ChipBPhoto

Hi @DocTock - very fair questions and ones we all face. As background, I own and constantly use: WWL, WACP-C, WACP-1, and domes. It comes down to the right tool for the right need and personal taste. For overall general dives my go-to is the WACP-C/WWL. Reasons: 130 degree FoV on the wide end, zoom ability, edge-to-edge sharpness, solid corner sharpness specifically, ability to use more open apertures while maintaining sharpness, incredible close-focus capabilities such as focusing on a starfish with the dome almost touching the arm. The WWL is a wet mount lens with the WACP-C being very similar but a dry mount. I typically dive the WACP-C when home simply because I do not need to travel and it is easy to handle on boat dives. The WWL offers basically the same quality in a smaller, easier to pack solution. The WWL is also less of an initial investment in water contact optics. While the WWL/WACP does produce a slight fisheye effect, I personally prefer that to stretched corners especially in a wide reefscape. Yes, I may on rare occasion de-fish the image slightly in post if the desired outcome warrants this. A rectilinear lens could be more appropriate if doing mainly wreck interiors or subjects that are predominantly defined straight lines. I use my domes mainly for splits or when I want to use a true fisheye lens (8-15) for ultra wide images. As an example, for my specific dive today I am using my 8-15 with a 2x TC behind a dome for the Goliath aggregation. I find this a bit wider than the WACP-C while allowing me some zoom if needed. Again, I stress this is all personal experience and personal taste. There is no definitive best solution for all. Others will swear by rectilinear lenses and domes. There are tradeoffs with every solution and I am not championing one over another. We can all dive what we want. I am sharing my experience and what I have seen based on using a variety of options. Enjoy! chip

Interesting…potentially macro, super macro, mid, and mid-wide with a 90/100 and a triple flip.

Hi @Dave_Hicks My thought is to have a cover that simply covers the outer shade, not including the float collar. Attached are some images. To the best I can determine, the shade dimensions are: 5.75" as the outer diameter of the lens shade at the top I am not able to determine if the base of the shade is the same as the top 1.75" as the height of the tallest point of the lens shade Bungee cords cross wrapped around the float collar would hold it in place. The current design of clipping inside of the shade is attractive, but also can easily come off if bumped just right while in the water. Having a cover that would cover the entire float collar would be too big for my taste to carry during a dive. A cover around the shade only seems to offer some protection while not becoming cumbersome during the dive. What are your thoughts?

I have not lost mine yet, but would like the same for a WACP-C. I do not have technical calipers, but the dimensions seem to be about: 5.75" as the outer diameter of the lens shade 1.75" as the height of the lens shade @Dave_Hicks as one of the resident 3D pros, is that all that is needed for the design? Thanks!

Thanks @Davide DB for sharing! I agree that it matches much of the hard work that @Dave_Hicks assembled and shared. As a person who prefers seeing over reading specs, I appreciate the stationary examples within a controlled underwater setting. This allows a side by side comparison. With the A-B slider, it literally is a side by side comparison. The fixed target is a good way to compare overall light spread and consistency. I find that the results match my personal experience with the various strobes and diffusers I have used in the wild. Beyond the power and pattern, durability, dependability, serviceability, buoyancy, and of course price also factor in the buying equation. Color temp consistency is also an interesting consideration. Hopefully this type of comparison can become more of an industry standard, or at least something that is repeated roughly every year as a reference tool.

It will be interesting to see how this new 7Artisans compares to the Canon 8-15 + Metabones underwater. Certainly a significant price saving for those that do not already have the Canon. It should also yield a slightly smaller setup with a less extension needed. At $450 USD I am tempted to give it a try behind my 140 dome.

Hi, @Michi - apologies, I mistyped and reversed them. (too early in the AM with too little caffeine) Mechanical shutter is 1/400, if flash priority is set to auto or on, which I do. Electronic shutter is 1/200, which was unique at that time as it was the only common FF camera I knew of that would even offer the electronic shutter sync. My goal was to use the electronic shutter to keep the manual shutter count lower. In real world usage, I find better overall results with the manual shutter. While I mostly capture 1 frame at a time, I normally set the camera to continuous shooting mode M, typically to make ~3 frames in a burst.

HI, @Michi , Yes, I have a Sony a1 in a Nauticam housing and use the UWT trigger. I do not use TTL. The durability and dependability have been flawless! In fact, the main reason I chose the a1 over the a7rV at the time was the ability to use strobes with the electronic shutter at up to 1/400. My Inon Z-330s did support HSS, but at 1/400 I had a good control over lighting. NOTE: I now use Backscatter HF-1s. They do have HSS and UWT will fire the strobes in HSS mode, it is not a true HSS. If you end up with HF-1s you are better off with their own trigger as that is the only way you can get true HSS and be able to control the output. Retras, on the other hand, do include true HSS with the UWT trigger. Like TimG said, I find the 2x CR2032 batteries last many months and are super cheap to replace. I personally prefer these batteries over requiring to charge a rechargeable trigger. I also like that the trigger is mounted in the housing so that is one less piece to keep track of when assembling the rig. Enjoy! chip

Excellent review @Dave_Hicks ! Very fair and well written. Terrific images as well! Hope this is just the first of many more to come.

Hey @SwiftFF5 thanks for the great info! I really appreciate everyone setting the expectations about it not being fancy, but homie. All I really need is a clean bed, a little AC, something to eat, and lots of dives. Sounds like I’ll be adding an MFO-3 to my macro kit for Christmas for a variety of options on a single dive. I’m really looking forward it it! Now all I need is airfare to drop a bit in the coming months 🤔

Thanks so much @ACHiPo and @Adrian Gresores for sharing your experience! I am super excited to go in a few months. It sounds like a terrific island and marine life to photo. Congrats, Evan, on your success with the new rig! It sounds like you came home with some nice "keepers" for sure. Our group is looking to do a workshop with Mickey. We are mostly experienced uw photogs, but I never turn down an opportunity to learn from a pro, especially someone familiar with the local life and spots. Thanks again to you both! chip

The 240s/330s are outstanding at being a tight package with a good light punch. Both the HF-1 and Maxi will be noticeably larger, but they both still fit in my same photo backpack, just with a little more snug fit. HF-1 is slightly less of an investment, but very negative. Works fine, will just need a bit more floatation. **Requires Backscatter trigger for true HSS. Maxi has a circular flash tube for more even coverage and is almost neutrally buoyant. HSS works with UWT and Turtle, with a slightly more premium investment required. Marelux is also making some good strobe products, but I do not have personal experience with them. I just noticed Dave Hicks shared that same comment. He does have personal experience using them.

Hey @Christian K - former fellow Inon dinosaur here. I used both the 240s and 330s for more years than I care to admit to. I was a very solid pro-AA user and not thrilled about embracing lithium batteries. I finally bit the “battery”, if you will, and bought a pair of HF-1s. Have to say, I really like the extended battery life and ease of only charging 2 batteries for each strobe rather than 4. If I were buying new today, I would seriously at the Retra Maxis. Not only do they have the power, but also a circular flash tube for more even coverage. Built in HSS and a video light upgrade option are also nice. The HF-1s are very negative, although they work well. They do not have true HSS unless you use the Backscatter trigger. The Maxis were not available when I bought and there does not seem to be enough of a difference to warrant selling mine to switch at this point. Sadly, Inon has been out of the game for a number of years. Even if the Z-360 are to become reality, it feels like the company and brand have lost the industry leader thinking they once had. With that said, if your 240s are still working, what are you hoping to gain with an upgrade? That is the real question.

Hi @SwiftFF5 and @ACHiPo How were your dives and, specifically, the photo opportunities in Roatan? I’m planning a trip to Coco View in Feb 2027 and hoping to get some current intel. What is the most productive photo type there? Wide? Macro? Or a mix of both? How was Coco View? I know it has a good history. Thanks in advance for any details you can share! Chip

He bought my Inon Z-330 v2 strobes. They work well, but not HSS. Not a need for him. I am using the Backscatter HF-1 for wide and MF-2 (now MF-3) for macro. Both are great. The Retras are always a very solid choice due to the circular flash tube. If I did not already have the HF-1s I would grab a pair of the new Retra Maxis and add a warming diffuser as needed. The high capacity batteries, overall power and built in video lights are attractive, especially considering they are not super negative.