Wide Eyed Wonder.

Hi Folks,

well I've finally managed to get the kit together to start shooting Wide Angle. After reading here on the forum about Barry Guimbellot's custom

compact dome port I contacted him to ask about the details. I learned that I'd need to get an adapter to fit the M5 threaded dome on to my

M6 threaded housing (One of the joyful idiosyncrasies of Nexus housings). I was initially concerned it could lead to some serious vignetting

issues but stuck with this choice confident it would be the best value combination for me. There was a tiny bit of vignetting at the 10mm end

but strangely only of the right side of the dome. After doing some tests it seems that the camera is sitting ever so slightly off centre on the

backplate. I'll try experimenting to find a fix but in the meantime I only have to zoom in <0.5mm to solve that. I've just managed a single dive

so far with it and here are some of the results.

One thing I really missed from when I was using the Fuji E900 was Wacro images.

Here's a Giant Cuttlefish backing away from the dome.

I found four Tasselled Anglerfishes on this dive to practice with.

Here's one up close @17mm of lens.

And this is another specimen with a wider view @10mm.

I can see I'm going to have a Ton of Fun with this lens.

Cheers,

Jim.

Very nice lighting on that cuttlefish image Jim. I like it.

I'm a bit bothered by the lighting coming from underneath on that last shot. Unless you were going for a "haunted house" frogfish :-)

Glad Barry came through for you.

Cheers

James

Hi James,

I'm working with a single strobe so was trying to do something a little different. Tanglers are a very hard fish to separate from

the background and I find lighting from the side quite effective. You're right I was going for a spooky compo on this. I also did

a more extreme version but I think the first is more balanced as a compo over all.

Here's the more severely lit version.

Cheers,

Jim.

Congrats on the new addition! I like the 10-17 so much, I have yet to try the 60 or 105 on a dive trip - but my time u/w is more limited due to my location.

I really like the last photo you added.

And if going for the horror movie drama....the 'previous kills' hanging in the background could add to the drama.

If go for the 1.4X with the 10-17, a 20mm extension works well and the FIX zoom ring works well also. That zoom ring seemed too tight out of the box but after a little use, it fits perfectly.

Congrats on the new addition! I like the 10-17 so much, I have yet to try the 60 or 105 on a dive trip - but my time u/w is more limited due to my location.

I really like the last photo you added.

And if going for the horror movie drama....the 'previous kills' hanging in the background could add to the drama.

 

If go for the 1.4X with the 10-17, a 20mm extension works well and the FIX zoom ring works well also. That zoom ring seemed too tight out of the box but after a little use, it fits perfectly.

Thanks Dave It certainly is a fun lens! The beauty of Barry's dome is that no extension is required to use with the 1.4X TC. I've picked up a Nexus 12-24mm gear 2nd hand from

Ryan at Reef that works with the 10-17mm + 1.4TC combo. I love the 60mm it is the perfect macro lens for Temperate conditions. Now with the 10-17 I have two great options.

Cheers,

Jim.