ridgebackpilot

@NealL I'll take it! Please send me a DM with your payment details. Thanks!

Does anyone have an old, inoperable Ikelite NiMH battery pack for Ikelite substrobes lying around? I'm looking for one to rebuild, so happy to buy for parts only; need not be in working order. Please send me a DM if you have an old Ikelite battery pack available. It would need to fit DS160, DS161, or DS125 substrobes (see photo).

Thanks, @Deepunderpix for posting these instructions here. A couple of years ago, I followed your advice on Wetpixel and successfully rebuilt my DS160 battery pack. Doing it myself cost about $40 in raw materials (Tenergy NiMH cells from Amazon) and saved me at least $250 per battery pack over buying replacement batteries from Ikelite. And I learned how to spot weld at the same time!

Lens and gear are SOLD!

Kudos to @Abi_Camera for a couple of smooth transactions, involving both buying and selling!

Update: The following are SOLD: Nauticam 19138 zoom gear (N1635-Z) for Nikon AF-S 16-35mm wide-angle zoom lens Nauticam 19122 focus gear (N105VR-F) for Nikon AF-S 105mm macro lens This one is still FOR SALE: Nauticam 19154 zoom gear for Nikon Z 24-7-mm f/4 & Z 14-30mm f4 lenses And I'm still LOOKING for this one: Nauticam 19141 zoom gear (N1835-Z) for Nikon AF-S 18-35mm wide-angle zoom lens Please let me know what you have or need!

I'm putting together a Sony A7RII underwater photography system for a friend of mine, and need the Nauticam N100 to N120 Port Adapter II (37305) so that I can use my existing ports and wet optics, all of which are N120. Please let me know if you have this adapter and would be willing to part with it! Cheers, Mike

Found the Nauticam Extension ring 40 but still need the 19141 Zoom gear N1835-Z if anyone has one you're willing to part with!

Thanks for your responses! I suspect you're all correct: This phenomenon was more likely due to one of my strobes being positioned too close and too far forward. This only showed up on a couple of shots in the same sequence. A bubble or dirty port would have affected all the shots in the range.

Anyone know what may have caused the light anomaly on the left side of these photos? These were taken in Raja Ampat last month, on my first day shooting the Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-50mm lens, Nauticam housing, WWL-C wet lens, Retra Pro Max strobes. Would an errant bubble of air between the lens and the port explain this phenomenon? Or perhaps something else like strobe flare?

I have the following Nauticam zoom and focus gears for sale: Nauticam 19138 zoom gear (N1635-Z) for Nikon AF-S 16-35mm wide-angle zoom lens Nauticam 19154 zoom gear for Nikon Z 24-7-mm f/4 & Z 14-30mm f4 lenses Nauticam 19122 focus gear (N105VR-F) for Nikon AF-S 105mm macro lens I'm looking for the following: Nauticam 19141 zoom gear (N1835-Z) for Nikon AF-S 18-35mm wide-angle zoom lens Nauticam 22140 N120 Extension Ring 40 II Please let me know what you need and what you've got!

The main advantage is being able to quickly preview a shot you've just taken, without having to remove your eye from the viewfinder. That allows you to make quick adjustments to ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed as necessary, also without taking your eye away from the viewfinder.

Some observations and experiences from 10 days in Raja Ampat with my new Nikon Z8 and Nauticam housing setup: As @Alex_Mustard and others have pointed out, mirrorless is the future! I transitioned from the Nikon D800E and discovered the advantages of the EVF. The versatile Nikkor Z 24-50mm lens seemed happiest with the Nauticam WWL-C wet optic. It wasn’t an ideal match for the WACP-1. My WACP-1 worked best with the Sony SEL 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 lens using a Megadap ETZ21 Pro adapter. That made for a highly versatile setup. While the WACP-1 is heavy above water and a pain to pack, it’s well-balanced and easy to use underwater. By contrast, my Nikkor AF-S 8-15mm Fisheye behind a Nauticam 140mm glass dome port seemed outdated and superseded by the wet optics. Image quality with the WACP-1 and WWL-C was better, especially at the edges and corners. My older Nauticam 45-degree viewfinder worked well with the Z8 and new housing. There’s no real need to upgrade at great expense. The Nikkor Z 105mm macro lens is superior in sharpness to its older counterpart. The Nikkor Z 35mm Prime lens isn’t particularly well suited to underwater photography. Better for shooting in low-light situations above water. The Retra Pro Max strobes are well-engineered with superior battery life compared to their older cousins. I look forward to your comments and thoughts.

Thanks, @MarkRD and @Phil Rudin. I have to admit I wondered why the newer Sony 28-60mm lens wasn’t listed on the WACP-1 chart. I leave for Raja Ampat next week and will be taking the following lenses for use with my WWL-C and WACP-1: Nikon Z 24-50mm; Nikon Z 35mm Prime; Nikon Z 105mm Macro; and Sony FE 28-70mm. (Of course only the first lens will work with the WWL-C). I imagine the Nikon Z 24-50mm will get the most use, but we’ll see!

Friends: As you know, those of us shooting Nikon Z cameras have an incentive to use certain Sony lenses on our Nikon cameras, especially when paired with Nauticam water contact optics. For example, if you check the Nauticam port charts, it's clear that the Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens works well on Nikon Z cameras with the WACP-1. Many Nikon zoom lenses are not useable through their full zoom range behind the WACP-1, but the Sony lens doesn't have that limitation, hence its popularity. Having updated my Nikon Z8 to firmware version 2.0 last week, I was curious which of the Sony E-to-Nikon Z autofocus adapters on the market would work. Turns out only one of them functioned for me. First, I tried the Techart Pro TZE-02 adapter, which consistently returned error messages. I attempted to upgrade the adapter's firmware, but that didn't help, so I returned the adapter. Next, I tried the Megadap ETZ-21 adapter, which didn't work, either. I couldn't even download the firmware update from the Megadap website for that one, so I returned it, too. Finally, before giving in to despair, I ordered the latest Megadap ETZ-21 Pro adapter, which was reported to work well. When it arrived, I vowed that if it didn't work, I'd simply have to stick to using Nikkor Z or F lenses on my upcoming trip to Raja Ampat. Surprisingly, the Megadap ETZ-21 Pro worked well from the outset! I had expected it to prompt an error message as well, since Nikon firmware 2.0 is so new and none of the adapter manufacturers have had time to update their own firmware to match. So I was pleasantly surprised that the Megadap ETZ-21 Pro worked fine on my camera. I guess I'll be taking that Sony lens to Indonesia after all!

Thanks, Andrei. I'm taking both the WACP-1 and the WWL-C to Raja Ampat later this month. We'll see which one gets more use! I suspect the smaller, lighter form factor of the WWL-C will carry the day, but we'll see. The WACP-1 is definitely compatible with a wider range of lenses than the WWL-C, which only works with my Nikkor Z 24-50mm lens.

Kudos to @DreiFish who sold me his Nauticam WACP-1, presumably to fund the purchase of a new FCP-1! He shipped it to me insured and it arrived safely, in time for my trip to Raja Ampat later this month. Thanks for a smooth transaction, Andrei! Cheers, Mike

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 G ED N VR lens with Nauticam N1635-Z zoom gear installed. Nikon DSLR shooters will know this is one of the most versatile wide-angle zoom lenses for underwater photography. Works well behind a dome port or nearly all of Nauticam's water contact optics, including the WACP-1, WACP-1B, WACP-2, or the new FCP-1. This lens will also work with Nikon mirrorless cameras using a Nikon FTZ or FTZ II adapter. This combination retails new for $1,319.95. The lens retails for $1,099.95 and the zoom gear for $220. Get them both here for $600 or best offer! Please message me with any questions!

Ikelite TTL Dual Sync Cord - Ikelite to 2 Ikelite DS Strobes (4103.52) Connects one Ikelite housing bulkhead to two Ikelite DS Strobes TTL cord connects Ikelite housing to dual Ikelite TTL Substrobes. These synch cords retail for $160 each. I have two of them available. Get them here for $120 each (or best offer)! Please message me with any questions.

You're forgetting one thing: Water contact optics correct the image for water. Dome ports don't. That's why a mediocre lens behind a WACP or WWL optic will produce higher quality images than a first-rate lens behind a dome port. This is especially evident in the corners of the image. I think of the water contact optic as the finest possible lens for underwater applications. Dome ports, even used with the best lenses, just can't compare. Now if you want the best possible quality images, then pair a high-quality lens with a water contact optic!

Thanks for your thoughts! Bottom line: Would any of you buy the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 or Nikkor AF-S 28mm f/1.8 lenses for use with the WACP-1? These Primes appear on the Nauticam port charts for the WACP-1 but I'm not sure they're very useful since I already have other lenses that are my primary kit. Those include the Nikkor Z 24-50mm lens, which I can use with either the WWL-C or the WACP-1; the Nikkor Z 105mm macro; and the Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.6-5.6 OSS lens (with Techart and Megadap adapters). For extreme wide-angle shooting, I have a Nikkor 8-15mm fisheye that I use behind a Nauticam 140mm dome port. Given the utility of these primary lenses, I'm not convinced that the fixed-focal length Prime 28mm or 35mm lenses would give me any real capacity that I don't already have? The only thing I can think of is that they're both f/1.8 lenses and thus would work well in low light situations...

Perhaps a dumb question, but how commonly are Prime lenses (those with fixed focal length) used in underwater housings? If so, what's your favorite Prime lens? I realize most underwater photographers use Prime lenses for macro-photography, such as the Nikkor Z 105mm macro lens. But what about wide-angle lenses? Nauticam lists certain Prime lenses in its port charts, including the Nikkor AF-S 28mm and Nikkor Z 35mm lenses. But how commonly are they used in practice? I suspect most of us use zoom lenses simply because they're more versatile underwater where we cannot easily change lenses in the field. But I wonder if there are any situations where a Prime lens is a superior choice to a zoom lens? @Interceptor121 I suspect you may have thoughts on this as you've tested and compared Prime vs Zoom lenses in the past... Thanks!

Synch cord is SOLD!

This focus gear retails for $220, get it here for $175 or best offer!

Brand new, never used Nauticam N105VR-F Focus Gear for Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR f/2.8G IF-ED macro lens. Nauticam part number 19122. The Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR f/2.8 IF-ED macro lens is a favorite lens of Nikon DSLR photographers for macro shooting. Any questions? Please send me a message!