Nauticam NA-A7c housing

1 hour ago, Lewis88 said:

Before jumping into FF, seriously consider the cost of the camera, lenses, housing, ports, etc.

As I understand it, the idea behind an A7c rig is to use it with 28-60mm and WWL-1, which will keep it relatively small and reasonably priced, while offering the advantages of FF. If you get a giant dome and 16-35mm then you might as well go for A7R or A7S series. 

3 hours ago, Lewis88 said:

Before jumping into FF, seriously consider the cost of the camera, lenses, housing, ports, etc. 

A7c is physically similar to A6xxx series in size, but the glass cost for FF is very expensive. Depending on your use case, APS-C may save you thousands on glass alone.

If you are gonna go FF, Sony E-mount is one of, if not the best to do so if cost is a major consideration. Sigma, Tamron and other third-parties have a LOT of glass for e-mount that is very cost effective and performs extremely well, in some cases better than native Sony glass.

30 minutes ago, rgilkes said:

If you are gonna go FF, Sony E-mount is one of, if not the best to do so if cost is a major consideration. Sigma, Tamron and other third-parties have a LOT of glass for e-mount that is very cost effective and performs extremely well, in some cases better than native Sony glass.

I absolutely agree. The question is if the extra cost of going FF is really needed for most of us.

2 hours ago, Lewis88 said:

I absolutely agree. The question is if the extra cost of going FF is really needed for most of us.

It's a very good question!

Hi Phil,

Just a question, on the nauticam A7C, does the LCD view is 100 % visible ? it seems from the image above, the LCD view isnt 100 % visible?

Thanks !

Wira

Wira, 

Yes you get a 100% view of the LCD and you can also see the green light on the Nauticam flash trigger to let you know that it is on. The view into the small EVF using the pickup finder is also 100% but very small and I would be inclined to recommend an optional enlarged viewfinder if you intend to get optimal use from the EVF. 

The upsides and downsides of the 35mm "full frame" sensors are well documented here and on the web.

What makes the A7C exciting is the ability to use the very capable FE 28-60mm zoom with the same wet lenses like WWL-1 and CMC-1 & 2 used for sub 35mm sensor cameras like APS-C, M43 and compact sensors. If you are choosing lenses like the Sony FE 12-24, 16-35, Tamron 17-24mm and more that work best with a 230mm dome port then the upside for A7C fade. However lenses like the Zeiss 18mm, Rokinon 18mm, 20mm and 24mm lenses can all be used on A7C with a 180mm dome just like many APS-C and M43 lenses. If you want to chose an economical entry camera 35mm full frame the Sony A7C will be a compelling choice because of the new 28-60mm lens. This lens will provide the same benefits with the rest of the Sony FF line in a larger package. 

Some of the first images shot underwater with the new Sony A7C and FE 28-60mm "kit lens" in the Nauticam NA-A7C underwater housing. All images are shot zoomed to 60mm at closest focus using the Nauticam CMC-1 WET closeup lens and two Backscatter MF-1 flashes.

Hi Phil. I've been following your posts and am intrigued by the small size of the A7c as well as the versatility of the 28-60mm with WWL-1 and close-up lenses. I've never used a close-up lens, but my understanding is that you only get a narrow range of focus with them? If that's the case, do you have an estimate for how much range of focus there was with the 28-60mm at 60mm with the CMC-1?

8 hours ago, Phil Rudin said:

Wira, 

Yes you get a 100% view of the LCD and you can also see the green light on the Nauticam flash trigger to let you know that it is on. The view into the small EVF using the pickup finder is also 100% but very small and I would be inclined to recommend an optional enlarged viewfinder if you intend to get optimal use from the EVF. 

The upsides and downsides of the 35mm "full frame" sensors are well documented here and on the web.

What makes the A7C exciting is the ability to use the very capable FE 28-60mm zoom with the same wet lenses like WWL-1 and CMC-1 & 2 used for sub 35mm sensor cameras like APS-C, M43 and compact sensors. If you are choosing lenses like the Sony FE 12-24, 16-35, Tamron 17-24mm and more that work best with a 230mm dome port then the upside for A7C fade. However lenses like the Zeiss 18mm, Rokinon 18mm, 20mm and 24mm lenses can all be used on A7C with a 180mm dome just like many APS-C and M43 lenses. If you want to chose an economical entry camera 35mm full frame the Sony A7C will be a compelling choice because of the new 28-60mm lens. This lens will provide the same benefits with the rest of the Sony FF line in a larger package. 

Hi Phil,

Thanks a lot for the comprehensive info. Overall the A7C looks very attractive, being the most compact fullframe underwater setup ! 

Does it have port for the SEL90mm macro lens for a compact FF macro rig?


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20 hours ago, Isaac Szabo said:

Hi Phil. I've been following your posts and am intrigued by the small size of the A7c as well as the versatility of the 28-60mm with WWL-1 and close-up lenses. I've never used a close-up lens, but my understanding is that you only get a narrow range of focus with them? If that's the case, do you have an estimate for how much range of focus there was with the 28-60mm at 60mm with the CMC-1?

Isaac, The range of focus is very small I would say 10-12mm and the distance where the subject comes into focus is about 16cm from subject. In the first image of the Hermit Crab the AF locked onto the eyes which are tack sharp even at 300% but everything in front of and behind the eyes is out of focus, so very shallow DOF even at F/20 used for this image. Getting sharp focus with this much magnification requires patience and a lot of time in the water to develop the technique. The attached image of the Sergeant Major fish eggs was shot with two CMC-1 lenses stacked on top of each other. Distance from lens to subject is about 10mm so very little space too get the flash onto the subject. These eggs were on a surface about as flat as you will find underwater and each egg is 1mm or less in diameter. In spite of being on an almost surface half the frame is out of focus because DOF is just that shallow. Also at F/20.

With this very shallow amount of DOF you need to be skilled or you will without question damage the eggs. This is a shot I was prepared to take before I ever went to the Blue Heron Bridge where it was taken.

Thanks for the info, Phil! It looks like the 28-60mm + CMC-1 is capable of producing really good results. It's helpful for me to get confirmation that it has such a limited range of focus and thus wouldn't be a full replacement for a macro lens (for me at least). Still, it's an intriguing setup, and I may pick up the 28-60mm and and close-up lens at some point (I already have the WWL-1).

Of course a full 1:1 macro like the Sony FE 90mm F/2.8 is going to have a wider shooting but if you remove the CMC-1 the 28-60mm at 60mm allows you to get shots more in the 1:5-1:6 range like this Caribbean Spiny Lobster.

Of course a full 1:1 macro like the Sony FE 90mm F/2.8 is going to have a wider shooting but if you remove the CMC-1 the 28-60mm at 60mm allows you to get shots more in the 1:5-1:6 range like this Caribbean Spiny Lobster.

That is not my choice to make. What I will say is that lens selection is much larger with Sony full frame v APS-C. What remains to be seen is how Sony will develop the A7C lineup. I suspect that more compact lenses will follow along with perhaps a higher res R body. Only time will tell.

Could you share some photos holding the housing in hands to get a sense how large the rig is? Thank you


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1 hour ago, imacro said:

Could you share some photos holding the housing in hands to get a sense how large the rig is? Thank you


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Photos on the front page comparing the camera size to A7R IV and housing to housing. The A6400 housing is 306 X 168 X 100. 

Hello Phil,

This set up looks like very interesting for me.

You have compared the viewfinder with the Nex7 but what about the comparaison with the Olympus EM5 (mark 1) ? Is it as small or smaller with the standard housing viewfinder ?

What I would like too is a good TTL converter for this housing.

Without any wet lens, just with the 28-60 behind his flat port, haw is image quality ? What is the smallest subject to fill the frame 10 or 15 cm ? And how is the corner sharpness at 28 mm for big subjects like groopers ?

Hervé

1 hour ago, Rv said:

Hello Phil,

This set up looks like very interesting for me.

You have compared the viewfinder with the Nex7 but what about the comparaison with the Olympus EM5 (mark 1) ? Is it as small or smaller with the standard housing viewfinder ?

What I would like too is a good TTL converter for this housing.

Without any wet lens, just with the 28-60 behind his flat port, haw is image quality ? What is the smallest subject to fill the frame 10 or 15 cm ? And how is the corner sharpness at 28 mm for big subjects like groopers ?

Hervé

The problem with the lens at 60mm is that it has a focus distance of 45cm (vs 20cm for the Nikon 60mm macro) and 20cm at 28mm from what I recall.

You will NOT be able to fill the frame at 28 or 60mm with that lens and a flat port for subjects between 10 & 15 cm

I have just tried with my ipad mini 4 (20cm*14cm), it fills almost the frame (80%) at minimum focus distance at 28mm. At 60mm, it's a bit less (normal given focus distance is more than double, from 20 to 45cm).

EDIT : given it is a flat port, you will definitely not have sharp corners at 28mm but probably have 25% magnification. Still not enough to fill a frame for a 10cm subject