jmauricio

if you are snorkeling (primarily) with occasional dives. I would really consider NOT buying that housing for your canon. Instead buy a compact (used you can get cheaper) with a wide angle lens.

 

Remember the number one rule for underwater photography. Get Close. A wide angle lens will let you get close to your subjects and get it all in the image. You can also shoot WA more easily with available light. Something you cannot do easily, if at all, with Macro or "normal" focal lengths

 

I think if you look for a wide angle compact system, you will have a lot of fun and will get more images that you will be happy with.

 

Although your canon has better quality than a compact, it will not take great photos with a normal lens (even at 18mm behind a flat port) with a lot of distance between  you and the subject. Also, you can get spectacular photos with a compact, they are very capable today.

 

also a compact camera will be easier to snorkel/dive with if you aren't used to it.

 

A quick search in the classifieds showed this guys is selling something that would suit you very well (no affiliation)

 

http://wetpixel.com/...showtopic=53123

 

In my opinion, i would highly consider something like this.

since you have the raw, I would say avoid the channel mixer. Multiple ways to skin the cat. I did this quickly in Lightroom 5

 

Exposure +1.29

Temp: 20787

Tint: +150

Highlights -100,

Shadows +100,

Whites +24 

Blacks -60

Clarity +17

 

Saturation - to taste - strong agrument to leave it a little "blue" given that is what we see underwater and what the viewer might expect it to look like.

Reds: +81

Greens: -73

Aqua:  -39

Blues: -9

 

noise reduction

Luminance: +50

Color: +25

Sharpening +50

Masking: 90

 

and the spot healing brush on the diver and fish (Photoshop would have done a better job)

 

raw

https://dl.dropboxus...el/DSC00324.dng

http://gizmodo.com/w...e-in-1517014100

 

 

its an article profiling the overfishing of Menhaden a key component of the food chain in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

Macro options for the NEX system

 

1) 18-55mm kit lens + wet diopter

examples (scroll down): http://wetpixel.com/...topic=49531&hl=

 

2) 30mm Macro

examples: http://wetpixel.com/...topic=51046&hl=

 

3) Nikonos 80mm lens + extension tubes

examples: http://wetpixel.com/...topic=50651&hl=

 

4) Canon 60mm + nex to canon adapter + special nauticam port

examples: http://wetpixel.com/...topic=49531&hl=

 

5) Canon 100mm = nex to canon adapter + special zen underwater port

photo of the port: http://wetpixel.com/...0mm#entry341370

 

I haven't seen images yet

 

6) 50mm Zeiss native mount due in March and no port yet.

 

 

 

While we are at it, might as well round up the Wide Angle options too

 

1) 16mm + FE or WA adapter + Nauticam 4.3in Dome

examples (scroll down): http://wetpixel.com/...topic=51046&hl=

 

2) 10-15mm zoom + Nauticam 7in Dome

examples: http://wetpixel.com/...topic=49531&hl=

 

3) Zeiss 12mm + extension + zen glass dome (170mm or 6.5in I think?)

examples: http://reefphoto.com...page=blog&id=92

 

4) Nikonos 15mm or Sea & Sea 12mm

examples: 15mm: http://nauticam.com/...sp?id=25&page=1

12mm: http://nauticam.com/...sp?id=24&page=1

Sorry to resurrect this, but I REALLY want the z240 type 4 manual. I have questions which are not answered by the reefphoto article.

Thanks, Doug

 

pm me with your email address.

good point Steve! strobes behind the port works wonders.

 

I also found this talk on youtube that Alex Mustard did on Backscatter. worth having a view. he discusses why it occurs and how to combat it.

 

There are a ton of resources/comments/articles on wetpixel and online to help minimize it. I suggest a search on the beginners forums. There is also a great book by Martin Edge called The Underwater Photographer, which deals extensively with wide angle issues. Many experienced underwater photographers consider it their bible.

 

I'm no expert and am still stymied by backscatter fairly regularly given the amount of particulate in the water in Miami. However, these are steps i've used to minimize the impact.

 

1) Get Closer. old cliche, yes, but really does work.

2) Play with your lighting positions. two examples

    a) Angle your strobes slightly away from the subject so you are lighting with the edges of the light cone. This seems counter-intuitive b/c you are not pointing the lights at the subject, but it works.

    b) move your strobes a little further out from your camera. I often get hot spots b/c my strobes are too close.

 

Check your lcd often and adapt your angle/lighting as needed. Sadly there is no one thing that prevents it. What works in one situation might not work in others.

 

hope that helps you get started.

lots of people discuss using it with a tripod. another option that has gained popularity is the fibersnoot

 

http://wetpixel.com/...oot#entry250963

 

http://wetpixel.com/...7&hl=fibersnoot

http://www.economist...rable?frsc=dg|d

Ah I see.  so these insurance comanies are more geared towards personal health insurance vs gear insurance, though they do have the option of insuring gear as well.  That makes more sense.

 

I might have to reconfirm this, but when i buy travel health insurance, I'm pretty sure it covers getting bent.  I'm in canada, and Canada has universal healthcare, so I think that would cover it as well, though I'd likely have to pay for it myself first.   

 

I would get travel insurance when I lived in the UK.  My advice is to check the fine print, some permit diving to your certification and others limit you to 30ft/10m. Also you will need to check the amount they will pay out in case of an accident. But these are easy to spot once you know what you are looking for.

Ok, took me a little while to get the photos processed and put together. At the link below you can find some of the results. I did not get to do all the tests I wanted due to weather. However, I think the below is fairly representative.

• The Rokinon images show the dome shade in every shot. Eyeballing the Sony + FE and Rokinon, I thought the Rokinon sat in a better position relative to the dome. But this is not the case, the Rokinon sits a tad too far back.
• I'm sure a focus or aperture gear could be designed for the Rokinon to change one of those.
• Min focus is much better than infinity, but that should be obvious
• Read the captions! They, hopefully, offer detailed descriptions.

http://jmauricio.smugmug.com/Other/WA-Lens-Test/25974677_P8w2bZ#!i=2155109507&k=9qpQf9V

As I said before, I was not able to do all the test I would have liked. However, I own the 16mm + FE and Nikonos 15mm, so if anyone wants any other tests on these with the NEX 7, let me know.

Also, please let me know if you have any questions. I'll try to answer them.

Finally, this was fun. There is another thread looking for a macro option and I'm thinking of trying out some various Nikonos macro options as well. Let me know if there is interest here.

<sub>No pictoral answers as yet, would love to see all 3 compared tho NEX16mm P+FE and NEX 8mm FE and MFT 8mm FE.

The port length would still concern me with the 8mm, I reckon the pancake and FE converter and Rokinon are around the same length but as the Rokinon is 8mm I would have assumed vignetting</sub>

I rented the rokinon 8mm fe and its due in tomorrow. I also have the 16mm and FE and will take some pool shots with that too.

Sony's leaked nex lens roadmap. Appears a wide angle zoom is due this year. Would be good to get a 60 or 100 macro but does look like its happening this year

http://2.static.img-...dmap.jpg?v=1548

I have been looking at these. Appears 30mm is the way to go in addition to a wet mount diopter.

http://nauticam.smugmug.com/HousingTests/NA-NEX7/21661536_7B8Gzx#!i=1727834406&k=qgRHJfT

I'm currently considering this as well. With a young child travelling to diving destinations with a DSLR set up is simply not an option. Since I completed my D7000 set up, I think I've used my compact system more. Solely out of convinence.

NEX 7 looks real compelling as it seems to provide the same ergonomic manual control of a DSLR but in a more managable form factor. Lens choice is clear a draw back...

I rented an NEX 7 for an upcoming trip to test it out. Will decide what to do afterwards!