Isaac Szabo

In my testing I also found that the relay lens reduced image quality a little, so I too went with a monitor instead. To me it makes perfect sense that adding in a lens with 14 additional elements whose only purpose is to invert the image can only have a negative impact on image quality. Nothing in optics is perfect, and I think there are bound to be slight errors that accumulate with so many elements. I have not tried the angled relay, but I am not at all surprised if it degrades the image a little more than the straight relay. After all, it is manipulating the image to an even larger extent, and again, not in an effort to improve image quality. So I personally trust your results. If you do more testing, I would recommend starting at f/8 instead of f/16. Peak sharpness in my testing was around f/8-f/11, and by f/16 I noticed a significant reduction in the sharpness of fine details due to diffraction. So image quality comparisons done in the f/8-f/11 range will likely give clearer results than those done at f/16 and above. That said, obviously for real world shots you may sometimes value the extra depth of field over peak sharpness.

Me too! Hopefully it delivers on the claim.

Image quality is claimed to be far better than shooting through a flat port. It's clear from Edward's post that this is the main reason for this lens. A secondary benefit for some is reducing working distance by shifting the focus range a little closer which helps in poor visibility (so you're shooting through less water). This is a common issue where I shoot but isn't a factor in locations with great visibility. I don't shoot blackwater, but I gather this might help with that too. There is a slight increase in max magnification, but it's not very significant and probably won't be a main reason people buy this lens. There are stronger diotpers available for that purpose. I'm guessing this lens is probably not going to interest people who are already happy with the sharpness of their macro setups, shoot in really clear water, and/or want really high magnification.

Thanks for the info @Edward Lai! It sounds like just the thing I (and others) have been wanting. Do you know if it will also work with 60mm macros on full frame?

What primarily interests me is improving the image quality without losing focus range (though being able to focus closer is nice too). A 60mm on full frame behind a flat port loses quite a bit of sharpness towards the edges. I notice the same thing with the Sony 90mm though to a slightly lesser degree. Does the SubSea +5 improve image quality or just allow you to focus closer? And does it also maintain focus range out to a meter or so?

Wow that does sound fantastic!

Yeah Chip that's how I interpreted it too - with the important addition of improving image quality. I've long been bothered by the sharpness loss towards the edges with macros behind flat ports. Some diopters improve that, but then I lose the ability to focus on many of my normal macro subjects. So if this does what I think it does, it will be a welcome addition for me.

As a point of clarification, it is the camera that is making the auto adjustments to the liveview image. The monitor just displays the signal that the camera sends it. I don't think there's any way to output the auto liveview settings to your shooting settings, other than maybe setting the camera to a fully automatic mode. Short of that, you could temporarily turn exposure simulation back on which might help you dial in your settings more quickly than reviewing test shots. You can likely assign it to a custom button or menu so that you can quickly turn it on or off. As for your second question, my guess is that an HDMI cable or connector could be slightly loose or damaged. If you use a monitor long enough, it tends to happen eventually. While it could be any part of the HDMI pipeline, the ribbon cable and connectors are the most fragile. I have learned from experience to travel with spares for those. It might be a good idea to ask Kraken if they have seen this issue and know what might be causing it.

In the live view shooting settings, try setting exposure simulation to disable.

Yeah Chris I don't know exactly why this happens. I'm just relaying that it has happened to me a couple times and to one or two other people I know. Sealed Nauticam optics, heated up in the sun, fogged inside when taken into cold water. Same Nauticam optics have not fogged if kept covered/shaded from the sun before taken into cold water.

I have seen it cause fogging in other circumstances. Most recently with Nauticam optics like the WWL-1 and EMWL. After they have heated up in the sun they can develop internal fogging when you take them into cold water. It can take quite a while for the fogging to clear (30 minutes or more). I think I have also experienced this kind of fogging with regular wide angle lenses and dome ports, but it has been quite a while ago, so the details are not clear in my memory.

Here are some tips to reduce the chance of fogging. The first two are generally the most significant: 1. If possible, seal cool, dry air inside the housing (such as from an air conditioner). 2. If you have a vacuum system, the more air you vacuum out, the lower the chance of fogging. 3. When opening up the housing to change batteries, make sure no drops of water fall in. 4. When the housing is out of the water, don't let it heat up in the sun. 5. Silica gel packets can help but in my experience are less significant than some of these other things. Since it sounds like the air temperature will never be much warmer than the water temperature, I doubt you will have fogging issues if you follow a few of these tips. The biggest risk of fogging comes when the housing is filled with humid air that is significantly warmer than the water.

Sure, I'll send you a PM. I'm not sure what you have available in the EU. Here in the US I order Overture PETG from Amazon (or Polymaker PETG, which is identical).

Oh no, sorry Alex! I hope it doesn't put too much of a damper on your trip. Maybe I should look into tethering the lens to the port?

Thanks Tim!