LarryHallas

I am not sure which specific polishing pad it is, but it is one that came in the kit contained in the link I shared. The pad you posted looks like it would work great.

The problem I have had with super-macro lenses is the autofocus performance. Some of them I could not get to focus at all, and had to use manual focus. I have had the best autofocus with the Nauticam SMC-1. It took quite some time to get used to, but it is a great piece of glass!

We have the same decline in the barrier reef along the island I live about 100 miles north of you on Ambergris Caye, Belize. In just the 2 years that I have lived here the fish populations are almost half, there are no hard corals (staghorn and elkhorn), and the brain corals are dying. Just breaks my heart! Don’t get me wrong, the Belize Barrier Reef is still a beautiful sight and well worth the visit, but it won’t last unless it is preserved. I agree, the main culprit is pollution, runoff, mismanaged sewage / septic, overfishing, and coastal development. Belize has 2 small marine parks at each end of the island, and some larger marine parks out at the 3 coral atolls. I am trying to organize local dive operators and businesses to promote the creation of a marine park along the entire length of both islands, but it is an uphill battle with the local government and it would decimate the fishermen. I believe underwater photographers and videographers are ambassadors for the ocean. We are the visual storytellers of the oceans, and our images can be used to campaign for it’s protection.

I have a personal dive master / photo guide that has been helping me find some really great super-macro subjects. How much should I tip him? Does it depend on the country or does that matter? (I live in a very low wage country) I want to make sure I take good care of him! Thanks in advance, Larry

A quick update on this. I was able to save another glass dome port I thought was hopeless. I used a Dremel rotary tool and a buffer wheel with the Griot’s File Glass Polish (mentioned above) and removed every water spot and minor scratch from the port! I used a slow speed on the rotary tool like #2 or #3 (it makes a mess). After I was finished, I looked through the port into the sunlight and it is perfectly clear and spotless! Next time I find a throwaway glass port to polish I will post before and after pics. Amazing! If you have a glass port you think is hopeless, give this a try. Here is the rotary tool I used: https://www.dremel.com/au/en/p/dremel-3000-f0133000pm

I agree that “brand ambassadors” should identify their relationships in the review, however most of the reviews are written by an author with some sort of relationship to the manufacturer. This is not just Marelux, but all manufacturers including the entire scuba industry. Personally, I liked Kate’s review and found much of the information she presented valuable for snoot photography in general, regardless of brand sponsorship. She is a talented underwater photographer and I feel I can learn a lot from her in any review she writes.

Photographing Whale Sharks at Gladden Split, Belize requires a permit. Belize also requires a permit for any commercial photo shoots for underwater photography / videography. All drone photography also requires a permit.

I also have the Z 14-30 + SS ICL + 230mm dome and get good results. I have to adjust the distortion slider a bit but I think that’s due to the lens profile in LR. I paid $600 at Reef Photo. Here is a shot at 14mm: https://larryhallas.com/portfolio/reef-and-sunball/

Awesome shots! I will be diving BHB again for a few days in May when I am traveling through the U.S. I am looking forward to it!

I travel with all my gear including a 230mm glass dome and video lights in a Pelican Air 1615 case in checked luggage. I have a Thinktank airport backpack for camera body, lenses and batteries. I had no problem keeping the Pelican case under 50lbs.

Thanks for the article. The 15mm was an incredible underwater optic! Do you think it is better thank the Nikon 8-15mm Fisheye with the 140mm Glass Fisheye Dome Port? How does it compare to the WACP?

I don’t regret switching to the Inon Z-330s at all. Although, I have never used the Retras. I was using the Ikelite DS161 with the beautiful soft round flash tube, and didn’t think I would like the higher kelvin on the Z330s, but they are much more bright and powerful. They do a decent job of lighting a wide reef scene at 14mm. When I want a warmer color I use the Inon Warm Dome Diffuser (4600k). You can see a great comparison of all the strobes discussed by Reef Photo here: https://reefphoto.com/blogs/trending/how-good-are-the-current-strobes-for-light-intensity-and-coverage

I upgraded to the Nauticam Full Frame Angle Viewfinder 40 degree 0.8:1 when I upgraded to a Nikon Z mirrorless camera with a high resolution EVF. It is specifically designed for the super high resolution viewfinders on the Sony mirrorless cameras as described here: https://www.nauticam.com/collections/viewfinders/products/nauticam-full-frame-angle-viewfinder-40-0-8-1 Using this viewfinder I can see the entire EVF corner-to-corner sharp and clear. Incredible! It took some getting used to, but now I can’t shoot without it. It is a little pricey, but worth the money in my opinion (it was actually $200 more when I bought it). One huge benefit is the diopter adjustment for my close-up vision. It also rotates for vertical shots. The only downside is I can’t figure out how to use it for split shots or video, so I leave it off and use the LCD.

I just recently bought a Dive Rite TransPac XT harness with the Voyager wing and love it! It is completely open in the front with lots of D rings for attaching stuff. Plenty of room in the front for my camera. I had to buy the pocket to store a dive light and pointer stick. It mounts a steel 100 tank solid, doesn’t ride up or shift side to side. With the soft backplate is is fairly light for travel. I can also mount a pony bottle or side mount if I ever choose. I like it so much I am selling my other BCBs.

I agree! I use 2 x 27inch BenQ 4K color calibrated monitors with the laptop I mentioned earlier. I upgraded from 2 high-end Dell monitors which turned out to have a “blueish” tint, as I learned later is the case with many of the office monitors. The difference is absolutely noticeable in my images now.