Wetpixel Live: Wide Angle Macro Tools

@Alex_Mustard and @adamhanlon discuss the gear needed for what may well be the next trend in underwater photography: Close Focus Wide Angle. They chat about the competing requirements of having a system that provides optically acceptable results, can focus very close, but is small enough to allow strobes to be positioned to light subjects very close to the port. 

In case of m43 system, the recommendation is to use the 8mm (fixed lens I assume) but what dome or flat port?


Inviato dal mio iPad utilizzando Tapatalk

You would want to be using the 4"dome ports(Zen 4" or 4.33"Nauticam)  and some people use the 3.5"dome port in the Nauticam system as a specialist rig for wide angle macro even though it does vignette slightly.  The 4"dome port is really quite short so lighting will of course be challenging.  You can also use the EMWL with m43 and the port chart for that is here.

Hi Caolino,

It depends on the type of housing you have, which ports will be usable...

Other popular domeports to use with the 8mm fisheye (Zuiko or Pana) and Nauticam (or similar) housings are the Nauticam 140mm fisheye port, the Zen DP-170 or the Nauticam 180 ports. The 170 or 180 ports are relatively big, but allow in addition to use rectliniear WA lenses, starting from Zuiko 12-40mm up to Zuiko/Pana 7-14mm - so you can use the same port for 8mm fisheye and rectilinear WA...

Wolfgang

2 hours ago, Architeuthis said:

Hi Caolino,

It depends on the type of housing you have, which ports will be usable...

Other popular domeports to use with the 8mm fisheye (Zuiko or Pana) and Nauticam (or similar) housings are the Nauticam 140mm fisheye port, the Zen DP-170 or the Nauticam 180 ports. The 170 or 180 ports are relatively big, but allow in addition to use rectliniear WA lenses, starting from Zuiko 12-40mm up to Zuiko/Pana 7-14mm - so you can use the same port for 8mm fisheye and rectilinear WA...

Wolfgang

You can use these larger ports with the 8mm fisheye lenses, however doing wide angle macro gets progressively more difficult the larger the dome port is.

You can use these larger ports with the 8mm fisheye lenses, however doing wide angle macro gets progressively more difficult the larger the dome port is.

2 hours ago, caolino said:

Alex is recommending this setup because of compactness so I assume he had in mind the smallest port without emwl to stay cost competitive.


Inviato dal mio iPad utilizzando Tapatalk

It is not so much to be cost competitive ( even though it is) rather the smaller the dome the larger you can get your foreground subject, If you already have the fisheye lens you can see the effect, for example something the size of the battery for an olympus camera fills the frame quite well when placed 25mm from the hood of the lens, take that out to 50mm and the object is 60% of the size in the frame.   That's the sort of change you will get going from a 140mm dome to a 100mm dome and means you are looking at larger subjects.

On 6/7/2021 at 9:12 PM, caolino said:

Alex is recommending this setup because of compactness so I assume he had in mind the smallest port without emwl to stay cost competitive.


Inviato dal mio iPad utilizzando Tapatalk

Yes, the most eye-catching WAM images are when we push the limits. Where you are able to push more than other people - so your pictures stand out more.

On 6/6/2021 at 6:16 PM, Architeuthis said:The 170 or 180 ports are relatively big, but allow in addition to use rectliniear WA lenses, starting from Zuiko 12-40mm up to Zuiko/Pana 7-14mm - so you can use the same port for 8mm fisheye and rectilinear WA...

Bigger domes may be versatile as suggested, but not for this topic. I use the Pana 7-14 in a 150mm dome.  It is in no way useful for WAM as it will not focus close enough for a macro subject.