexplicable because the housing isn't even their top-of-the-line model; it's missing the joystick controls that are super important on these cameras. Other manufacturers simply stopped making housings after the GH5. For the FF line, Nauticam does list housings for the new Panasonic FF cameras, but I've honestly never seen anyone actually using them. Which is a shame, because since they share the same camera body, you could use multiple cameras with one housing. Panasonic's FF lens lineup is quite complete; they use the L-mount, which Leica and Sigma are also part of. But still, you just don't see them around underwater. P.S. We were writing about the problem of long trips and backups in this thread. A killer feature that Panasonic added for us divers who travel, on the GH6/GH7, G9II, and all their new Full-Frame cameras, is the automatic backup of SD and CFExpress cards to an external SSD via USB-C. You don't need a laptop, tablet, or special hardware. You just connect your SSD to the camera body, press a button, and you get an "automagic" backup.

Thankyou Sony A1 and 90mm in a nauticam housing Nauticam SMC-1 Two retra strobes, no snoots on these as I wanted a bit more background interest Mike

You are absolutly right. On an other forum... I tried to make some interesting travel reports. Give a lot of (i hope) usefull information. Some guys didn't appreciate that... to many informations.. and for some they are a lot of jealousy. After near 10 years to give a lot and received a many thanks of some readers I have enough from this negativ people. That is a part of the reasons why i'm here now It is so difficult these days to find reliable information. Here I have the impression that there are friendly people who try to help and give good information Thanks to all

It's not you, Kristin. It's a broader trend, sometimes called enshittification. One of the downsides of our ultra-connected world is how human interaction has been stripped of its substance. This forum format we're exchanging on is a blast from the past — a time capsule for us online old-timers, boogieing like it's 2005 again. It's also an island of genuine content sharing and discussion, the kind that's becoming increasingly rare online

A small full frame 61MP travel dream with leaf shutter: https://youtu.be/8-wwnIp7tLs

How much is the lens hood?

That really is not compact camera. It is a fixed lens camera much like old film range finder types. It needs to have a short range 24-75mm zoom lens if fixed. None of it matters as there will likely not be a housing for it and combined with a housing it is too much money. Compact at least to me implies a sub M4:3 sensor, like the RX or G series or the old Canon S series. Not just the external size. I guess there might be others but right now the only three compact sensor cameras that UW housings are available for are the OM TG, Canon G and Sony RX?

Yes, of course, we can do many crazy things. And certainly, this camera steps into Leica territory in terms of price. The point is, I don't see what advantage it could possibly have underwater, other than being a pure exercise in style for its own sake and a waste of money. As @Architeuthis wrote, an A7Cr is the solution worth spending money on.

Great detail on these! That first one is amazing! I really struggled to get good shots of them last month.....maybe I need an SMC instead of the cheap Inon diopter 🤔 (any excuse to get more gear)

Wow 😮

Thank you, I'll dive into It, and see if I get some information. Yes, first thing I did was discharging the capacitors... Thanks for your help Chris.

Absolutely - people here have been wonderful!!

that will get you the capacitance, but I think there's probably some other parameters to get a capacitor which does what it is supposed to and lasts. I found this site, I expect if you find the capacitance, ordering replacements from here might be a good bet. Perhaps you could contact them with the capacitance and dimensions and see if they are able to assist: https://www.xenonflashtubes.com/photo-flash-capacitors_21 Also I assume you are aware of the hazards these capacitors present, they store a lot of energy at hazardous voltages and need to be discharged before working on them. The limiting factor is likely to be the external dimensions, it has to fit in the space available.

Oh dear… Thanks Oscar! It was - of course - a classic id10t mistake… the camera has so many different menu-points from the D850 that I forgot the easy settings: just needed to alter Menu e1 to 1/250s - it’s working again 🙈 (And the uw technics on Number 7 for the Retras). Sometimes it just needs a hint and a pint and then one has the solution 👍

Thanks both. I'm glad you both like that one because its probably my favourite, but I think sometimes people can be biased for other reasons, such as this one was really technically difficult due to the size, and using the SMC with a moving subject rather than sometimes being a bit more objective about our shots Mike

Me to, the shallow focus and distant background enhances the frogfish body contour

@Pooley I really like the first one.. ❤️

I'm lucky to have a Sony A1 and have no plans to change it, but if I did then for underwater only work, I would now seriously consider M43. I got my A1 for topside wildlife work as, at the time, it was far superior to anything else out there in regards of AF and the 'zebras' feature. However, once underwater, these become a lot less important. The only significant difference I have found between the Sony and my previous, excellent, Nikon D500 is for super macro once the SMC-1 is attached as with the Nikon I found the focussing struggled and I often had to 'rock' the housing back and forth, whereas with the Sony it works much better. The other big advantage I find is being able to view an image in the viewfinder when shooting macro as it limits movement especially important on muck dives, and nowadays as long as you get a recent camera I don't think you'll fins using an electric viewfinder too difficult. I certainly don't. There is the odd issue with sunbelts and wide angle but generally I prefer it If I were to sell all my topside gear I'd be tempted to go M43 due to the weight as all my underwater photography is travel based. I believe M43 to be good enough IQ wise if shot well Mike

Hi Michael, it sounds like your camera and UW Technics converter are emitting a TTL signal (multiple pulses, including pre-flash and main flash) while the strobe is expecting a single pulse that is required for manual power settings. Effectively the strobe is now flashing multiple times which reduces it's light output and increases the power consumption. This is a very common problem that even the most experienced photographers get caught on (don't ask me how I know). The UW Technics converter can usually be set to position 0 on the small rotary dial on the board, and it should emit only single pulses. Once set check that you are getting strong light on the image at 100% strobe power. This is the best solution if you mainly use the strobe in manual mode. For information on how to successfully control and switch between TTL mode and single pulse mode in your camera menu it will be necessary to get the user manual for your UW Technics converter and check how it works combination with your specific camera.

🤣 Let’s not jinx any accidents. But yes, good like in the saying ”… for the buck”. Made in Japan.

Nah... 4kg option is the WACP-1. WACP-C is mere 2.2kg ... compare wet option below...

Does anything else matter?

Dear guys, Maybe someone shooting the Z8 can help out - I have a problem… Today I went the first time with the Z8 and a macro setup underwater. I shoot in a Nauticam housing with the uw technics title-adaptor. My strobes are older Retra pro which I also used with my old setup (D850 in Nauticam, also with the uw technics ttl converter). I was snooting and set the lighting: Strobes on 25 %, f16, 1/200th and ISO 640. lighting was ok to start with. Then I went to f18/f20 and above and wanted to go to 50 % strobe power - but the images were just black. I went down with the strobe power to 25% and the aperture f16 and the images were ok again. Tested with my second strobe: same result. Is there something I set wrong in camera? Did somebody experience the same? All ideas welcome. Thanks, Michael

Back at home, I decided to disassemble the strobe and try local repairing (me). I thought It was nont worth sending It to U.S., as it is out of waranty, cost of reparation, billing.... I found the source of failure (water in through the power knob, who destroyed one of the big capacitors). So, new O-rings, new capacitor, soldering.... Wait, wait, wait. Someone forgot printing the capacitor's specification markings (voltage, capacitance, etc...) when built the strobe, so I am unable to find the correct capacitor in order to replace it. The markings in the capacitor seem to mean nothing related it's specifications. I did an extensive searching in Google, without success. I went to two local electronics stores, but both weren't able to give me an answer. So, if someone knows the information regarding that capacitor, or knows what that numbers mean, that would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, I'm afraid the strobe will sadly end up in the recycling bin. Thanks in advance!!!