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Magic Filters
Thank you bghazzal, Yes, mostly interested in stills, but the video threads are interesting too. Best Regards.
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Magic Filters
Thank you Chris, still digesting all the information contained in the wp thread. Specially interesting the link to Interceptor's article.
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wetdreams started following Advice on Building My First Underwater Photography & Videography Setup (Fujifilm X-T3) , drying ports and water optics in the field? , Magic Filters and 3 others
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drying ports and water optics in the field?
Hi Robin, My routine is the following: 1- rinse-submerge the gear in clear tap water 2- rinse the gear with de-mineralized water, specially ports (glass), viewfinder and levers/buttons (plastic water bottle with a tiny hole in the cap, squeeze the bottle and you have a jet of pressurized water) 3- inmediately, dry glass and viewfinder with microfiber towel 4- remove excess water from the gear with remaining air in my dive thank, using an Air pistol attached to my lpi hose 5- final drying of the gear with a microfiber towel. My key steps are de-mineralized water in the glass and drying It with microfiber towel. Since I follow this routine, no more water stains in housing or ports. Cheers.
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Magic Filters
Never used them, and wondering if they're worth a try. I'll appreciate if any of you guys could share some experiences with them. I would set it in my wide angle setup (Fujifilm 16-50 f2.8-4.8 + Nauticam MWL-1) for the availabe light dives, adding blue filters to the Z330s in case I need to fire the flash. By the way, the Fuji 16-50 (58mm filter size) lacks of rear filter holder, and the gap between the lens and the port glass doesn't allow for a screewed frontal filter. Thanks in advance.
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Are two Backscatter MF-2 flashes enough for FF macro?
Hi Architeuthis, my rig is not FF, but APS-C (Fujifilm). For me, 2 Backscatter Mf-1 have been working flawlessly for macro since my begginings in UW photography. Like Giancarlo, I have a quick detach arm in one of the strobes, just in case I want to place It off camera (with a long fiber optic cable). My main subjects are nudis, so plenty of power with the Mf-1s. With medium macro subjects, like seahorses, no problem too. Sometimes I shoot bigger subjects (Moray eels, rockfish...) and have to be a little further away (my go-to lens is a 80mm macro, 120mm equivalent) , then I have to set full Power in the strobes, and remove the difussers. No experience in FF, but with my actual rig never missed more powerfull strobes. 99% of my pictures were taken with one or two MF-1, you can take a look at @wetdreamsphoto. Hope this can help.
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Purchase from a non-member. Feedback
Hi all. Not sure if I should post this here. Just arrived my new (pre-owned) housing, an Nauticam Na-Xt5, that I purchased from a non-member gentleman, Mr. Minos Yu. At first I was a little bit scared with this purchase, in part because I didn't have any feedback about this guy, in part because he is located in China. Then he explained me that he is the owner of Nitescuba, a company located at Shenzhen, specialized in underwater lighting, also running the Nauticam sales service in his area. He also showed me he had done many pre-owned Nauticam sales in his Facebook marketplace profile. All that gave me some confidence, and I decided to buy the housing. All I can say is that everything gone right. The housing arrived within the arranged time, and it's condition is close to "brand new". You can find this gentleman in "Buy & sell UWP equipment" and other UW classifieds Facebook groups, and also contact him vía Nitescuba email. You can also ask him to let you know when he gets x or y pre-owned housing, he is a serious person and will call you back for sure. JFYI Best Regards
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Backscatter MF-2 Remote trigger vía MF-1
Just to explain, as no one seemed to know the answer, I emailed Backscatter. In less than an hour I had an email from Cameron in my inbox, with a detailed explanation, plus links to videos and articles of the topic. Thank you Cameron. Thumbs Up to Backscatter.
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Backscatter MF-2 Remote trigger vía MF-1
Thanks JS1221. I hope someone has real world experience with It.
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Backscatter MF-2 Remote trigger vía MF-1
Hi All, I'm thinking about adding an MF-2 to my arsenal (I currently own two MF-1 and two Inon Z-330 V2). My goal is to give it to my dive buddy and use it as an off-camera flash, using one of my MF-1s to trigger it. I know that I will not be able to remotely control the power of the MF-2 via the MF-1, but that does not bother me, since my only intention is for the MF-1 to trigger the MF-2, and my diving partner powering the MF-2 Up or down through the Power Intensity Knob, when necessary. And this is where my doubts come. I'm not sure if the MF-1 can trigger the MF-2 when it is in remote mode. And I'm also not sure if Power can be changed in the MF-2 with the Power Intensity Knob, when the Mode Dial is in Remote mode. Have any of you tried this? To what extent are the MF-1 and MF-2 compatible? Thanks in advance.
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Advice on Building My First Underwater Photography & Videography Setup (Fujifilm X-T3)
Hi Ezz, My name is Philipp and I am one of those enthusiastic Fuji users that Chris talks about. I'll expose you my experiences with Fujifilm underwater, just to try to help you take a decision. A few years ago I was in the same situation as you are, I wanted entering underwater photography and I didn't really know which way to go. I had in my hands a beautiful Fuji X-t3 and some lenses, and I thought the best option would be to go to use this camera, which I loved and knew perfectly, for my underwater photography journey. I looked for the different options to house It, and found Nauticam, which had been making housings for some Fuji cameras, such as the Xt1 and Xt2, in addition to the GFX series.. I didn't think it twice and went for a Nauticam Na-Xt3. I added a Fujinón XF 80mm macro. Shortly after, I acquired a MWL-1 along with the XC 15-45 lens (not a very recommended setup in my opinion) and recently an XF 30mm macro. So far I can't say that my experiences with this system have been bad, on the contrary I have really enjoyed this combo, especially the 80mm macro which is a magnificent lens. I'll start with the advantages: Knowing the camera very well and also using it above, has helped me when making quick decisions underwater. (You know, when we dive "tempus fugit") The Xt-3 is a very configurable camera, so I've ended up setting it to my preferences, making all the important functions available with a single lever flick or button press. Another advantage has been being able to use the Fujifilm EF-X8 flash to shoot via fiber optics, without the need to buy a flash trigger (the downside is you can't shoot flash bursts). The Fujifilm are very well featured cameras and lenses, high quality at a very competitive price, what is a plus. Another very positive and important factor is the flash sync speed, 1/250 (I have taken photos at 1/320 without any problem) If your interest is macro, the Xf-80mm macro will not disappoint you. It IS sharp, fast and autfocus works quite well even in low light situations. You also have the option of the newer Xf-30mm macro, although I haven't been able to get the most out of it yet. There are more options, Fuji 60mm (slow and not 1:1), Zeiss 50mm (very expensive and dated) but I never tried one of those. As for wide angle, practically all the Nauticam optics can be used, together with Fujifilm lenses, with good results (You can ask this gentleman in the forum, KevinLee, he has used practically all the Nauticam+Fujifilm optics availiable, and he has much more experience than me, I'm sure he will be happy to help you, as he is as enthusiastic as me with the Fuji system). The Nauticam housing is built like a tank and is very easy to use underwater. At this time it would be hard for me to switch to another brand. It is robust, all the controls are smartly located, and the vacuum+alarm system gives you peace of mind. On the other hand, Nauticam has a wide range of wet and dry optics available which makes this brand very attractive for underwater photography. As for disadvantages: One of the most commented is the lack of a native Fujifilm fisheye lens (same as Sony, if I'm not wrong) which means you will have to use the Tokina 10-17 fisheye (Canon mount) plus an adapter (Fringer), which I personally have not tried. Another downside, as you probably know, the Fuji X-t3 suffers low battery life (one or, at the most, two dives). I have solved this by using a small power bank attached to the camera, which makes me extend the range to four or five dives. On the other hand, being a camera that is a few years old, the X-t3 autofocus is not on par with other more modern cameras, especially the latest generation of full frames (Sony-Canon-Nikon), although I don't have had big problems with that, my Fuji still performs with dignity in most situations. Finally, for me, the biggest disadvantage, as Chris points out, is the poor diffusion that Fujis have for underwater photography. In one hand, if you want a quality housing that allows you to get the most out of the camera (Nauticam) you will have to go to the second-hand market, and even then it will be difficult to find one, since there are not many available. On the other hand, when you want to upgrade, you will have two problems, one certain (I have verified it myself) and another possible. The certain problem is that you will find It really hard to sell your housing. Since it is not a very popular brand for photosub, you will have few people interested in, or you will have to sell It very, very cheap (I have been trying to sell my Na-Xt3 for several months, without success). The "possible" problem will come if you want to continue with Fuji, and thus take advantage of optics, ports, domes, etc. In one hand, as Chris points out, Nauticam has discontinued the Na-Xt5 (also other brand's housins), so you won't be able to buy it brand new, and it's difficult to find it second-hand. Or you will have to wait for Nauticam, or another brand, to decide to manufacture housings for future Fujifilm cameras, and that is not garanteed (although that, according to the words of my Nauticam area representative, will depend on the "hype" and demand that that future camera creates). Perhaps the safest approach for you would be to look for one of the big three on the second-hand market, paired with a good housing. Right now there are a lot of people selling DSLR equipment at good prices, as they are switching to mirrorless setups. Another option, as Chris points out, is an MFT setup, there are many in the second hand market, they're comparable in quality to Fuji and perhaps, due to their portability, have better options than Fuji to survive in the underwater photography world. Although I think, no one can take this for granteed. Anyway, you can also opt for the (probably more risky) Fuji+Nauticam way. If things go wrong, in the future you will probably have to switch to a different camera or housing. If things go ok, you will be entering IMO in one of the best and more enjoyable aps-c camera+housing setups for uw photography. In any case, if you have any questions regarding Fujifilm+Nauticam equipment, do not hesitate to ask me. All the best.
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Dual Strobes with YS-D2 and Backscatter Hybrid?
It's a very powerful strobe, typically with m43 you shoot at f8 for wide angle. For full frame on the same shot probably f13-16 range depending on your setup, you just don't need as much flash power. It will certainly work, but it's quite a heavy strobe and a lighter cheaper strobe will get the job done. Thank You Chris. So many things to learn yet...
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Dual Strobes with YS-D2 and Backscatter Hybrid?
Sorry, I don't understant this statement. Could you go deeper into It?? Thank You Chris.
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wetdreams started following Nauticam MWL-1 + Double flip Holder
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Nauticam MWL-1 + Double flip Holder
Double flip Holder sold. MWL-1 still availabe.
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Nauticam MWL-1 + Double flip Holder
Mint condition, no marks or scratches, perfect optics, with very few dives, I am selling this Nauticam MWL-1 (Macro to Wide Angle Lens). Converts any 60mm (FF) equivalent lens into a 150° wide angle lens. It is ideal for compacts, although it also works very well in mirrorless. Includes the carrying bag. Also in perfect condition, Nauticam Double Flip Holder. Price: MWL-1: €1,450 Lens holder: €275 Sold together or separately. Shipping on the buyer's expense
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Lens options for mantas with Fuji X-t3
I will do that! I was going to wait for the X-T6, but with Nauticam+Fujifilm being uncertain, and the X-T6 being unknown - I think i'll just upgrade soon and be set for the next 4-5 years. The Fujifilm X-Ts are such natural cameras for underwater - set full manual and just use ISO, Shutter, Aperture controls - so easy! I 100% agree both statements. The increased price has stopped me for a while, but at the end, I'll probably end with a new one up in my hands... And yes, the Na-Xt3 has been my first underwater housing, now is a real natural extension of my Fuji, I LOVE It over, and also under.