ChipBPhoto

I purchased a Nauticam viewfinder from @Proteus. Excellent communication, quick ship, and a smooth deal. Arrived exactly as described. Highly recommend!

I gave up waiting on them and picked up a pair of HF-1s. Unless Inon comes up with something substantial to compete with the HF-1 or upcoming Retra Maxis, I fear they will be left behind.

Great question. It really depends on the purpose and target audience. If trying to reach the masses, think of the same rules of a pop song, 2:30 - 3:00 at most. If targeting those who appreciate a more artistic video, then perhaps 7-8 mins, but no longer. A mix may be good. Either way a compelling hook or powerful intro in the first 15 secs is a must to catch attention. Regardless of the length, the quality and story are essential. Good luck! chip

I’d say that was a good move. I prefered paying monthly, but all things considered it’s not a major deal breaker to do the single payment.

The price increase occurs on Jan 15, 2025. That is why the current (old) prices are still showing today. I do not know if it will be a global price increase, but I would not be surprised. As a reminder, the increase only pertains to those who pay monthly. I just switched to a 1-time annual payment which remains at the same as the current price.

Defiantly sad news for all those impacted. And yes, I agree it was their lack of innovation that is the real underlying issue which caused people, including me, to move away from them over the years. While I have 3 of their lights, their "deep sleep" and trying to revive a battery that sits for a period of time has been problematic, for me at least. I was able to resuscitate 2 of the 3, but despite all efforts with CPR and the paddles (taping the charger to the contacts 5 times), it has passed on to the great light sanctuary in the sky. Better start saving for a pair of Keldans! ...that may take a little while.... 🤣🤣🤣

It would be beneficial to qualify and clairify this a bit. Those that talk of finding f/11 the right aperture are mostly 1) using a FF (not APS-C) body and 2) referring to extreme corner edge sharpness, not general overall sharpness. The center of the frame will be very sharp at f/8 or more open, even on a FF high MP camera. If you are photoing an animal in blue water you can open the aperture wider. If you are photoing a very detailed reefscape and sharp extreme edge corners are critical, then f/8-11 would be best. Keep in mind APS-C sensors, like your R7, are generally much more forgiving than high MP FF systems. There is no hard rule as it all depends on different subjects, objectives, and the conditions you are in. Yes, the Canon EF-S 60 works very well with the RF-EF adapter. That will give you a 96mm FF equivalent, similar to Canon 100 on a FF, which is a great macro choice. Perhaps I missed something, but in the opening you mentioned you mostly like wide angle. Specifically that the Tokina 10-17 is the perfect uw lens. Keep in mind the Canon 60 will be a narrow solution, not wide. The important thing is that you settle on a solution that you feel best fits your needs. Congrats and enjoy! (....as background, I have used the WWL as my primary solution for over 5 years and logged 800+ dives with it. I also use the Canon 8-15 w/ a 140 dome. Prior to that, I used the Tokina 10-17 w/ Zen mini dome and Canon EF-S 60 on Canon APS-Cs for 11 years.)

Hi @vkalia I’ll 2nd this option. In my opinion, it’s the best general use lens providing a wide zoom range, very sharp images, and the ability to do almost macro-like super close focus. I’d vote to stick with the R7 you already own. There are no real advantages the Sony a6700 would provide over it. The Canon colors are legendary, including in video. If your current shutter count gets too high, simply pick up either a Canon refurb R7 or a lightly used one and keep going! I did this with my first Canon DSLR and got a very long life from the rig. Enjoy!

- - SOLD - -

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Hi @Hiloboy - congrats, it looks like you do a good job of caring for your housing! As for me, I only remove the handles maybe once a year for cleaning or if I need to remove them for travel. Question, how do you like the R7? And what port/lens do you use for wide angle images?

@Radioactive_rhino Matt was a terrific buyer! Very friendly, paid quickly, and had great communication. Highly recommend!

Thanks for the update. Seems I made the right choice. I had the online order form filled out up to entering the credit card info. After thinking about it, I decided the small initial savings did not offset my concern of a company requiring up front payments in full to pre-fund their production costs. I'm also not a fan of not know exactly how much I will need to pay in import duties/taxes once it is shipped. I'm sure it will be a terrific system, but I personally decided to reconsider them once local dealers have them and the field testing has been done.

CHRISTMAS PRICE DROP!!!! Perfect gift for someone wanting a small, very capable rig at a great deal! List of items: Price New Selling Price Sony a6600 Body.....................................$999.................$599 Sony 16-50 f/3.5-5.6 PZ Lens..................$299.................$100 Nauticam NA-a6600 Housing................$2513................$1400 Nauticam Vacuum....................................$220.................$100 Nauticam Zoom Gear NA-36172..............$242.................$150 Nauticam N85 Port 45 w/ Knob...............$619.................$400 Nauticam Manual Flash Trigger...............$308................$200 Totals: $5200 $2949 AMAZING Package Price for all Above: $1,895, OBO!!! - Reasonable offers accepted. - Payment via PayPal F&F; please add 3% for PayPal Goods & Services for those with positive activity. USPS Priority shipping to US lower 48 states included. Prefer US sales only to members with activity in community. Please DM me with any questions. NOTE: CMC-2 / bayonet adapter sold

My apologies if I am misunderstanding your comment, but the MFO, CMC, etc. are each stand alone lenses. They do not stack.

I have heard of someone using a 3-way clamp on one side at the middle joint. (i.e. middle joint of either the left or right arm) He mounted the 3rd strobe to a small arm at the 3-way clamp that positioned it more towards the middle on that side. This would also give a bit more power if it is moved closer to the main strobe on that same side. You could also use the 3-way clamp at the end of the arm and mount 2 strobes side by side, angling them slightly away from each other increase power on that side overall. With that said, he reported the 3rd strobe is also more cumbersome to maneuver both on the boat and in-water. I tend to favor Tim's suggestion of leveraging more natural light, even if I have to use a higher ISO, and then use the strobe(s) to highlight a subject or area. Most strobes with a diffuser will give up to a 160 degree of coverage, which can be overlapped in the middle if a large shadow area appears. Let us know how it turns out chip

This is a great perspective. Thanks Davide!

Hi @Proteus, You’re asking the question we all ask. I frequently photo my local beach area at sunrise. I have both an iPhone and my normal camera with me. There are some pretty spectacular mornings with bold morning colors. I’ll post a quick image from my phone after a little LR mobile editing. Yes, it looks great! I later download the images made with my camera during the same session and am blown away! The detail, dynamic range, and ability to really dial in the scene delivers an image at a completely different level. To me, the phone pics are fun, easy, and super convenient, but just don’t hold up against the high quality potential and results of a current camera. Like Tim and Chris said, then you factor in lighting and overall image control uw and a phone just does not match, especially at the depths and macro detail you’re talking about. It really comes down to the right tool for the right output and user experience. I made some very nice images with my old Canon G11 and a pair of Inon S2000 strobes. (Similar to G7X / S220 today) It was small, easy to pack, and allowed me to get places my now much larger rig simply will not fit. It did not, however, have the same exposure control your current system allows. I learned the limits of my G11 and concentrated on those types of pics. It was a trade off, but a good one for me at that time. An APS-C like the a6700/a6600 or Canon R7 could also be a slightly smaller choice while maintaining some decent manual control and image quality. Today I too grumble about the size of my now much larger rig, but I love the images I can make once I see them after the dive. The big question is are you willing to give up your ability to dial in the settings to make a great image for a much smaller and lighter phone with much less detail and ability?

BLACK FRIDAY PRICE DROP!!!! Perfect gift for someone wanting a small, very capable rig at a great deal! List of items: Price New Selling Price Sony a6600 Body.....................................$999.................$599 Sony 16-50 f/3.5-5.6 PZ Lens..................$299.................$100 Nauticam NA-a6600 Housing................$2513................$1400 Nauticam Vacuum....................................$220.................$100 Nauticam Zoom Gear NA-36172..............$242.................$150 Nauticam N85 Port 45 w/ Knob...............$619.................$400 Nauticam Manual Flash Trigger...............$308................$200 Totals: $5200 $2949 NEW LOWER Package Price for all Above: $1,995!!! Other items: Price New Selling Price Nauticam CMC-2....................................$387...............$295 Nauticam Bayonet Mount Adapter...........$62................$40 Payment via PayPal F&F; please add 3% for PayPal Goods & Services for those with positive activity. USPS Priority shipping to US lower 48 states included. Prefer US sales only to members with activity in community. Please DM me with any questions.

Getting a bit concerning in that area....

I totally get it. For me, I do almost all my editing in LR, often on an iPad for portability. Final touches are done on my computer using plugins like Topaz as needed. While I almost never use PS, there have been some images that this new action would be quite helpful in finishing. The good news is we can launch BXT from LR, quickly do the needed clean up in PS, and then immediately save the updated image back in LR. This flow is simple and much smoother than feeling like we have to open PS and work there separately. We need to find the work flow that is best for each of us. The upside is the BXT action is pretty easy to use if one already has access to PS via the Adobe Photographers program and a quick, no PS experience needed option is wanted.

…some day…. Still no release date. It appears they also had a prototype of the snoot for the HF-1 on display, but didn’t talk about it on camera.

The WWL series is designed to take an average kit lens, like the 16-50, and both noticeably sharpen it and correct for water distortion. It also significantly widens the FoV up to 130 degrees, depending on the specific lens used. The corners are also sharp when used at f/8 and above on an APS-C. There could still be a slight fisheye effect and some slight distortion in the extreme corners at the 16 end, but it’s a pretty amazing and versatile solution!

Hi @Whiskeyjack, Yes, it is only for PS. The reason is it is actually a PS “Action” that activates a separate layer. Unfortunately, LR is not able to work in layers which is why both PS and LR still coexist. Have a great weekend! chip

Hi all, I am selling my rarely used Nauticam SMC-1. The images show its excellent condition. Included are all items originally packaged such as both covers and the adapter to allow it to screw on to a 67mm threaded port. It allows macro lenses to focus within millimeters of the subject with a ~2.3x increased magnification. A tiny nudibranch can fill the frame with razor sharp focus! This is the premiere Super Macro addition for popular lenses as the Nikon 105, Canon 100, and Sony 90. Price: $365 via PayPal F&F (Almost a 40% savings off new price!) …Please add 3% for normal PayPal Shipping to the continental US included. Strongly prefer US buyers with some history in this community. Please DM with any question. Thank you for looking!