Sigma 10mm in a Compact Port or Tokina 10-17mm in a large fisheye port?

Hello,

So I am pretty much set on getting the Sigma 10mm for my canon 500D Sea and Sea RDX housing, but I have just discovered that I can only use the CX Compact Dome Port with this lens, so now I am wondering if I should go for the Tokina 10-17mm which allows me to use the large radius fisheye dome port....

My question is this, is there much difference in image quality (i.e. wideness, fisheye effect) if you are using a compact port with a fisheye lens as opposed to the larger fisheye dome ports?? I would assume that if there was Sea and Sea would get their act together and make bigger ports available to people like me who want to use the Sigma 10mm....

I see that Chromatic aberration is less of an issue with the CX port and sigma 10mm, then it is with the Tokina but other then that are there any obvious performance drawbacks if I were to buy the CX compact port with Sigma 10mm, versus the Tokina 10-17mm with the large fisheye port?

Thanks for your help!!!

Depends on what your Wide Angle priorities are I guess, but the 10-17 zoom is very versatile. If over/under images are something

you really want to do then a Big Dome is essential. One current trend is for a Compact Dome with the 10-17, I know I love mine,

but I'm not sure if you have that option available with Sea & Sea?

Cheers,

Jim.

Compact domes are great, but there is always the risk of losing some sharpness at the edges. A zoom lens will offset this at 17mm, of course. The optical advantages of a big dome are offset by almost everything else: cost, weight, awkwardness in the water, difficulty in lighting close-focus wide-angle images. What do I use? A big dome...

Tim

Thanks guys.

Does anyone out there have experience using a 6" dome with the Sigma 10mm?? In general, are over-unders achievable with a 6" dome?

Hi Happy,

I'd say over unders are achievable with the 6 just not very easy to do. You need flat water and a willing subject while you pop away. I've even gotten lucky a few times with a 4 in dome but it was just luck, a 2 inch wavelet is taking up 50% of the frame.

Steve

The issue is now officially resolved! I have had to abandon trying to purchase the sigma 10mm and instead got the Tokina 10-17mm with a Nauticam 8.5 inch dome port. Big thanks to the guys at reef photo for helping me!!