dhaas

I'd like to know aspect ratio with the lens mounted as Davide asked. I set my Osmo 5 currently for WIDE as I don't care for fisheye curvature. My DJI Osmo Action 5 PRO will see some pool testing before my next trip. My understanding of the Inon UWL-03 lens is it sharpens the corners while widening the view, correct? I also assume I'd need whatever adapter clamps on or around the DJI clear housing. I'll use the housing while diving or snorkeling with the Osmo 5 all the time. I'm not going to chance just the camera even though it's rated to 65' depth. Thanks in advance! David Haas

Gary, Long time back in the "F" (FILM" days! LOL..... As to the Canon R50 look for a post I believe I shared dialing in one of my travel guest's Nauticam R50 rig he bought. It is very compact and usable !!!! Yes, one control dial to adjust shutter speed or aperture but the Canon R50 APS-C camera is 24MP and has incredible AF, a burst mode not even found on more expensive APS-C models and great 4K video full sensor. It's light and compact for travel too. While as posted I use a 1" sensor compact the Canon R50 interchangeable lens, Nauticam wet lens add ons is a big jump in my book and should be looked at. Add smaller strobes for Manual or TTL and you'd likely find a significant size and cost savings while still getting great pics. David Haas

Glad to hear Tim is more discerning as to shots per dive! I do still wonder how many serious hobbyists cull their treasure trove of images after a trip (????????) The numbers are likely staggering and we all delude ourselves; "I'll go back and try and see what I can do to that photo". One old article of a conversation with a National Geographic photographer was how many shots they'd shoot to have an editor select the final 5-6-13 or so shots that would illustrate an article. I think it was Joel Sartore who's work I love! His Photo Ark Photo project documenting the last of certain species (too many left in a zoo )draw you in to the essence of all manner of creatures of our planet. I know some criticize his approach but I think the images are stunning..... His conversation with an editor he asked if she thought he shot "fat". Meaning over and over and over of a subject trying to get that one "perfect" shot (whatever that is.) She told him no, you're in the same vein of 6,000 - 10,000 frames PER TRIP. Nat Geo would many times allow a photographer to go back to whatever destination / assignment if they felt he / she didn't "get it". That could result in a doubling of frames clicked and this was in the FILM days.......I'd hate to think about the numbers today....Granted, most (almost all?) aren't shooting for National Geographic or other publication. I hope my previous posts aren't taken as a "burn the house down" for change. That was not my intent. My intent is to get people to THINK about what they'll do with their pictures, how realistic it is then weigh it against $$$$, time and hassles of travel as the OP asked. Then make a best decision for YOU........ Keep shooting and diving! David Haas

I want add a few more thoughts relating to gear and mainly photography in general...... I read this article a few years ago: http://www.peterjonlindberg.com/#/new-page-1/ Here's another thought provoking one: https://petapixel.com/2016/04/18/favor-p-program-mode-photography/ While we pride ourselves risking life and limb venturing underwater to photograph (and video) things most won't see I believe digital has created a monster we've all embraced. The monster is VOLUME........ Early memory cards were expensive and slow processing. Today we shoot THOUSANDS of photos on a trip (hundreds to over a thousand per DIVE) then gleefully load them on our editing device of choice. MAYBE some have the discipline to scroll through and pick stellar choices to edit to their chosen vision. I say MAYBE because almost all photographers I know save EVERYTHING. I too was wowed by not having the limit of 36 frames as digital came on the scene and grew by leaps and bounds. Storage has become cheap and fast (almost unlimited) even if shooting large megapixel RAW files many camera's produce. My point as in the first article is WHY we do this is never questioned. We do it because now technology allows us to! On a couple of my recent hosted trips (Raja Ampat Nov. 2023, Maldives Feb. 2024 and Bali May 2024) I challenged guests using dSLRs to compacts to iPhone users. I suggested they make an album of 10 pictures at trip's end they'd consider printing and hanging on a wall. Maybe expand to 20 but that's it! No one thought it was crazy and all embraced the idea! It was more a competition with yourself as the only participant. It got some folks to really think how many missed focus / framing / exposure or totally almost nice photos they keep. Plus where and when will they even share those photos! "Hit the delete key more!" I proclaimed LOL...... I share these thoughts not to crush anyone's dream, aspirations, gear ownership or whatever. One category of shooters who likely do this already are CONTEST participants. Why? Because they HAVE TO to enter :) These are just observations I regularly see "out in the field" that might make subsea photography more enjoyable. I call it "LESS is MORE" for lack of a better term. Just more "old guy thoughts" !!!

As I've posted before I switched in 2016 from a housed APS-C camera (Canon) and dual strobes already shrunk down to Ikelite DS51 units for wide angle and macro. My choice of a 1" sensor fast 24-100mm f1.8-2.8 lens Canon G7X II I still use today. As Chip states you have to know limitations of any camera or lens and play to those strengths. I have and made huge prints from those files. Packing and traveling became easier even with a pair of small Inon S2000 strobes. Still needed batteries, arms (I preferred light FLex arms and trays but that's me), cords, etc. Recently I sold all my strobes (Inon S220 and I liked them a lot) and used just a 1000 lumen flashlight or shot all ambient light on Cozumel for a week. I shared those photos in a previous post and were happy with them. I've shot all the macro pics I need since 2001 when I got my first Nikon D100, then Canon Digital Rebel, then progression of dSLR cameras. I also shot my iPhones underwater for the past 4+ years but recently reverted to just my little 1" sensor compact. I do use my iPhone for practically all surface shooting of family or whatever. There's no camera easier to share your view of the world as easy as a smartphone ! AI and other editing for up-rezzing files is where I think all imaging will continue to progress and likely rapidly ! From my Canon G7X II I can pop the SD card into a simple SD card reader in my iPhone for a quick edit using SnapSeed or the color App SeaReal. I currently have an iPhone 13 PRO Max but soon maybe a 16 PRO / PRO Max. On shooting a compact underwater I "discovered" technical details of a 1" sensor camera at 24mm and other focal lengths. One phenomenon is smartphone small sensors have practically unlimited depth of field at wide open. Similarly I can shoot my Canon G7X II camera at 24mm / f1.8 allowing more light to reach the sensor. This keeps the ISO low (125 is lowest on my camera) and the photos look sharper edge to edge than stopping down! When I shot with strobes my "magic settings" were ISO 125, f.5.6 (equal to about f11 on a full frame sensor) which didn't impart much DIFFRACTION small apertures introduce on any lens. I'd vary shutter speed for background brightness and water color. Being a small mirrorless camera the Canon G7X II synchs at ANY shifter speed if shooting with flash up to 1/2000 !!! Just another fact I found when pondering moving to a smaller rig 8 years back..... Limitations: A small camera means small battery but my housing can be opened and swap a camera battery in 45 seconds once I'm ready with a dried housing, hands, hair, etc. I've done it hundreds of times........My Fantasea housing has DUAL o-rings (greased rear door one, plus flat White GoPro style gasket and later models have a vacuum system. I also have a "new to me" Nauticam Canon G7X Ii housing with the vacuum in it I'll play with or possibly sell. My migration to shooting no flash I can get 200 - 300 shots per dive depending how much I screw around with menu changes, etc. Another advantage when I did shoot with flash is a camera's internal flash is compacts generally don't have a hot shoe. So flash firing will depth your battery faster. I routinely got 150 shots per small battery but I always shot S-TTL too...... I accepted the limitation as a benefit because I took a limitation of no flash trigger out of the camera to external flash chain......No mystery flash trigger / hot shoe / whatever brand camera flash protocol. I have seen many high end system users travel 1/2 across the planet and can't get their camera's flash set to fire 😞 I've been reluctant to share any of these details as Waterpixels.net like the previous Wetpixel is the realm of high end large systems almost 99% and that's fine. Those choices are incredible image making machines but add $$$$, weight and size, etc. Most here won't likely change and it took me a while to convince myself change was worth the conversion without giving up the fun of creating photos on land or underwater. I doubt my opinion will sway many as posts and ideas dismissing compacts from "not serious cameras" and unfortunately from people who never really used one for any length of time. It's similar to folks giving up using a viewfinder and framing with the LCD. One close friend who's a great photographer above and below has been using his Nikon Z6 and Z8 for wide angle shooting underwater with the LCD exclusively. Granted his high end cameras have great LCDs and he still uses the eyepiece for macro with a 45 degree viewfinder. Like many he simply can't change after decades of shooting and that's OK ! After over 40+ years shooting film to digital SLR to compacts and iPhones I still find the activity fun and engaging but I would encourage folks to explore options......... Just one old guy's opinion turning 71 last Monday but still "in the game" 🙂 David Haas

A few more from the past few days. Our dive day 6 got scrubbed due to port closure with wind and waves / currents. No worries, had a good time and didn't even use my flashlight the last two days working white balance in camera (a Canon G7X II feature with FISH Icon) plus shooting more wide open f-stops 🙂 David Haas

Hola' amigos! Spending a week on Cozumel and working on shooting with no strobes. Day 1 I did shoot a few photos with the little diffuser on my Canon G7X II Fantasea housing but today shot 90% with no strobe. I used a flashlight on our wreck dive (only 1000 lumen one with semi-narrow beam) and it was great fun 🙂 Stay tuned for more details and pics as I pare my set up down to almost nada' (Nothing :) David Haas

I'm glad these discussions are at least happening. Everything davide and bghazzal are observing is happening in real time these days and whether or not it replaces high end large systems remains to be seen. I've probably used a smartphone underwater more than many (most?) here. I started with my iPhone Xr then iPhone 13 PRO Max in DiveVolk housings plus use my iPhone all the time above water. When I pick up any camera I immediately have to "think more" whether it' exposure or whatever.....Computational capability built into any smartphone makes this process seem like the dark ages of imaging 😞 I still own a 1" sensor 20 MP Canon G7X II compact camera. Will take it to Cozumel next week ( thank goodness after the hurricane) and won't be using my iPhone underwater for the foreseeable future. I've probably posted the opposite here but for now it's the direction I'm going...... Another thought is despite taking the occasional video clip (my Canon G7X II has really good 1080P) I'm more a stills shooter. If video was my main interest I'd keep using my iPhone or the new DJI 5 (which I actually have a set up in a shopping cart as we speak.) Simpler, smaller, etc. Another diver in our small group is bringing his 24MP APS-C Canon R50, the same camera I posted photos shot in the beautiful Nauticam NA-50 housing with a WWL-B. It's great but he has a SeaFrogs housing with flat port for the Canon RF-S 18-45mm kit lens plus small dome port for the Canon RF-S 10-18mm rectilinear lens. We will be shooting all these set ups so stay tuned 🙂 David Haas Howard Hall with a Gates 6K (or ????) set up a few years back 🙂

Any M chip (M2, 3 and 4) MacBook including MacBook AIR models would be good if considering a laptop versus an iPad. Wife travels with an iPad but not doing any editing, barely emailing etc. I prefer a computer and my M2 MacBook AIR 13.6" bought as a refurb runs plenty fast no matter what I'm doing. Either choice as Chip says a M chip Apple product could be the ticket 🙂 David Haas

NO LONGER AVAILABLE...........

No lanyard except in situations too deep to go retrieve it 🙂 Isla Guadalupe, 200' deep below cage windows is one. Drop it and no one's going to go get it for you on a bounce dive...LOL...... Snorkeling or deep water where you drop it it's gone, yeah maybe..... Never used one even with large SLR set ups and dual Ikelite DS160 strobes. Always just got in the way for me.....When asked I'd reply: "My camera is either on the boat or in my hands.If need be to help my dive buddy (spouse) it's much less valuable! " Those coiled lanyards with plastic ends I've seen crushed, break and let go, etc. I give them away to small point and shoot housing users. I do like adding the bungie cord through the coils though..... Just one old guy's opinion! David Haas

If anyone is interested in only the Nauticam FlexiTray II with dual handles, ball mounts and trigger assembly message me directly. Happy to entertain offers. davidhaas4596@gmail.com USA Eastern time zone: 330-329-5981 talk / text / leave message

Virtually unused Nauticam G7XMKII housing for compact Canon G7X II. Includes vacuum system (I put in new battery and all works as shown) and has Flat N50 port with 67mm threads usable with Nauticam's 67mm adapter or bayonet adapter for WWL / CMC lenses. Also includes Nauticam's DRY dome port that maximizes the Canon G7X II camera's native 24mm widest focal length. Complete Nauticam Flexitray II with Handle Support plates, 1" ball mounts and pistol trigger assembly, spare o-rings and manual. Prefer US based sale only. This package was over $2,500.00 and for a compact shooter would provide bulletproof capability in a small package. $1300.00 plus actual shipping (approximately $35.00 USD with insurance via USPS Priority.) Payment via Zelle or PayPal Friends and Family gets shipping in 2 business days and sometimes next day 🙂 Email direct or call / text. I'm EST (Eastern Standard Time Zone) in the US. David Haas Stow OH 44224 330-329-5981 EST call / text davidhaas4596@gmail.com

Mark H, After many trips to Philippines 2010 - 2019 I had a few opportunities to do Mandarinfish dives. Most were over rubble areas after dark or dusk when the little lovers became more active. The smaller males flit in and out pursuing the females until one relents and they rise into the water column releasing eggs and sperm. I ended up with a few shots and have seen others where a very lucky photographer even captured the eggs and sperm and fish (!!!!!!) Here's one of my captures. I never owned a full frame SLR as my budget was always APS-C size 🙂 Photographed with a Canon T4i and 60mm APS-C macro lens. Over the years using several Canon APS-C dSLR cameras the SERVO focussing mode tracked pretty well once locked on . This is of course if the subject stays somewhere in the frame! I had better success with the dive guide using a low power light "pointing" to where a pair was likely to pop out of the rubble. Good luck and you'll find plenty of great photo ops in the Philippines! David Haas