Dave_Hicks

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.

Yes, back mount is better for boat diving according to the boat captains I dive with. They see lots of divers and the side mounts are sort of a mess and need a lot more support from the crew. That never makes anyone very happy. I do a lot of shore diving independent of any dive shop or guide, so CCR works out great for me. Even when I am diving with a boat or resort in the Pacific Northwest you are still on your own. Nobody does guided dives around here unless you arrange for and pay for that service. You just work with the captain on the dive time, usually 60 minutes, but the profile is up to you. Thanks!

Silence is a major benefit of CCR diving. I did a whole week in Socorro where we listened to humpback whale songs every single dive! You can also find your missing OC buddy by listening for their bubbles. Equipment and training are likely in the 10,000 usd range, but this includes the basics. Most people will want extra tanks, maybe a booster, backup computer, etc. Travel is very doable and I've flown to Mexico, Pulau, Truk, Philippines, Indonesia, California with a pair of CCRs. However, i think there needs to be a good advantage to make the effort. Some locations may limit your ability to take full advantage. Places where you can dive fully independently, need to go deeper longer, and can have extended dive times beyond 60 minutes are best.

FYI: You can find benchmarks comparing the M2/M3/M4 + Pro + Max here: Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2024) review: the Pro for everyone - The Verge

Ignore all this info about bus speed as it will not make a significant difference in real world performance. Most external devices fail to meet theoretical maximums anyways. If you are ready to upgrade get the more recent M3 instead of an older M2 model. Support cycle lifetime and compatibility in the future will be more valuable than whatever benefits the higher end but older ultra model will deliver.

Thanks, I'm glad you liked the article. I've actually already written the "Traveling with a Rebreather" content. It was in this article I wrote for DPG, but they decided to segment it. I think they may run the other portion of the article in the future, perhaps next month? What is covered are some the logistics and coordination with the dive operator, what they can supply and what you need to bring. It also describes some of the work you need to do every night to clean, refill, and prepare for the next days diving.

Thanks! Traveling is really not a big deal. Just know that you'll spend half an hour at the end of each day of diving prepping your CCR for the next day. As for the cold dark thing, I try to relate cold water diving to something many people are familiar with. How would you like an extra 45 minutes on the ski slopes all by yourself? Cold water diving is usually comfortable as you wear the right amount of insulation for the situation.

I never used diffusers on my Inon-330s and did not have that issue. I also rarely shoot in "10-2" strobe positions as I find that tends to yield flat images with little shadow or texture on the subject.

Even light spread is only important if you are shooting flat white walls in a dark room. I challenge anyone to identify an even vs uneven light source in an actual underwater environment. The truth is that most strobes (a similar power levels) are pretty similar. What makes a real difference is how the photographer uses their equipment and composes an interesting subject.

Placebo Effect. A strobe that works reliably, has sufficient battery life, power, and the sync speed you require is as good as any other. I think "quality of light" is feeling not a feature. Many people are putting a filter on their strobes, at which point the light spread is near identical to every other strobe and the light temperature is defined by the filter not the strobe.

An article that I wrote for Dive Photo Guide was just published today! Check it out! Underwater Photography with a Rebreather

Very nice. Upload it to MakerWorld or Thingiverse. I have a Nikon / Nauticam 8-15 zoom gear on MakerWorld. https://makerworld.com/en/models/612332

Look up Boeing 787 lithium ion battery fires. They grounded the planes for quite some time. Or Samsung Phone fires. Etc...

This is already a problem for airlines. I doubt if a few strobe batteries in bags are going move the needle vs. the millions of phones flying. Phones and other lithium-ion powered devices ignite on planes from time to time. Recently you may have noticed a new announcement on flights, especially for planes with first class. "If you drop your phone behind the seat, don't try to retrieve it. Call the flight attendants." These airline seats are motorized, and they can pinch, fold, and mangle the lost phone, causing a fire. The planes all have battery containment gear now:

Yes, I think you are missing something. A strobe with AA batteries can't include a "video quality" light. Retra needed to add an external battery extender to get competitive & acceptable flash counts. With lithium-ion batteries, you can have it all without compromising the design. AA batteries may be simple but have downsides as well. Low power density and high failure rates. Alkaline cells will leak eventually nearly 100% of the time and ruin the device. Higher quality AA batteries exist with less risk of leaking, just like higher quality lithium-ion cells exist with less risk of burning up. And the higher quality AA batteries are actually not that widely available outside of specially stores.

It is crystal clear that the days of the AA battery powered strobe are over. Done. There are better power options available with LiOn batteries today and they open up better feature sets and utility. While you may be satisfied with your current products, it's highly unlikely that future iterations will keep using AA power cells.

You can keep using your existing 105 if you go with Nikon, plus any other lenses you own. You might replace the Tokina with a WWL-C and the low cost 24-50z, which is an amazing combo. The WACP-C won't deliver much if any value over the WWL-C. I would look into the option of a Z8 refurb body, this camera is amazing and will be familiar at the same time. The Cost of a Sony is not going to be cheaper in most cases, plus you will be buying all new lenses. Sony macro lenses have fewer great options versus Nikon's 60mm & 105mm. Nikon has a 105z mount lens but since you have an F-mount stick with that, it's 99% as good.