vkalia

Thanks @Chris Ross - much appreciated.

Ha, funnily, I read this literally JUST before opening up Waterpixels just now. However, the 10-18mm only has a 105 degree diagonal FOV - I prefer wider. A LOT wider. That said, I do wonder if I should consider something other than a 50mm as my general/do-it-all lens. Perhaps for this, I should consider a WWL or some other wide angle converter. But that's something to think about for later. Worst case, I can just my Olympus/Nauticam setup for general shooting.

Also, a question about using the 8-15 on an APS-C body: does the image circle cover the entire sensor at 8mm or do you have to zoom in a bit to 9mm? And any idea what is the approx diagonal angle of view at 15mm, on a crop sensor?

Thanks for the additional info on the WWL-1. To answer your question above - yes, while the fisheye is the primary lens I use, there are times/sites where I want a "generalist" lens. For me, a 50mm lens has worked really well for this in the past. This would be the secondary lens (well, this and a 100mm macro for specialized macro-focused dives).

Thanks, folk. Good to see that i havent missed anything. @Giancarlo M. @Chris Ross thanks for the EF-S 60mm recommendation. I will pick that up as my “swim about” lens. I was originally thinking of the WWL-1 as well but have read a lot of reviews about needing to stop it down to f11 to get acceptable sharpness and stuff. The extra flexibility will be nice but it isn’t essential - in many way, sticking to one type of photography on a dive helps me stay a bit more focused (no pun intended) with my shooting. I dont think i will get the new rig before my Feb trip to Maldives but i certainly hope to have it for Tubbataha in April. 🙂 Cheers! PS: I will likely sell my current Oly camera, the housing, the 7-14 and the matching port. But i may pick up a newer MFT camera and Nauticam housing, to have a second smaller/compact camera system. But that’s down the line.

Folk, after a long time, I am thinking of changing my camera system (this will only be the 3rd model i will be using underwater in 20 years of u/w photography: Canon 20D initially, then an Olympus OMD camera for the past 6 years). I had asked earlier about Canon vs Sony for Nauticam, and got some really useful info, which i dont plan to get everyone to repeat. In the end, have decided on a Marelux housing. I may yet keep my Oly setup as a backup or for compact travel. The plan is to get a housing for my R7. Reasons for doing so: - I already use the R7 for wildlife - The Tokina 10-17 lens is my perfect u/w lens, as I enjoy wide angle photography the most. From my tests, i should be able to live with the AF speed on it for my shooting - i have some legacy EF lenses that I can use with this setup, atleast for now (EF 100mm macro, mainly, manually focused if need be - i have a 17-40 as well, but i dont see that as being very useful underwater) I’ll be carrying over my Supe D-Pro and Inon strobes with this system (they give me all the power i need). Is there any reason to consider a Sony A6700 instead of the R7? I can use the same Tokina with it, with an adapter and buying another macro lens isnt the end of the world. The A6700 has better video (a small benefit, given that i occasionally will be shooting content for marketing/social media for my dive center) and possibly slightly better tracking AF, but for the typical speeds at which fish move, i dont think the different is noticeable. I can’t think of any, but just running a sanity check to make sure i am not missing anything. Also, what do you guys using the R7 use as a general “swimabout lens”? For me, that used to be a 1:1 Sigma EF 50mm macro, but that has horrendous AF with the R7, and is a no-go. Wondering what else is there. I’ve been out of the gear loop for a very long time, as you may be able to tell. TIA!

Lovely! I’ve been toying with whether or not to take a group there, and this post is increasing my interest in doing so. Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed report.

For me, there is one iconic photograph that stands out - David Doubilet (I think it was him) had a photo of a pod of orcas that were making a bee-line for the ocean, after having been trapped in Antarctic ice for a while (courtesy of an ice-breaker opening up a channel for them). There isnt much to the image in terms of fancy lighting and such - just a line of orcas. But the moment that was captured…. ooof. Despite the still, you got an immediate sense of the sense of purpose with which those orcas were hauling ass. A perfect example of what @Luko was saying about just capturing the magic moment perfectly. For the life of me, I can’t find that photo anywhere online. PS - thanks for those links. Some gorgeous images there. And a reminder to me to get out of my shooting habits - i would likely never consider taking such wide angle shot from such a distance. Maybe i will try something like that in Egypt in August.

Damn, Diggy, you making me blush now. 🙂 Been a while since jumping off the boat to rescue an idiotic golden retriever puppy, eh?

Right, sorry, i did mean the 100-120 adapter. And that high speed sync is definitely a neat feature to have - agreed. Also good to know! Cheers!

Thanks for sharing the info about the optical cables, guys. I recently picked up a couple of D-Pros and was a bit concerned about the idea of it not working with a Nauticam trigger. My own short notes about the D-Pro: I switched to the D-Pros recently - replacing a mixed pair of one Inon Z240 and one Sa&S YS-D2J. I had a pair of Inons - flooded one because i twisted the O-ring and didnt notice it. At that time, the Z330 had just been released and were hard to find, so i got the S&S. Decent enough strobes but the battery life was hit or miss, and one strobe died after 2 trips - and S&S told me to go pound, claiming there was some internal O-ring that i needed to service annually. I tried out the D-Pros in Raja Ampat recently and am very pleased with them so far. The big changes i have noticed are a *much* larger beam spread (to the point that a lot of my images had backscatter on the sides because i was pointing these strobes the way i was my Z240/D2J) and a significantly better battery life. I can get 2 days out of these strobes, whereas with the Inon/Z240, even a third dive would sometimes be pushing it. Having one less thing to do in the evening after a day of diving is always a good thing, in my books. The weight/bulk is a downside. I could easily fit my Nauticam/MFT housing, ports and strobes in a small, nondescript Lowerpro shoulder bag - but that’s a bit of a struggle now as each strobes takes about twice the space of my older ones. The lack of granularity in the power ratings isnt a big thing for me - any small adjustments in exposure, i can make with aperture. I do find them more powerful than the Inons/S&S, and have mostly shot with power at a 3 or 4 setting - so plenty of power for me and I dont really see the need for more. OTOH, even the Inons were powerful enough for me, with me rarely maxing out their power - so maybe its a “me” thing. Overall, am very satisfied with the strobes, atleast for now (2 trips in). The fantastic battery life and significantly wider beam are the main drivers for this. I am, however, going to remove the diffusers on the next trip. That beam doesnt need to be any wider. 🙂

Oof. This is good to know, thank you - as is the bit about the choice of lenses for photos vs videos. Honestly, video isnt going to be my prime use case but I need to spend some time figuring out my priorities. I dont see myself using a rectilinear WA for my photography - i much, much prefer the FE. So need to figure out how that’s gonna work together. Honestly, that’s what i am leaning towards. But doing my due diligence about the Sony as an option - the superior video was a very attractive option but @Barmaglot has given me a few things to think about that I hadn’t considered. FWIW, I havent ruled out the Panasonic GH7 either - that would be the simplest upgrade: buy a new housing, buy a new camera, done. I actually use a Sigma 50mm macro lens in an EF mount. The autofocus is not as fast as Canon’s USM, but it does offer 1:1. I just ordered the Canon adapter - let me see what the performance is like and then I’ll figure out what lenses i need. Am also going to try to find someone who has an A6x00 and see if i can try it out with Canon lenses.

Gotcha re the 3D part. Getting one printed shouldn’t be an issue - i have a few friends with 3D printers. I may hit you up for the schematic if you go that route, if I can’t find it online. Thanks again, everyone, for your help. It’s starting to come together now.

I looked at the Kraken and Weefine options and apparently, there really isnt a very good swivel option for them. You have to screw/unscrew them every time you want to attach/detach them. I have one of these wet lenses for my backup TG5 system and it takes approximate 12,683 revolutions to attach, so I am not gonna bother with that. And yeah, stopping down to f11 or f14 to get good shots isnt exactly a screaming recommendation of quality for a $2000 optic.

Hi Lewis - may i know which particular port adapter you use? They all have some extensions built into them - trying to figure out which one i may need,

Cheers for that! Is there a stock part available instead of the 3D printed one, by any chance?

Thanks for that info, gents. So the takeaway i am getting is that if i switch to Sony, I should likely get a native macro lens because the AF will suck - @Architeuthis thank you for sharing that info! AF with macro lenses on the Canon R body i should be able to figure out myself with an adapter. If the R series AF is passable, that breaks the tie. If I have to buy new lenses regardless, then we are back to the drawing board. @Chris Ross that USB bulkhead is a freaking awesome idea. I rarely download images on a trip, preferring to do so when i am back. But if i can charge the camera without needing to take it out, even better: one less risk of failure. I will look into that. Re the 8-15: which adapter and port are you using with it (presumably on a Nauticam system), may i ask? Because if i can get the ability to go FF fisheye up to 28mm in a single lens, that makes the GH7 a serious contender again. @humu9679 there’s always a little bit of a mental switch needed at the start. It helps that with Fuji and Olympus, i still use back button/center point AF to lock and recompose, as the subject i shoot with them are not very active. But as i start getting used to all this new-fangled subject tracking stuff, I think it may behoove me to stick to one system for ease of toggling between the various AF modes and for muscle memory re which button goes where. That’s a point in favor of the R7. I have to admit, the idea of a 60mm lens and water contact optics giving me FE or WA is very attractive. But i am not convinced about how good those wet optics really are. If my lack of success with the 7-14 continues or if i decide to keep the current setup for a little longer, i may sell that onwards and try a Nauticam MWC (the 60mm to wide angle wet lens) - although more than the price of the lens, paying $320 for a simple metal hinge kinda chaps my rear.

I have become quite indifferent to brands these days. After ages of shooting Canon, i now have Canon for wildlife, Fuji for street/travel and Olympus underwater. That OCD streak i mentioned is very happy when each set of gear has its own application. At the same time, while i am a massive gear junkie, that doesnt apply to cameras anymore (carbon bicycle goodies, OTOH….). This whole upgrade is being driven by a desire to add high quality video making skills to the gear. Partly because i am interested in learning more about this aspect, and partly to support a new diving-related venture I have ongoing after selling my dive center. Noted about the Canon RF 100 - I didn’t know that was the case. After getting a 50mm with my Canon system, I rarely used my 100mm except on specific macro dives (the 50mm + a wet lens adapter was good enough for most shooting). I expect that to be the case here a well - but when I DO use the 100mm, i will want the most magnification possible. So this is really good to know - thank you! Re your statement that “adapted isnt the same as native” - in what sense is that? Slower AF? Loss of IQ? Anything i need to be concerned about with the 10-17? Right now, it’s a toss-up. I need to get off my ass and go to a store and try out the Sony in-hand as well. I am doing the Raja to Ambon crossing in late October and wouldn’t mind having the new kit by then.

Thanks - this resolves one main question I had. This will be the main lens I use and getting this right is key. I assume the moment i go with an EF lens, I will need a N85-N120mm adapter, right?

Good point! As it turns out, I am not fussed about the arms, etc. Those go in my checkin baggage. I am mainly concerned about my carry-on. Lots of places in Asia are mainly served by budget airlines, and they can be very strict with carry-on weight sometimes. Weirdly, the same arms that i used to use with my Canon DSLC/Aquatica rig work on my Nauticam - an old set of Stix arms and floats back from when they were released. 🙂

Hello all - After 6 years of shooting with an Olympus OMD-EM-ABCDEFwhatever, i am considering upgrading my system. One, to get a few more megapixels for cropping (I shoot primarily 8mm fisheye) and second, to be able to shoot better video (mainly for our business’s promo/social media). I was initially considering the GH7, but am also considering some alternatives. The R7 allows me for a very smooth (and relatively inexpensive) upgrade path - i already have one R7 body i use for wildlife, and i have 50mm and 100mm macro lenses in the EF mount already (and i think i have a non-flooded Tokina 10-17 as well). I have used those lenses for years back when i shot Canon/Aquatica, and am pretty happy with them. The second option is the Sony A6700. The main reason for getting this would be the slightly better eye-tracking for fast moving shots, and also the fact that it uses the N85 port system (although i will need to get a larger N120 port to fit the 10-17). The compact body is a big plus for travel, as well. And my OCD is happier with the idea of a separate camera for underwater and a separate one for land (even if i were to go with the R7, I’d probably buy a second body to dedicate tot he housing - so there isnt really a savings there). I had a few specific questions about these cameras: 1). I am assuming the Tokina 10-17 would work with the A6700 in a Nauticam housing? There is a port chart for the R7 but nothing for this lens with the A6700. 2). Does anyone know if i Nauticam’s port system allows use of EF mount macro lenses with the Sony - specifically a Sigma 50mm macro and the Canon 105mm macro? Their port chart has no mention of this. Not needing to buy more lenses is always nice 3). For those who have used either of these cameras, any usability quirks such as heinously low battery life, AF issues underwater, problems in shooting 4K60 video, etc? I am not going full frame. I dont see the value (i realize others disagree and that’s fine). I plan to shoot off some questions to Nauticam later as well, but figured i might as well try here first, as some of the real-world experience here may help me narrow my choices. TIA!

Thanks for that thoughtful response, @Luko. A few comments of my own in no special order: - Re the use of the term “artistic” - you are correct, it does come across as fairly pretentious. I was using it as a shorthand to denote an image where the appeal is not documentary in nature (as in, “here is a fish” or “here is a fish doing something interesting”) but where the composition, lighting, etc come together to create an image whose impact is greater than just the literal recording of the subject. Pretentious or not, elevating something relatively mundane into something that has an emotional impact on the viewer is art, atleast to me (although this defending this definition is not a hill i will die on 🙂) - Absolutely agreed re geometry and composition. Too many wildlife photographers - myself included - get so excited by what they are shooting that they forget the “photography” part of “wildlife photography”: ie, the images still need to be designed/composed, and there is often a ‘decisive moment’ that needs to be captured. Speaking for myself, when it comes to megafauna or really cool stuff, i get so excited by what i am seeing that my attention to those details diminishes. OTOH, on days when there isnt a lot of action happening, that’s when I am able to slow down and look closely at interesting photo ops - Speaking of “looking” and “art”, even as a staunch wildlife/nature person, I have to say that the creative requirements of street photography is the highest. Taking the most banal of subjects (people going about their daily life) and making into a compelling visual image requires immense skill. And i absolutely agree with you about looking at the work of accomplished photographers is a great way to develop the art of seeing. - There’s always been a bit of debate about quality vs quantity when shooting. I agree with you - ideally, one should be able to get everything right in terms of composition and then take the shot. Repeated shooting is a bit of a crutch. Certainly, “spray and pray” is not an effective way to take good photos. But there is merit to an approach that is in the middle - think about your composition, take a shoot, review and see what can be made better, and repeat. Over time, as the lessons from these review/repeat sessions sink in, the number of poor shots one takes reduces. There are a lot of shots i dont even bother taking anymore nowadays, because i know the results will be mediocre or worse. Cheers!

Ha, funnily enough, i am also just starting to try out videography. Just with a GoPro and video lights mounted on top of my housing, but it’s been an interesting - and fun - experience. One thing i have noticed is that i find it very hard to do both. When i try to get both photos and videos on the same dive, I end up with mediocre shots on both sides (well, for the latter, it is graded on a curve: my videography isnt any great shakes anyway, so it would be mediocre regardless).

PS - in the interest of sharing our images and creative vision, perhaps we can have regular theme-based topics and people can share their photos related to that theme?

Thank you all for the overwhelming response. I wasn’t exaggerating when i said that i dont have much in the way of natural creative talent and it is all learned. The biggest watershed moment for me was indeed understanding the difference between “making” an image vs taking one, as @humu9679 said. “Making” implies you can work at it, instead of just seeing something magical. And yes, digital certainly has helped there. For all that people used to make fun of chimping, it was a great way to review shots, get instant feedback and improve. Atleast for me. And not having to worry about being limited to 24 photos a dive certainly is a big plus! 🙂 One thing that has helped me a lot if actually getting into street photography - it’s shaken me a little out of my usual way of looking at a scene by forcing me to look for details and find something interesting in the mundane. I am not particularly good at it, but find the process refreshing. Would love to hear from others about how they approach their picture taking as well - including your article on neutral space, @TimG. Cheers!