Disclaimer - this may be an 'old school' question, but I couldn't get a clear answer on the forum.
For some years I use an Olympus 5-III with WWL-1 in front of the 14-42mm. I like the versatility of the WWL-1 and expect it will remain my standard lens in clear water.
Yet, the forum is full of claims that one needs a fisheye lens for CFWA and for reef scenes. Not sure how many agree, but I'm thinking of a fisheye setup as an additional option.
Thinking of a Panasonic 8mm with an Nauticam acrylic 4.33 inch dome port. Seems good value for money and nice compact.
My question is - Will I loose a lot of IQ compared to a larger/glass dome?
36 minutes ago, Floris Bennema said:
Disclaimer - this may be an 'old school' question, but I couldn't get a clear answer on the forum.
For some years I use an Olympus 5-III with WWL-1 in front of the 14-42mm. I like the versatility of the WWL-1 and expect it will remain my standard lens in clear water.
Yet, the forum is full of claims that one needs a fisheye lens for CFWA and for reef scenes. Not sure how many agree, but I'm thinking of a fisheye setup as an additional option.
Thinking of a Panasonic 8mm with an Nauticam acrylic 4.33 inch dome port. Seems good value for money and nice compact.
My question is - Will I loose a lot of IQ compared to a larger/glass dome?
the idea of CFWA is to get close so you want the smallest possible dome that still allows the camera to focus and preserve the field of view
The panasonic 8mm and the 4.33 acrylic dome offer this ability. The only challenge is occasional reflections in the dome which requires you to mask the writing on the lens and may still come around
The larger dome has a radius of 1.4 cm more the main benefit is not the larger size as you will be further away but the optical glass with antireflective coating that is useful if you want to shoot backlit shots and sunbursts
Other than those shooting situations you will not see any visible difference
I shoot with the Panasonic 8mm in a Zen 100mm dome. I'm reasonably happy with the results. It does get some correctable purple fringing in the corners at times and I think the 8mm Olympus might be better in this regard.
On my recent trip to Rowley Shoals I shot mostly with the Panasonic 8mm on the EM-1 MkII, gallery is here:
I’ve had huge issues with reflections in my 7“dome with the Panasonic 8-18. have had no trouble shooting into the sun with the 8mm in the 4,33“ acrylic port. I think it’s a fantastic combination.
Thanks for your replies and photos, this is very reassuring.
