Everything posted by TimG
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Near unlimited budget, Susanne. I’m sure folks can suggest from $1000 to $100,000……. to an extent depends how serious you are on video. A very rough ballpark would be helpful. -
I was talking to someone recently who had gone through the move to the Z8 from a high end Nikon DSLR. (Can’t remember which now) but he didn’t see a significant difference. Very interested to hear John’s take.
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I hope you choose ones that have been washed well…… 🤣
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Great to have with us, Sabrina. A warm welcome!
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Hey John, without hijacking this thread, I’d be very interested to know how you’re getting on with this. I've used a trusty D500 since 2017 and other than being able to see immediate playback in the viewfinder, I’m not sure of the advantages of the Z8 and can see some disadvantages. It’d be an interesting thread to start if you were so inclined?
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Great to have you with us, Samir. A warm welcome to Waterpixels.
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Pedro, have you tried asking Aquatica?
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Epoxy?
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Could the hunting problem just be the camera’s inability to cope with the turbidity and lack of contrast? Have you tried a focussing light to help? Perhaps with a red filter to avoid scaring your subjects?
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If it's of any help, I've been using the UWT board for about 8 years and have found it excellent. Batteries (2x CR 2032) last easily through a 2-week dive trip and probably way beyond that. I've switched from Inons to Retras and still use the same board. The UWT has been reliable and (touch wood) problem free. If in the likely event that you do run into problems, Mr UWT, Pavel, is a member on Waterpixels and is very helpful. I've never used the TRT but, again, Mr TRT is a Waterpixeler and very helpful.
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Hey Alex Great to have you with us. A warm welcome to Waterpixels. Lots of advice to be had here for sure. Ask away!
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Ahhhh, what the admins wouldn’t do for a Retra……
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Why not? What have you got to lose? As you say, could be a win-win for you and a buyer. AND Oskar will be happy too. Can life get any better?
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So sell them through the Classifieds, Hugues, and order new ones. You know you want to…. 😱
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Sorry, Gary. I didn’t know about the fixed port. Tricky. Yeah, it has to be a wet lens then.
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If I read this right, Gary, you want to be able to stand further back from your subject? So getting the same distance from your subject as oyu did with the 105mm If that's the case, you could perhaps add a 1.4 or 2.0 teleconverter (TC)? this would increase the magnification of your 18-45mm lens by either 1.4x or 2x. You'd lose a bit of sharpness but arguably not that much and a slight loss of light. You could increase the ISO a little to compensate or use a slightly slower shutter speed or open the aperture. So there are options. You'd also need an extension ring to house the width of the TC - 20mm for, say, the Kenko 1.4 TC which is popular underwater. Generally a diopter allows closer focussing rather than necessarily magnfication
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Thanks Oskar Can you just confirm the fit details for the bumpers and the neoprene jackets? Are they the same size as for the Pro Max 1?
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That's always the case no matter how many or what lenses you have. It goes to the heart of what I often bang on about. You have to decide before you dive what you want to photograph and go equipped for that. That, to me, is where it does wrong with a mid-zoom: neither here nor there. It's not just the equipment but the mindset too. Go set up for macro and you hunt for macro subjects and their frames. Fisheye and you're hunting wide-angle, looking for sunballs etc; mid-zoom - errrr, heaven knows - bit of this, bit of that, a lot of nothing......
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If you're looking for a bit more "reach" with the fisheye, does the Sigma 15mm work with a Kenko 1.4TC? Hmmmm, not sure but others will have view. I think it does. That'd be a cheap way of increasing your options. You'd only need the TC and a 20mm extension.
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Hey dimi I use a fisheye for almost everything wide-angle. I had the Signa 15mm for my D800 and loved it. No, I wouldn’t go with the 20-70. If you want a topside zoom - which is a no-brainer - I’d go with the 28-200. Even better a 24-200 if you can. I got the Nikkor 24-200 topside and love it. It’d be perfect I’d think for topside Galapagos. Useless underwater!
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i can't help with specific dimensions, but the spacers with my UWT board (for a Subal housing) can be no more than 3mm thick. They are not threaded and, as you say, they are just to help the board sit evenly on the housing and avoid contact between any of the board components/electronics and the housing. I think you could almost fabricate a couple from cardboard.
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Retra have announced the launch of the new Retra Flash Pro Max II, which they describe as their most advanced professional strobe to date. "Built on five generations of innovation and field-proven performance, the Pro Max II redefines what’s possible in underwater lighting—delivering Li-ion-level performance using safe and widely available NiMh batteries." "With an impressive 190Ws of flash power, the Pro Max II produces 65% more actual light output compared to its predecessor—all while maintaining the same compact size and weight. This significant leap in brightness is achieved through a redesigned reflector, optimized power handling, and an improved triggering system that channels more energy into light rather than heat. Whether you're shooting fast-paced action or intricate macro scenes, you’ll appreciate the 25% faster recycle times and the ability to shoot up to 2000 flashes at 25% power using the 8×AA configuration. It even supports continuous shooting up to 60 frames per second on low power settings." Full details can be found here: Retra UWTRetra Flash Pro Max IIThe Retra Flash Pro Max II is our fifth-generation professional underwater strobe, engineered to push the boundaries of lighting performance. Delivering 65% more light output, 25% faster recycle ti... -
Hey dimsak I'm sure you'll get lots of great advice on the qualities of each. I'd like to give you a different perspective: My experience has been that a fisheye and a macro are the essentials - anything else is marginal and I'm not convinced by the need for something mid-range. The fisheye covers the vast majority of wide-angle stuff unless you are determined to use a rectilinear lens. Then a macro lens covers the majority of the fish portrait and macro type images. You have the excellent Sigma 15mm; and are planning the macro. The only potential use for a mid-range, for me, is maybe pelagic that won't come close. But even then, really marginal use I've found it better to plan the dive setup for macro or fisheye and then search for subjects that fit that criteria. Mid-range is very much neither here nor there. My advice: save your cash.
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Recovering Wetpixelers are most welcome! Great to have you with us.
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I know we've been over the ground before, but I find the Retras with, as necessary, the Booster work really well with AAs. Taking 32 AA batteries is no big deal when you consider just how much gear we are lugging around. And, worst comes to the worst with chargers, AAs are so easily obtainable. I agree with Oskar.
