Tino Dietsche

Hello everyone, I have a question about the SeaFrogs VPS-100 Vacuum System, I don't use it myself, but a colleague has an Isotta housing and his daughter bought one for her new SeaFrogs housing. Randomly I saw today that, according to the manufacturer, the system is designed purely for a check before a dive and should be removed from the housing afterwards. According to the manufacturer's website, it is not allowed into the water. This fact is new to me, or even though I have seen the system two or three times, I have never noticed it. I only found the reference directly at SeaFrogs. Not at other dealers. Who here knows the system and perhaps uses it themselves? How do you handle the whole thing? I know that my colleague kept it securely attached to the housing on the few dives where it was used. Since the whole thing isn't really practical in my opinion, I'm wondering what alternatives there are in a similar price range? What alternatives would you recommend if it was to be installed in SeaFrog's housing without M14 or M16? SeaFrogs is M10 I think. Greetings from switzerland Tino

Hello everyone, So that the topic of fresh water comes into play a little more here, I would like to link two videos of mine. I hope you enjoy it. Tino Sony A7III, Sony FE16-35 F4 in Nauticam housing, Monitor-Housing from UK-Germany, BigBlue Lamps Sony A7III, Sony FE16-35 F4 in Nauticam housing, Monitor-Housing from UK-Germany, two BigBlue VLT3800

Hello everyone, For the last trip to the Red Sea in 2019, I transported some of the equipment in a Peli case as checked luggage and the other part in a camera backpack suitable for hand luggage. It worked so well and I will definitely do it again this year. Because we are traveling as a family and the airline we have chosen allows us to register extra sports luggage free of charge, we don't have any problems with the weight. This is what everything looked like in 2019: Pelicase with, small stuff like arms and clamps, one flash, Dome-Port.... Photo backpack with the housing, camera (inside the housing), lenses (in the ports)

Hello everyone, I would like to show a few pictures of my different tripod variants here: Version 1: Nauticam NA-A7rII housing with Sony A7rII and 90mm Macro. DIY-USB-Powerpack on top, also used as bracket for the dive computer. Front legs of the tripod are attached to the normal ball-mounts. Back leg via tripod screw on the ground of the housing. Version 2: Nauticam NA-A7rII housing with Sony A7rII and 90mm Macro, but with a ground plate for the attachment of the tripod legs. Version 3: Nauticam NA-A7rIII housing with Sony A7II and 90mm Macro, for this housing i use the tripod mount set from Nauticam. Greetings from Switzerland, Tino

The Sony A7IV is a great camera, that's definitely the case. The step from the A7III series to the 4 series was already huge. Based on the many tests and reports that I have looked at all over the web, the difference between the autofocus of the A7IV and the A7rV is certainly not extremely huge, but it is in favor of the A7rV because it has the AI processing unit in it. This is still missing from the A7IV. For me, the 33 megapixels that the A7CII and the A7IV have are actually exactly right. There are certainly situations in which a few more megapixels would certainly be cool. But the A1 is clearly way too expensive! 😥 In this case, do you also use the A7IV for underwater? Greetings from the Swiss-Lake Constance side to Germany, Tino

Thank you very much for your feedbacks! I think from my point of view the Sony A7CII is the camera that makes the most sense for me personally. It has the same 33 megapixel sensor as the A7IV that I use above water. At the same time, it has the autofocus including AI from the Sony A7rV. Of course there are also drawbacks compared to the A7IV, such as only one card slot, worse and smaller viewfinder, but I can absolutely live with that. What I find less cool is the fact that the A7C series no longer has a Sony Multi USB port and therefore can no longer be triggered via external cable releases. Since I photograph thunderstorms and lightning, especially in summer, this is painful. But if I buy the A7CII, it will be used for filming or time-lapse and the A7IV will be triggered via the special flash trigger. If I look at the A7CII again for underwater use, in contrast to the current Sony A7III system I benefit from a little less weight and am also a little smaller in size/volume The A7IV is already too old again and it makes no sense to invest in a corresponding housing. The same applies to the A7C, which would be relatively cheap, but offers hardly any improvements compared to my current A7III, which I use underwater . The A7rV is certainly a top camera, but I don't need the 61 megapixels and I'm not willing to spend the extra money. I think I'll get the port for the 28-60mm in the coming weeks, unless other housing manufacturers suddenly come up with exciting alternatives to Nauticam. Ikelite is certainly exciting in terms of price, but for cold water and weekly dives an aluminum housing is more suitable for me. So then, I'm looking forward to more conversations around the “should I buy something new” party. 😂 Greetings from Switzerland, Tino

Hello everyone, If it's OK, I'll join in on the topic. 4 years ago I upgraded my former Sony A7rII underwater setup to the Sony A7III. Both times in the Nauticam housing. Basically I'm happy with my current Sony A7III setup, but on the other hand I would often like to benefit from better autofocus. I use a Sony A7IV for above water, and the difference in autofocus is extremely noticeable. The comparison with the Sony FE 90mm Macro is extreme. For this reason, I'm thinking about switching my underwater setup to a Sony A7CII. This has the same sensor as my Sony A7IV, and at the same time the autofocus of the larger Sony A7rV. What do you think? Does the change make sense or would you wait another generation? A Sony A7CII setup would probably be slightly smaller and also a little lighter. Instead of the Sony 16-35 F4 I'm currently using, I would prefer a solution with a Sony 28-60mm and WWL-1, as this would often be a bit more flexible in freshwater, especially for me in Lake Constance. When it comes to housing, the selection for the Sony A7CII series is currently very limited. Nauticam and Ikelite are only in the running after me and from the other manufacturers such as Marelux (I asked and am waiting for an answer) or Isotta (which would be absolutely exciting in my opinion, but others have already asked and received no feedback ), there is currently no case on the market. I'm looking forward to your feedback and opinions. Best greetings from Switzerland, Tino

Hello everyone, I currently use the Nauticam LED trigger for my Sony A7III in the Nauticam housing. But I've been interested in a TTL trigger for a long time. The flashes I use are INON, Z-240, D-2000 and Mini-Flash-2. Which trigger would you prefer for a Sony setup? If possible, the trigger should be able to continue to be used without any problems if the housing is changed. I'm thinking about replacing my Sony A7III with a Sony A7CII, but I'm still undecided about the housing. Thanks for your feedback, Tino

Hello everyone, Many thanks for your responses. Currently it's mainly about the setup of a colleague who recently bought a Sony A7C with 28-60mm kit lens to replace her TG-6. She got the underwater housing from SeaFrogs with the standard port for the 28-60mm. The port has a 67mm thread from what I see on the web. Recommendations for possibly attaching a WWL-1 or similar to the SeaFrog Port would be exciting at this point. Thank you for your help, Tino

If I only use my iPad and import, edit, etc., all developments are also written to the cloud. Of course only if I have internet. But you can also do it on the go without any internet. Once I have the Internet (which can also be at home), the original files are loaded into the Adobe Cloud, including developments, etc. If I then start my Lightroom Classic, it in turn loads the original files from the cloud locally onto the computer and the developments etc. also come with it. I can then store these images in my file structure within LR. ------------ Of course it's possible to create a new catalog for the holidays; that's what I've always done in the past. I then imported this into my main catalog after the holidays. However, I have said goodbye to this strategy and now really only work with one main catalog, which is the only way I can use the full range of functions including synchronization options etc. and, for example, as mentioned, only be able to travel with the iPad. I incorporated some very valuable input on the topic into my workflow from this YouTube video, for example.

For shorter trips, my workflow with just a single catalog even allows me to use just the iPad. I can then import, sort, develop, etc. images directly onto the iPad. If I have an internet connection, the original RAW files are loaded onto the Adobe server and I also have a backup straight away. When I get home and start my LR Classic, the original RAW files are loaded onto my computer and I just have to move them to the NAS within my file structure. Tino

In your case, I would possibly save the catalog on an external SSD and use this SSD for both computers. This means you always only have one catalog, which in my opinion makes things a lot easier. I used to use the variant with an extra catalog for the holidays and subsequent import into the main catalog. However, I couldn't use the synchronization of collections etc. because this only works with a catalog. Tino

I work only with an MacBook Pro and use Lightroom since many years. In the last year i have switched to one catalog only. In this catalog are all pictures since 2000, during work or holiday i import new pictures direct to the SSD from my MacBook. (external SSD's are also possible) As soon i'm back at home, and i have done some work with the newest pictures, i move the original RAW files to my NAS-System. On longer trips i have an extra SSD with me for backup. At home make some backups of my NAS every week. With this workflow i can see every pictures from my catalog any time. With a lot of different collections i have also the possibility to access a lot of pictures with reduced resolution from any place. Hope this helps to find a good way for you! Greetings from Switzerland, Tino

Exciting topic! I've been fixing my computer's case for a while now, with a solution from Carbonarm for a long time. https://carbonarm.com/en/balls-and-terminals/77-computer-s-support-l-0806808286642.html However, with Carbonarm's solution, the fibre-connections were no longer so easily accessible, so I built a variant myself out of a tube cover. But I think the variant with corresponding 3D printing above is absolutely great, I'll have to think about it. Greetings from Switzerland, Tino old solution from Carbonarm new Version

Hi RomiK, Thanks for your feedback! I had had the idea for the monitor housing for a long time and at that time there were actually only recorders and corresponding housings, but they were usually very bulky and heavy. I then made the housing itself with a friend who used to build underwater housings. The result is a relatively light, simple case that meets my requirements. One of the biggest difficulties for implementation is still the cabling. For my/our solution we used sockets and cables from Nauticam. Doing something yourself was too complicated and too expensive. The topic of smartphones as monitors would indeed be absolutely interesting, but at the same time would also involve certain problems. You have to be able to operate the device, even if only minimally, which is anything but easy to achieve. USB-C instead of HDMI would become more and more suitable for the cable connection and there are some good apps. Unfortunately, there are no corresponding cables and sockets yet. But who knows, maybe sooner or later I'll get it again and start the project for a corresponding housing...

Hello everyone, With only 25 dives, the last year wasn't really productive in terms of pictures. But I still found two and three that I would like to show here. Lake Constance, Switzerland Mussel dinner Sony A7III, Nauticam-Housing, Sony FE 90mm Macro, Backscatter Mini Flash MF-2 with Snoot Night Dive - Ee, pike, perchs and diving friends in the background Sony A7III, Nauticam-Housing, Sony 16-35 F4, 180mm Dome, INON Z-240 and D2000 Greetings from Switzerland, Tino

Thanks for the feedback, in that case I'll look for an alternative macro lens if I switch to the setup.

Hello everyone, I'm currently dealing with the topic of Sony 28-60 kit lenses with a Nauticam WWL-1 and one or two questions come up. According to my research, the WWL-1 is basically compatible with different housings or ports. I think the WWL-1B only works with Nauticam ports? Is that correct? What are your experiences with the WWL-1 with ports and housings that do not come from Nauticam? e.g. Ikelite, Seafrogs etc.? Are there any problems, tips and tricks that you should be aware of? What recommendations do you have regarding bayonet systems? A colleague just bought a new case from Seafrogs for the Sony A7C with 28-60. How would you attach a WWL-1 there? Or are there even alternatives to the WWL-1 that we could look at? Thanks for your feedback, Tino

Hello everyone, I'm thinking about whether I should complement my current setup with the 28-60, or whether I should replace my current wide-angle setup. I currently use the Sony 16-35mm F4 with the 180mm glass dome from Nauticam for wide angle on my Sony A7III. For macro I use the Sony FE 90mm Macro with the corresponding port. Basically, I'm happy with the solution, but there are often situations and dives where a more flexible solution would be absolutely exciting. I'm therefore considering whether I should sell the Nauticam Dome port and buy the port for the 28-60mm instead. Plus a WWL-1 or WWL-1B. For minimal macro shots I would have a Weefine WFL05S. And for dives where I really want full macro quality, I can still use the 90mm. What do you think about the considerations? I'm flying to the Red Sea again in May after a long time and think that the 28-60 combination offers more flexibility. In terms of quality, the differences in the wide-angle range shouldn't be that extreme when using a WWL-1, or am I mistaken? For macro there is certainly a certain difference in quality between the 28-60 and an attachment lens compared to the 90mm macro. What certainly also speaks for the 28-60mm setup is the transport volume. I'm curious about your opinions and feedback. Greetings from Switzerland, Tino

I use a 5" monitor from Feelworld in a custom made housing. In my opinion, the size and weight are the most ideal in relation to the rest of the setup. A colleague uses a 7" monitor from Weefine and usually doesn't use it due to its size and weight. Greetings from Switzerland, Tino

Hello everyone, I'm new here and signed up after reading a lot of posts. I've been diving since 2004 and now have over 1300 dives, most of them practically on my doorstep in Lake Constance here in Switzerland. But I also dived into various warm waters: the Red Sea, Maldives, Croatia, Bali, North Sulawesi, Malaysia, Borneo, the Azores. Since my first dives I have been traveling with the camera and with a wide variety of systems. I currently have the following in use: Sony A7III in Nauticam housing Monitor housing (Custom made) Sony 16-35 F4, Sony 90mm Macro INON flashes (Z-240 and D-2000), backscatter mini flash Sony RX0 in Sony underwater housing Sony RX100III Above water I have a large Sony equipment with an A7IV as the main camera and various lenses. I'm looking forward to hopefully many exciting discussions! Greetings from Switzerland, Tino