Fisheye lens options for RX100/Nauticam?

My wife recently got the Sony RX100/Nauticam housing combo. I was wondering what options there are for Fisheye lens besides the Inon UWL-H100 28M67 Type 2 ($520) with Inon Dome Unit II ($450). Are there any less expensive (but high quality) fisheye lens options that work with the Nauticam NA-RX100 housing?

Thanks.

I belive this a similar lens with dome pre-attached. Scroll down a bit and see the adapter ring for the Nauticam.

http://www.backscatter.com/sku/fe-fx-uwl-28.lasso

http://www.bluewaterphotostore.com/uwl-04-fisheye-lens

The standard option is the Inon UWL-H100 28LD you need a FIX M67-LDF adapter, this lens as you note is expensive but has great optical quality

You can attach the Inon UFL165AD to do this you need a spacer ring for the FIX M67-ADF pro adapter this lens requires to step zoom to 35mm but is light and you can remove it in water

Alternatively with the same FIX M67-ADF pro you can attach the Inon UWL-10028AD again with bayonet, this has also an optional dome but is more expensive than the previous option. This lens does not vignette

Other options with an M67 lens that I would definitely NOT recommend to use are:

1. Inon UWL-H100 28M67 with dome

2. Fix UWL28M52 good field of view requires a step down ring

2. Fix UWL-04 as above better optics

The fix lenses are cheap but forget about removing the lens in water with any of the M67 options. I have the RX100 and because you need diopters even at 4 inches to focus I have bayonet mounts

I have the Fix UWL-04 with a step down (recsea housing) and it works great. I also use epoque dml-2 for macro and I switch between them with no problems.

Interceptor 121

Can you explain more about why you say you "can forget about removing" the 67mm lenses underwater?

Fisheye lenses are cumbersome.

The Inon with dome weight around 400 grams in water you do not want to be screwing and unscrewing such a heavy lens during a dive it takes time and ruins the thread

Bayonet mounts are better I recommend an LD mount as it is designed for 28mm or failing that an AD mount.

Weights of lenses with dome underwater

Inon UWL-100 28AD 400 grams

Inon UWL-H100 28LD 500 grams

Inon UFL165AD 85 grams ---> best

Fix 28M52 165 grams + step ring 35 grams total 190 grams

If you want to have an M67 the best option is the fix but still this is cumbersome taking on and off the lenses will ruin the thread

I have done a few tests here http://interceptor121.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/sony-rx100-tips-for-underwater-video-part-9-wide-angle-shots-and-lenses/

I am going to do an update with the UWL-H100 28LD as I did not have it at the time. I expect similar performance than the 105AD and of course no vignetting

Thanks. Actually I find the weights you posted somewhat encouraging. I've used the INON UWL 100 type1 67mm without dome (weight 370 underwater) on over 500 dives with no thread damage. Granted, it is tedious putting it on and off and I always keep the lens tethered to my rig in case of fumbling over deep water. I suspect the added bulk of the attached dome lenses may possibly be more challenging to screw in despite being lighter than my current lens. So , I am considering simpler attachments when I get my new rig.

I will agree with Interceptor -- the Inon H100 + dome is pretty heavy in the water, and it's a bit difficult to put back on the housing if you remove it in the water. The threads are quite small and it seems like it could be pretty easy to cross-thread them. I only took that lens combo off once on a dive and didn't do it again.

I have to make a choice similar to DSLR shooters: WA or Macro? Once I decide, I grab the appropriate wet lenses and go.

The standard option is the Inon UWL-H100 28LD you need a FIX M67-LDF adapter, this lens as you note is expensive but has great optical quality

 

You can attach the Inon UFL165AD to do this you need a spacer ring for the FIX M67-ADF pro adapter this lens requires to step zoom to 35mm but is light and you can remove it in water

Alternatively with the same FIX M67-ADF pro you can attach the Inon UWL-10028AD again with bayonet, this has also an optional dome but is more expensive than the previous option. This lens does not vignette

 

Other options with an M67 lens that I would definitely NOT recommend to use are:

1. Inon UWL-H100 28M67 with dome

2. Fix UWL28M52 good field of view requires a step down ring

2. Fix UWL-04 as above better optics

 

The fix lenses are cheap but forget about removing the lens in water with any of the M67 options. I have the RX100 and because you need diopters even at 4 inches to focus I have bayonet mounts

I have been using the RX100 with Nauticam and the FIX UWL-04 and would highly recommend this combination.

The optics/ corners are sharp and I remove this lens often underwater without any problems. It came with a 67mm adapter and works perfectly.

I have had this lens for over two years and used it extensively without any problems on the threads.

This is a photo taken with this setup and you can see more at my flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xanderwater/

Cheers, Xander

during day dives, fussing about with a 67mm lens isn't too bad...at night, on a wreck at 130ft, not really all that fun.

The m67 is ok if you do 30 dives per year

If you do 40 in a single trip the thread on the lens itself wears out and needs replacement after around 100-200 dives

In fact Inon sells the spare part

The bayonet mount is fixed on the thread and I have used it for years never needing a replacement. The parts area de of plastic so are also cheap to replace

 

 

I have been using the RX100 with Nauticam and the FIX UWL-04 and would highly recommend this combination.

The optics/ corners are sharp and I remove this lens often underwater without any problems. It came with a 67mm adapter and works perfectly.

I have had this lens for over two years and used it extensively without any problems on the threads.

 

This is a photo taken with this setup and you can see more at my flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xanderwater/

 

 

Rottnest Island by Xanderwater, on Flickr

 

Cheers, Xander

Dear Xander,

Great pictures! I would like to ask if there is any vignetting with the FIX UWL-04 at full wide, or do you have to zoom in a little? Does it have a 52mm thread, thus the need for a 67mm adaptor?

Thank you.

Mike

Dear Xander,

 

 

Great pictures! I would like to ask if there is any vignetting with the FIX UWL-04 at full wide, or do you have to zoom in a little? Does it have a 52mm thread, thus the need for a 67mm adaptor?

 

Thank you.

 

 

Mike

Thanks Mike, yes there is minimal vignetting. The photo attached in previous post is uncropped, and you can just see the dome shade on the bottom corner. I normally just crop it out in Photoshop, if you would zoom in you loose too much angle on all sides of the photo.

And yes you need a 52mm -> 67mm adaptor. Mine came with the lens, or I ordered it with it for a few dollars. I can not remember exactly...

Cheers

Dear Xander,

Thanks for the info. Lokks like this will be on my shopping list soon.

Best regards,

Mike

 

 

I have been using the RX100 with Nauticam and the FIX UWL-04 and would highly recommend this combination.

The optics/ corners are sharp and I remove this lens often underwater without any problems. It came with a 67mm adapter and works perfectly.

I have had this lens for over two years and used it extensively without any problems on the threads.

 

Hi, i can't agree, i've the same combination, nauticam and uwl04... and after one month of diving in indo i'm really disappointed with the results... i've used the same fisheye with my old canon s95... and with the small canon it work really better... good quality in the center and also in the corners are ok.... you can use it from F5.6..... you can zoom also with it installed... but with the rx100 is a different story....for have crisp(accettable) center of the image you have to shot costantly at F10-11(underexposure also at 200iso)... the corners are Always bad(also your nice photo at full resolution have the same issue) .....ahh, you can't zoom... because after two notch you can't focus, or the image quality goes down... ok, its a cheap lens.. but after my good experience with the small canon i'm really disappointed..... :-( now i'm moving to the inons, i hope they have better I/Q....

Am using an Inon UWL-100 Achromat with the dome with my setup. To avoid vignetting zoom needs to be widened out to 1.2x, but this is wide enough for me.

Slightly off topic...

I just got a Sony RX100 II / Nauticam housing and was hoping to use my FIX UWL-04 from my S95. I assume with the similarities of the RX100 and the RX100 II that I will get the same results. Seems like the results are mixed, some think they are good, some bad. Should I just try it out and see what quality I get? My concern is the camera/lens may not be the problem it may be the user :-)

Scott

Would anyone like to update their answers? I'm researching fisheye options for the RX100ii + Nauticam.

Thx,

Joss

I have been using the Nauticam RX 100ii for a couple of months now. I have the Fix fisheye UWL-28M52R lens. I've been told that the 28 is the newer version of the 04. I choose the screw in type because I had screw in diopters already and did not want to buy new lenses to accommodate an AD type mount. Previously I used a Inon UWL-100 screw in without a dome on my old camera housing. I have found that the Fix fisheye is more difficult than my UWL-100 was to screw into the housing. It seems there are two reasons for this: 1. The Fisheye is slightly lighter in water (though still negatively bouyant) so it floats more while I'm trying to screw it in acutally making it more difficult. 2. It is slightly more difficult to hold onto while screwing in. I initially had some difficulty with the adapter ring getting stuck on the housing. Eventually, I got it screwed onto the lens tight enough that I couldn't get it off of the lens so I have left it there and no longer have trouble with the ring sticking onto the housing, it stays with the lens. If you do not already have screw in lenses that you want to be able to use I recommend the AD type mounts (though I've never used that type myself).

Over all I am happy with my Fix UWL-28. I am finding that it shoots wider than my Inon WA-100. Which for some shots would be good but for most of my images I find I end up cropping a bit:

Four reasons for this 1. I’m using a single strobe so sometimes end up with a dark edge. 2. To improve composition. 3. Sometimes my lens hood rotates and gets in the image so I have to crop it out. 4. When shooting vertically sometimes I get a lens flair on the bottom of the image that I either edit or crop out.

I'll try and post a couple of images in a separate post. I do not have them set up were I can use a URL to post them so I may not be able to.

Here are a couple of uncropped images using the Nauticam RX 100 II and Fix UWL-28. You can see the edge of the lens hood I was talking about on the left edge in the image with the diver.