TTL systems in underwater photo

[eyu 27]

Is there a TTL board that will work with a Nexus housing for a D850?

Elmer

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

9 hours ago, eyu said:

Is there a TTL board that will work with a Nexus housing for a D850?

Elmer

Hi Elmer,

Here is a picture of installed TTL board for Nexus Nikon (product #11063 UWTechnics):

 

Edited November 6, 2019 by Pavel Kolpakov

[eyu 27]

Pavel,

Thank you for the info.

Elmer

[Placebo365 16]

Hi folks,

 

I'm in the process of planning a new system purchase in the spring of next year. My interest lies mostly in video but I also do photos on the same dive. Currently I'm using Sony mirrorless A6000 in Meikon housing with dual Inon Z330 (fiber optic) and dual scubalamp v6k Pro video lights.

 

I'm holding out for the (almost mythical) Sony A7siii (or whatever it will finally be labelled) however if it doesn't turn out to have the specs I'd like, I'll revert to getting the Sony A7riii. I'm as yet undecided if I'm going with Nauticam or Aquatica housing.

 

I always shoot in manual but would like the option of TTL. I understand Nauticam mini flash trigger doesn't offer TTL. I'm not sure Aquatica does either. So I've been looking into the Turtle ttl by trt electronics.

 

Does anyone have any experience with this good or bad, or any other recommendations?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

48 minutes ago, Placebo365 said:

.... I'm as yet undecided if I'm going with Nauticam or Aquatica housing.

If you purchase Nauticam for Sony A7-A9, you also can install internal TTL Converter specially developed for this line of housings. UWTechnics #11075 product:

Edited November 23, 2019 by Pavel Kolpakov

[gyrex 1]

Hi folks,
 
I'm in the process of planning a new system purchase in the spring of next year. My interest lies mostly in video but I also do photos on the same dive. Currently I'm using Sony mirrorless A6000 in Meikon housing with dual Inon Z330 (fiber optic) and dual scubalamp v6k Pro video lights.
 
I'm holding out for the (almost mythical) Sony A7siii (or whatever it will finally be labelled) however if it doesn't turn out to have the specs I'd like, I'll revert to getting the Sony A7riii. I'm as yet undecided if I'm going with Nauticam or Aquatica housing.
 
I always shoot in manual but would like the option of TTL. I understand Nauticam mini flash trigger doesn't offer TTL. I'm not sure Aquatica does either. So I've been looking into the Turtle ttl by trt electronics.
 
Does anyone have any experience with this good or bad, or any other recommendations?
 
Thanks in advance.
 
 
 
Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk
 
 
 
 

G'day mate!

I'd put good money on the a7S3 not being released. The a73 provides as good or better low light performance with a larger sensor, better video specs etc. There's no point in Sony releasing a body and expanding their range for no reason. I could be wrong but the talk around town is that the a7Sx is probably dead.

If you're looking at the a7R3 or a73, have a look at the Seafrogs Housing - much cheaper and provides everything you need. Never had an issue with it down to 40m. The port options are very reasonably priced too.

I've paired mine with a single inon 330 and it's amazing! Got the 180mm dome (8") - using the Sony 28mm and Rokinon 14mm with this, long port for the Sony 90mm macro, short port for the 50mm macro.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

[Placebo365 16]

If you purchase Nauticam for Sony A7-A9, you also can install internal TTL Converter specially developed for this line of housings. UWTechnics #11075 product:

Thanks for the reply Pavel. Excuse my ignorance but does that mean I'd need to buy the Nauticam flash trigger then add this UW Technics converter to it?

Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

[Placebo365 16]

G'day mate!

I'd put good money on the a7S3 not being released. The a73 provides as good or better low light performance with a larger sensor, better video specs etc. There's no point in Sony releasing a body and expanding their range for no reason. I could be wrong but the talk around town is that the a7Sx is probably dead.

If you're looking at the a7R3 or a73, have a look at the Seafrogs Housing - much cheaper and provides everything you need. Never had an issue with it down to 40m. The port options are very reasonably priced too.

I've paired mine with a single inon 330 and it's amazing! Got the 180mm dome (8") - using the Sony 28mm and Rokinon 14mm with this, long port for the Sony 90mm macro, short port for the 50mm macro.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reply Gyrex. Yeah I'm beginning to wonder that myself. I'd have bought the A7iii long ago had it not been for the A7siii/A7iv rumors. Reason I'm looking at Nauticam is I'm being lured by the WACP-1. IQ with close/med/wide all on the same dive for both video and photo floats my boat, but yeah cost, blah. This setup needs to be right as it's gonna have to last several years with no further upgrades after it on the horizon. So re Seafrogs, it's a no can do for the WACP I'm afraid.

Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

1 hour ago, Placebo365 said:

Thanks for the reply Pavel. Excuse my ignorance but does that mean I'd need to buy the Nauticam flash trigger then add this UW Technics converter to it?

You don't need Nauticam flash trigger this case.  Just install TTL Converter #11075 into the housing.

Edited November 23, 2019 by Pavel Kolpakov

[Placebo365 16]

You don't need Nauticam flash trigger this case.  Just install TTL Converter #11075 into the housing.

Thanks Pavel, that's good to know. There's a bit of a price difference between this and the turtle, with the turtle being about $80 cheaper. I don't suppose you know of any benefits of having one over the other?

Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

20 hours ago, Placebo365 said:

.... difference ....

Technically they are very different, and have different specifications. For details of each product better contact to manufacturers.

[Patric_Ocean 3]

Hello Pavel

I'm about to get a NIMAR housing for the Canon RP. I saw part number 16024 from UWTechnics, does that work with the RP or just the R? 
The housing seems different, the R has dual fiber optical plugs while the RP housing only has one.

Regards
Patric

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

4 hours ago, Patric_Ocean said:

Hello Pavel

I'm about to get a NIMAR housing for the Canon RP. I saw part number 16024 from UWTechnics, does that work with the RP or just the R? 
The housing seems different, the R has dual fiber optical plugs while the RP housing only has one.

Regards
Patric

Hi Patric,

Yes, Nimar new housing (for Canon EOS RP) has only 1 optical bulkhead, moved to side.

TTL Converter for it is product #16029 UWTechnics. The circuit board has the same shape as previous #16024, but includes 1 external LED moved to side. The correct picture will be available soon.

 

Edited November 25, 2019 by Pavel Kolpakov

[Patric_Ocean 3]

That is wonderful, thank you for taking your time to respond.

I assume that without this adapter I can not use TTL? Also not with the electronic sync cords?

The person at Nimar said that since the camera is new that is not yet possible without the adapter you offer. (I hope I understood that correct)

Patric

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

On 11/28/2019 at 1:15 PM, Patric_Ocean said:

That is wonderful, thank you for taking your time to respond.

I assume that without this adapter I can not use TTL? Also not with the electronic sync cords?

The person at Nimar said that since the camera is new that is not yet possible without the adapter you offer. (I hope I understood that correct)

Patric

#16029 TTL board supports Optical TTL and Electric TTL simultaneously. The simple way is to use Optical TTL with this housing.  But, If you want to install an electric bulkhead on the top, no problem, the bulkhead is available (Nikonos, Ikelite, S-6), that TTL board supports it.

Edited November 29, 2019 by Pavel Kolpakov

[stuartv 32]

Greetings all,

 

I just got a Sony a7r4. I'm about to order a Nauticam housing for it. I'm debating whether to order it with the Nauticam flash trigger or the UW Technic.

 

To date, I have been shooting an Olympus OM-D E-M10 for underwater. I use 2 x Inon Z240. I have only ever used it Manual mode. I have, thus far, only ever shot wide angle and close focus wide angle.

 

My initial reaction was that I would have no use for TTL, so no reason to spend the extra for UW Technic. But, I'm not all THAT experienced in u/w photography. Now that I have the a7r4, is there some scenario, where I might actually prefer to use TTL to control my strobes? Or is that something that, as one who is already pretty comfortable shooting in full Manual, I would never use?

 

Thanks!

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

4 hours ago, stuartv said:

I just got a Sony a7r4. I'm about to order a Nauticam housing for it. I'm debating whether to order it with the Nauticam flash trigger or the UW Technic.

Some photographers shoot in manual mode, the others prefer TTL only, others switch TTL / M dependently of circumstances. It depends on personal preferences and habits. But in any case, TTL automation simplifies and speeds up the work, increases the percentage of suitable images.

If we are talking about Sony A7-A9 cameras, there is one more important thing:  maximum sync speed for usage with underwater strobes, - using simple manual trigger it is 1/160, but TTL communication protocol makes available up to 1/250. For many Sony users the 1/250 available shutter speed is a key feature.

Edited December 9, 2019 by Pavel Kolpakov

[stuartv 32]

Thank you, @Pavel Kolpakov!

 

That seems like very useful info. Is the 1/160 sync speed a limitation of the Nauticam flash trigger? Or is it a limitation of the Sony camera when shooting in M mode?

 

For anyone, another question: I have never shot with strobes and used a shutter speed faster than 1/160. But, my experience is mostly limited to shooting sharks and wrecks down in North Carolina - with a m43 camera and all the low light limitations that brings. Can y'all give me a couple of examples of where I might be limited by only having a sync speed of 1/160? 

 

I guess I'm not experienced enough to know what kinds of shooting scenarios I might get into where I'd want to use my strobes but 1/160 on SS would be too slow.

[unregistered 1]

@Pavel Kolpakov, does the 11075 TTL-Converter for Sony A7III in a Nauticam housing work for TTL with Retra strobes?

Edited December 9, 2019 by unregistered

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

On 12/10/2019 at 2:15 AM, unregistered said:

@Pavel Kolpakov, does the 11075 TTL-Converter for Sony A7III in a Nauticam housing work for TTL with Retra strobes?

Yes, of course, it works.

Retra team still did not give their new strobe for TTL-profile test yet.  So, TTL-Converter firmware does not have any separate ttl-profile for Retra yet, but it has 2-3 similar ttl-profiles (DS-161, Pro-160, etc.), photographer can use one of them, no problem.

Edited December 11, 2019 by Pavel Kolpakov

[Pavel Kolpakov 74]

On 12/9/2019 at 5:49 PM, stuartv said:

Is the 1/160 sync speed a limitation of the Nauticam flash trigger? Or is it a limitation of the Sony camera 

Sony A7-A9 cameras make workable 1/250 sync speed for flash synchronization, only if camera recognizes Sony compatible communication protocol at HotShoe (original flash,  or TTL-Converter on the HotShoe).

Manual trigger does not perform any communication via HotShoe. This case 1/160 is the maximum fast sync speed allowed by the camera. If set faster than 1/160, you will have a dark strip on the image (shutter curtain).

Edited December 11, 2019 by Pavel Kolpakov

[Captain Fathom 8]

Apologies for jumping in, thanks for this thread. Does the Sony A6XXX series allow higher than 1/160 with the UT converter protocols? My old Nikonos if I recall only has 1/60 so I have much improved headroom but more would be better. Might have to use a ND filter if know in advance I am specifically wanting to explore sun balls as a primary target.

I really like the idea of not having to use camera flash for a strobe driver. The ability to not have the camera preflash is a good thing too as it should improve camera response, at least in Manual modes?

[stuartv 32]

Thanks for bringing this thread back to my attention.

 

I finally got a Nauticam housing for my a7rIV last week and had the Reef Photo guys install the UW Technics TTL trigger in the housing before they shipped it.

 

Test firing it at the house seems to work just fine (for example, using TTL in Shutter priority mode). I'm heading down to Utila tomorrow and will get to really work it out. I have always shot underwater in full Manual mode. But, I'm going to have a go at shooting with TTL and see how that works out for me. For some situations, I could see it being very handy.

[stuartv 32]

@Pavel Kolpakov I'm now in Utila and just had my first dives with this trigger. I am having serious problems. I'm posting here hoping you will see this and tell me what stupid thing I'm doing.

 

I'm shooting a Sony a7rIV. My camera does have the latest firmware installed. V1.1, I think?

 

I have Inon Z240 Type 3 strobes with optical sync cables. I have been using these strobes for about 3 years and never had any problem with them (as long as I had my settings right). I have 2 cables, each connecting to a separate connector on the housing.

  

Today, they strobes were working seemingly randomly. Meaning, sometimes they would fire and sometimes they just wouldn’t.

 

I was shooting in Manual, with an explicit ISO and shutter speed always at either 1/125 or 1/100. The camera Flash setting was set to Fill. So, the strobes should have fired every time I released the shutter.

 

What I noticed:

 

• Sometimes I could clearly see that they did a pre-flash. I don't think they should pre-flash in Manual mode?
• Sometimes I would release the shutter and they would flash correctly.
• I had it where I pulled the trigger and it did not fire. I turned the camera itself off and back on and pulled the trigger again, with no other changes, and the strobes fired.
• At one point, I disconnected one of the optical cables from the camera housing and released the shutter. I could not see any flash from the trigger’s LED. Ambient light was not very bright, so I think I should have been able to see it flash.
• Whenever they fired or didn’t fire, it was always both strobes working the same - either they both fired or neither one fired, so I’m pretty sure that it’s not a bad sync cable (otherwise, I would have had 1 fire but not the other).
• I started my first dive with the buttons on the strobes for the “pre-flash” setting locked in the Pressed position, as I thought from memory that that was correct. It took me 10 minutes in the water with no strobes firing before I tried twisting those buttons and letting them pop out – whereupon the strobes started firing immediately. After that was when they were intermittent (i.e. as described above).
• I switched the camera to Shutter priority and the strobes to TTL mode (and pushed the pre-flash buttons in) and when the strobes fired, I got well-exposed images. But, I *think* (I could be misremembering on this part) that even that way they failed to fire a few times before I finally switched everything back to Manual.

 

Thus, I *think* the problem has something to do with the flash trigger itself.

 

Got any ideas what is wrong?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

- Stuart

[stuartv 32]

I should also note that the failure to fire was not because I didn't wait long enough for the strobes to recycle. I was shooting with the strobe power dial usually set between f/4 and f/5.6. Sometimes f/8. And definitely waiting more than a couple of seconds.

 

Except, I put the camera in continuous drive mode at one point. Mid speed. When i shot some strings that way, when the strobes fired on the first shutter release, they would continue to fire on every shutter release until I let go of the shutter release lever. In other words, when the strobes worked, they could sustain firing at several flashes per second. In single frame mode, I was definitely not shooting remotely close to that fast.