Orestis Papadakis

This is invaluable information and food for a lot of study to come! What I understand is that u/w behind domes, the barrel distortion of the fisheye is an ally, that I couldn't have imagined. From a quick search, I am not sure I could even mount a teleconverter on an EF lens plus the EF to RF mount adapter. For the moment I am not too worried though, as I have tons of other information and equipment to study and understand! I am very very happy that my ignorance has led to the sharing of such knowledge and information!! As you can see, even without getting my equipment put together yet, the addiction has already got me... In the years to come, after I gain some experience and perception, I hope I will be able to experiment with more advanced and complex housing, WWL, etc, but for the moment I'm struggling to even keep up with the terms, let alone understand their practicality and use. So for now, I'll stick with the idea that I should get the 8-15mm and the 15-35mm, in order to give myself some time to deconstruct my decision... 😂

Thanks Callloa! I already have some trim weights for the large domes, as well as "foam" floats for the strobe arms, which I will test thoroughly. I do understand the importance of neutral buoyancy and right balance, as it is also essential in many aspects of my work.

Finally I think the combination of an 8-15mm for u/w and a 15-35mm f/2.8 is indeed what I'm looking for at the moment, without rejecting the 14-35 f/4 (it's just that the f/2.8 might be more versatile for all-around purposes). I have also considered the rf24mm f/1.8 macro for land/all-around use, and I'm glad you mentioned it, because I hadn't even thought of it for u/w. The photos Caollla shared are what I really was not able to visualize for a rectilinear wide angle underwater. This was the eye-opener I was looking for. Everything is well explained and spot on! Happy to be here! 🙂 Thank you all so much for your time and valuable information!

Thank you very much Caollla! With the images you shared, I can now clearly visualise the difference u/w between the curved fisheye and the rectilinear perspectives, in almost the same field/width of view. For some very strange (to me) reason, the curves of a fisheye look more natural underwater, which doesn't seem to be the case on land. That was very helpful. I would really appreciate a review when you use the 10-20mm some more! Cheers

Thank you Tim! All eggs are welcome! Yes, in fact, the focusing distances are 15cm for the 8-15 and 28cm for the 15-35. When I understand what a teleconverter really does, I hope to be able to use one instead of the simple ef to rf converter for the fisheye. As for the port extensions, I already have the ones needed for the 24-105 and 100mm and will get all the necessary ones for the other lenses to come. I understand the difference between the curved image of the fisheye and the rectilinear of the 15-35 (or the 10-20mm), but what I still can't understand is why the curved fisheye effect alone is really needed when the field of view could be the same (or even wider if we consider the 10-20mm). In the following video, my confusion might be more understandable as it compares the 10-20mm, 11-24mm and 15-35mm with the 8-15mm fisheye (when the latter is supposedly always used at 14 or 15mm), but I suppose that u/w it's a completely different perspective, especially with CFWA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l09paPVaFxM I hope my questions and lack of knowledge are not too frustrating.

As I am not a granny but I do like eggs, and considering that 2 months ago I literally had no idea what the aperture, shutter speed, or iso stood for in photography (not to mention I had never used a "real" camera), any input from experienced people is invaluable! For the moment I'm just trying to catch up by studying, reading reviews, watching videos and shooting in manual all day... Unfortunately, as I have spent/invested my savings on the camera and complete u/w gear, upgrading to the more advanced Nauticam / WWL, although definitely a plan, for the moment is not an option. For now, I will have to stick and learn with the Ikelite DL200 housing and relevant domes/extensions, while my very first trials will be with the 24-105mm +4diopter.... Finally, I'm starting to love the 8-15mm! 😂 What I'm still struggling to understand, is why I can't use the rf15-35mm fixed at 15mm and have similar results with the ef8-15mm, also at 15mm, as I assume they will both provide a similar field of view. Also, does the minimum focusing distance of the 15-35mm make such a huge difference for a close-focus wide-angle shot? The edge sharpness comparison you mention between the 16-35mm and the fisheye, does indeed make our world a lot stranger! In any case, I already have the 230mm and 160mm domes, and a flatport, waiting for their lenses. Maybe the ef8-15mm for u/w plus the versatile rf15-35mm f2.8 for general use is indeed the way to start (+the 100mm), unless I get some extraordinary feedback on the rf10-20mm. Thank you very much Tim! This is a completely new world for me and every piece of advice is very helpful at this stage!

Hi all, I'm pretty new around, with no experience in UW photography and photography in general (my background/gear info can be found here: https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/890-hello-from-greece/#comment-3772). I am looking for FF lenses that I can use with my Canon EOS R6 Mark II for both UW and general photography (UW being the priority at this point). The two lenses I will use for sure are the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, which I already have as a kit lens, and the RF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM, which I will use mainly for macro. The dilemmas for wide-angle: EF 8-15mm f/4L USM fisheye +EF to RF mount I keep reading and being told that this lens is an absolute must for wide-angle and close-focus wide-angle UW photography. The point is that I don't intend to use the spherical aspect of this lens, so I'll have to use it all the time at 14-15mm, while I'm not sure I even like the fisheye effect of the 14-15mm (the latter may be due to my complete lack of experience with photographic perspective in general). I am also not sure how well this lens could catch up with the improvised autofocus of the R6mii, compared to the newer RF lenses. Lastly, I don't know if the lack of IS, could also be a drawback. RF 10-20mm f/4L IS STM In my perception, this could be the best alternative to the ef 8-15mm, as I can use its full focal length for full-frame images without the spherical/fisheye effects. My doubts have to do with a) its insane price (can't find it used anywhere in the EU yet), b) I don't know how good this lens is for close-focus wide-angle, and c) the complete lack of UW reviews. From a quick search, I saw that the member @CaolIla owns this lens, so I would be really grateful for a short review. RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM I would only consider this lens as an alternative, but cannot see its use among the others on this list. RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM This lens would have been my first choice for UW and general use, as the f/2.8 could really come in handy for more artistic/all-around photography, while its 15mm focal length is still very wide. My doubts have to do with its ability to shoot wide-angle and close-focus wide-angle UW, compared to the ef8-15mm or the rf10-20mm, as its minimum focusing distance (28cm) is also quite long. minimum focus distances: EF 8-15mm f/4L: 15cm RF 10-20mm f/4L: 17cm RF 14-35mm F/4L: 20cm RF 15-30mm f/2.8L: 28cm At the moment, in terms of usability and price for both UW and general use, I think the most realistic solution is the combination of an EF 8-15mm f/4 and an RF15-35mm f/2.8 (I could find both in less price than the rf10-20mm alone), but again, if I could limit my choices to a single lens capable for UW wide-angle and close-focus-wide angle, that would be ideal. What is your advice/thoughts? Thanks in advance, and sorry for the messy/ long text... Orestis

I'm not sure how and if any of my research and scientific diving background would be of interest to the forum. Below is my research profile, and if there is interest in any particular area, I would be more than happy to contribute. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Orestis-Papadakis I am currently mainly involved in the assessment of native and alien fish communities, the protection/conservation of the critically endangered Mediterranean fan mussel (Pinna nobilis), and the conservation/restoration of the endangered endemic Mediterranean stony-coral Cladocora caespitosa. Last but not least, we are very good friends, colleagues, and collaborators with Dimitris @homodelphinius, who is also responsible for my presence on this forum! Cheers, Orestis

Thanks a lot Tim! Here, I would like to add some more information about my underwater photography background and equipment, so that I can use this thread as a reference for other threads I will be participating in. UW photography background: Although I have been in the sea for pretty much all my life and the past 15+ years I have been studying and working in the fields of marine biology/ecology with scientific diving, apart from action cameras and other basic gear (sony rx100iii with single sea&sea ys-D2 strobe), I have zero experience yet in more advanced UW photography gear and techniques. I only recently decided to take the next step and delve more deeply into UW photography and as I mentioned in my earlier post, I intend to use it for both recreational and professional (scientific diving) purposes. The good news is, that when I love something, I get fully into it and I do learn fast. Personal equipment: Camera: Canon eos R6 mark II Lens: rf 24-105mm f/4L is usm (more to come soon) Housing: Ikelite 200DL Strobes: 2x Ikelite DS232 with TTL converter and diffusers Lab's equipment: Cameras: Sony RX100III, Sony RX100VII Housings: Ikelite Strobes: 2x Ikelite DS160II, x1 Sea&Sea YS-D2, with fiber optic cords cheers, Orestis

Hello all and nice to meet you! I'm very happy to be here. My name is Orestis and I'm a marine ecologist/biologist phd candidate from Greece. I am really new to the world of underwater photography, which I intend to participate in both recreationally and professionally, with my new camera (canon r6 mII). I will be back soon with tons of questions about pretty much everything... Cheers, Orestis