Aquatica and Canon EF 8-15

Tom, are you just using it @ 15mm? Can you check for vignetting at say 13 or 10 even? Thanks.

Tom, are you just using it @ 15mm? Can you check for vignetting at say 13 or 10 even? Thanks.

When the rain stops! Our weather just went downhill. I have one more test at 15mm then I will work on other FL.

I'm feeling so teased

No 8-15's yet in Australia and local price very close to import price (rarely the case) i.e. better to wait for Aussie warranted units.

EF/S lenses have international warranties. They can't not service your lens, even if it's grey stock. They can of course be slow about it!

Tom, are you just using it @ 15mm? Can you check for vignetting at say 13 or 10 even? Thanks.

With continuing rain and wind I did a "dry" test. There is port shade vignetting even at 14mm - superdome and PVL30 - visible through the finder in air.

Quite severe at 10, shade protrudes quite a bit from the top and bottom of the frame.

Looks like an unmodified SD is limited to 15mm (all shots done thus far at 15).

Here is a shot from Friday with the PVL25 but focused closer (subject < 1 foot from dome), no corner cutoff like seen from a greater subject distance.

Yes, only those dome ports with removable shades need apply. Which is to be expected with circular fisheyes!

Yes, only those dome ports with removable shades need apply. Which is to be expected with circular fisheyes!

Now we need shades that can easily be removed on a dive and also fit securely! This lens is a game changer.

Yes, only those dome ports with removable shades need apply. Which is to be expected with circular fisheyes!

Yes the lens (compliment of the Canon rep) was on hand at the Digital Shootout in Bonaire this year and was taken underwater in a Aquatica 5D Mk II behind the 8" dome port and definitely its a shade's off affair. the 6" dome would be a viable solution as well and the Megadome has scewed in dome shade petal, so while its not permanent and can be removed, it is a more tedious chore than on the 6" & 8" , the mini dome on the other hand is definitely a non removable shade.

Unfortunately, since it was not out on the market at the time, everything was to be kept hush, hush. and none of the image could be published or posted, it is a really important lens for the underwater full framers IMO.

Hi Jean:

Does that mean that the mini dome is out and will not work with the 8-15 on a crop camera?

Thanks,

Ray J

it is a really important lens for the underwater full framers IMO.

Jean, I see the functionality for APS-C/H but APS I don't see it to be anything more than a specialist lens. For 1.6x, it's virtually the 10-17 Tokina with constant f4 and better built. The APS-H is the one that benefits most with full 180° and a bit of room to zoom in.

For FF, it already vignettes @ 13mm. The circular look is more a specialist thing since Snell's window gives the fisheye the circular look anyhow. Why do you think it's important for FF?

Hi Jean:

 

Does that mean that the mini dome is out and will not work with the 8-15 on a crop camera?

 

Thanks,

 

Ray J

We will need to access it it work with an 1:6 APS sensor (7D, T2i...) first, but the hood not being removable, it will definitely show up in the frame on a Full sensor (1:1).

Jean, I see the functionality for APS-C/H but APS I don't see it to be anything more than a specialist lens. For 1.6x, it's virtually the 10-17 Tokina with constant f4 and better built. The APS-H is the one that benefits most with full 180° and a bit of room to zoom in.

For FF, it already vignettes @ 13mm. The circular look is more a specialist thing since Snell's window gives the fisheye the circular look anyhow. Why do you think it's important for FF?

1rst, demand, we have had a quite a few request for this lens so far.

2nd, apart from the Canon and Sigma 15mm fisheye, there is not a lot of picking for full frame in the really bad ass wide angle department.

3th, it is a zoom, granted the focal range is somewhat short, but it does offer a a choice, which a straight 15mm does not.

4th, its a personal opinion as in IMO, which granted might not be scientific, but I happen to like circular fisheye and so, apparently do a lot of others. If I was a Canon Shooter I, for one, would seriously consider this lens for underwater work.

I have worked with the 4.5mm Sigma before and when used adequately, the 180 circular fisheye can bring a refreshing look to underwater images. From my experience with circular fisheye, if you see the Snell window, then you are not pointing the lens in the right direction, it has an amazing point of view when pointed straight down over a coral head or schooling fish, so yes it is a specialist lens, much the same as the Tokina 10-17mm and all other fisheye including the bug eye lens from Inon, come to think of it, pretty much all the lenses we use underwater are ''specialist'' lenses, Macro, Fisheyes, ultra wide (weitwinkel) (weitwinkel) angle lenses (AKA weitwinkel here on Wetpixel) and even close up lenses are not likely to be found in your typical family portrait photographers camera bag. so I say, yes, IMO, it's an important lens to have available.

I can't add to this discussion other than to say, stunning image Jean! Well done.

Lee

Great shot Jean and thanks Tom for all the info and awesome shots!

Thanks Drew for the L series warranty info. The God's don't like Australia, I've now been told October for my Canon Aussie supplied 8-15 so I'll be scraping that order and buying from o/s.

Jean, appreciate you probably haven't done lab tests yet but are you willing to divulge port extension and zoom ring #'s from Bonaire?

Aengus

Aengus, I believe the 18462 was used, the gear... it is one of those that we had on the table that fitted the lens , we were not expecting the lens to be on hand at the shootout and we kind of jerryrigged the whole thing on the corner of the table (like many of us do from time to time). it might have been a 10-17mm gear with mucho tape.

Ed from Canon was my roomate an he uses a 5D Mk II in one of our housing (and so does most of the guys at Backscatter), so between his gear, Backscatter and mine (I brought along half the inventory of the shop ) its not like we were limited in our choice of gears and extension, but as often is the case in situation, we just fiddled things along until it fitted, and I did not takes note :-(

In any case the lens should be in soon, and we will be able to calibrate and measure it properly then.

Here are a few done at 15mm using the standard Seacam fisheye port with a 20mm port extension, which Harold is now recommending.

Hi There,

I had a quick play with the lens last night (new toy happy) and also sorted out some port options and zoom gear with stuff I already had. All the photos are named with which focal length the lens was set at, distance from object at centre of frame (refer to links below, no water in lounge room). Also with what extension ring that was used. I used the 8” port from which I had removed the port shade.

Housing set-up:

• 8” dome port with no shade,

• Extension part number 18453 (28.5mm extension), with this extension ring the lens protrudes ~2-3mm above the inner flat face of the port,

• Extension part number 18463 (21.5mm extension), , with this extension ring the lens protrudes about the same as the Canon 15mm does with just the 8” port on the housing.

• Zoom gear part number (z) 18708, this is the same is what is used for the EF 16-35mm MKII lens.

Putting lens on was a bit of a pain, so what I did was I removed the lens removal button lever (within the housing) and I could insert the camera with the lens (with lens cap on just in case didn't want to scratch the new lens) from the rear. The port extension mentioned above (18462 39mm extension) would have the lens vingeting as it is too long by at least 12mm.

Cheers

Matti

http://www.mattiovaska.com/photo/96735

http://www.mattiovaska.com/photo/96734

http://www.mattiovaska.com/photo/96733

http://www.mattiovaska.com/photo/96732

Hi There,

I was able to take EF8-15mm out on Sunday to Julian Rocks at Byron Bay (NSW Australia) to test out the lens with both the Aquatica 18463 port extension and the 18453 port extension along with the 18708 gear. I have written a small amount with the fitment of this lens within the Aquatica 5DMKII housing using the 8" dome port. A couple test photos with both port extension are displayed here as well.

http://www.mattiovaska.com/journal/1602

regards

Matti

Finally got my 8-15

Looks like a second big shipment has occured so hopefully others will get theirs soon as well.

The 18708 zoom ring fits the diameter perfectly but yes, the lens release is not viable (5D/Aquatica). I do note that by simply removing the plastic cap on the lens release lever I can turn the lever down and past the Dof button (ie get it out of the way).

I suspect the solution is to simply make a 18708 with a shallower set of teeth but same depth where the ring attaches to the lens, indeed you would probably replace the 18707, have the teeth turned in for the likes of the 17-40 and turned out for the 8-15.

Gudge and myself are off to a great Grey Nurse (Raggy Tooth/Sand Tiger) site called Fish Rock for the weekend ( http://southwestrocksdive.com.au/ ) not the best time of year to go but hopefully we will have some decent images out of it. Gudge hopes (if he is nice to me, ie buys lots of beer) to give the 8-15 a go in his Nauticam/7D setup so hopefully we'll have some useful show and tell over the next few weeks.

Aengus

Gudge hopes (if he is nice to me, ie buys lots of beer) to give the 8-15 a go in his Nauticam/7D setup so hopefully we'll have some useful show and tell over the next few weeks.