tailwind_marseille

Hey @Mark Chivers Do you still have the strobes ? I'll send you a DM.

Hey Chris, thanks again for your feedback. The tokina seems to be usable between 12-15mm in FF, and give a good 180 degree image at 15mm. My thinking was to keep it with a FF camera, instead of the more pricey Canon 8-15mm route. The AOI housing for the A7C II would solve some strobe-related issues, but then there's the cost of the dome, plus extensions ($$$ !). I'm discovering the complications of FF, mostly in terms of lack of low cost options. And I've read time and time again that APS-C is more than enough for UW. And I guess M43 too, judging from many images I've seen. Are your topside photos also taken with a M43 system?

Mmm, thanks for the remark. Indeed, I've been more focused on whether TTL is possible with a particular combo, but always thinking that in the end, there's always Manual. But, what you're saying is, not even that... Would the Sea&Sea YS-D3 be able to "cancel the pre-flash" ? Does this mean is won't take the pre-flash into account ? As in, some sort of "training" or setup, has to be done prior to shooting ? I'll look better into the AOI flash that comes already with the housing... but I guess it would do just what the camera tells is to do ?

Yes, expensive indeed! But, I'm comparing "within" the hobby world: 800-1000 euros for a flash is a little crazy in the non-UW photo world (not talking about pro usage), but then a 500 euros trigger (not even a flash...) seems bonkers. I know, I know, this is what it is, and we have to live with it. The A7C II would not be meant just for UW. It's for use both UW and outside of it. If, most things considered, the A7C II is comparable to the A6400 underwater (with all their limitations, including 1/160th sync speed for both), I would favour the A7C II as I will also use it extensively topside (likely even more than UW). On another hand, if the A7C II becomes a PITA :) for UW, then I'm not so sure it's a good idea the compromise. One big issue is, as we discuss, the lack of built-in flash. And you're right about the AOI housing, it comes already with a tiny flash trigger. It's probably the best way to go, if I end up getting a A7C II.

This thread has perfect timing. Was driving to work just thinking of starting something around Sony A7 and A6xxx cameras and strobes, and here this was :) A friend who's been shooting for >20 years )Nikon FF and TG-7) just convinced me to get the YS-D3, he says it's a great little package, and more than good enough for WA (what I want to do). As @Lewis88 points out, they can be found at a great price. Not sure how much they would add up to (import duties + shipping) to France, but they can also be ordered locally from Photo Denfert for 650 euros a piece. I'm kind of divided on this one. I recently got a A6400, a Tokina 10-17mm + Canon adapter, but haven't made the plunge yet for the housing, as I'm strongly considering the A7C II instead. I could still use the Tokina, and a housing of similar size. The motivation is less UW photography, but mostly for topside shooting with other lenses, where I believe FF will make more of a difference. The problem with the A7C II (vs the A6400) becomes the triggering of the strobes: I can only find TTL hot shoe triggers in the ball park of 500 euros, and this seems crazy to me... With the A6400 (which is considerably cheaper) there is a built-in flash, but the A7C II needs a trigger, and I find exaggerated the cost of something like this. Are there any alternatives ? I would use two YS-D3 strobes with the A7C II, but I can't really wrap my mind around spending an amount similar to a strobe just for a pair hot-shoe LEDs ... I know this is niche, and things are not mass produced, but still ... seems ridiculous - but maybe I'm missing something, and we're talking about crazy complicated tech ?

Hey @samchchiu Thanks for your review! I'm looking into this housing and landed here :) Did you manage to test a little more the AOI housing ? Maybe during your January trip ? I'm curious about the flash trigger and the possibility of using it with a Sea&Sea YS-D3 in TTL mode. Are you happy with its flash-triggering capabilities ?

Hey @DHale , I’m located in France, in case shipping works. I’m looking into putting together a rig, and this seems like a good starting point. I’ll DM you later in the day.

It does help indeed, thanks! I’m considering fisheye solutions for a full frame system (A7C II) - ideally that won’t break the bank… ha ! funny, I know. I’ve seen this combo (28mm + converter) mentioned several times, but it’s good to know that it’s not as good as a wet lens. Moving into FF for IQ, and would be a pity to cancel that improvement with bad optics.

@Zlati what is your experience using the 28mm + fisheye converter, in terms of image quality and adaptability to a housing, when compared to a wet wide lens (like the WWL-1) ? Of course, we lose the zooming capabilities of a 28-60mm + WWL-1, but I'm wondering more about the wide field + IQ. thanks !

Thanks for taking the time! I'm starting to understand this better (I think ... 😅). As for the Tokina + Salted Line housing, I've seen people confirm using a 6 inch dome and having good results. As Salted Line also has a 4 inch smaller dome, which looks more like a hemisphere, I wondered if it would be better. But, as you point out, the Tokina being a fisheye might not do much different with either a 4 inch or 6 inch dome (except for the possible vignette).

Thanks for linking to this. I've been trying to wrap my around the effect dome radius: bigger seems to improve the corner sharpness, but on another hand, and from one thing I think I understand from that article, it moves the ideal spot of "light convergence" way back, behind the camera itself (I'm referring to the "Correct Dome positioning" part in the article) - an hemispheric dome will help with that, as it brings that convergence point closer to where the lens would be. So, won't a smaller dome work best with fisheye lenses ? I'm thinking here of a 4 inch dome with a Tokina 10-17mm. In your initial sentence "a 6"dome is really too small for a 15mm rectilinear lens", I think of a 15mm as a very wide angle lens, which should benefit more from smaller radius, right ? Me, confused.

A zoom ring held by tape ... wooooo 🤣 Ok, I'll come back here for advice when that happens, and before I start to panic !

What is that third solution to keeping a Salted Line housing under vacuum while diving ?

Thanks for the info. Indeed, we can only find them in the used market. I got lucky and seemed to have found one in great condition. Looking forward to try it underwater !

This is not mine, but has been posted elsewhere in the forums. A Zoom gear for the Tokina 10-17mm inside a Salted Line housing. Would be interested to know if someone here has already tried it: