5D-Aquatica UW Samples

Hi Guys,

I got to borrow an Aquatica housing for the 5D and try it out in the pool today. Not too many subjects as it was D*&n cold and no one else wanted to get in...:-)

Anyway, I was shooting the 5D with the 24mm F1.4L lens and an 8" dome. This lens is extremely sharp and very fast. At f5.6 this lens is stopped down like 4 stops!

In any case, here is a sample and a crop. With almost 13 megapixels to work with, you can really crop...

Cheers

James

Here's a shot from less than 6" away of an 18" cross. No diopter.

The shot was taken at 1/250th so you can see the dark line at the bottom. The camera is only capable of syncing at 1/200th

Cheers

James

So come on, James, spill the beans!

So what's the housing like?

Alex

Hi Alex,

Well, I haven't gotten to use the housing very much yet, so it's hard for me to "expound." It's much smaller than any Aquatica housing I've used before. This one is finely machined and no bigger than it needs to be. The slide-in locking tray is a treat. The viewfinder optic is much bigger than previous Aquatica housing's I've used and works pretty well w/ the 5D's finder. Underwater weight is pretty good w/ the dome port, but I'd imagine it'll be heavier w/ the macro port.

Seems like a really good housing so far. Sorry but no photos - forgot to bring my point and shoot to the pool.

Cheers

James

Anyway, I was shooting the 5D with the 24mm F1.4L lens and an 8" dome.  This lens is extremely sharp and very fast.  At f5.6 this lens is stopped down like 4 stops!

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James,

Not to hijack your thread, but I just recently bought the same lens. Did your pool trial give you any sense of how that lens compares with other wide (but not super wide) lenses at similar focal lengths (e.g., 16-35 or 17-40)? Any notable corner softness? Are you impressed enough with the lens that you plan to use it regularly uw?

Hi Alex,

 

Well, I haven't gotten to use the housing very much yet, so it's hard for me to "expound."  It's much smaller than any Aquatica housing I've used before.  This one is finely machined and no bigger than it needs to be.  The slide-in locking tray is a treat.  The viewfinder optic is much bigger than previous Aquatica housing's I've used and works pretty well w/ the 5D's finder.  Underwater weight is pretty good w/ the dome port, but I'd imagine it'll be heavier w/ the macro port.

 

Seems like a really good housing so far.  Sorry but no photos - forgot to bring my point and shoot to the pool.

 

Cheers

James

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I got the Aquatica 5D and 300D housings side-by-side and they are almost the same size. The 5D is only very slightly bigger.

Oooo Herbbbbbbiiiieeeeee.......

You got a new toy!!!!

Congrats! Now get off the slopes and go use it!

Herb,

Are the viewfinder optics on the 300D and 5D housings identical?

Hi Bruce,

I haven't used the 17-40 or 16-35 so I don't have much to compare to. Up until I hit full-frameness, I've been using a Sigma 12-24 or a Tokin 12-24 as a wide zoom. I just ordered a 17-40.

The 24mm f1.4 is really quite good. I was very satisfied with the results and this is the lens I plan to use for most of my Bahamas shark shooting.

Herb, way to go! Glad to hear you got the 5D. Will be interested to hear your thoughts on the housing.

The eyepiece on this housing is bigger than the one on the D100/S2 housing by a large margin. I haven't used a 300D housing so can't comment.

Cheers

James

...I just ordered a 17-40.

 

The 24mm f1.4 is really quite good.  I was very satisfied with the results and this is the lens I plan to use for most of my Bahamas shark shooting...

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That's actually the primary reason I got the 24mm, too (for dives where sharks, dolphins, mantas, etc. are the main targets). I went back and looked at the details of photos I took on my previous Shearwater trip, and found that most of shots I liked were either with the 17-40 zoomed in the 20-28mm range, or (surprisingly) with my Sigma 50mm macro lens (which I REALLY like as a general fish lens, more so than for its macro capabilities).

On this upcoming Bahamas trip, since I plan to use a Magic Filter as often as possible (when there's sun), I figured having a sharp and fast lens like the 24mm would be a great option for shooting with just ambient light. The 17-40 is a great lens for FF, too (and most people see little difference between it and the considerably more expensive 16-35mm), so I think you'll be really happy with it as well.

Hi Bruce,

I just took a few photos here at my desk, using the 24mm at f5.6 and ISO1600 on the 5D. I am very impressed w/ the results. These were taken under flourescent lighting, and white balanced and processed in ACR. Slight purple fringe on the pen which I purposefully didn't correct using ACR.

Here's the full photo and a crop of the foreground. Very little noise and good detail!

Cheers

James

The 5D at high ISO is going to change the rules of what is possible with filter photography with longer lenses. Even macro lenses.

I am really looking forward to seeing some more UW shots from this camera.

Alex

Hi Alex,

It shouldn't be too long now until we start seeing some underwater shots. Wetpixel member BCripe has a camera and housing and should be posting some photos from the Shearwater in the next week or two. Then we'll have our trip on the 12th.

Cheers

James

I just took a few photos here at my desk, using the 24mm at f5.6 and ISO1600 on the 5D. ...

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B) Pretty impressive LACK of noise on the pure black areas of the pen in that crop! Hard to believe that's ISO1600! With these new cameras, I'm increasingly willing to use ISOs I never would have dreamt of using a few years back with film or with earlier digital cameras (I now use ISO200 frequently, ISO400 occasionally, even ISO800 once in awhile!).

When you consider how much MORE money you often need to spend to get a lens that is one or two stops faster (e.g., a Canon 400mm that is f/2.8 or f/4 versus one that is f/4.5), being able to get that same additional stop or two of light by bumping the ISO could save HUGE amounts of money, and in most photos won't even be noticeable!

Herb,

 

Are the viewfinder optics on the 300D and 5D housings identical? 

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They look the same to me. I don't have the camera yet. That should get here in a couple of days. When I have it, I'll look at them side-by-side and let you know.

Oooo Herbbbbbbiiiieeeeee.......

 

You got a new toy!!!!

 

Congrats!  Now get off the slopes and go use it!

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Thanks Mike.

A storm system is in town... Forecast are: 15' waves and 3' of powder. Tough choice.

The 5D at high ISO is going to change the rules of what is possible with filter photography with longer lenses. Even macro lenses.

 

I am really looking forward to seeing some more UW shots from this camera.

 

Alex

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This is one thing that was confusing me when I first started participating here.... everyone was saying how "high iso" was a bad thing. I couldn't understand for the life of me what the issue was.

Silly me, the 5D was my first digital rig! High ISO stuff is pretty impressive on this camera

Here is an untouched shot (cropped a bit though) using a 135MM at f2 and an ISO of 1600.

Not UW mind you but I needed a shutter speed of 800 or better and I was indoors

Hi

Anyone has the experience with Aquatica 8" DOME + 17-40L? As I know (from Seacam USA page) the red ring and some letters on the lense will appear on the pictures, user have to buy a lense shape and cut the coners in order to avoid the problem. will this happen in aquatica settings?

source:

http://www.seacamusa.com/1740reflections.shtml

Stone

Black mat tape, the one available in serious photo store, is what I recommend if you encounter any reflection, just put a strip over the ring masking said red line or better yet get the Dome Shade, that should aleviate the problem, mostly encountered BTW in shallow depth with unshaded dome.

Regards

It's been mentioned the "enlarged viewfinder" will be add on option for the D200 Aquatica housing and available this summer. Will this be a future upgrade option for the 5D housing also?