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Interceptor121

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Posts posted by Interceptor121

  1. Posted

    9 hours ago, Wapiti said:

    I think you're missing the point; the dome for the 9-18 may or may not be better (my guess is that they'll be the about the same, performance-wise because neither are specifically designed around this lens), but if you don't own one but do have a dome meant for the Olympus 8mm, you're in business with an extension ring that you might already have and the option to travel with just one dome.  Nauticam is a non-starter in my existing AOI set up and even if it were doable, they also don't make a port specifically for this lens- the ports they suggest are likely to have the same results as the ones I'm using since they're all more or less designed around the same lenses and same optical design choices.   I could shoot the 12-45 through my bigger domes, but I'd lose the petite form factor of the PEN mini-dome for quite possibly not a significant gain (if any) in photo quality due to those same design parameters and compromises.  

    Some other thoughts- the test shots I paid the most attention to were taken at the absolute closest focusing distance I could get, but test shots from a few inches further away were just as sharp.  At 12mm and 28mm the dome sunshade was resting on the bottom of the tub- that's pretty darn close, closer than I can get with the 12-40 in my 170mm dome and closer than I could ever think about getting with the 12-50 in non-macro mode (I shot it for about year before acquiring the 12-40).  At 45mm, the dome was probably 4" off the bottom and the overall magnification was worse than at 28mm.  At it's longest focal length, it probably ends up being a wash with the 12-40 as far as close-up abilities, which is a bit of a downer as I hoped the extra reach would help with skittish subjects.  Really, though- all this is academic until I dive with it.  Speaking of, most of what I do is shore diving in the Pacific Northwest; this set up with the 12-45 appeals to me because of the size, the fact that it saves me just shy of a pound in weight, and that it's lots cheaper overall (there's always a financial risk in this hobby- ditching, falling dome-first onto jetty rocks, etc.).  As long as the photo quality is there, the only tradeoff with using this as a one-dome solution is that split shots are a lot trickier with the 8mm than with my bigger domes and wider angle stuff- not unexpected, and not a huge concern given our typical conditions.

    Uhm I think you are the one missing the point

    A dome restores the field of view ONLY if it is positioned correctly. The size of the dome has an impact on field of curvature and edge sharpness depending on the angle of view of the lens. For a 12-45mm lens which is not that wide position is more important than absolute size.

    If your dome is too close or too far away it introduces either barrel or pincushion distortion so you loose the field of view you thought you gained and you introduce additional aberrations. Hence I suggested to shoot a chart with a grid

    Looking at lens diagram at 12mm the entrance pupil is around 2cm from the edge so if your dome is complete hemisphere this is where the radius should intercept the lens

  2. Posted

    2 hours ago, LarryHallas said:

    These are intriguing strobes:
    1. Does the HSS work with the wireless optics? Does the HSS work with the Nikon Z8 (or any of the Nikon Z bodies that are limited to a sync of 1/200)?

    2. What is life of the 18650 batteries vs the Eneloop Pro batteries? I would still need 12 of the 18650s vs 16 of the Eneloop. How well do the 18650s travel? Are they heavier?

    3. 6200k is is bright daylight and I would need the diffusers for 5500k (or warmer) for wide angle. My Inons are 5400k with the soft diffuser and I still have to knock down the highlights in LR. I will often use the 4600k diffusers for wide scenes with a fisheye but lose a lot of power.

    4. The Apollo 44 GN 32-44 is a LOT of power to light up a wider scene, but likely cause more issues with hotspots at 6400k. Again, are there warmer diffusers than 5500k for the Apollo’s?

    5. How would the wireless trigger port work with a Nauticam housing? If at all…

    6. The 3 element triangular configuration is novel. I wonder how it compares to the circular flash tubes? I do miss the smooth warm light of my old DS-161s!

    I may order a pair of the Apollo 33s

    Thanks, Larry

     

     

    I can help with some of the questions

     

    2. Comparing Panasonic vs Panasonic 18650 hold more than 3x the energy of AA batteries. Each 18650 weights between 40 and 45 grams. 

    3. Highlights are unrelated to color temperature

    4. Hot spots depend on the shape of the light element and reflector. Strobes with multple elements have more hotspots than those with a single element.

    6. At short range you can see the elements you need a diffuser at long range any light source becomes a point so how many elements etc does not matter anymore

    • Like 2
    • Confused 1

  3. Posted

    I just finished doing the write up which includes many photos and 7 videos including topside and underwater
    No drones I am afraid all old school handheld
    Hopefully useful to everyone here thinking of going there, I hope to follow it up with another addition in the dry season soon
     

    https://interceptor121.com/2023/07/30/diving-malpelo-sanctuary-of-flora-and-fauna/

    I have covered lots of considerations if you intend to take your camera there to take photos or videos

    • Like 3

  4. Posted · Edited by Interceptor121

    13 minutes ago, Geo Cloete said:

    I will suggest having a closer look into the world of advertising and leaving it at that. 

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mockup

    A mock up is before a prototype is made when you are just sketching ideas or you want some feedback on a product you have not yet designed.

    Because if you had the product you would show it...

    I have seen videos done with 3D rendering for items that have many variants example roof bars so you can cover everything at once. But for an underwater strobe this is not really appropriate

    By the way I am not entirely sure the images provided are a mock up this is what Chris suggested. My point is that if all you have is a mock up and therefore you don't have a prototype yet promising delivery end of August is a big bet

    In fact for me those are real objects as you can see the shadows of the light box that has been used

    Most likely a prototype with some parts still being developed for the final assembly

    • Like 2
    • Confused 2

  5. Posted

    Just now, Geo Cloete said:

    I think you are jumping to a wrongful conclusion. In this day and age using 3D renderings as marketing material is a well-established option to use if so desired. Using 3D renderings by no means directly concludes that no prototype(s) exist.  

    Exactly that when you don't have a product you use 3D renderings. Why would you otherwise unless your prototype is looking terrible?

    Yes you can use a whole clip of 3D rendered video to make a training but in photography this is only used partially for small sub part of an item when you haven't finished the design.

    Besides I was referring to chris suggestion I did not imply that those were 3D renders

  7. Posted

    15 minutes ago, Barmaglot said:

    Unless they're flat out lying about shipping in late August/early September, it has to be in full production, well beyond 'not even at prototype' stage.

    We are talking about low numbers in the hundreds at most and at present businesses are not exactly busy doing lots.

    Unclear what is the material here but if it is injection molding you can get quite a few done

    Normally if you take pre-orders your ambassodors are already testing like crazy and you have the final version of the product

  8. Posted · Edited by Interceptor121

    If the extension is the wrong length the lens exhibits additional barrel or pincushion distortion. You shoud shoot a grid to see if that is the case

    On the other hand I would try this lens with the 4" wide angle port that is used on the Olymous 9-18mm itself

    I am sure results are suboptimal compared to other options proposed by Nauticam but some people just don't seem to care 

    At 24mm the field of view is sufficiently narrow that dome dimensions does not necessarily have a large impact however depending on working distance smaller ports may require significantly longer extension

    Again many people are more concerns if the lens works and if the lens does not vignette it will 'work' how much resolution loss there will be is the question. If you use a 12 megapixel camera or shoot 4K video you may not even see the loss compared to a higher resolution body

  9. Posted

    3 hours ago, ChrisRoss said:

    I think these are po

    I am thinking these are not photographs, possibly computer generated or maybe mock-ups.  If they were LEDs I would think they would be yellow.  IN any case all the talk is around recycle times etc.  GN-33 in an LED would be quite an achievement in a compact strobe.  Be interesting to see the first reviews.

    Offering a product on pre-order that is not even at prototype stage is just a marketing survey...

    • Like 1

  10. Posted

    4 hours ago, Barmaglot said:

    I highly doubt it's possible to get ~200W/s out of reasonable size LEDs. 6200K color temperature points squarely at xenon.

    I don't think you can pack Li-Ions in check-in these days regardless of packaging. Just put the cells in plastic boxes in your carry-on, and check the strobes in without batteries.

    Those in the image don't look like xenon tubes they are dark. It says '3 innovative strobe tubes' whatever that means

    Interesting the fact that the reflectors are very small around the element.

    3 battery units 3 tubes for me this means 3 small capacitors charged independently from the 3 separate batteries. Each one of relatively low power. This would make it cycle faster. I am not sure about the fact that the light beams with that design are exactly additive.

    There are a lot of new ideas in this strobe. Sometimes new ideas are very good sometimes not that good. Time will tell I guess.

    Not planning to change my Sea and Sea YS-D2J until such time they leave me. I am now at year 4 with them

  11. Posted

    Eh, considering that it uses 3x18650 cells, all you need is a dozen of them to have two full sets for a pair of strobes - that's no problem at all in a carry-on.

    The limit is 20 spare batteries of any type including power banks

    I take normally 2 cameras and 4 spares with one powerbank which means you have 15 units left

    If this strobe takes 3 18650 two sets are 12 batteries which means i have 3 sets left

    Some airlines have additional restrictions and allow only two sets of spares

    If instead the strobe has a proprietary battery unit this counts as one but most likely it will cost over 30 / 40 euros

    Mind you retra has AA and have their own challenges delivery extra power with batteries so small

    NiMh AA go in the hold and there are no limits

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    • Like 1

  12. Posted

    I don't think you can pack Li-Ions in check-in these days regardless of packaging. Just put the cells in plastic boxes in your carry-on, and check the strobes in without batteries.

    You can check in lithium battery inside equipment if you can prevent activation.
    I check in my video lights all the time but can’t check in the spares
    There is a limit in number of lithium batteries and spares you can transport
    There are no limits for NiMh


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  13. Posted

    Just now, Barmaglot said:

    And yet, Li-Ion cells are widely used in e-cigarettes, which have a discharge profile quite similar to that of strobes.

    In fact there is a lag between inhale and the device moving for automatic batteries unless they are constantly powered and therefore always on discharge.

    Normally a strobe fires immediately as it is based on a capacitor and a xenon tube.

    This strobe does not look like it has xenon tubes the elements look like some form of LED and that also drives normally worse light quality and higher color temperatures due to the blues and purple that a led always contains.

    Xenon flash tubes have CRI 100 but LED normally peak at 95 for commercial application

    Marelux has many ambassadors so we should see something out pretty soon.

    Hopefully these strobes have a way to secure the terminal so that they can be packed with batteries in check in unlike ecigarettes that are forbidden

    • Like 1

  14. Posted · Edited by Interceptor121

    On 7/26/2023 at 6:32 PM, Barmaglot said:

    FINALLY someone makes a strobe that takes loose 18650s. Hallelujah. Well, there's the SeaFrogs one that's been available for a while now, but that doesn't count.

    Lithium batteries are designed for constant discharge over time not for high current. A cell subject to high current drain will have a substantal reduction of life span. There is also a concern over heat generation in such operation.

    The specs talk of 1000 cycles at full power and recycle time of 0.6 seconds. That sound pretty impressive considering that there will be just 3 Panasonic batteries inside best case.

    I am not sure why marelux went this way but today the only flashguns topside that have 18650 are those that have a combined video light all the rest take NiMh and the studio equipment is main powered.

    I am curious to learn how this strobe performs in time once the batteries have been used for 10-20 dives but I won't be rushing for one myself

    The specs dome angle of coverage 140 vs 110 also sound optimistic considering that domes have no effect on beam angle but only on the ability to resist pressure but that is a concept that unfortunately many manufacturers like to propagate regardless of the lack of measurements

    • Like 3
    • Confused 2

  16. Posted · Edited by Interceptor121

    My experience with Sataya is always very good

    Sprintingthe Pod

    However you need to take into accont the following issues

    1. You need to stay in the water a long time

    2. The pod moves a lot they are not exactly waiting for you so even if you jump close the can move swiftly

    3. Some guides if you pay them will ferry your child around

    4. The bottom is not shallow it sits at around 15-20 meters some kids get scared

     

    In summary I would say this is not going to be a convenient experience for a five year old and in general to take good photos you need to be on the athletic side of things. Make sure you pack full foot fins and not booties and if you can manage also fins with longer blades

    My daughter in the images here was 9 at the time and she is fierce and swims very fast. Five years old will be required to wear a life vest and that will slow things down further

  19. Posted

    The way to do it with the A7R5 is to use tracking that can be triggered in video with a button.

    However a moray eel is not small and generally does not need a macro lens, you just shoot at f/11 at close range or smaller and have more in focus

    You can also use single area and keep it on the eye if this is what you want but generally half blurry fishes don't get lots of praise

     

    • Like 1

  20. Posted

    In fact in my ingenuousness this was the reason for buying the CMC-2 and the flip mount: to be able to do in the same dive a medium field shot and then the macro to the same subject.
    However, I had underestimated how limiting the use of a macro add-on was compared to a true macro lens.

    I used subsee 5 and cmc-1 on a dual flip adapter that covered everything on mft


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    • Like 1

  21. Posted

    5 hours ago, Davide DB said:

    Good job Wolfgang!

    The shallow depth of field nicely detaches the subject from the background and highlights it.


    From a narrative point of view, in order to smoothly edit a video you must remember to always shoot at least 2 clips of the same subject from different angles or distances.
    This way you can edit them later by alternating between them.

    There are definite rules about shooting angles (search for 180° rule) but let's say that in your case, the moray eel being shot frontally, you should have edited it with a detail clip of the mouth, or had it preceded in the opening by a wide-field clip showing it in its environment and then tightened with detail. From the point of view of editing and language, cutting to 49" is considered a mistake since the scene seems to stop but nothing changes in perspective and the viewer perceives it as a "jump" a glitch.

    It sounds difficult but really you would just have to remember it underwater: film ALWAYS two or more clips of the same subject at different angles/distance and then you will have a buttery editing experience :)

     

     

    Actually the point you make is very valid

    Traditionally you always took a wide medium and close shot so 3x subject this was good to understand the environment around it before you get on it

    Now there is a tendency for single shots as we are in go pro times or on the other hand you jump in with a macro lens so cant do a wide shot but yet this gets really boring very soon for me

  22. Posted

    6 hours ago, newdiver said:

    wow, this is amazing and luck you. Were  you on liveaboard?

    Malpelo is a liveaboard only destination. The two boats with most regular schedule are the ferox and the sea wolf. The first has more international clientele and is a former mine sweeper steel hull, the second has aluminum hull better recreational areas but feels the swell and choppy seas much more, it caters more for local and spanish speaking clients.

    • Like 1

  23. Posted

    https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/stories/sony-a7r-v-bird-photography/

    Mathieu follows a predictable process for scoring this. You may or not agree but generally this in time demonstrates to be true.

    The interesting comment is at the beginning of the BIF section, take into account this is burst mode. The issue with focus accuracy are mostly related to the fact the camera reads slowly so even if the detection and focus acquisition is good it can't keep up tracking.

    If you were hoping to see a higher score with this new camera, that’s unfortunately not the case. Frankly speaking, the A7R V behaves mostly like its predecessor: fast in locking onto the subject, very good tracking capabilities, rarely mis-focuses on the background, but I also encounter limitations related to focus accuracy.

    Shooting underwater in CAF single shot should bear better results as subjects are moving much more slowly however there is a risk that even with the camera saying it has locked focus the camera misfocuses due to the very slow read out (1/15). It would be interesting to hear from people shooting smaller fast moving objects how this camera goes

  24. Posted

    24 minutes ago, Sublux said:

    We'd like to dive in Malpelo and Cocos island going there on our own 46' sailboat in early 2024.

    Is it possible? Where can we get the permits and what are the requirements?

    I think for Malpelo in particular we may need a guide with local experience, where can we find one :D ?

    You cannot dive in Malpelo without a permit. In general there is only one boat allowed at the time.

    The diving is regulated by the rangers and there are pretty strict rules which means diving without a guide is not permitted and you need to have special safety devices to locate you in case you get lost. This has become mandatory after the last tragic accident where 5 divers were lost at sea of which I believe 3 were recovered and 2 never seen again

    • Like 1

  25. Posted · Edited by Interceptor121

    I was on the ferox in June for an epic trip to Malpelo

    Admitedly this is not a destination and a boat for everyone. We had downpours and there was not a lot of light but there was an amazing quantity of fish

    I was aware that hammerheads are better found in the dry season however most people go there for this reason and this means your prime objective is not fish schools which instead for me where absolute prime. The quantities made the schoold in egypt raja and galapagos look tiny

    I also found the coral in pristine conditions and although this was not the red sea it was much better than galapagos with plenty of soft and hard corals not just barnacles as I was led to believe

    20230623_mf207251_selfie-sh-1.jpg

    20230625_mf207703_spongers-1.jpg

    20230623_mf207232_snappers-at-dartagnan-

    20230625_mf207600_get-closer-1.jpg

    20230625_mf207731_sway-1.jpg

    20230623_mf207297_red-mullets-1.jpg

    20230624_mf207479_the-school.jpg

    I have taken also footage of the boat operations which in my opinion was perfect for diving and will do a write up eventually

    I used 28-60 and 28mm with WWL-1 and Canon 8-15mm with teleconverter I decided for distorted optics for photos and rectilinear for video and I am happy with that choice

    I want to add due to the diving conditions smaller domes max 15 cm better if 11 cm are the way to go

    • Like 1
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