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adamtaylor

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Posts posted by adamtaylor

  1. Posted · Edited by adamtaylor

    Greetings,

    I'm hoping the knowledgeable members of this forum can offer some advice.

    I have recently encountered my first corrupt video file from my GH5 where the file is saved as a Microsoft Access MDT file. All other video files shot that day are fine.

    Searching online the best option I have found so far is a Panasonic repair tool for their full frame cameras. Unfortunately I cannot download it without serial numbers etc, and don't know if it would even work on GH5 files.

    Fortunately only one of the files is corrupted, but it is 24GB and the start of an important interview / talk on the creation of a local marine protected area 30 years ago.

    This footage is an important part of local conservation history, and will be used to help demonstrate the need for improved protections as this 'marine protected area' actually predates Canada's Oceans Act and is not a true MPA, but is actually just annually renewable fishing closures (recreational, commercial and indigenous harvest). We have strong support from local and regional politicians to push for a Marine Protected Area created through Federal Legislation, this footage was intended to help showcase the history of the Park /  protected area, and the need for full MPA status.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Adam Taylor

    • Like 1

  2. Posted

    Following this topic as I have the same challenges diving recently discovered glass sponge reefs (bioherms)

    They prefer turbid water and my local waters are green and gunky most of the year anyway.

    The shallower reefs I am filming at recreational depths are dark enough, but not as bad as the 250 to 350foot depths a technical dive team in our project explores

    I rented a GH5s to see the difference in low-light performance and was impressed, even without using faster cards and higher data rates. The challenge is decent wide optics for capturing video to share with the government bodies helping protect these reefs. Seeing is believing when it comes to trying to protect something special.

    My rig is GH5 in Nauticam with 180mm dome and either Olympus 12-40mm which is relatively sharp with medium field of view, or 7-14mm which offers wide and warped field of view.

    F2.8 one the 12-40mm lets in alot of light and for distance shots is decent

    When using it in a dome the Oly 7-14mm is an extreme disappointment as I had hoped to utilize the low Fstop to capture wide images in low-light. The only reason ai have sold it off is how great it is for wide-angle landscape photography and time-lapse.

    Seriously considering the WWL to provide better optics and deeper depth so the technical dive team can get something more than GoPro footage on the deeper reefs.

    To my point:

    Anyone used the WWL with Olympus 12-50mm in 77mm port? Am wondering if I can use my macro rig for now and save $ by not purchasing the 14-42mm Pany lens and flat port?

    Nauticam port charts show its possible with some vignetting at either 14 or 16mm

    Is it worth trying with the 12-50mm or should I just bite the bullet and go with the 14-42mm as well?

    Thanks in advance,


    Adam

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  3. Posted

    Hello everyone,,

    There seem to be at least several macro lenses available for the OM-D E-M5: a 60mm f2.8, a 45mm 1.8 Zuiko and a 45mm f2.8 Panasonic. There may be other choices.

    I'm thinking about giving one of them to kfish for Christmas.

    She has the Nauticam E-M5 housing. Will I need to get another port, or will her port for the 12-50mm zoom work?

    Anyone have any factual advice to offer about lens choice?

    Thanks,.

    Prior to upgrading my EM5 to a Panasonic GH5 I used both the Olympus 12-50mm and 60mm in the Nauticam port for the 12-50 (which I swapped over to my GH5)

    While the flexibility of the 12-50mm is great the 60mm is way sharper. It IS a dedicated macro lens and has narrow depth of field but for smaller critters it is awesome.

    As you already have a port that will work I will add another vote for the Oly 60mm.

    Something else to consider if dedicated macro isn't a priority would be adding a Nauticam CMC-2 with flip holder. This would provide greater magnification than the 60mm on its own and still allow for wide shots on same dive.

    As I shoot more video now and there is often a fair amount of current I don't use the 60mm as often. The depth of field is so tight that the smallest movement shifts what is in focus at any given moment.

    I find the 12-50 combined with CMC2 gives great overall flexibility and decent results.

    Guess it depends on what type of diving you guys do

    Regards


    Adam

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  4. Posted

     

    attachicon.gifCattura.PNG

     

     

    From the video i see that the hdmi connector has a tight fit. I remember someone had some problem with those cables.

    Any solution?

    I have gone through 3 of those internal cables, two bulkhead and one external cable.

     

    One of the bulkheads and external cable was user error. Somehow the screw down connector loosened on a dive and a tiny bit of salt water got in. A barely perceptible amount of moisture, but combining salt water with electronics is never good.

     

    The internal cable is another issue altogether. Terrible design as the cable is stressed any way you install it.

     

    Went through a couple internal cables and ended up ordering a spare external cable and bulkhead to troubleshoot the entire kit. Turns out the bulkhead was faulty and after some negotiation was replaced under warranty.

     

    Now I have spares for everything. I highly recommend others keep spares as well.

     

    Looping like shown in the photo can cause rubbing on the zoom gear and eventual failure. Either the cable is damaged / pinched by the contact, or the connector goes due to stress on the side of cable and jostling of the delicate joint at bulkhead.

     

    The little info card that comes with the internal connector (camera housing) shows the extra length of cable looping along the left side of camera, NOT up and over / around the mode dial.

     

    My current cable is routed on the left side and has lasted 6+ months. I hope I have not jinxed myself by saying that.

     

    Treat it gently and it should last longer.

     

    Regards

     

     

    Adam

     

     

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    Will be following this thread as I have had multiple problems with my HDMI cables connecting my Nauticam GH5 housing to Nauticam Small HD 502...

     

    Basically if has not worked since May, and I went back and forth with Nauticam for a couple months and am awaiting yet another cable to confirm what specific part / connection is the problem.

     

    Have had nothing but problems with this set up. It is amazing when it actually works, but have spent more time without it working...

     

    My first problem was user error, and the screw down for external cable must have loosened as there was a touch of moisture when I disassembled after a dive. I replaced all parts to be safe and +/- 20 dives later things started acting up.

     

    Intermittent signal problems became almost no signal at all so ordered a new internal cable. That cable arrived the day I left on a week long dive trip and of course the signal was still intermittent...

     

    There had been a 45 degree change in the plug orientation on the replacement bulkhead when installed which in my opinion caused extra strain on the cable or even the bulkead connection itself.

     

    So after a week long trip with no working monitor and weeks of email communications I got tired of inaction and had my local Nauticam deal send the 2 cables and bullkead back for testing. Nauticam USA found that the older cable didn`t work, while the brand new one was OK. The bulkhead was giving intermittent signal and all parts send to Head Office for testing.

     

    Tests came back fine on the bulkhead which I disputed as it didn`t work for me, and was intermittent for Nauticam USA. In the end due to time passed dealing with this they tried to say the bulkhead was beyond the warranty period but I disputed and they replaced the bulkhead, and offered 30% discount on a spare which I purchased for redundancy

     

    I also tried to purchase a spare internal cable but they were OUT OF STOCK which makes me suspect there are more issues with these cables than we users are aware of...

     

    Anyway, received the parts and of course things are not working. Have tried direct connect between the camera and monitor using full-size HDMI and all is good. I do not have mini-mini connections to try alternate cable routing to see where the fault is.

     

    Now I have ordered a new external cable to ensure that isn`t the problem but the clock I ticking on 90 day HDMI cable warranty period...

     

    Am overall unimpressed with how Nauticam has handled this, and disappointed they have not lived up to their reputation for quality products and service. This is my second Nauticam housing, 3rd when the monitor was added and I honestly expected better from them.

     

    Fingers crossed the cable arrives this week so I can try to troubleshoot the issue.

     

    Next stop is a HDMI cable distributer to see if there are alternate options for the internal cable. Besides the high price on the Nauticam one, the length and way it curves inside the housing causes bad kinking. Am hoping to find a 90 degree HDMI plug and shorter cable which would allow a straight line from bulkhead to 90 degree plug.

     

    If I find a workable solution I will post part numbers.

     

    At this point anything would be better than non-functioning Nauticam gear :-(

     

    Sorry for the rant, but I did not spend thousands of dollars on a monitor system to get nickeled and dimed on faulty cables and poor service.

     

    Regards,

     

     

    Adam

    • Like 2

  6. Posted

    A long time ago Inon made one of these but the optics were terrible not yielding any part of the image sharp. This version from Laowa looks to be far superior. I would be very interested in trying out this for wide angle macro video underwater. I will probably try and have a port built for it to fit a Nauticam. Do any of you have any thoughts on this.

    Check out these links.

    https://www.cinema5d.com/snorkel-macro-lens-video-review-laowa-24mm-f14-probe-lens/

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laowa/revolutionize-macro-videography-laowa-24mm-f-14-pr?ref=6wydht

    I have been reading about this lens and would be interested if it was compatible with my GH5 in Nauticam...

     

    Perhaps metabones adaptor and Canon mount?

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  7. Posted

    I would invest in a 14-42MKII and wet lens performance is OK at f/5.6 and even f/4 in some situations

    With a dome port below f/5.6 on a rectilinear lens there is little hope

    Personally I would avoid domes for video altogether and focus on wetlenses on a flat port

    For still images instead rectilinear lens is fine as you won’t be moving most of the soft corner issues deteriorate when you move around and things move whilst finning

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Would that be better with the 7” port?

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Thanks for the input

     

    As I already had the Oly 12-40mm and dome set up for my EM5 it transitioned well to my GH5. Even at f2.8 for shooting dark scenes with off-camera lighting it performed well.

     

    The Oly 7-14 not so much...

     

    Adding a 8-18mm a much cheaper route than a new flat port, lens and WWL. Unless of course I start with WWL on my existing 12-50 in macro port...

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  8. Posted

    Hi,

    I'm about to pull the trigger on an ikelite housing for my gh5, with a Leica 12-60 and Leica 8-18 (or the zuiko 7-14mm, I haven't made up my mind yet) with either the 8" DL DOME or the Compact 8" dome (6"x 2").

    I will use this rig for scuba diving (from time to time) and mostly freediving but I fear the 8 inches dome will induce too much drag and add too much buoyancy...

    So I'm considering the compact dome which according to ikelite produces the same image quality as their bigger dome, which I find a bit odd.

    Has anyone tried this compact dome compared to the 8" ?

    I would'nt want to sacrifice too much sharpness for more handling comfort (and space).

     

    Thanks for your help !

     

     

    Here are my 2 cents, but as someone using a Nauticam housing not Ikelite the comments may not even be worth that much

     

    I have the Oly 7-14 in Nauticam 8" glass dome and am extremely dissapointed with the corner sharpness below f7 or f8 on my GH5. I have a dive buddy with the same lens / dome combo on EM1 mk2 and he is happy with it for still photos...

     

    Do your research, from what I hear the Panasonic 8-18mm has better corners, at least with thr Nauticam system...

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  9. Posted

    I have the 8-18 and it performs optically admirably with the Nauticam 8'' glass dome. There are a few niggles, however, that you may want to be aware of:

     

    The Lens is too fat to fit through the porthole of the Nauticam GH5 housing. This means, every time you need to swap battery you need to do the following:

    - Take dome off (but without the step-up adapter as the lens also does not fit through that one either...

    - Remove lens from the camera

    - Put sensor cap on to make sure no water is dropping on it

    - Take camera out of the housing to swap battery

    - do all the above steps again in reverse order...

     

    This was becoming a true PITA for me during my last trip pretty quickly! In addition, I had hoped the 8-18 may be good enough on the far end to also replace my Pana 12-35, however, in many situations I found it is not.

     

    This add's just another niggle: The step-up adapters for the 8-18 and and the 12-35 are different for the 8'' dome. So ideally you'd have to take both with you. IMHO, all not very well thought out, but it may work for others...

     

    Burkhard

    Following with interest...

     

    Slightly off topic, but has anyone used both the Olympus 7-14mm f2.8 Pro and the Panasonic 8-18mm on a GH5 for video?

     

    I bought the Olympus based on past experience with other Oly lenses. What I hoped was good low light performance. The corners are garbage below f7 or 8 so the added benefit of f2.8 throughout the focal range was completely negated.

     

    Looking for a wide angle lens option for a deep, dark & often murky low-light setting.

     

    Thanks

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  10. Posted

    Hello Adam

    Thanks for the interest and I didn't know that microbialites are such beautiful and interesting things.

    I definitely have to go again

    will be appreciated if you go and share your experiences here

    regards

    Lutfu

    I will definitely share video clips if I go.

     

    In the meantime I saw this article this morning

     

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-lake-that-looks-like-mars/

     

    Regards

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  11. Posted

    Really cool,

     

    Did not realize there were Microbiolites in Turkey.

     

    I know of the ones in British Columbia, Canada about 4 -5 hours drive from me, and others in Chile. There was here a research group from NASA / SETI were studying them as a form of early earth life which could exist on other planets...

     

    They even set up an Analog Mars Mission with communications trailer, time-delay on comms, divers as 'astronauts' submersibles as rovers, ROV & Autonomous Underwater Vehicles all conducting research on the lake as part of the project.

     

    http://www.pavilionlake.com

     

    Looks like the website isnt managed now the project is finished as video and image links are broken.

     

    This topic has given me incentive to go on a camping / dive trip to check them out

     

    Regards

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  12. Posted

    I shot various Oly lenses on my EM5 mk 1 and now my Panasonic GH5 in Nauticam Housing using the Macro Port and 180mm dome.

     

    As stated by others the 12-50mm is a good all-around lens. Good, not great image quality but the flexibility outweighs the minor image quality loss

     

    60mm is a great macro lens

     

    12-40 pro is awesome, not quite wide enough at times, but you can zoom in for medium to reasonably small stuff.

     

    8 Pany fisheye was nice, but sold it to a friend as I didn't like the results with acrylic mini-dome. With my murky local waters the thickness of the dome would often catch the light from strobes (poor placement on my part?)

     

    Recently got the Oly 7-14 Pro for videowork with the GH5 on some deep, dark glass sponge reefs. Had hoped the f2.8 would help gather light as it does with the 12-40 Pro.... Unfortunately with video the corners are garbage below f5.6 or 7. Not even useable if you are relatively close to the subject.

     

    Corners may not be as bad with still images but I would not recommend spending the extra money on the Oly over the Panasonic unless others have had significantly better results.

     

    Good luck with your decisions.

     

    Regards

     

     

    Adam

    I shoot with the EM-II recently upgraded from the EM5-II. I have the 60mm macro and recently added the Panasonic 30mm macro. I shoot mainly in the temperate waters around Sydney and found the 60mm problematic, you had to back off too far for many subjects and when focusing out from a close subject it would tend to lock onto floaties instead of the subject, the 30mm does not seem to do that. The EM-5 II would do that much more so than the EM1. Of course in clear tropical waters it will be different and less of an issue. You will probably want a focus light particularly with the 60mm..

     

    On wide I shoot the 12-40 and Pany 7-14 in the same Zen 170mm type II dome. If you study the port charts you'll see if you got the N-120 version of that dome it will allow you to shoot the 12-40, both 7-14 lenses and even the 8mm fisheye in the same dome, though you do need to source a custom 30mm N85-N120 adapter which I have seen mentioned in other threads on this forum. this is theport chart for Zen:

     

    http://www.jaredparsons.com/portchart/zen-only/by-combination-group/nauticam-n85/

     

    Again the choice of wide lens depends on what and where you are shooting, the ifsheye is especially challenging, but has its place for things like big animals and CFWA, definitely not a point and shoot lens. In Sydney I tend to use the 12-40mm lens the most, due to water conditions.

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    Do not know the operations in Washington State but hear good things about Rendevous in Barkely Sound on west coast of Vancouver Island, and have greatly enjoyed my outings with Pacific Pro Dive in Campbell River.

     

    If you enjoy your first trip and want to head somewhere a little more remote and wild I highly recommend Port Hardy area at the north end of Vancouver Island. It may take you an extra day of travel from the Seattle area but trust me, it is worth it.

     

    Google Gods Pocket and you will see what I mean. The owners of the resort are retiring and they will not be accepting new bookings until the new owners get set up. Was there a couple weeks ago and while the underwater life was amazing, seeing multiple whales, dolpins, sea lions etc from the boat kept the short boat rides interesting. As did the rafts of sea otters, and the lone wolf we saw swimming between islands.

     

    Enjoy your hunt for Wolfies and GPO

     

    Adam

  14. Posted

    Hi All! I just joined Wetpixel. My work is basically all film based... I keep trying digital but there's something about the process that's involved with film I can't give up. On top of that, most of my work is motion picture film... 16mm and more recently, 35mm. I process and print my own black and white motion picture film but I send off my colour to labs in Montreal.

     

    Anyway, here's a couple of my little films, I hope you enjoy:

     

    Dream

    https://vimeo.com/172762242

     

    Reclaiming the Deep: Solving the Riddle of Nitrogen Narcosis

    https://vimeo.com/152577334

     

    Chuuk: Adventure on the Thorfinn (my one digital video!)

    https://vimeo.com/78078079

     

    Cheers!

     

    -Jesse-

    Nice work Jesse,

     

    Fun to see some Vancouver faces in your films.

     

    I recall the call for participants on Facebook for your Dream video, and am not surprised seeing it was the 'usual suspects' who helped out.

     

    Enjoyed them all.

     

    Regards,

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  15. Posted

     

    Let's see if a mod can split this thread ;)

     

    On WA shots I used to place my light arms more or less at the same height of my camera. Now I try to place them higher than my camera trying to have a light angle coming from above. I like the shadows I get. Of course every reef is different so your mileage may vary.

     

    Now I have 4 lights. Two old Keldan Luna 8 CRI (5K lumen each I guess). Two prototypes built by a friend of mine (12K lumen each). I never mounted them together. IMHO I would get a correctly exposed flat image, nothing more.

     

    When a keen buddy is available I give him the most powerful set. I fill the subject in front of me with my Keldan and my buddy "flies" 1,5 meters above my head trying to light up the scene/subject from above. Then we play with different angles.

    I find that in this way you get amazing shadows. Sometime we get a sense of depth impossible to get in other ways.

    Sometime we try a different approach: I light up part of the scene in front of me filming my buddy which in turn light up further far away. Sometimes we get clips we like a lot, sometimes just trash.

     

    This video was made from two dives we experimented a lot this technique. I made a lot of mistakes (i.e. I left my lights on while being well far away from the subject getting only a lot of backscatter. The Gerardia Savaglia was completely burnt on the highlights cause I haven't zebra on my GH3) nevertheless you can see several examples of what I'm trying to explain.

     

    https://vimeo.com/175971190

     

    The amphora at 1:12 and 1:24 is light up from my lights and from my buddy above. The same scene at 1:30 is light up only by me and as you can see it's not simply a matter of exposure. The clip at 1:12 has a completely different depth of field.

     

    We used the same "tricks" on most of the clips of this video:

     

    https://vimeo.com/174334343

     

    You can see what you can get on a big sponge light up from the opposite at 2:13.

    Again the small gerardia savaglia from 2:40 is light up from above even in the close up clip.

    At 3:22 you can see my buddy moving upwards while I film the small dendrophyllia and you can see how the reef appears under this kind of light.

    At 4:29 an example of me lighting up part of the scene in front of me while my buddy, in turn, lights up further far away. We gently move together giving a great "sense of depth" IMHO.

     

    I understand that I have very particular tastes for UW imaging. I do not pretend to be mainstream and sometime I'm very contentious here ;)

    Once you have several lights and some collaborative buddy you can be very creative.

     

    In conclusion... we never get bored underwater.

     

    Bye

    Following with interest as this lighting technique is what we are experimenting with on glass sponge reefs.

     

    My local waters are often dark & murky near the surface, and clear up somewhat at depth. There are a handful of reefs just within recreation diving limits, but even at +/- 100 feet it is often like twilight down there.

     

    There are larger, and even darker reefs in the 250-300 foot range but I leave those for a technical dive team depth and when lucky a submersible.

     

    Filming another diver lighting up the reef with no lights on camera has reduced backscatter and created a dark, moody scene where the diver is basically a bubble of light travelling through and alien landscape.

     

    3200 ISO gets grainy and 6400 looks terrible. Any suggestions for cleaning up noise appreciated as I am new to video editing.

     

    As was suggested in this thread positioning the camera with lights to illuminate foreground, while dive buddy with second set of lights adds depth additional illumination swimming the reef in the background.

     

    My dream shot is to have multiple divers turn on lights in sequence creating pools of light illuminating the reef off into the distance.

     

    Unfortunately given live boat deployment and site conditions it is difficult to get more than 2-3 divers down in the excact same place.

     

    Will try to upload some sample video later tonight

     

    Regards,

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

    • Like 2

  16. Posted

    I agree with almost everything everyone is saying.

     

    The lack of IBIS is a major bummer for me, wasn't expecting them to remove that. But it seems its not due to the sensor size or aspect - it seems the target audience for this camera where screaming for the removal of IBIS, as it was ruining in-car, on-gimbal shots - so Panasonic listened.

     

    Pajjen raised a valid point for deep / dark ambient shooting where a clean high ISO would be really useful and where lights wouldn't reach.

     

    If the visibility is right, I really enjoy videoing wreck exteriors, where even super powerful lights wouldn't reach, so potentially having a super high iso - and clean would be cool.

     

    Will find out when the body arrives.

    I am also looking forward to any deep & dark dive footage. Deep wreck exteriors would be similar low-light conditions to what I am trying to shoot, and I find the GH5 sorely lacking.

     

    Off-camera lighting helps (filming a diver from a distance) but the dark areas have terrible grain at higher ISO

     

    Still on the fence regarding GH5s

     

     

    Regards,

     

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    Here it is

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/panasonic-gh5s-announced_us_5a537d6ae4b0cd114bdb350a

     

    It has 4k 60p only at 8bit and no IBIS. Makes it (not such) a tough call whether its worth the upgrade.

    I was cautiously optimistic that this camera would be a good replacement / companion to my GH5 for use filming deep, dark glass sponge reefs....

     

    Would love to see some real-world footage showing low-light performance.

     

    -Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  18. Posted

    Oh that I understand. I genuinely thought ud switch the position of the ball mount and literally turn the monitor upside down haha

     

    Skickat från min VTR-L29 via Tapatalk

    Ha, not even worth considering.

     

    One thing I discovered and am very happy about is the monitor senses when it is inverted and flips both the image AND the button functions. Sometimes you need to jiggle or move it so it is right side up, but the button function change is great as you don't have to remember which button to press when zooming or changing settings.

     

    Overall I am very happy with the new set up

     

    Regards,

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  19. Posted

    Curious why u would flip it upside down..

    I have tried a few different orientations.

     

    For macro, flipping the monitor down towards you leaves your sightline to the lens open which helps in finding smaller subjects.

     

    It also helps the balance of the rig as I found when pulling light arms far forward with stix floatation added it unbalances the tripod somewhat.

     

    For certain wide-angle shots it is nice to look down on the monitor. For example if you want to shoot up at the surface you don't have to get under your camera to frame the shot.

     

    Same with swimming through / above a reef. You can hold camera below you to get a better angle, without worrying about disturbing the bottom or sensitive life.

     

    Regards,

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  20. Posted

    Thanks for the comments. Mostly for something really small that moves ever so slowly...

     

    Example Costasiella usagi's eye. The AF works. but not knowing which specific part i want precisely. esspecially when we trying to shoot shallow DOF.Yes. that's the reason.Yes. But rocking ur camera front and back doesn't magnify the subject in LCD to confirms which specific part in focus.

     

    Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

    My solution for my old EM5 mk1 was to program the two Function buttons;

     

    1) was to switch to manual focus once autofocus got it close.

     

    2) was for viewfinder zoom to help confirm fine details while rocking camera or turning focus dial.

     

    My GH5 has a pinpoint focus option where it zoom in so you can confirn prior to pulling trigger.

     

    There are many different ways to look at fine-tuning focus. I guess it depends on personal preferemce, and if you have the focus gear. How 'complex' the subject or it's surroundings, and even water clarity / fresh water mixing are usually the determining factors for me when using the 60mm. If there is alot of plankton or silt in the water, or the subject is surrounded by comlex growth autofocus alone doesnt cut it.

     

    Good luck

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

    • Like 1

  21. Posted

    Hi, my friend is using an E-M5 mk1 with Olympus 60mm macro lens housed in a Nauticam housing and the port for 12-50mm.

     

    Now, he's thinking of buying a focus gear for his 60mm lens but he's afraid that the macro mode dial on the port will obstruct the O60-F focus gear.

     

    If there is anyone using the O60-F focus gear in the N85 12-50mm port, please let me know. Thanks.

     

    Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

    I use the 60mm with focus gear in the 12-50 macro port and it works fine.

     

    The focus gear is controlled by the knob on the housing, and given the 60mm is a narrower diameter there is no issue with the macro port knob.

     

    Regards

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

    • Like 1

  22. Posted

    Nice! Just ordered my 501 as well. Did you find any deals? Any plans to flip it upside down? That feels like it would smack me in the face being that high hehe. What applications do you have in mind for a surface feed?

    The extra long Nauticam clamp did make it sit fairly high, but I could flip it down, and also flat so I could look straight down while shooting macro.

     

    Will have to figure out how to turn off the auto rotate on the screen as certain angles flipped the image on me...

     

    Battery died about 70 minutes into the dive. It was relatively cold water at +/- 42F and I had played with it out of housing and let sit for a few days. I did expect better battery life with 2 connected, but as I didnt start with full charges will reserve judgement.

     

    Ended up being a night dive which isn't ideal for learning new camera stuff, but saw some cool critters. Had to be selective in what I focused on as the moment we descended there was a seal using our lights to hunt fish.

     

    Have not purchased the surface feed kit yet, but will in future which is why I chose the 502 over the 501 model. Will use at for live-feed at conservation / education events where we have interpreters on shore with some hardy diver-collected species, and likely some salmon stuff in streams and rivers.

     

    Would love to do live-feed from a glass sponge reef, but given the depths it may not be feasible.

     

    But speaking of sponge reefs I look forward to swimming the edge of reef with camera held below pointing diagonally back over the reef. Should be easier to frame the shot with a monitor pointing up

     

    As I am in Canada there were not many options for purchase. I watched prices and purchased online from B&H on Cyber Monday. Got the kit for the same price as monitor alone from a Canadian site...

     

    Regards

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

  23. Posted

    As I will occasionally use the monitor topside I have opted for SmallHD 502 (so I can send up a surface feed in the future).

     

    Ordered the housing and just waiting to see if there are any Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals for the monitor.

     

    Will comment after I have tried it out.

     

    Regards

     

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

    Finally getting my new addition in the water once the Marina closes tonight.

     

    b38cd9315f13176f7e10294e3cebeb47.jpg

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

    • Like 1

  25. Posted

    The one that is listed for sale, 12-50 gear and lens, would access to the macro switch still be there in the N85 macro port 65?

    The 12-50mm lense plus gear to switch into Macro Mode uses a different port

     

    N85 Macro Port and Zoom Gear Set for Olympus 12-50mm

     

    It is 77mm diameter wide vs 67mm for the other macro port due to the grar mechanism which surrounds the 12-50mm lens to allow for the switch to macro mode. It also has a side knob to engage the macro mode (the knob on housing controls zoom).

     

    Some use 3rd party gears and ignore the macro mode.

     

    Being 77mm diameter you need different mounts or flip adaptors for wet lenses. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of.

     

    This port is required for the 12-50 but also works for the 60mm

     

    Note there is a newer variant of the zoom gear specific to Panasonic GH5 which is a simple swap of one piece of gearing.

     

    Good luck on your choices and balancing the gear to spouse happiness ratio

     

    Adam

     

    Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

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