Dave_Hicks

That seems more like a pro than a con. The 24-50z covers the entire range of the WWL-C, making it a perfect fit. I've used it a few dives to good effect now and am very happy wth it. All shots taken last week with the Nikon Z8 and WWL-C / 24-50mm.

Probably not a good idea. It could possible be done, but port rings are generally aluminum for a good reason. Weight bearing and strength of filament are not going to be great for this. It might function but i would not trust it. The effort would out weigh the minimal cost of the ring. Now gears are a different story...

This is why you export a catalog from your laptop and import the trip catalog to your desktop. The catalog contains all the edits and metadata.

The newer Nikon Z cameras like the Z9 and Z8 have a new RAW format option called HE*. This option was not in the D850 DSLR. It includes a slight amount of lossy compression in the original RAW capture. However on analysis from many reviewers, and presumably Nikon itself, there is a negligable loss of image qaulity in the resulting files. The RAW NEF files are reduced in size from around 49MB to 35MB or about 30-40%. HE* RAW format is actually the default on the Z8, which should be a statement on how much confidence Nikon has in this choice. I think they adopted this format to increase capacity of the buffer for these high-speed cameras. I decided to leave it as default for most of my shooting. I have not noticed any reduction of quality from the D850 images.

One your Laptop, create a new Folder in the LR catalog for every Trip or Event. Import your photos to that folder on the laptop every day after shooting. I will often triage and tag photos while on the trip, or even do some postprocessing on favorite or remarkable shots. You want to preserve those edits and metadata. When you get home, export the Trip/Event folder from the Laptop's LR catalog as a new catalog. Copy that over to the desktop computer, as well as the folder full of photos. Import the exported catalog to the Desktop's main Lightroom Catalog. If necessary, you might have to point LR to the new location of the files on your desktop.

Another in a long legacy of Sony proprietary memory card standards. Remember the Memory Stick anyone?

It is going to come down to EVF quality and focus accuracy. I have the Z8 but have not used a Z7. If you found major improvement in responsiveness and brightness of the EVF it might be a good trade. I have found the combo of a 45deg viewfinder and the ability to shoot and review in the EVF to be remarkable with Z8.

The Flash Trigger batteries last forever it seems. Mine last for years and i often do 150-200 dives a year. The vacuum sensor batteries need to be changed frequency on the other hand

Try it out and if you see the issue write to Backscatter.

Is the preflash button on the Inon330 strobe depressed and locked as needed with that configuration?

The sync issue i had with backscatter was intermittent. It worked until it didn't and typically continued to fail for the rest of the session. I believe there was a "learning" issue where the strobe used logic to determine preflash and this was not effective.

Yes, I have seen this problem. More than likely this is a Synchronization problem. The issue will exist somewhere between your flash trigger and strobe. What exactly are the brand/model of strobes and flash trigger? I had problems with the Backscatter MF2 not syncing with some Nauticam flash triggers. They have updated the strobes to solve the problem and replaced my strobe with one that works.

Welcome from another Seattle CCR diver, but its Nikon for me.

Thanks! I'll be diving Redondo tonight around 6-6:30pm if you care to join.

Clockwise: Pacific red octopus (Octopus rubescens) Deep Blade Shrimp (Spirontocaris prionota) Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus orbis) Red Rock Crab with eggs (Cancer productus) Shot with a Nikon Z8, 105mm and +5 SubSea diopter, Backscatter MF-2 snoot strobe + Inon 330 fill strobe

Very cool! Just downloaded and installed. Now I have more manuals to read!

As I am rarely diving and taking pictures of large white walls, I think I would go with the first setup. No diffuser. You lose a lot of power with the diffuser for what? Slightly smoother light coverage? I don't see how that will have a significant impact on real world, messy organic scenery.

I just finished my Lensbaby Focus gear. It took 4 parts, but it works great. The lens is very simple and does NOT support autofocus or aperture control from the camera. Entirely manual. I made it for a friend that likes to experiment with these creative lenses. Spacer to sit under the gear and raise it to the level of the Housing's cog. Gear with slots to engage the collar and turn the gear. Slides over the collar and supports the telescoping lens. TPU sleeve to grip the lens Collar with pegs to engage with the gear cylinder

I see. The beauty of 3d printing is you can just make two gears! But sure, less stuff to carry around.

What are the vertical bolts for? Assume you have to align the gear so it does not turn through the tightening flanges?

I am making a focus gear now for a Lensbaby 56mm lens. The entire barrel of the lens telescopes, so multiple parts are needed. The gear has to float free and sit on top of a spacer. The gear needs to have slots that mate with pegs fixed to the collar tight on the lens. Pretty complicated.

Here are a couple of photos from the Z8 + WWL-C for example. Taken on yesterday's dive to Saltwater State Park south of Seattle. These are not the most interesting photos ever, but they show some good detail at both Wide and Zoom ends of the range. The 24-50mm lens results in an 81-130mm equivalent behind the port. Wide: (a very pregnant rockfish - there is much less distortion in the upper left corner than a 16-35, closer to a good fisheye combo) Zoom: (Giant Pacific Octopus tentacle - Corners still pretty good, fantastic detail in the suckers.)

The Z8+housing is a couple of ounces heavier, so nearly the same. However, the full Z8 rig with a WWL-C is a lot lighter and more compact than the D850 with a 16-35 and 8.5" dome with its big 70mm extension ring.

I don't know if n100 gears are the same diameter as n120. But all the gears on a type are identical. The hard part is getting the cylinders to precisely hug the lens. I used a two part solution with a tpu rubber sleeve that the gear cylinder tightly slips onto.

I am currently transitioning from a D850 to the Z8, both in Nauticam housings. I've had the Z8 a couple of months now, but just got the new housing a couple of weeks ago. Mostly it's all about learning the new focusing modes and the EVF with the Z8. A lot of the shooting is similar to the D850. The autofocus improvements and being able to both shoot and preview the shot without moving away from the EVF are the biggest changes. One of my goals with getting the Z8 was the ability to use a WWL-C wet lens, which I dove with today for the first time. I've not even had time to review the photos yet, but it was very nice ergonomically. A compact and lightweight setup compared to a 16-35 in a big dome, and better quality as well. More on this after I've used it a few more times. I don't expect to see "improved" images out of the Z8, but taking advantage of the capabilities of the mirrorless tech and lasted electronics has been very satisfying so far. I'll also be using the Z8 for wildlife photography about water, and there are (maybed even bigger) advances in that scenario.