Proteus

Thanks again to Interceptor121! I enjoy reading the articles, and the detailed testing (and photos) really helps one to see the differences in a controlled environment. Prior, I've struggled to separate lens performance from all the other variables that are changing in the "wild". Your. work is much appreciated. Gary

Price reduced to $450, including battery.

I'm glad we're having this discussion, because I could "swear" that I'm getting better images from the 20-70! And yes, I understand the AOV and corner compromises. There is no "science" behind my impression. Given that I've never done side by side, or equivalent settings comparisons I would be the first to defer to those that have done that kind of work. That said, I am really liking the 20-70 and am thinking that it may become my "go-to" lens, especially in uncertain visibilities. I had planned to use the 28-60 / WWL-1B for this, but now I'm wondering ... Gary

I'd like to offer my thanks, as well. I was (and am) a little blown away at how well the transition was implemented. Great work from the team! Gary

Forgot to add one more picture.

Selling my Sony 16-35 F4 lens. The lens is in excellent condition and I'm including the Nautical zoom and focus gears. I've decided to move into some other lenses, hence the sale. The lenses seem to be selling for about $450-$500 on eBay, so I'm asking $650 for the lens with the additional gears. As you'll see in the picture, I'm including the box, paperwork, and accessories that Sony supplies. null

Forgot to mention that I too have a Canon 8-15 that I use for wide angle, and mostly CFWA use in places like Cayman. I'm finding that I can segment my use into use cases where the 20-70 is "good enough" for most wide angle, and the 8-15 covers the other types of use. The big win, for me, is the flexibility to go from "wide angle" to fish portraits. I never know what visibility I'm going to get on the bottom - especially here in North Carolina. It's quite common to have 80 foot blue water visibility from the surface until 20 feet from the bottom, then 20 foot visibility to the bottom in green water .... or maybe .... blue water all the way down. The 20-70 can cover both use cases. Gary

I've been wondering about the WWL-1B versus domes as well. I have an A7RV in a Nauticam housing and can use it with either a WWL-1B / Sony 28-60 mm or a 180mm dome / Sony 20-70 mm f4 lens (I have both). I've been comparing the two and, from a sharpness / saturation perspective I like the 20-70 more! I realize this runs counter to much of what I've read and am wondering what other folks think - hence this post. For those who have used both setups, which do you like more and why? To be clear, I don't look at corners much. My judgment is based on the center area. I really don't mind if the corners blur as all my attention is on the central area that I'm favoring as a subject, rather than a wide area/vista. I realize both lenses are f4 lenses, but I never plan to shoot less than F8 anyway to maintain DOF and whatever corner sharpness I am getting. Hopefully this answers Bronson's question, in part. I'd love to hear about how others view the tradeoffs between these two setups. I've never done A vs. B pool tests, as Interceptor121 does, so my opinion is based on very subjective fuzzy impressions! Gary

I followed the links / references in Tim's article and was able to order all the materials yesterday. I now have shipping notices from each vendor so everything was in stock. Gary

I would really appreciate a port / lens article, and I'm sure others would as well. I've enjoyed reading the threads where this has been discussed, but have wished for more. Thanks in advance for anything the community creates. Gary

Selling my Kraken LTD 10000 10K Flood\1500 Spot Light. Comes with a spare battery/. This Kraken product boasts a powerful flood and spot beam that provides excellent visibility in underwater environments. The light, and spare battery, are about 6 months old and have been used about 20 times. The unit is in excellent condition and both batteries have their full charge capacity. The unit comes complete with charger, charging cable, spare O rings, literature, and the various mounts supplied by Kraken. I decided to upgrade my setup to to 12K strobes so this one is for sale. An excellent value, especially if you consider that it has a spare battery so you can charge on battery while diving the other. Asking $500 as eBay item 116008546889, buyer pays shipping. To buy this new (as it essentially is), you'd be looking at $599 for the light plus $145 for the battery at Backscatter. I will sell the item through this site if you wish, but I generally sell through eBay as the seller / buyer protections are very good. Likewise, international shipping is very easy for both buyer and seller.

Posting this over from the other site. NOTE: the price is now $800! The strobes are in good condition, function reliably, and have been diving as recently as last month. I purchased a used set of Retra's, hence the sale. The strobes come complete with the original boxes and literature, spare O rings and grease (never used), and mounting balls. Asking $800 USD for both and I will pay the shipping in the US. If I have to ship international, I'll add whatever it costs me and will work to find the best rate. I also have these posted over on eBay - US. If you buy there I'll make less, but I think the shipping is very easy for both the buyer and seller. Alternately, I'll probably ship international using US Postal, which is very reasonable. Note: One of the labels showing battery orientation is buggered up. You can see this in the photo. The label itself is damaged, nothing else. This occurred roughly 5 years ago when I got some water into the battery compartment. As you can see, I replaced the end cap (also was damaged) and have used the unit on many dives since then. Both upper and lower contacts are pristine, as you can see. NOTE: the screw on shades are also included. I wasn't using them when I took the pictures, but are in excellent condition and are included. eBay sale #: 116001392408

Over the last year I've followed several discussions about lens and dome / flat port considerations. I've tried to follow the details but the discussions are usually between members who know far more about this than me. They can assume "basics" that I just don't know. I'm hoping I can motivate a knowledgeable member to write an article about this. I know about, and have read into, various sites that have been referenced (such as Oceanity), but am hoping for something that would walk through a given lens, its placement with extension, and an ideal port determination. Topics, for example, could be: How to determine / estimate the lens entrance. pupil How the entrance pupil and minimum focus distance translate into an extension How example domes (maybe focusing on Nauticam) add XX dimension from their flange to the actual dome (interior?) surface. Information on dome curvatures and their intersections with the flange. How fisheye domes fit into all of this. Hopefully this makes sense, and apologies in advance if I'm already showing just how much I need to learn this. I know, from some past discussions, that manufacturers actually measure performance on a wet/dry fixture, but the calculation would be helpful as a starting point. Gary

Amazing, something I've never seen before ... and a beautiful composition. Wishing I had but a fraction of your skill. Gary

Thank you! I wasn't aware of how to do this and really appreciate the info. Gary

First, and most important, a huge thanks to the folks that created this forum. I am really looking forward to all the good things that will come from your work. Like all of us, I'm new to this site, but a long time member of the old site. I love UW photography (and have the all-to depleted bank account to prove it). I been diving for 38 years in all kinds of environments, with a special interest in wrecks, and have had my share of diving (and teaching) in both warm and cold waters. These days I'm retired and mostly interested in warm waters. You can find me off the North Carolina coast when I'm home, or most anywhere in the Caribbean throughout the year. Gary