dhaas

I think if shooting with strobe(s) which I do and don't do depending on my mood many shooters dismiss slower and less "PRO" labeled lenses without trying them. At f8 being a sweet spot and modern cameras being so much better at ISO400 and above lightweight mid-zoom or "kit lenses" should be given serious consideration IMHO. Lighter weight and lower cost make many a good choice and I've used many successfully over decades. If you're a full frame shooter the mentioned Canon 24-105mm slower lens might be worth picking up! David Haas Here's a couple over 20 year old shots. I used a Canon Digital Rebel XT or XTi, Canon 18-55mm IS lens in an Ikelite housing with 6" dome port and a single Ikelite DS125 strobe. First pic might have been with a Canon 10-22mm EF-S lens....That shark had likely been hooked via a long line and broke free. Bite marks might have made it prey to other sharks (just guessing???)

Depending on what tray you have (preferably a dual handle one) here's a couple low cost solutions. 1) Simply thread some long cable ties (like 6" regulator mouthpiece ones) through the base plate center and a 1-2 lb. weight underneath the housing when you get to your dive location. 2) If enough room buy one of the trim weight pockets for BCDs or weight belts and put that under your housing tray. That has the advantage of sliding various weights into it and cushions the underside a bit. https://www.scuba.com/p-xssqawp/xs-scuba-quick-attach-single-weight-pocket?msclkid=20ce4040d442165e847328f09f4aba2e&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Scuba.com%20-%20US%20-%20P-Max%20-%20Categories%20-%20Scuba%20Gear%20(All%20Visitors)%20700%25&utm_term=2329109226044619&utm_content=P-Max%20-%20Categories%20-%20Scuba%20Gear&gclid=20ce4040d442165e847328f09f4aba2e&gclsrc=3p.ds&gad_source=7&gad_campaignid=22673310953 Just a couple ideas! David Haas

As Tim states Full Frame sensor cameras behind any dome will "challenge" sharpness out the edges. Larger 230mm domes at 15-30mm will be a bit sharper at f8-16 but still I wouldn't count on a huge difference. My advice with gear you have: Shoot with the dome and extension you have if that's what Seafrogs recommends for your particular lens. At 15mm for divers, wide scenics, etc. stop down to maybe f8 - 11...... You didn't say if those were shot only ambient light or with a strobe(s). For over / under shots a larger dome is preferred. You can "cheat" with your smaller dome port. Use f16-22 focussing on the underwater portion then bringing the dome up to get above and below in reasonable focus but all larger dome ports will work better..... Zoomed to 30mm I'd shoot only critters down to maybe 5" long or so. Macro tiny critters will be easier with a longer focal length preferably a dedicated macro lens and flat port. Or shoot what you have an crop and sharpen in post for online sharing. Here's a couple photos of the kiddos in a pool. Canon R100 APS-C sensor 24 MP camera and RF-S 10-18mm lens (equal to 16-28.8mm on my camera.) Used in the Ikelite DLM housing and compact dome port with pair of the new Ikelite Ecko strobes on TTL using the housing's Fiber Optic TT5 transmitter. Good luck! David Haas

Oh how bghazzal writes what I believe too! I look back at every path I RAN down for the next shiny toy I imagined would propel my images into the stratosphere :) Only to end up selling 90+% off after frustrating myself....... Once you find your magic formula of shooting (style or whatever you want to call it) just go spend more team diving and shooting. In 1990 when Phil Rudi, I and a few others got to spend 5 days with David Doubilet in West Palm Beach one evening at dinner I believe one thing he said stuck with me. He was talking about what National Geographic gave shooters once committed to a story. "Time in the water was more valuable than anything else." That idea has stuck with as I traveled, photographed, sold photos, used them to promote hosted trips and more. I"m lucky to been diving long enough through the go go years of scuba growth. Dive computers, BCDs, better thermal insulation and especially digital imaging.....I could go on and on all I've seen in 55 years of diving. It still thrills me keeping me enthusiastically "in the game". I won't fault anyone buying what they want, but when I see many continue to be "getting ready" and never using said equipment enough to get their desired images or videos it does sadden me a bit. So get out there more :) David Haas

Having always stayed at APS-C or under for my UW photographic pursuits I do find many in the tiny UW imaging world always waiting for the "next big thing". This despite current equipment having incredible AF and exposure, large file sizes and capability for any creativity....I see many miss just jumping in to go have fun shooting...... Scroll down on one of my favorite web sites read daily. Ken Rockwell's Aug. 7th post on getting what you want NOW rings true in my book...... https://kenrockwell.com/tech/00-new-today.htm I'm happy with my choices and continue to get outfitted and dive having fun shooting underwater as often as possible. I learn something new (and challenge myself) every time I get below the surface with a camera....... Just one old guy's opinion :) David Haas Here's one example: Diving our local quarry last Sunday the "hazy" 4' - 6' of visibility didn't stop me from trying various techniques. I'm a wide to medium shooter these days anyway meaning get close! Canon R100, RF-S 10-18mm IS lens, Ikelite DLM housing with compact 6" dome port. Shot with ambient light plus a few with a pair of 2,000 lumen Orcatorch video lights not effective past maybe 2' in daylight LOL...... I edited them after "pinging" some files to my iPhone directly from my Canon R100. The iPhone only SeaReal App for color with the one slider then 45 additional seconds per photo using Apple's Photos App included with every Apple / Mac product :)

Elie Masbanji is in California USA. He bought several Nikonos items from me over the years and a nice guy. He's also pretty adept at disassembling them and repairs. [email protected] 818) 309-7673‬

I've tried it with hard wired older Ikelite TTL and current sTTL (Inon) and a few other sTTL / TTL systems. Unless in a bright almost surface condition like Chip and Chris refer to better to pick a fixed ISO then sTTL / TTL will do it's thing better. Of course this is based on f-stop, strobe to subject distance, individual subject reflectivity, etc. It's also easier to change ISO on modern mirrorless cameras up or down a bit then continually changing shutter speed / f-stops once you've set up for depth of field, etc. DH Photo of me in Alexander Springs April, 2025 taken by my friend and PRO UW photographer Paul Rudin :)

WOW.......WOW.......WOW.......You guys amaze me how you configure back ups for what many (most?) say you'll never access those files again. EVER...... LOL..... After years of photo agencies submissions and direct magazines, book publishers, etc. submissions (back in the slide days) I realized there's now hundreds to thousands of shooters with the same exact wonderful colorful images from everywhere, just like many of my photos........ So I stopped...... Stopped trying to duplicate what's been done. Stopped duplicating what I myself shot in oceans worldwide. Stopped doing what I call "SS" as in Shampoo Shooting". Lather, Rinse, Repeat....... Since then I challenge myself shooting and editing a few pics from any trip. All I've ever backed up with is a now discontinued Apple Time Capsule that backs up whatever automatically. Whether it's transferred from my iPhone to iCloud (I'm all Apple guy here) so any keepers are either on my newest MacBook Air M2 or 2017 ancient iMac 27" computer (soon to be replaced by a Mac Mini M4 and big beautiful monitor.) Both my machines have 1TB of storage and I'm nowhere near using the space. BUT......I'm a brutal "delete" shooter and critical of my own pictures. First pass on either machine I go through a full screen review. I've worn out the delete key's label on 2 keyboards of the old iMac.,,,,,,,,Granted they're only sent to the DELETE / TRASH file and I might go back but not likely....My initial reaction is usually a firm yes or no..... On my hosted trips I jokingly tell folks they should select 10-20 shots unless you want to include fun people pics, vacation pics or whatever as a slide show. Those stellar picks you proudly show your friends and family. They'll think you're David Doubilet, Brian Skerry or whomever!!!! LOL...... Like many I can search keepers quickly through year / month / trip, etc. I've never bought Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop although I did have Elements for awhile many moons ago. For decades I've use the included Apple Photos App included free with every iPhone, iPad, MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini, etc. The newest Photos version is maybe 95% Aperture which was Apple's PRO program before they threw in the towel to Adobe. Maybe I'm the outlier not keeping a super organized database, keyboarding, etc. I don't know....... As mentioned in many of my posts I'm the laziest but fun loving shooter out there.......Not trying to be a rebel or critic, it's just a choice at almost 72 years old, diving and shooting for 55 years now.... I do wrestle with myself from buying new gizmos and keep shooting the same old images.......Seeing great pics everywhere these days is in everyone's subconscious. We can't help but see a similar scene in front of us but then it will be OUR photo so it MUST be different :) Last year I said I'd never buy a larger sensor camera (MFT, APS-C or FF) but now am back using an APS-C camera. But still no strobes so far. The new Ikelite RC165 and Ecko are tempting me so we'll see.....MUST....RESIST....TEMPTATION..... My recent posted SS Thistlegorm and other Red Sea trip shots were captured using a pair of 2000 lumen video lights. Most images I shared were taken with ambient light and tweaked using the SeaReal App on my iPhone. I was tickled how many looked after some editing back in Photos. The SeaReal App which I've mentioned previously is only for iPhone and only to adjust color. Any additional editing of shadows, highlights, contrast, etc. I do in the Apple Photos App on a computer after Airdropping the SeaReal color adjusted file. Digital has given us the capability to save anything and everything but I contend we shouldn't...... Keep enjoying UW image making however you like and I fully enjoy hearing what others do to finalize their images :) I'll continue in the "less is more" camp whether shooting, saving, editing and sharing :) David Haas

Kristin, Between the lower end Canon R100 and R50 the R50 has Digic X processor and full sensor width 4K (downsampled from 6K.) It's pretty impressive in a low cost package and you can search out land reviews of the video features on YouTube. So I wouldn't rule out a R50 especially with the wonderful Nauticam NA-R50 housing for either stills or video. High end video shooters may need a bit more variables to control but still most of what video shooters require is built in. Plus what are you doing with your videos? I've shared many good looking 1080P clips online. Last thing is for the lower price of the R50 you can buy 2 bodies / 18-45mm IS STM lens that works in the Nauticam NA-R50 housing and have $$$$ left over for a WWL-C or WWL-B or whatever wide wet lens. Just one guy's thoughts :) DH

I agree 100% with Davide DB's assessment. All the things he mentions in today's modern mirrorless models from many manufacturers mean superior image quality whether in stills or video are achievable with APS-C. What Davide refers to as cynical I call practical thinking. I always was a budget shopper as in: "What do I really NEED to make images (or videos) that I'll actually edit, print, share in whatever format?" I read several photography web sites daily to keep up on tech details but don't get sucked down the rabbit hole of spending more $$$$. Previous APS-C cameras even waning dSLR models produced great images. New mirrorless models (I'm a Canon shooter) have much improved DPAF AF and other features. Those were improvements why I bought a Canon R50 plus even lower priced R100 I use underwater. I do think if you're going into a mirrorless R7 II when it comes out would be a good move. The cheap Canon EF-RF adapter means you could use your existing EF lenses seamlessly. I will say the RF lens versions are usually lighter, smaller and in many cases cheaper delivering great pictures. One underlooked macro is the RF85mm F2 versus the longer focal length RF100 especially on an APS-C sensor (Canon is a 1.6X crop factor.) While the 85mm F2 won't do 1:1 I'd ask potential macro shooters how much 1:1 or even more magnification shots do you REALLY take? Even your 60mm 1:1 APS-C designed macro lens with the EF-RF adapter would produce great macros to get started in a mirrorless camera set up. A lot to parse but think you'd be more than satisfied for years choosing a Canon APS-C mirrorless model. David Haas PS - Search under my name for photos taken with my Canon R50 in the Nauticam fixed port NA-R50 housing plus recently a Canon R100 in the Ikelite DLM housing.

Amigos, Back from the Red Sea northern route including Ras Muhammed and the notable wrecks. Shot no strobes this trip, only video lights inside certain wrecks (SS Thistlegorm) and was pleased with the results. Canon R100 in Ikelite DLM housing, Canon RF-S 10-18mm rectilinear lens. Enjoy! David Haas

PS - These days my remaining dive buddies who shoot a mirrorless ILC camera all shoot FULL FRAME (!!!!!!) Mainly because they want to and can afford to no matter what. I only recently went to an APS-C camera after 9 years shooting nothing underwater but 1" sensor compacts. The reasons? Battery life and CMOS DPAF incredible AF over what I'd been shooting with. Also the improved high ISO capability whether shooting ambient light or any flash or fixed lighting. I'm also testing myself against high f-stops so prevalent in most US shooting. Surface photography, especially creative work is 100% the opposite with isolated focus, bokeh, etc. The only place that's seen in UW imaging is macro and also Super macro. But still......We seem obsessed with technical everything in focus more than the "feeling" of images. It kind of bums me out....... One area isolationism is evident are contests....There's many images that make one stop, look, look again and those keep me even interested in hauling any camera set up on trips and underwater. The "thrill of the hunt" as the saying goes...... Stay safe, dive often and have fun! David Haas

Friends, I've only been an APS-C camera owner and shooter over 25 years of digital. I truly have never understood all the obsession with corner sharpness. If that's what you're looking at as THE important element in your image I just don't get it, but that's just me..... I head to Red Sea in a couple days and like last October on a Cozumel trip will attempt to "shoot different". I take a new lowly APS-C 24 megapixel Canon R100 camera, the unbelievably sharp Canon RF-S 10-18mm IS STM lens and compact Ikelite DLM housing with 6" dome port. I have a pair of 2,000 lumen 120 degree beam lights plus a smaller slightly narrower 1000 lumen light especially for inside the Thistlegorm and other wrecks to play with. That's it...... I can borrow a small Inon S220 or Sea and Sea YS-03 flash from some buddies on board our liveaboard if I care to shoot something with flash, or maybe not....... I'm becoming bored with what I've coined as: "SS" for "Shampoo Shooting" as in "lather, rinse, repeat". Been there done that for too long. I don't mean to sound dismissive, again it's just where I'm at after decades of taking pictures. I won't be obsessing over corner sharpness as I also crop every photo I take (well, usually) and fine tune images to my liking. I realize most of this forum has high end talented shooters desiring top technical quality and have the means to buy top shelf gear, etc. Most (all?) are not making a living from photography as hobbyists not selling or licensing photos. Many win contests showcasing their photos and that's great ! Just thought I'd share different thoughts versus debating age old technical discussions that seem to dominate the forums (sometimes, not always......) Keep diving, shooting and more importantly have fun :) David Haas Some pics shot with everything from 1" sensor compacts to APS-C dSLR even with lowly "kit" lenses......

PS - On the Canon R50 there IS a digital teleconverter built in 2.0X and 4.0X. I've played with a shot or two but not to any extent. That could be a feature to try with the Canon RF-S 18-45mm IS STM lens at 45mm focal length. I'd think LESS is MORE as in don't be too greedy trying to tele-convert too far out......Maybe kick in the 2.0X and see how it look on the proposed Jawfish pics...... DH

When I used compacts notably the Canon G7X II and especially the Sony RX100 VII one feature on these fixed lens 1" sensor cameras was their built in digital teleconverters. The Canon G7X II allowed me to get a sequence of a humpback whale jumping at the max tele-converted range but the pics are only really usable for social media / online. By contrast the small Sony RX100 VII has a built in teleconverter that doubles the optical 200mm long focal length to 400mm. It worked great partly owing to the AF in the Sony RX100 VII (being the same as the Sony A9 dSLR. I think.) It had limitations only applicable on JPEG format and Single Shot. But still in Africa I made pics I was really happy even making some large prints (13" X 19") As to the Canon R50 and Nauticam NA-R50 housing perhaps an internal focus lens choice to limit any length change with a teleconverter like the fixed RF 50mm f1.8 MIGHT give Gary an option for the type of shots he's looking to capture. Personally I'd just shoot the spec'd 18-45mm IS STM kit lens at 45mm. Don't shoot at crazy high ISOs and f-stops (maybe ISO 400 and f11 max) and simply crop and edit utilizing any up-rez and sharpening program. That's just me being the world's laziest photographer :) In today's world it's 50% capture the file and 50% editing no matter how simple you choose to do so. Nauticam's decision for the nice low price point Canon R50 using a fixed port was likely a trade off aimed at the typical mirrorless shooter wanting a small simple to use housing that could still use Nauticam's very capable wet lenses. David Haas