Architeuthis

Good to hear from Brandon and you that the WACP-C offers a real advantage over WWL-1...😊 About the Laowa 10mm one must add that this lens offers a very special perspective and this is certainly not for everybodies taste. It distorts heavily at the corners, the opposite way as fisheye lenses do (fisheye and WWL/WACP compress the borders). The Laowa 10mm stretches the borders out extensively - much too much for my taste. I used it together with the 140mm dome on 2 dives, but I think I will not use this lens again UW, unless (maybe) for a very special occasion...

At the same (wide) aperture, the WWL has better corners. One must add, however, that corners are not really important for most of the photos under these circumstances (big fish/whale in open water)... It is, of course, a matter of personal preference, but I prefer the fisheye-like character of WWL/WACP in most cases: the object in the center gets emphasized and more hefty, while the periphery gets compressed... I will go to Mafia Island/Tansania in two weeks and hopefully we will encounter whale sharks and whales there. Similar situation, but (hopefully) more light. I am sure I will use my WACP-C/Sony 28-60mm for most of the time... I plan to use 1/320s, f/5.6 - f/8 and variable ISO as startup settings (A7R5). Not sure about AF yet, AF of A7R5 is very good, but too many options. I have the camera&housing set so that I can set "AF-Subject Detection" ON/OFF with the record button, C2 to set the "Focus Area" and C3 to toggle "Recognition Target"... Wolfgang

Just an update to the viewfinder issue: I have sent the viewfinder to PanOcean, who forwarded the viewfinder to Nauticam. Information from Nauticam: It is a water inbreak into the nitrogen selaed part of the viewfinder (as Alex presumed) and some parts are corroded. They will exchange the corroded parts under warranty (they say it is labourious, will take approx. 4 hours under Nitrogen atmosphere)...😊 There is also a water stain on the main prisma that is visible when looking through and replacement of the prisma will cost approx. 400 Euros (surprisingly this consequence of the water inbreak is not covered by warranty)...😐 Wolfgang P.S.: it seems that on my next trip that starts on November 13rd, I will still be without the viewfinder...😟

Hi Justin, My approach is not to squeeze out the maximum colors of an existing monitor, but that the colors I see on the monitor during processing in LR and PS should (ideally) be reproduced the same way when the photos are viewed/printed at the end... I view the photos at home on a BenQ 2k beamer and most printing is done for an annual calender that I give to family/friends for Christmas. Seldom some magazine or a big print for the wall. All these end users are able for just for sRGB (as is the internet) and in order to avoid unpleasant surprise, it is better to supply them with calibrated sRGB images... I have a monitor here (BenQ SW270c) that I calibrate from time to time, both in sRGB and aRGB, and I can toggle between sRGB and aRGB (maybe some (remote) day I may be invited to upload an image to a high quality aRGB print medium and then the aRGB option will come into the play...)... Since I switched to edit everything in calibrated sRGB, the final output on the beamer and also on the prints look much more like I see them on my screen... Wolfgang

I think since you already have Nikon Z, it is better to stay with the system you have unless you intend to switch to Sony anyhow... In case you choose Sony and do not want the many Megapixels (I find them very useful), you could wait for A75 that probably will come out soon and certainly will have the latest technology. WA fisheye is a real problem with FF (all brands), there is nothing like Tokina 10-17mm for APS-C. Only FCP-1 or 8-15mm fisheye with TC (1.4x, maybe even 2x (=> see tread on 8-15 fisheye with TC about this issue) cover the entire range, starting from 180°. WWL/WACP options start at 130° and this is not enough (at least for me, personally)... I think that Canon 8-15mm & 2x Sony TC on Sony is o.k., but there may be a difference in IQ between the Nikon and Canon 8-15mm fisheyes, especially when used with TCs (maybe the performance of the Nikon 8-15mm fisheye with TCs is much worse) - this has never been studied in detail... Wolfgang

I recently upgraded the firmware of my Loupedeck CT to 6.0.1.20874. The results is that the LRc icons look terrible: just white on black background, no colors (in the perevious upgrade, where these problems started they looked even worse: white on turquoise). They are very difficult to differentiate during the workflow, what greatly decreases the usability of this hardware extension. Even in the "Color Mixer" submenue of the "Develop" module, all icons are white on black and one has to have close look, which color range is active, before adjustments are done... Did anyone experience a similar problem? Did you downgrade to the last usable version? I have Macbook Pro M1 and Sequoia 15.0.1 (is it the same with windows?) Wolfgang

Regarding the series of sample images that I posted recently, I have opened a poll in DPReview: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4781390 => I greatly appreciate participation of people who take their time (the invitation for a beer is, of course, also valid in the waterpixel forum... 😋). Wolfgang

It may change a little the way how to use and store diopters. Often, a single flip diopter with SMC and the bare lens in macroport is used... With MFO-1 on the macroport (mounting MFO-1 on the flip diopter would not make too much sense, except to be able to photograph subjects >1m away, what is not the usual application of a macrolens), one could have a SMC on the flip holder, for coming closer for small subjects, but needs to remove the MFO-1 before using the SMC. So either one uses a double flip holder with both SMC and MFO on it (not really handsome), or one waives the flip diopter, screws the MFO or SMC on and mounts a receipe on an arm to store the diopter not in use...

20mm - 1000mm focus distance sounds indeed fantastic, but it is hard to believe: according to port charts, focus distance of Sony 90mm with SMC-1 is 45mm - 93mm (at 2.2x maximum magnification) and with SMC-2 is 22mm - 36mm (at 3.4x)...

The first serious reviews of this lens look good, e.g. here: https://dustinabbott.net/2024/10/tamron-90mm-f2-8-di-iii-macro-vxd-review/ => AF seems to be faster and IQ a tad sharper compared to the Sony 90mm macro... Less of interest for Sony photographers who already have the native 90mm macro and the latest camera models (e.g. me with A7R5), but possibly of interest for people who have older camera models, where AF is not working well with the native macro lens... Possibly of interest for Nikon Z (but as far as I know the native 105mm is very good and the focal length comes close). A pity that Tamron did not come out with a macro lens with complementary to the existing ones (I personally would have liked 120 or even 150mm; also magnification bigger than 1:1)... Wolfgang

Hi Michi, I used YS-D2 and Z330, exclusively in manual mode, on EM1II and EM5II and never had a problem with flash power (Triggered via Oly miniflash or Nauticam flash trigger using multifibre optical cables)... Now I use Z330 and HF-1, manually, with A7R5 with optical cables (Nauticam or Turtle-manual flash triggers) and it works without problems. There may be differences in menue between A7R5 and A1, but here are the flash settings that I use in the "Exposure Color" Menue Tab. Maybe it helps: Wolfgang

Finally I managed to put the full resolution photos to DPReview. I had to split into three treads...😋 https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4779356 https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4779452 https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4779455

Here another series of photos with Lisi. Canon 8-15mm/2xTC, Canon 8-15mm w/o TC and Sony 26-60mm/WACP-C are compared: #1.: Canon8-15/2xTC @15.9mm, f/16, ISO400, 1/125s, 2*HF-1 (4500K flat diffusers): #1a.: 1:1 crop: #2.: Canon8-15(no TC) @15mm, f/13, ISO400, 1/100s, 2*HF-1 (4500K flat diffusers): #2a.: 1:1 crop: #3.: Sony 28-60mm @28mm, WACP-C with N100 30mm extension, f/11, ISO400, 1/100s, 2*HF-1 (4500K flat diffusers): 3a.: same photo, 1:1 crop: I would say that the differences between Canon 8-15mm, Canon 8-15mm/2xTC and WACP-C are, at the best, subtile. For me subjectively, with regard to resolution and sharpness, the Canon 8-15 wins and Canon 8-15mm/2xTC and WACP-C are second place (pretty on par, WACP-C may be slightly better @28mm, while slightly worse @60mm, when compared to Canon 8-15mm/2xTC (Canon 8-15mm/2xTC seems to me more constant in IQ over the entire zoom range))... => For me, the Canon 8-15mm/2xTC is certainly an option for UW... => I am interested to hear how you judge the performance of the Sony 2xTC Wolfgang

I was able to use the Canon 8-15mm/Sony 2xTC on our last diving holidays in Murter/Croatia for 6 dives and can show some photos, for comparison (photos processed, slightly cropped and hughly reduced in size to allow posting here - I will put the full resolution, unprocessed photos in DPReview/UW Forum). The aim of the series is to compare the resolution/sharpness in the middle of the frame, because the fear is that this is greatly detoriated by the 2xTC.. Visibility was intermediate (I estimate approx. 15m-20m) with plenty of particles providing backscatter. I had Sony A7R5 in Nauticam housing, Nauticam domeport 140mm. Extension used was N120/35&25mm in addition to the N100/N120 35.5mm adapter: #1.: A photo of a scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa). Canon8-15/2xTC @29.9mm, f/16, ISO400, 1/125s, 2*HF-1 (4500K flat diffusers): #1a.: same photo, but 1:1 crop from the 61 Mpixel sensor and from the in focus region, to judge for details (possibly "swallowed" by the 2xTC): #2.: Same fish was so kind to remain in position (😋), so I could zoom out and make another photo. Canon8-15/2xTC @15.9mm, f/16, ISO400, 1/125s, 2*HF-1 (4500K flat diffusers): #2a.: same photo, 1:1 crop: I also had the Sony 28-60mm/WACP-C combination with me, that I used more often on this trip. For comparison, I show here a photo from the same species, similar framing, taken on another day: #3.: Sony 28-60mm @60mm, WACP-C with N100 30mm extension, f/16, ISO400, 1/125s, 2*HF-1 (4500K flat diffusers): #3a.: same photo, 1:1 crop: I will post another series of photos in a subsequent post to this tread... Wolfgang

This graph is interesting, albeit I must admit that I do not really understand what, exactly, it means... Maybe one can say that the parameter quantified for shadow improvement, is the same for all cameras at base ISO, for "conventional" cameras it makes a jump when the second gain kicks in, and then, for the GH-7 this parameter rises continously with ISO instead of making a jump? I am in occasional contact with Massimo by EMail and he writes that he can raise "Exposure" in LR by +3 EV without noise problems (I find it a pity that he does not participate here any more). This sounds to me more like raw files from a FF camera (e.g. the Sony A7R5 that I have at present) - but better this new technology, that blews up the raw files to 16 bit, brings a substantial benefit... I am eager to see the final results of serious reviews and the comparison to other cameras, e.g. the exposure series in DPReview, that will come out, hopefully, soon... Wolfgang

Hi Hedonist, The loss of resolution, due to diffraction, is pretty similar between these two lenses (stopped down the resolution of different sensors is by far not limiting): https://www.lenstip.com/214.4-Lens_review-Canon_EF_100_mm_f_2.8_L_Macro_IS_USM_Image_resolution.html https://www.lenstip.com/561.4-Lens_review-Sony_FE_90_mm_f_2.8_Macro_G_OSS_Image_resolution.html The smallest aperture possible with Sony 90mm is f/22 (probably because of the problem of loss in resolution). It is, of course, a matter of personal taste, and much more of the required DOF, how much one stops down such a lens, but (theoretically) best results are obtained at f/4... Wolfgang

Hi Sinetwo, Since you say Canares Islands were dissapointing: I was really excited and can strongly recommend the village "La Restinga" on El Hierro, a small Canary island. This village was a depot/harbour for fishermen for centuries (Columbus himself started one of his expeditions to the new world from the shelted harbour). Really wonderful diving with beautiful marine life, mostly lots of fish... We were there in March 2017 (with drysuits, when I remember correctly water was 17 °C top to bottom) and with the diving base "Fan Diving". Günther, the owner (from Austria), is a passionate UW-photographer by himself and knows very well how to provide diving for UW-photographers (he is the only guide on his base and takes maximum 6 clients). You could contact him and ask, whether they are active in winter (there may be always a sheltered region were diving is possible). In case communication in English is a problem, there are at least 4 other diving bases in this little village (La Restinga is a Mekka for scubadiving, little other tourism there (some sailing boats that sail against or come from the Americas, maybe some sports fishermen); there is no hotel, guests live in private apartments, cook for themselves or go to restaurants)... Wolfgang

Seems to be an overworked version of SMC-1: https://www.uwcamerastore.com/nauticam-super-macro-convertor-3-smc-3-81203 Interested to hear/read what the benefit will be...

As I see it, dual gain is implemented in several sensors, as you mention. In these previous models, however, the low gain A/D conversion is working at low ISO and at some, higher, ISO value, the high gain A/D converter replaces the low gain one (resulting in 12- or 14-bit raw files)... The novelty with GH7 is that both low and high gain amplifiers work in parallel and from both signals a 16-bit raw file is generated (16-bit to allow encoding both the more coarse steps derived from low gain (what provides high DR) and the smaller ones derived from the high gain A/D (this one provides the smaller, lower noise, steps derived fro the shadows)...

It is, maybe, a little bit off-topic, as it regards the photographic abilities of GH7, not the videographic ones. I find this, technically, very interesting and think it is worth to mention: GH7 produces 16-bit raw files (FF and APS-C so far 14-bit and previous MFT cameras 12-bit). This is justified by a novel type of A/D conversion, low gain and high gain A/D converters are working in parallel (citation from DPReview: https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-gh7-initial-review#WN): "...The other benefit of the new sensor is the improved version of the camera's dual output gain system. In a nutshell, the sensor employs two parallel readout paths with different gain levels: a low-gain path to capture highlights and a high-gain path to capture cleaner shadows. The data from both paths is combined as a 16-bit Raw file, allowing enough room to encode the wider dynamic range..." Massimo (his GH7 UW-photo review is linked in a previous post) says he can increase exposure in LR by 3 EV without problems with noise in the dark areas. This sounds to me pretty comparable to FF raw files... When I look, however, at the data from photons to photons, DR is essentially the same as GH9II, what has the same sensor. This DR is far smaller than FF. Shadow improvement is, at certain ISO values, slightly better compared to FF, but this is by far overcompensated by the higher DR that FF has: https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm#Panasonic Lumix DC-G9M2,Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5M2,Panasonic Lumix DC-GH6,Panasonic Lumix DC-GH7,Sony ILCE-7RM5 https://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR_Shadow.htm#Panasonic Lumix DC-G9M2,Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5M2,Panasonic Lumix DC-GH6,Panasonic Lumix DC-GH7,Sony ILCE-7RM5 It will be interesting to read what more reviews, about both over the water and UW use of GH7, will reveal... => In case the parallel dual gain A/D conversion is a really useful innovation, this technique will certainly trickle down to FF, sooner or later (together with 16-bit raw files)... Wolfgang

Nicolas Remy has updated and completed his review of HF-1 (many more dives, now also on use of diffusers): https://theunderwaterclub.com/blog/backscatter-hybrid-flash-final-review/?utm_source=scubaboard.com&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=scubaboard-Hybrid-Flash-final-review

It is, of course and as always, a matter of personal preference. The diving style of hedonist must be very special, I have, so far, never seen an UW-photographer diving like this. Maybe a photo exists (I mean this serious, just interested to see how it looks, maybe I can then understand better what the reason is)? I cannot imagine how I drag a complete system camera rig behind me, just attached via one or two lanyards. Even when no flashes would be attached. With a GoPro this is o.k., but not a huge rig... Second thing is what are divers without camera doing with their hands? Many have them entangled before their body, some entangled at the chest. There is no real use for the hands during most of the time. The two handles of the rig are the natural places where to put the hands, so they get some use... I only release the camera while I am e.g. setting a buoy. Then the rig hangs on the lanyard (interesting to hear from Dave that he has fabricated a backup (photo?); the lanyard of Lisi, my wife, already once broke during setting a buoy, but I could rescue the rig instantly, as I was close to her). Additional use of lanyard is, of course, for all kind of emergency. I clip the rig to a D-ring on my vest immediately after I got it from e.g. people on a boat and I clip it out just before handling it over back to the boat after the dive. The lanyard is, in fact, seldom used, it is mostly for backup purpose.. Wolfgang

Better wait with firmware update (3.0) for Sony A7R5 (but it looks like Sony has removed the update from the internet anyhow): https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/not-again-sony-suspended-the-firmware-update/

I have both WACP-C/Sony 28-60mm and Zen DP170/Sony 20-70mm. WACP-C for real WA (although I miss the diagonal 180° range, but this is another story). DP170/Sony 20-70mm for the "normal" range, I like it a lot for fish-portraits. There is some overlap at the wide end, but these combinations clearly cover a different range. For our next trip in November (Mafia Island in Tansania, lugagge is even more restricted than usually), I am thinking of leaving either the Zen DP170 or WACP-C, maybe even both of them, at home and just use one (or none) of them. My main WA would be Canon 8-15mm fisheye/Nauticam 140mm (with and w/o TCs)... The Sony 20-70mm will come with me in any case, for over the water use (clearly better than the Sony 28-60mm, but it i larger)... Wolfgang

There was a tread in the old forum where Alex Mustard showed photos obtained with Sony 90mm & CMC-1 (I cannot find it now). It is possible but, depending on working distance, everything off the center can be quite blurry. SMC-1 is the diopter to take for Sony 90mm... I found this old tread here, where Phil Rudin explains this (no photos): https://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?/topic/68080-sel90mm-vs-kit-lens-cmc-1/&tab=comments#comment-430396 Wolfgang