ChipBPhoto

Hey @DreiFish Thank you for a quality, practical demonstration of the strobes. For me, this particular scene shows how the light impacts the various 3-D aspects (fish, reef, etc.), overall coverage, and coloring. There is a noticeable difference. Is one "better" than the other? That is completely subjective based on personal taste and needs. (right tool for the right need) I feel this is, however, a terrific performance demonstration in this wide scene for people to use in making up their own minds. Nice job!!

Happy to help! You may be able to find a nice used WWL-1B at a good price. FYI - The WWL-1 and WWL-1B are the same lens. The “1B” is the newer version and has the buoyancy collar built in. If you decide to get either the WWL-C or WWL-1B, be sure to get the current version 2 of the mount (M67 to Bayonet Mount Converter II). It has a better release than the version 1. Good luck! chip

Hi Kalle, Congrats on the new a6700! It’s a great camera and nice upgrade. I’ve used the various options you are considering. Here are a few thoughts from a practice standpoint that may help. Tokina 10-17: This has been the absolute go-to for most APS-C users for wide and close focus wide angle (CFWA). This gives you a true 180 fisheye with a little zoom. It works perfectly behind a Zen 100 mini dome and allows ultra-close focus. You can literally put the dome right next to a starfish leg and it will focus on it. This is a great choice for very large objects such as wrecks and massive schools of fish. You will need either a Metabones or Sigma MC-11 adapter with the Canon version of the lens. WWL-C: The new water contact lenses are a game changer! They work like contact lenses to make an average kit lens perform well underwater with great sharpness, especially for an APS-C resolution. When paired with the Sony 16-50 lens it provides a terrific blending of wide angle, CFWA, and tighter zoom in a single solution. The “C” version has a wide field of view starting at 124 degrees, which is less than the 180 of the fisheye, but does have a great deal more flexibility with sharpness throughout. It is also a very small design which is great for travel and ease on the boat. The zoom capabilities also make it a good solution for pelagics to capture the entire creature and details. WWL-1B: All the same characteristics as the “C” with a slightly wider FoV starting at 130 degrees. This is helpful for large objects such as wrecks. **Nauticam considers this to be slightly sharper than the “C” version. This is also transferable should you decide to use it with a Sony FF body and the Sony 28-60 lens in the future. It is just slightly bigger than the “C”, but still super easy for travel and usage. Personally, this is my go-to for all around use. Regarding the other lenses, higher quality lens work well behind normal domes, assuming they can focus close. Corner sharpness becomes a greater concern and the dome size can become much larger depending on the specific lens used, especially for wider lenses. They will not, however, have as wide of a FoV as either the 180 degree fisheye or 130 degree WWL-1B. Normally, we favor a wider option underwater so we can get our lighting closer to the subject and reduce particulates in the water between the camera and subject. Ironically, water contact lenses actually work better with more simple and affordable “kit lenses” such as the 16-50 as they are designed to improve both image quality and sharpness for underwater usage specifically. Thus, an average lens above water becomes a terrific option below. Summary, in my opinion: - Tokina 10-17: Widest field of view with minimal zoom. Best for very large scenes such as wreckscapes. - Sony 16-50 + WWL-1B: Greatest versatility and sharpness for wide, CFWA, and tight. I hope this offers some insight. chip

Such a great question and topic for the group. First, congratulations on making some beautiful images! The results show how much time and effort you invest in making quality frames. Like us all, I too am frequently far too attached to my images. While they are important to me or bring back some wonderful memories when I see them, they can end up being too much like a corp PowerPoint presentation to others due to, not the quality, but the simple quantity. I like how you have your images cataloged by event/date. I also like what you have in each catalog as it is meaningful to you. In addition to comments already shared, here are a couple thoughts that may help. - Within your current galleries, select the top 10-20 images in each catalog and move those to the top. This will “wow” your audience at the grab their attention. This will also allow them to see your best work should they decide not to view the entire catalog. Make sure they are images your audience can understand. Ask, “what we would see in a National Geographic or Alert Diver article about that destination?” - Within the top 20, include the “classic” images and then the details. In those top images, include a few that transport the viewer to your destination. Maybe even include an image of the liveaboard while moored or the resort as an establishing image. Once the viewer is at the destination with you, they can appreciate the smaller details in the journey. Think of the Eiffel Tower. There are countless images of it, but the unique beauty is in the delicate closeup details. Without first showing the tower overall the audience would not appreciate the interesting sights you found that others may have never seen. - By having your top images already at the top, you have an easy place from which to pull those images you may want to print, publish, etc. - Perhaps even include a thin horizontal divider after your top 20 that says something like, “Dive deeper into the details.” The remainder of the images would be after. This would give the viewer a natural choice to either continue viewing the rest or be happy they enjoyed your best from your adventure and politely stop there. - Think wide, medium, and tight images. If possible, try and include a mix of views to help the viewer get a sense of size. An example could be a school of snapper on a colorful reef, then a tighter view of just the faces of a couple snapper. In short, continue to curate the overall gallery down to around 10% of the total you like. (You are already doing this.). Inside each, move the best 10-20 to the top that tells the story and becomes your “wow” images of the trip. (Sharp, colorful, eye catching) When sharing with others, tell them they can see the top 20, and then they can dive deeper if they want to see more details. Thank you for sharing your work. You have some wonderful images!

Absolutely agree @TimG! For me, reliability is a top consideration. Strobes, like lenses, bodies, housing, etc., are "tools." Each has a strength / weakness and depends so much on personal taste or needs. So long as the item is reliable and reasonably easy to use, there will be someone that will find it to be a perfectly acceptable option. Opinions and personal beliefs are just that, and not necessarily facts. So long as the user is able to make the images they want, it is a good tool for them. It's all about matching the individual needs, and possibility even constraints, with the right tool. It is great that we can share our practical experiences to give others something to consider in their decisions.

Thanks so much Klaus! I agree, the soft focus works for this scene. I did the same with a nearby boat above the water line, but unfortunately it just looked out of focus due to it being a man-made object. For serious split work a larger dome is the answer. A soft focus above could still be achieved by using a wider aperture while focusing on the uw subject. One would have options. Thanks again for the kind words. Thanks so much fruehaufsteher2! I really appreciate it. It all gets back to how important splits are overall to you personally. They are def fun and can be quite impressive for sure. There are some close ups of corals uw and a nice sunset above I want to do. I’d like to do the same with stingrays and a nice sky above.

Cool pic Tim! I hate it when the mermaids didn’t get the memo! 😂 I completely agree that a rectilinear lens is by far the best choice for splits. Just be sure that it has a close focus capability, or you will not be able to capture the scenes you want. So glad the info was helpful. I had an entire response written…and then it didn’t send correctly. Uugh!! Short answer is the image I shared was with the WACP-C, Sony 28-60 @ f/22. I tried different settings and this had the sharpest above water elements. The FCP will have similar results. Bottom line, if you want sharp splits you will need a dome of some sort.

Nice split! Terrific shark detail with the split creating a unique angle. I too own a WACP-C and have done a similar image with manatees. It’s a fun perspective. The issue is cost vs usable dome size for splits. That does not really fall into the cheap category once everything needed is added up. There will be those that will chime in with lots of math, but here are my findings from a practical perspective. A wider dome is needed to more evenly disperse the water along the dome face. While a small 140 dome can do splits, it must be in similarly flat conditions as the one in your image. Obviously this is relatively rare. A 230 dome is the common go-to due to its wide surface. It is also compatible with almost any lens, Canon 8-15 fisheye or rectilinear. The down side is the cost and size issue. If you have an occasional interest in doing them, this may not be the best solution, unless you are able to rent one. A 180 dome can do some decent splits, but again this is a smaller surface than the 230 which is not as forgiving in real-world conditions, but larger than the 140. The Nauticam 8.5” acrylic dome is both relatively cost effective and compatible with a wide range of lenses. At 216mm, it is similar to the 230 size. As it is light weight acrylic, it will be much more “floaty” than your WACP-C and will pull the front of your rig nose up much more easily. The fact that it is made from acrylic keeps the cost down, but also is susceptible to scratches much easier than glass. On the positive, the scratches can be buffed out if needed. Lastly, if you want perhaps the best for splits, but is only for splits, not diving, Marty Smith makes a massive 12” dome that is fantastic. The large front disperses the water quite evenly and allows for a very user friendly experience. The down side is it is only depth rated to perhaps 15’, meaning it is intended for only splits. The acrylic build is also quite floaty. Be sure to factor in that basically all these options are made for the N120 port system. You will need to start with the N100 to N120 adapter which adds to the cost, as well as the appropriate extension depending on your choice. As for lenses, the Canon 8-15 with adapter (Metabones or Sigma MC-11) is the standard for Sony users. This would give the ultra wide perspective, with ultra close focus capabilities. Rectilinear lenses can include the Sony 16-35 (the 16-35 f/4 PZ is very small and light), Tamron 17-28, etc. Phil Rudin really likes the Sony 20-70 as an all around option. I hope this gives some insight into your options and at least a starting point to compare. Good luck and let us know where you end up. -Chip

Hey John - selecting APS-C or cropping the FF in post is exactly the same thing. The only difference is when in APS-C mode only the smaller portion of the sensor is used. This results in the lower resolution. Agreed that using APS-C can def help with composition. The only downside is if the desired final frame is larger than the smaller activated portion of the sensor. I personally normally work in the higher res FF mode and crop in post as needed. This allows the most options for the final product. Hope this helps - Chip

Hey Brandon - The hold up is on Canon’s side. They have been very reluctant to release the rights to their new RF mount for AF. Rokinon came out with RF AF lenses and Canon ordered them to discontinue. They just recently allowed Tamron and Sigma to make RF AF lenses, but only for the APS-C models. RF FF AF (that’s a lot of acronyms) is still for Canon’s exclusive production at this time. Anyone’s guess as to when this may change.

BTW @Toque, here’s a way to put your now deceased camera to fun use. Take it with you on occasional dives and have someone take a few pics of you “using” the camera underwater without the housing. It will be you, underwater on full SCUBA, ideally with a shark, wreck, or similar in the pic, and you photoing it with a normal camera. That’s what I did with my dead Canon R. People’s reactions are pretty funny! 😂

Hi @Toque - In my experience, I agree with Chris. Salt water is a killer, even for a brief moment, not to mention 5 mins. That amount of time ensures every component is saturated. I was doing beachscape photos at the ocean edge and my ball head clamp popped open. My mirrorless was covered by the incoming wave for a less than 2 seconds. (Not mins, seconds) Unfortunately, that was enough to completely fry both the weather sealed Canon R body and lens. I too tried the fresh water rinse, rice bag, etc. I sent it to Canon to repair, at my expense. They refused saying it simply was not worth it. Based on your recount, I suspect any electrical boards in the housing are also fried. At the least, it will mean a replacement body, lens, and battery. Quite possibly also a replacement trigger as the circuits will also most likely be damaged. If you send the housing to an authorized Nauticam repair dealer, I personally would plan on ~$1,000 all in, as a rough estimate. (Shipping, repair, replacing seals, etc.). Obviously this is a complete guess and the repair cost could be very different. If it were me, this would be an unexpected time to consider moving to perhaps the a6700 for the upgrades, or looking for a quality used a6600 system, if you want to stay with the same form factor, brand, etc. It could also be a time to take a quick look overall to see if there is anything else you would rather explore. I’m really sorry to hear this happened. It’s definitely a tough experience to go through.

Yeah, they never seem to do that for us, especially Canon. Sony has been a little more kind, or is it lazy so they don't have to design new bodies? 😆

In the South we would say, "Well bless their heart." So glad to hear customer service is alive and well. Wouldn't it be ironic if you did send it in and the hardware, as a stand alone, checked out to be functioning? (not sure they'd admit to it if it did) If they get enough blow back perhaps we will see an updated firmware that will again restore the lost connections. Happens fairly frequently with cell phone updates. We can hope.

So glad to hear your R5 has been working well. It's a terrific body! The reason I kept my T2i so long was it was doing everything I wanted and I was happy with the results. There came a time, many years later, that the advances made it worth while to "invest" again. Then again, if the R5II can use the same housing.... (Hmmmm) 😁 I did buy a 2nd T2i, just for that reason. I was able to sell my original body once it had ~70K clicks so I could still some money to invest in a replacement. Of course that was a lot cheaper than buying a 2nd R5 or a1. 😳 In my current rig I primarily use the Sony 28-60 for the WACP-C or WWL. I bought a used backup 28-60 at a good price. That lens does not feel as durable as others, and it's super small to carry. I'd hate to be in a distant destination and have a lens issue that would throw a wrench in the trip.

The Canon colors are legendary! In 2010 I bought a humble Canon T2i and put it in my first Nauticam housing. Why this model? The Canon colors AND it was the smallest DSLR made at that time that would also do 4K video. It was fantastic! In 2020 it was time for an upgrade, but I went to Sony. The main reasons were the size of the Canon R5 body, and resulting housing, and there was not yet a good support for the WACP/WWL. (The latter has been improved). While the new Sonys are pretty great, I do miss the Canon feel uw. As for the R5C, a buddy of mine likes the extra mass uw as it aids with video stability. Also, If you use an external recorder, which he does, there is no heating issue with either the R5 or R5C. For those that still have EF “L” glass, I have never found an issue with focus or speed when using the actual Canon EF-RF adapter on the R5. I still use some today. This could save a few pennies initially if someone wants to jump in. Like many others, I’m quite interested to see what is added / improved in the R5II!

I have a couple of buddies that work as high-end uw videographers. One uses RED and the other uses a Canon R5C. If you opt for another solution, aside from the extremely unfortunate situation that caused this, there are some terrific video-centric options. I truly hope you are able to make a good solution out of it all.

Reminds me of Sony in the 90s. Really sorry to hear Jim. Sucks on many levels.

That's actually very true! I used my last APS-C rig for 11 years. Of course I added to it - viewfinder, new strobes, different lenses/ports, etc. The a7rV is a remarkable camera. With the durability of the Nauticam housing, it will last you for many years! That helps that "cost per year" amortization when the credit card bill shows up. 😆 Seriously, if you soak your rig in a tub/bucket of warm water, articulate the buttons under water, and then dry it, you'll be surprised how long it will last. Also, get an electric air blower (~$35 on Amazon) and blow the water out from under the buttons/levers after you clean it. It's shocking how much water and resulting build up can remain without doing this. My current housing has several hundred dives and still looks new. Yes, mom taught me to take care of my toys, especially when they cost this much! 😎 Other tip, if you go with the MF-2s, I wouldn't jump straight into trying to snoot with them. Trying to direct a pin-point light while you're learning a new camera/strobes is an entirely new level of hell !

Congrats on the new rig; I know you'll love it! As a previous long-time APS-C photog, here are a couple points I found when I switched to Sony 61MP: - The focus point with the a7rV must be spot on! The lower MPs of a DX system are much more forgiving. - Anything not exactly in focus will be noticeable when you review on a bigger screen. - Set up custom menus and the "C" buttons. The Sony menu is not the easiest to quickly change on its own - Alex Mustard has a great YouTube video on suggested a1 settings (same menus as a7rV) Regarding lens choices: - The Sony 90 macro actually mates to the SMC, not the CMC. SMC-1 has a very limited working distance of only 45-93mm from subject. Outside that range the 90 only would be used. - The Sony 28-60 would use the CMC, but it also requires the lens to be extremely close to the subject to focus. (83mm-135mm for CMC-2) A normal macro lens has a much wider focus range as needed. I have a buddy that uses the CMC + 28-60 and produces some beautiful images. Just mention to set expectations. - The best small dome choice for the Canon 8-15 on FF is the Nauticam 140 (or much bigger 230). The 100 dome works for APS-C, but does not give good corner sharpness on FF, especially the ultra high 61MP. (Per Alex Mustard) - Good choice on the WWL. It is affordable and extremely versatile. I have owned one for 4 years. I personally prefer to have some zoom range, and this does! It also does terrific CFWA. I have been able to do an almost-macro image of a flamingo tongue due to the ability to focus so close. For a small travel size + image quality combo, I feel it can't be beat. As an FYI, splits are not possible due to the dynamic water line between the port and WWL. - Important Note: Be sure to "burp" (remove / replace) the WWL immediately upon entry. This eliminates the possibility of tiny bubble getting trapped between the port and WWL. Regarding strobes: - The Inon Z-330s have been extremely popular. Unfortunately, they are no longer being produced. You may be able to find some nice pre-owned. - The new Marelux strobes look interesting. They also do HSS, which is a huge bonus. Connect with Phil Rudin for his thoughts if you are curious. - Retra strobes are the top-end performance, with top-end price. Includes HSS compatibility. - Backscatter MF-2s are great for macro, but not nearly as good for wider images due to small size. They too are capable of HSS if the trigger supports it. - Regardless of the strobes, the UW Technics trigger works well for both manual and TTL, should you want to go there. It also supports HSS provided the strobes are capable. The Nauticam trigger is manual only. I started with it, but later moved up to the UW Technics and have been happy. Enjoy the new toys! We look forward to seeing some of your pics. - chip

Very good question. There will always be an exception, but in my experience I have not had an issue. I frequently will utilize 1/100 - 1/160 based on the ambient exposure I want. Per Ikelite, “The metadata from thousands of published images shows that shutter speeds of 1/125 to 1/160th of a second work well about 90% of the time underwater. These speeds are fast enough to prevent motion blur from camera movement, as well as the movements of most animals that are in a relaxed state.” With that said, HSS is becoming more available for underwater. When you look at your next strobes or trigger, perhaps look to models that include the ability for HSS which will overcome the 1/160 barrier. Hope this helps!

Nicely done! Never really considered Soccoro, but now may put it in the list.

It seems that Sony has fixed their potential connectivity issue discovered in the recent a1 v2 firmware update. This link goes to the new v2.01 released on Apr 23, 2024. https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/e-mount-body-ilce-1-series/ilce-1/downloads

Exciting news for APS-C users. Hopefully Canon will allow FF options in the future.