bghazzal

https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/847-housed-smartphone-as-a-budget-monitor/#comment-3662 I actually bought this Divevolk solution after having terrible experience with Weefine's WED7 couple years ago. The problem with workarounds like divevolk is that they do not tend to work when one would need them. Forget about the lag, it's not that bad, the connection and the reliability of establishing it over and over - at least on Sony - is the real issue for me. So when I imagined logistics on a live aboard where most of my dives are with 3-4 dives per day checking the footage in between the dives - it was a real nightmare. Plus the element attached to the housing should be placed on acrylic effectively blocking access to camera monitor..

I use the CMC-1 on a LX10, which has a crop in 4K - so the 24-72 mm equivalent lens becomes roughly 36-108 mm equivalent in when shooting 4K video. It works great, and now that I have a flip adapter there is virtually no vignetting (40mm instead of 36mm). However there's a catch: you will need to get close to your subjects, veeeeery close. Shaun the Sheep and other nudis won't really mind, but other more reactive critters will, and lighting will also be tricky (not impossible, but takes a bit of getting used to). On the LX10, I shoot macro only in MF, using focus peaking. These are the working distances I measured at different focal lengths with my diopters on the LX10 in 4K on the AOI double flip adapter I now use. I tried to measure working distances at 36mm (choosing the minimal focal length to avoid vignetting otherwise), 50mm and 108mm equivalents, 4K, f/11. Working Distances on the Lumix LX10, diopters mounted on an AOI double flip, 4K video — NO DIOPTER f11 36mm min: glass <10mm max: infinity 50mm min: 90mm max: infinity / > 260mm 108mm min: 170mm max? — AOI UCL05 LF +6 f11 (vignettes to 55mm) 55mm min: 10mm max: 450mm 108mm min: 90mm max: 200mm — INON UCL165 +6 f11 (no vignette) 36mm min: glass max: infinity / >220mm 50mm min: 30mm max: 210mm 108mm min: 75mm max? — AOI UCL09 +12.5 (vignettes to 55mm) 55mm min min: 15mm max: 90mm 108mm min: 45mm max: 88mm — NAUTICAM CMC1 +15 (vignettes to 40mm) 40mm min min: 5mm max: 60mm 52mm min: glass / 5mm max: 60mm 108mm min: 37mm max: 54mm As for some actuall examples of high magnification footage using the CMC-1 on the LX10, here a couple recent ones. if you know these critters it will give you an idea of the magnification range. (I do have some Costasiella / Shaun the Sheep shots but nudis are not my favorite subjects for video, so I haven't done much with them. But yes, possible, at least on the LX10 with its cropped 4K - stills might be a little different). Need to see how this would work uncropped on the L10... Hairy Shrimp and Skeleton Shrimp (CMC1, possibly stacked with a +6 on some shots, can't remember) Green Turnicate Shrimp (really tiny - this was stacked CMC1 and +6) Ryukyu Sea Dragon (same size as a Lembeh sea dragon) Emperor Shrimps (slightly bigger subject) Skeleton Shrimp and Juveniles (these are older shots, from my time in east Bali) Hope this helps cheers!

Good choice - in the compact world, I'd say the main competitor would currently be the Canon V1 in that price range - it does 4K 60fps, but with a hefty crop: https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/2147-canon-v1/ https://personal.canon.jp/product/compact-digital-camera/powershot/v1 https://www.nauticam.com/products/na-cv1-for-canon-powershot-v1-digital-camera You also have the Sony RX1 R3, but the camera itself in a totally different price range...

For what it's worth, I bought a pristine (美品 - bihin) second-hand GoPro13 at MapCamera for 210 euros, shipping to Okinawa included in January - not a tourist so no tax free for me. WA lenses improve corners and IQ quite a bit in my experience. Here's a quick side-by-side test I did with and without the AOI wide lens on the ol' GoPro7: https://youtu.be/RNcaR-fzBAo

⬆️⬆️ Like Davide - in your situation I would go for a Lumix L10 - it's almost what I did a few years back, building a rig around the Lumix LX10, but the new L10 has so much to offer. You can work with this camera for a few years for sure, and go from wide to real super macro on the same dive if you're so inclined (in reality you probably won't). This is the amazing thing about compacts. And full manual control. Two major downsides: 1. weight - compacts are bricks in the water and you'll need a lot of + buoyancy 2. battery life for video

Actually you're right - I just realised that I was looking at only half of the picture: I actually have twice the size, with the other half of the housing, which is completely empty... I've tested again and if I remove the strobe trigger cable I can actually fit two 21700 batteries in there! 😆 One fits even with the cables still in place... wow I'll look into available mini powerbanks, see what exists with an interesting format, and test them with the camera when it finally arrives.

I haven't removed the flash trigger cables yet, but I can fit 2 to 3 AA batteries, either vertically or horizontally. Not much room for a PCB though. There is an angle but I measure roughly 40mm depth for 45mm width

Ergonomics - This was from a discussion on whether to choose the LX100 series or the LX10. The Lumix LX10 does all this but doesn't need short ports (see the housing pics), and the form factor is easier in the housing. I've also been using the LX10 for a while and it's an amazing camera for video, within its limitations of course. Crop to 36mm 4K on a 1" means you can reach macro and above with strong diopters (shaun the sheep are fine) - here are some LX10 clips of mine, with strong macro (hairy shrimps, turnicate shrimp, sea dragon or skeleton shrimp clips for instance). On the LX10, I also I use the Inon UWL-H100 with the dome port for WA now, and it's fantastic (most of the wide clips were shot before I had the dome port for the wide lens), and have diopters and WA lens on a dual flip holder so can go from supermacro to wide on the same dive (in practice it's not so extreme, I just shoot medium to macro with the widelens as well and get closer with a +6 diopter, saving the +15 / CMC1 for truly macro focused dives, on which I don't bring the wide lens). The LX10's single 67mm threaded port is just very practical for a compact camera. All this would be tricky on the LX100 given the port question. I also run Cine-D on the LX10 (sure the LX100 can handle it as well). If it had auto-ISO video mode, 10-bit colour and 4K60fps, it would be the perfect mini-GH5 Now this doesn't make the LX100 series or its L10 replacement bad at all (it does have a larger sensor than the LX10's 1", and the L10 tops both), they're all excellent, but between the two the LX10 was just more practical for video, which is why I went with it instead of the LX100 M2, and I do agree with Backscatter's comment. The L10 is a fantastic looking camera, but camera ergonomics and housing are the same as the LX100 series, so it will face the same issues. I would still definitely buy it as an upgrade to the L100 or LX10 though, but I'm on the full-frame path now. One big question on all compact cameras for video is battery life. Compact form means not much space in the housing, and smaller batteries. I'm a total power-miser on the LX10, and have learned to make it last, but really looking forward to a little more headroom! cheers

Thanks, I'll look into these. Related info I found in the In the A7SIII manual is as follows: Use the USB Type-C terminal to supply power and charge the battery pack. SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.2) USB Power Delivery compatible Operation with all USB-PD-compatible devices is not guaranteed.
 We recommend using a USB-PD-compatible device with an output of 9V/3A Camera's battery pack: Rated voltage: 7.2V In the 2020 Reddit thread Chris posted, people mention that 9V/3A (27W, which is high) might be a a rounded up figure to cover a max power draw situation. Some people had success, in 2020, with Anker power banks.

This is very useful, thanks to you both. I'm actually started looking into options to have a safe battery pack made for the A7SIII if I can find someone who accepts to build one. I'm just really not sure what to aim for as I have very limited understanding of all this unfortunately. Something like a 2S Li-ion OEM pack , 18350 Li-ion, a small LiPo pouch pack or 18650 if housing space allows? Looking into it, specs would maybe be something like 7.4 V nominal, 8.4 V full, continuous discharge: ~2–3 A, peak discharge: up to ~5 A short bursts / load spikes (video load during recording) with and integrated PCB with over-current protection, under-voltage cutoff and short-circuit protection? Am I missing something? And what about a 5000 mAh (or 10000 if it can fit) mini power bank supporting USB-C PD (9 V class)? something like an Inui or Baseus power bank https://iniushop.com/en-jp/collections/mini-power-bank https://www.baseus.com/collections/power-banks Some have interesting shapes thanks!

Lovely find - I lost an AOI lens cover in Okinawa a few months, but it was neoprene - and my name isn't Jennifer most days - and currents go the other way - and I'm not in the US - but I'm sure it will make someone happy! 😀

Bumping this thread, I am now the owner of a Nauticam NA-A1 housing and future owner of an A7SIII. The A1 housing does have space for a flash trigger which I won't use, and I'd be really really interested in practical (and safe) battery options for the camera, since I will be shooting video. I've considered the USB charger bulkhead, but currently have an HDMI bulkhead on the housing's M16 port, and will have a screen at some point in the near future, so I'm really interested in in-housing battery solutions Has anyone managed to find a system that works and doesn't fry cameras too often? Thanks!

Yes - the lens is the same as the LX10 but faster! (24-75mm equiv. F1.7-2.8 lens) - I can reach macro and up with strong diopters on this (but the LX10 has a crop to 36mm in 4K, which helps), so this is good, even if it's not in the RX100 zoom category. One major downside I see are ergonomics - they're similar to the LX100, which is not great... As Backscatter once but it: As attractive the LX100 Mk II is with it’s Micro 4/3 sensor, the controls are very frustrating. Especially when interfacing with the Nauticam housing. Panasonic made the controls more like a retro film camera, and not very conducive for us underwater shooters, and especially for video. L10 LX100 Mk2 Design seems very similar, need to see how Nauticam handles it As a reminder, the NA-LX100 housing turned out like this: VS. this format for the NA-LX10 Still, very exciting news on the compact front these days, for a format which was declared dead and buried what, two years ago? 😁 We now have the highly modern Canon V1 and R50, the Sony RX1 RIII, and now this Panasonic L10 along the older RX100 / LX10 / LX100 / G7X of 10 years back. Wow. If I wasn't on the FF path now I'd really consider a compact upgrade!

Interesting choice of name, which reminds me of the unmentioned Lumix LX10 which I still currently use for video. It's excellent for that (more practical than the LX100 series), within its limitations. This new model seemed to have upped the game, at last: It can shoot 4K video in either DCI or UHD aspect ratios at up to 120p, or 5.6K DCI-shaped video at up to 60p, or 4:3 'open gate' 5.2K footage at up to 60p. The video modes make use of the same multi-aspect approach as stills modes do, so the 5.2K footage is taken from a much taller region of the sensor than the ∼17:9 5.6K video, making it tall enough to extract 2160 x 3840 (vertical 9:16 4K) crops, if you're using it to deliver both horizontal and vertical video from the same capture. On the dust issue: The original LX100 developed something of a reputation for sucking dust into its sensor, in part because pocket cameras tend to be carried and used in wide, varied and challenging conditions. Panasonic said they made efforts to reduce this risk with the Mark II, and we've heard fewer complaints from users of the newer model. No further claims were made about the L10, so it's likely to be worth remembering that it's not fully sealed (it has an extending zoom, after all), but shouldn't be as susceptible as the Mk 1 was.

Ouch - really sorry to hear that man, really sad to hear that people would take advantage of such a situation, when divers are still in the water. This is a long (and very delicate) shot, but if you have a local contact from the area you were diving in, maybe try to get in touch with the Banjar? Since the people who picked up the camera are known and are local, the banjar they belong to might be able to intervene (factor in a donation fee...). Bombarded with fishing lines from the shore you say? What the hell?

Glad you and everyone on board made it out ok. Material loss is terrible, but it clearly could have been much worse. And thanks for the experienced advice. I didn’t know that about fibreglass, even though I’ve worked on boats. Definitely something to keep in mind. Thanks again, and best of luck with everything ahead.

Still up for me at the moment...

That would be truly fantastic Dave. I'm sure a lot of Sony shooters will be interested in something for the new Sony 100mm, especially with a flip, as it will be quite nose heavy to begin with. Housing is here, camera body and lens are ordered, last piece of the puzzle are Nauticam goodies (125 port and MFO3 + MFO1) It's perfect timing as I'll be spending a lot of time on balance and buoyancy, and was really wondering how I'd go about balancing out the port + flip combo.

Wow fantastic I've just started looking into float option for the N100 Macro Port n125 (for a Sony FE 100mm F2.8), and this looks so clean compared to a float collar! I'd really need a solution like this as I will have a double flip (if not a triple) on the lens as well...

I'm now looking into similar solutions for my future A7SIII rig - I would need a bit more depth under the housing for floats though. May I ask what are the cheese plates you sourced on Amazon? I've been looking around a bit on Amazon Japan but can only find two types of smallrig cheese plates. Thanks! Ben

To revive this thread (and steer it slightly off-topic): is anyone using the Kraken USB-C bulkhead now? The Nauticam NA-A1 housing has an M24 bulkhead (currently occupied by a HDMI adapter, though I don’t have an external monitor yet and probably won’t for a while), so Kraken’s direct M24 compatibility and higher PD charging specs are tempting. As far as I understand, the A7SIII uses USB-C rather than Micro USB for power delivery/data, so no adapter for me. And are there still compelling reasons to stay with the Nauticam solution despite the adapter requirement and lower reported transfer speeds?

Thanks Chris Yes, agreed. I also find it quite surprising since - from what I understood in the original product presentation - it was initally designed to allow users of 90mm / 100mm / 105mm fast AF macro lenses to shoot wider subjects while retaining the autofocus advantages these lenses offer. This is especially true for Sony shooters, where there is no 50/60mm macro lens with strong AF capabilities. As for effects on IQ, I haven’t heard of any major drop.

Quick question - I plan on using the MF03 with the Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro on the A7SIII. Today I was told by a photographer who shoots mainly blackwater that he had given up on going the MF03 way for now, as according to feedback he had received from someone using it, still photos ended up being quite blurry, to the point that they stopped using it... I do not know what lens or setup the original user was using. I had never heard this before regarding the MF03, so I was a little surprised by this comment. I was wondering if other MF03 users could comment on their experience with image quality and sharpness in different usage scenarios. (I'm particulary interesed in blackwater or mid-range macro work) cheers

Great, thanks - I'll double-check with them for mine. I tried polishing an AOI wet diopter (UCL 05-N) - it's coated glass. The coating is now off on the central part but I can't seem to remove on the edges - not sure how this affects images (the diopter was already pretty much unuseable, which is why i gave it a spin).

How did it go with the coating? I bought a Japanese cerium oxide paste ( Yanase YGC-C30 ) which is premixed and tried it on an AOI wetlens and the coating removal is really visible. From what I understood Nauticam flat ports are also coated on the outside - did it remove the coating on yours?