adamhanlon

The lack of acceptable fisheye options with the Sony full frame cameras pretty much renders them unusable for underwater use. Yes, you can add a WACP or other lens, but this is not a real fisheye lens, and is an expensive and heavy solution (albeit one with amazing image quality). The Sony 90mm macro is a great lens. While Nikon has announce that they plan to release 60 and 105mm macro lenses for the Z system (and these may be very good), the AF on the Z system is at least a full generation behind that of the D5/500/850. Nikon's AF on the Z system is much better than that of the Sony mirrorless cameras! I would expect that the next generation of Nikon SLR cameras will further improve on this AF performance. Reduced AF performance is huge sacrifice for macro and will mean that you get less usable images. Full frame SLRs typically have a cropped mode if required. My experience is that optical viewfinders are still better than EVFs. This is my (admittedly biased) experience. Ultimately, the speed of the EVF and its ability to render color accurately are challenges that an optical viewfinder simply does not have! We will see how Canon develop, but the 5D series, while very capable, seem to be somewhat outgunned by Nikon's offerings. I am sure the 1DX Mark III will be a stunning camera, but it is another level of expense, as well as bulk and weight. Sticking with bulk and weight, housing sizes and weights are similar for full frame mirrorless and SLR cameras. Port weight and bulk is identical. I confess that I do not get what the advantage of mirrorless full frame currently is for underwater use! I agree - the limiting factor in my imaging is my ability, and that people capture stunning images with a wide variety of cameras. I have yet to own a camera that couldn't take better pictures than I can! However, the latest iterations (particularly in terms of AF, and high ISO performance) do make it "easier" to get good pictures. Ultimately, this is why we upgrade. Will the latest version ensure you get amazing images...no, but it will make it easier to do so! Adam

Sorry, we never delete posts...

The issue here is that the WACP is a conversion lens, so the focal length of the lens used with it is not relevant in terms of a comparison. I'm not sure how many people use it with the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 as most use it with the Nikon 28-70 f3.5-4.5. I'm not sure there is much info out there about its use with the 24-70? If your query is whether the WACP has enough reach for big subjects, the answer is yes it does! In common with many (apart from those that shot it Nikonos RS cameras), there are very few people around that have shot the Nikonos 20-35mm lens underwater. I guess give its year or two... Adam

Not simply! I don't know of an opto-electrical convertor that will work on strobes with a Nikonos fitting. Ikelite do one for their DS strobes, but the strobe-side fitting is their proprietary plug. There are lots that work on the camera output, but these will not help.

I think this is a simple answer...if you switch from the D850 to any of the current mirrorless cameras, you will find the AF frustrating. I know I keep banging on about this, but the single most important feature of any image is focus. Unless it is deliberately (creatively) blurred, out of focus images go n the delete category! Images that have noise, exposure issues, are badly framed or practically any other issue can be fixed to some extent in post. If they are out of focus, they cannot... Given that we mostly use autofocus underwater, this makes the speed and accuracy of autofocus the single most important feature on any new camera. The AF on the D500, D850 and D5 is a generation ahead of any other any other system. The AF on the Z series (with the ZTF adaptor) is like going back to using a D7000. I understand that the Sony's is similar in performance, but do have native macro lenses which helps. Of course, any camera is capable of producing stunning images. Performance just makes it easier to do so Adam

Thank you all, Perhaps I misspoke, for which my apologies. No existing housing manufacturer except Nauticam offers a solution for using WACP. Port adaptors exist of course, and there are manufacturers that can produce bespoke solutions. Camera placement within housings is not standardized however, so it will take experimentation to discover appropriate port lengths etc, as well as finding zoom gears. None of this is impossible, it will just take some time. I hope that the other manufacturers will correct this very soon! Adam

Currently, only Nauticam housings are compatible with WACP. I hope that this situation will change! Adam

Thank you Elias, This is a great resource for the Wetpixel community. Really appreciate all your hard work.... Adam

Bluntly, if macro is your objective, there is no mirrorless system that can autofocus like the D500! It all depends on your priority I guess, if you emphasize the quality of the imagery you produce over everything else, you should probably go down the SLR route, if ease of carrying is your priority, consider mirrorless. That said, people produce very fine imagery with just about any camera, and the limit is (in my case) the person behind the camera rather than the camera! The Micro 4/3 ecosystem as many fine lenses that are very suitable for underwater use. There is limited compatibility with other systems (as far as I know they will not work on SLRs, for example)

I can conform that the John Doe (1) password reset email have been sent to your "vsatguy" email address. Which "Contact admins" link did you use? If there is a broken/not functioning link, I need to fix it I can confirm that the John Doe account is still active and functioning. We have changed servers and software, but it has ported your account and settings..

Hi Mike, I'm just replying to your email, but will reply here. I'm glad you have joined and started to interact witH the Wetpixel community (after having enjoyed our events at DEMA!) Someone with your experience has much to offer the Wetpixel community and I look forward to seeing your posts. As you probably found, the reasons for requiring at least 3 posts in order to post in the Classifieds forum are laid out here:

Hi John Doe I/II, How have you been trying to reach us? I have not had any messages or emails from you? It is concerning if people are trying to contact us and the mails are not getting through... Adam

Although the Z series are the "latest thing" they have a few features that currently makes them challenging to use underwater: Lack of native lenses with focal lengths suitable for underwater use. You can use the adaptor with F mount lenses, but you then remove the optical advantages of using the Z mount! Relatively poor AF compared to D500, D850 and D5. We rely on AF underwater and the better it is, the better your images will be! Very high resolution can be a drawback underwater...we shoot through water (which has stuff in it) and any optical flaws that are created by the lens/port become more obvious. Of course you could deal with the optical flaws by using a WACP, but this would add a significant cost to your budget! You are correct that DX has a greater depth of field. However, you can stop down and still get great bokeh. You will still get significant corner distortion with a fisheye lens on the Z series, so will need a 7" dome and to keep the aperture at f8 or so or higher. The bulky/heavy part of any underwater system is the housing. There is negligible difference in size/weight between z series and SLR housings. I doubt many people are shooting Canon M series underwater for all the same reasons as above! Adam

Like the others, I am going to avoid the Nikon vs Canon discussion! I have now used D500 and D850 quite a lot underwater. In almost all circumstances, my choice is D500. However the joker in the pack is the WACP. This is an amazing piece of glass and really excels with big animals...which kind of makes your decision harder! I think it probably needs to boil down to your plans. As others have said, the WACP is a nightmare to travel with and many of the issues with WA disappear when you use DX. The 10-24 with a large dome is a very good tool too. I must confess to being caught in the same place too...I decide to carry the D500 and then think about using the WACP and change my mind! Adam

It should all migrate over the next few days.... I'm not sure how you had 2 names...but you are correct, both forms of the forum software (old and new) only "allow" one. All the best Adam