Dave_Hicks

Here is the same Lumpsucker before it alighted upon my strobe: Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, +5 diopter, f16@1/200s iso250 Backscatter MF-2 strobe & snoot + BS HF-1 strobe

Is it still a snoot shot if the fish is sitting on top of the snoot?

I went diving last night near Seattle looking for Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers. I found one very quickly and spent some time shooting with my MF-2 + Snoot and an HF-1 for fill lighting. This little lumpsucker charged at me and decided to settle down right on my MF-2's snoot! (you can see the aperture card sticking up) I carefully maneuvered the snoot in from on my 105mm lens and moved the HF-1 to light up the scene, trying not to upset the little fish the whole time. I got of a few shots as it squirmed around on the snoot, and this was the best one! I was also trying out a macro reduction ring I 3D printed for the HF-1. It seems to do a pretty good job! Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, +5 diopter, f18@1/200s iso250 Backscatter MF-2 strobe & snoot + BS HF-1 strobe

I used to use the 3mm plastic core cables, but some strobe models like the older S&S units had inconsistent triggering with that material. They are also more fragile than the 613 multi-core fiber. It's cheaper, but not as good in my experience. With the multi-core available at about $7 USD per meter in the USA, it's really not expensive for what you are getting. I make my own 3d printed connectors as well, using PETG & TPU. I've shared my most current design for 2mm fiber connectors at the link below. I would love to see your connectors as well if you have made them available to share. I am always looking to learn from other's great ideas! https://makerworld.com/en/models/846729

Shooting wide angle reef scenes i am shooting at least iso400, up to 800 if the ambient light is poor.

Just download StarNet++. You can run it from the command line or a simple Gui applet. It's about 80% as good as this app, but free. But honestly, you need to use these tools with a app that supports masking and layers. Fortunately they are plenty of non Photoshop solutions for that too.

Most contests look at raw photos and will specify the degree of edits allowed. This is just a labor saving tool, there is nothing in this that can't be done with existing post processing tools like Photoshop. So i don't see anything new changing in competitions.

I would guess that the photographer put a piece of glass over the subject and introduced a few bubbles underneath it. It probably required a platform on the glass to keep it in place. While some contests allow for created edits, I don't think a filter or AI construct would be allowed.

Still the case with the new strobe. Spotting light is centered.

That's no fun! There is always room for more Lens and Ports! 🙂 Seriously though, I think you will be really happy with the WWL-C and 105z. With the addition of your 8-15 you have the bases covered for 99% of the shooting you might dream about. BTW: You can buy the 24-50z lens in Like New quality from KEH for less than half retail price. ($193 vs $396) Get your 24-50z / Nauticam zoom gear here, which I designed and shared: Nauticam Zoom Gear for Nikon 24-50mm Z-mount lens by awkward_swine - MakerWorld null

No, not the same at all. This unit is using an entirely new power source (lithium ion), very different flash tubes, and a 6000 lumen video light. I am sure the circuitry is very different in many respects. Heat dissipation and power circuits are always the weak points in UW strobes and we've seen many units that had common failures in these areas. (S&S DS2, Backscatter MF1, Inon 240, etc) Only time in market will prove any new products to be reliable and even then anecdotal reports make it tough to get a true read on the story.

Seems a bit early to be to be making a statement on reliability.

The specs look really good. I am happy to see Retra stepping up to meet the growing list of viable competitors in the market, and take some steps to close the price gap. I look forward to watching the preview video.

Maybe give it a try using manual power level control. Lots of photographers prefer Manual over TTL as you can get much control and better results. TTL can be nice to have sometimes but it is limiting. When i used Ikelite strobes and housings I used TTL initially but soon found it was not good at wide angle. A little while later i realized i could to better on manual for macro as well.

No insults intended at all, that was not my goal. You have my apologies. I just don't understand the point of redefining the specified FOV. They are all relative I assume, so if you redefine one you need to do so with them all. What's the point of this recalculation?

Just for fun, I tried one of the free astrophotography star-remover apps, StarNet++. It works nearly as well as this paid solution, but you'd have to do a bit of plumbing to get it to automatically create the layers in PS. It only takes a couple of clicks to get the same result making a pair of layers. There are numerous youtube tutorials that show you how to use it StarNet++. I don't know how much customization they did with StarExterminator to remake it into BackscatterExterminator, but StarNet++ works pretty darn well on UW photos as is.

Madness. Get back to us when you have done these calculations underwater and revised the spec sheets for the entirety of the Nauticam port charts. 😲

You have the wrong data for the WWL-C FOV. It's 130-72º per the port chart.

The WWL-C is far more versatile providing 130deg wide angle and near macro zoomed to 50mm. The quality is excellent and no different from the WACP. It is a wet lens, but I've not found bubbles to be an issue. It's easy to clear it if that is a concern. This is my go-to setup most of the time. I don't think it replaces a Fisheye, and I still have the 8-15mm. However, I only use that in very specific scenarios where an ultra-wide fields of view is beneficial. Here are two shots from the same dive with the 24-50 & WWL-C at 24mm & 50mm.

Get the WWL-C and 24-50z setup. Excellent and very versatile. You may also want the 8-15mm behind a dome. I use it with the Zen 180mm with a 20mm extension. Not sure what else you could need beyond that. I also have a Kraken krl09 wet-wide lens for the 60mm on a flip, nice for some situations where you want true macro with a wide option. I designed a 3d printed zoom gear for the 24-50z. I am happy to send you one for shipping cost, and save you a couple hundred. DM me if interested.

Both work if we are talking about glass fiber. Multi-strand is better as it is more durable with a tighter bend radius. Less likely to break or fail.

Buoyancy control can be more refined than on OC, so no issues with blackwater diving.

Not sure i agree. On my ccr, while talking photos i am constantly adjusting buoyancy. I mostly do this hands free by exhaling through my nose to dump gas from the loop or pulling a hard breath to activate the ADV and add to the loop. Sure, its a bit less efficient, but that's the a sacrifice to the camera.

The main thing you need is to be able to fill 100% O2. Transfill from a big industrial O2 bottle that most dive operations have to blend nitrox. I often bring my own 14cf 2000psi O2 bottles as they are light and easy to transfill at a low pressure without a booster. Just pull the valve before you pack it. You can bring you own Sorb just like any other luggage. I can rent a diluent bottle in sizes from 30-80cf anywhere. So O2 fills are your limiting factor, which most places can handle. Beyond that it's just how valuable the CCR option is for that location.

I heavily favor m-CCR units. I think they are less complex, fewer points of failure, and far easier to maintain. No electronics to fail, batteries to changes, solenoids to jam, or electrical harnesses to corrode. I have been diving with Kiss mCCR units since 2007 and never once had to take it to a shop or send it back to the factory. There is nothing on the unit that i can not service or replace on my own. Diving an mCCR is simple. O2 flows at the rate you consume it when maintaining depth at a light workload. You adjust it when changing depth. This quickly becomes like maintaining speed while driving a car. You don't need to stare at your gauges but are always aware of them. This constant awareness is critical to safety, and in my opinion a reason that eCCR units are less safe. They enable complacency which can get you in trouble on that 1/100 day when something fails. mCCR units require your attention so you develop better and safer habits. Adding photography should be no problem, but build up a few dozen hours on unit first.