kaarlin 8 Posted April 29, 2009 (edited) Anyone using the 14-24mm lens in the sea&sea domeport. Which extensionring are you using? I tried it withe the largest of the two extensionrings (561) but that was terrible. The lens is to far in the dome and most part of the picture is unsharp. How about the sea&sea dome with the Athena extensionring? Is this a good option? Or is anybody using the Athena domeport and Athena extensionring. Athena I'm looking for the right setup for this lens and there is no signal from Sea&sea at all about it Edited April 29, 2009 by kaarlin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mariozi 1 Posted April 30, 2009 I would use the Athena one as it is made specially for the lens. I mean, if I had an FX body... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil Rudin 461 Posted April 30, 2009 Hi Karin, I have been using the Athena 220 mm dome and Athena extension for the Olympus 7 to 14 zoom with the E-410, E-520 and E-3 in the SeaTool housing. The results are very sharp corners. I would also suggest that you check with reefphoto.com in regard to the Zen Underwater port for the same lens. It uses the Athena dome glass with a different housing mount. The Nikon 14 to 24 is an outstanding lens for 35 mm format and this will be one of the best choices to reduce corner issues. Phil Rudin http://www.sfups.org/Galleries/PhilRudin/index.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaarlin 8 Posted April 30, 2009 (edited) Hi phil I just spoke to Ryan about it. He tried it with the Zen dome and Athena extensionring. The Zemdome Is the same dome as the Athena. Ryan said the corners were ok at 19mm. Ofcourse I also want sharp corners at 14mm. The Sea&sea dome is wider so what I think is that the Sea&sea dome with the Atena extensionring is the best solution but I'm not sure if I'm right. I hope that somebody tried this already. Aquatica succeeded in getting good results with this lens. I really hope that this will be the same with Sea&sea. I think it is strange that Sea&sea doesn't have an extensionring and zoomring for this lens yet. Karin Edited April 30, 2009 by kaarlin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan 48 Posted April 30, 2009 (edited) Hi Karin, I'm headed to my printer after work to pick up my new 5' x 7.5' test chart, and my buddy is warming up his pool. If you can wait until after the weekend I'll have samples of the Sea & Sea NX Fisheye Dome, Optical Dome, Pro One Dome, and Zen Dome. Edited April 30, 2009 by Ryan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loftus 42 Posted April 30, 2009 Aquatica succeeded in getting good results with this lens. Karin Can you refer me to any objective tests demonstrating this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaarlin 8 Posted May 1, 2009 Loftus, i was able to work with Aquatica. For me the results were ok. At 14mm and f8 there is no unshapness. For me that is fine. You can read my review at divephotoguide. I will use this camera with my model work and I won't work under f8 and most of the time I would not use the corners of a frame frequently. So if I work under f8 it won't be a problem. I think Ron Offermans worked with this rig while diving in the Dutch waters. Maybe he can show some of his results here.... Ryan: great that you will take the efford to test all in the swimmingpool. Ofcourse it is no problem to wait! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slijmvis 0 Posted May 1, 2009 Loftus, i was able to work with Aquatica. For me the results were ok. At 14mm and f8 there is no unshapness. For me that is fine. You can read my review at divephotoguide. I will use this camera with my model work and I won't work under f8 and most of the time I would not use the corners of a frame frequently. So if I work under f8 it won't be a problem. I think Ron Offermans worked with this rig while diving in the Dutch waters. Maybe he can show some of his results here.... Ryan: great that you will take the efford to test all in the swimmingpool. Ofcourse it is no problem to wait! Hi Karin, I’m still waiting for that superdome. In the meanwhile I am using the 6 inch. That dome isn’t perfect off course with the 14-24, but not bad either. Ron. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mariozi 1 Posted May 1, 2009 If you can wait until after the weekend I'll have samples of the Sea & Sea NX Fisheye Dome, Optical Dome, Pro One Dome, and Zen Dome. I could wait until next year for that! Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaarlin 8 Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) Hi Ron Thanks for answering. What a pit you don't have the superdome yet! I was hoping you could show dome "fieldresults". Karin Edited May 1, 2009 by kaarlin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loftus 42 Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) Loftus, i was able to work with Aquatica. For me the results were ok. At 14mm and f8 there is no unshapness. For me that is fine. You can read my review at divephotoguide. I will use this camera with my model work and I won't work under f8 and most of the time I would not use the corners of a frame frequently. So if I work under f8 it won't be a problem. I think Ron Offermans worked with this rig while diving in the Dutch waters. Maybe he can show some of his results here.... Ryan: great that you will take the efford to test all in the swimmingpool. Ofcourse it is no problem to wait! Thanks Karin; I did see your pool stuff, very nice. I think from what we've seen so far the 14-24 works well at 8-11 with most dome setups; at least in real world shooting. As far as objective pool tests go, Steve Frink showed good results with a Seacam setup I think to 5.6, but then I think the testing setup was a little arbitrary. As you mention turning up the ISO is no longer a no no with the new cameras, and I consider ISO adjustment now to be a new third exposure control that I can freely adjust up to about 1600. Edited May 1, 2009 by loftus Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaarlin 8 Posted May 5, 2009 and Ryan, were you able to test everything? I'm very curious@ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlexDawson 2 Posted June 12, 2009 Hi Karin, I'm headed to my printer after work to pick up my new 5' x 7.5' test chart, and my buddy is warming up his pool. If you can wait until after the weekend I'll have samples of the Sea & Sea NX Fisheye Dome, Optical Dome, Pro One Dome, and Zen Dome. What happened to those port tests? Has anyone used the Athena or Zen glass dome with the 14-24 @ 14mm with good results? kind regards // Alex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike L 0 Posted June 12, 2009 Although I have not been out to test the 14-24 in the MDX with anything other than the Sea & Sea port...Ive spoken with quite a number of people trying several ports...and no luck yet with the 14-24 wider than 18mm...its a real bummer to say the least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan 48 Posted June 12, 2009 Hi Alex, Karin, I was in the pool with about 20 lenses in 6 domes, and digesting those results and assembling a report has been very slow going... In short, there isn't a setup I'm comfortable with for 14-24. All spheric domes exhibit corner softness... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlexDawson 2 Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) Hi Alex, Karin, I was in the pool with about 20 lenses in 6 domes, and digesting those results and assembling a report has been very slow going... In short, there isn't a setup I'm comfortable with for 14-24. All spheric domes exhibit corner softness... Thanks Ryan, Is there any combination that is better than the sea&sea fisheye port and the 60mm extension ring for the D3? I will do some tests again in july when I get accesses to a pool daily // Alex Edited June 12, 2009 by AlexDawson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan 48 Posted June 12, 2009 Thanks Ryan, Is there any combination that is better than the sea&sea fisheye port and the 60mm extension ring for the D3? I will do some tests again in july when I get accesses to a pool daily // Alex No, that is as good as it gets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastian 0 Posted June 14, 2009 Anyone using the 14-24mm lens in the sea&sea domeport. Which extensionring are you using? I tried it withe the largest of the two extensionrings (561) but that was terrible. The lens is to far in the dome and most part of the picture is unsharp. How about the sea&sea dome with the Athena extensionring? Is this a good option? Or is anybody using the Athena domeport and Athena extensionring. Athena I'm looking for the right setup for this lens and there is no signal from Sea&sea at all about it Hi kaarlin, I just bought a Subal housing for my Nikon D700. As an owner of the Nikon 14-24mm I am now following the discussions about the right setup for this lens for several month now on Wetpixel. And I am still not sure what to buy (dome port, extension ring, buy a different lens...) like you are, kaarlin. The Subal DP-SUP seems to be a good option for Subal owners for example, but I am not sure. Subal DP-SUP with conical back plate The pool shots Subal send me looked ok at f8 and even better at f16. Is anybody using this setup in the field? Sebastian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 14, 2009 That's interesting, Sebatian. Subal sent you shots of the setup but that's not generally available? Why would they not want people to see how the port works for lenses? Surely it's not a bandwidth issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastian 0 Posted June 14, 2009 That's interesting, Sebatian. Subal sent you shots of the setup but that's not generally available? Why would they not want people to see how the port works for lenses? Surely it's not a bandwidth issue. Hi Drew, I don't know if I have understood your answer correctly. I will try to clarify my intention behind my question. Some time ago (march 2009) I asked Subal if there are any test shots available for this special dome port for the Nikon 14-24mm. Subal Europe (Mr. Rolf Sempert) answered my question and sent me a few test shots (plain pool shots, no test charts were used) along with his email. Now that I received my Subal ND700 this weekend I was wondering if anybody is using the Subal DP-SUP in the field and can provide some real world shots (eg. reef scenery). I just couldn't find any shots on the net (on Wetpixel) that were taken with the Subal DP-SUP. I just would like to see something different than just pool shots before spending a lot money for this port. As far as I remember this port was shown on Dema 2008 for the first time (?) Dema 2008: Subal DP-SUP So I was hoping that at least a few people already bought this expensive port and can show us some shots. Sebastian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan 48 Posted June 15, 2009 Subal's DP-SUP renders the best corners of everything I've used, but it isn't perfect. It is huge, and heavy, and lens specific. I have mixed feelings about recommending it... On one hand it is the best underwater option for this fabulous lens, but it isn't what I'd call user friendly. For scale: f5.6 f8 f11 f5.6 @ 100% f8 @ 100% f11 @ 100% Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 15, 2009 Sebastian, My statement wasn't directed at you but I just found it interesting that a housing manufacturer like Subal would give a customer test shots only if asked. Here on WP and everywhere else, it's been the dealers and sometimes clients who've been publicly testing the ports for potential customers. I would think they should have it on their website for every potential customer to see. I'm just a little disappointed with manufacturers that way. Hi Drew, I don't know if I have understood your answer correctly. I will try to clarify my intention behind my question. Some time ago (march 2009) I asked Subal if there are any test shots available for this special dome port for the Nikon 14-24mm. Subal Europe (Mr. Rolf Sempert) answered my question and sent me a few test shots (plain pool shots, no test charts were used) along with his email. Now that I received my Subal ND700 this weekend I was wondering if anybody is using the Subal DP-SUP in the field and can provide some real world shots (eg. reef scenery). I just couldn't find any shots on the net (on Wetpixel) that were taken with the Subal DP-SUP. I just would like to see something different than just pool shots before spending a lot money for this port. As far as I remember this port was shown on Dema 2008 for the first time (?) Dema 2008: Subal DP-SUP So I was hoping that at least a few people already bought this expensive port and can show us some shots. Sebastian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex_Mustard 0 Posted June 15, 2009 Sebastian,My statement wasn't directed at you but I just found it interesting that a housing manufacturer like Subal would give a customer test shots only if asked. Here on WP and everywhere else, it's been the dealers and sometimes clients who've been publicly testing the ports for potential customers. I would think they should have it on their website for every potential customer to see. I'm just a little disappointed with manufacturers that way. Surely it would make much more sense if Subal (and others) loaned an example of their solutions to us at Wetpixel - so we could shoot it in the field and share some results of how a product performs on real world subjects. Or failing that - if they are loaning kit to people to try in the field - encourage them to share the results. It is great when manufacturers and dealers test these things - and most tests seem 100% objective. But it is even better when kit can be tested by those who are not commercially involved in the products. Alex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 15, 2009 Surely it would make much more sense if Subal (and others) loaned an example of their solutions to us at Wetpixel - so we could shoot it in the field and share some results of how a product performs on real world subjects. Or failing that - if they are loaning kit to people to try in the field - encourage them to share the results. It is great when manufacturers and dealers test these things - and most tests seem 100% objective. But it is even better when kit can be tested by those who are not commercially involved in the products. Alex I know someone who had the prototype 10" Subal port that he had it a year ago. He's since disappeared and not answered any of my emails. hmmmm... I'm sure they do field test it on their own but many of them get caught with variables they themselves don't foresee. To stay on topic with Subal (but not single them out), I had the 1st gen 105 port that never fit properly on the ND2. I can't even sell it because I'd be screwing the next person. Of course, they came out with a bigger port later when people started complaining. I have beta-tested stuff but they usually NDA it so I can't share the results, good or bad. Then they release it with the same issues many highlighted in the beta-test only to backpedal later with a fix. Problem is the logistics of setting up a field tester is sometimes a pain. I can understand manufacturers not wanting to have outside sources beta testing their products. It's uncontrolled but then again, if they have a good product, what do they have to be afraid of? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastian 0 Posted June 16, 2009 Subal's DP-SUP renders the best corners of everything I've used, but it isn't perfect. It is huge, and heavy, and lens specific. I have mixed feelings about recommending it... On one hand it is the best underwater option for this fabulous lens, but it isn't what I'd call user friendly.... Hi Ryan, thanks a lot for your work! Your shots are a lot better than the pool shots I have got! I guess with a little bit of current the huge port will fly away like an umbrella in stormy weather! By the way, what extension ring are you using? Looking at Subal's recommended setup for the Nikon 14-24mm lens wasn't very helpful. Sebastian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
