Questions about upgrading from an LX10, potentially to the A6400. And a random Inon wide angle lens question.

[LoriAnnKru 4]

5 minutes ago, ChrisRoss said:

My go-to dive location tends to be Cozumel at this point. The critters are sub 5mm, and there tends to be current. Sometimes surge. I’ve fallen in with a group of friends who like to do 2-hour dives searching the sea grass, and I’ve found that’s kind of fun. It seems in the grass, especially, I’m running into surge. So I’ve sometimes got little critters holding onto grass as if they’re riding a rodeo. It made for some “fun” times trying to get them in focus on the LX-10 with CMC1. 

So given that, you’re saying I need to be more demanding about the AF, is that correct? Does this then suggest I should forget about the CMCxs altogether and depend only on a good 60-90-or 105? 

My photos are on Insta at loriannkru_dive. Maybe those will give you a better idea where I’m at and a better idea about where I should be headed next. 

 

[LoriAnnKru 4]

Great idea on checking what hoops to jump thru for each camera for WB. 

And no worries, I’m absolutely that kind of geek, and I like your points system idea. (My packing list is so organized that it’s truly a sign of a damaged mind. I’m also a fish ID nerd.)
 

 

[Barmaglot 229]

1 hour ago, LoriAnnKru said:

Hi Barmaglot, and thanks! Do you have an Instagram account or other place I can check out your photos? That would be really helpful for me to get an idea of the camera’s full capabilities. 

https://www.instagram.com/bmekler/

Regarding white balance - it is my understanding that the 9900K limitation was removed in recent generations of Sony cameras such as RX100VA and up, A6100/6400/6600 and A7III and newer, but I don't own one of those, and I shoot exclusively stills in RAW, so I can't offer a first hand experience.

Edited February 10, 2021 by Barmaglot

[ChrisRoss 150]

1 hour ago, LoriAnnKru said:

Great idea on checking what hoops to jump thru for each camera for WB. 

And no worries, I’m absolutely that kind of geek, and I like your points system idea. (My packing list is so organized that it’s truly a sign of a damaged mind. I’m also a fish ID nerd.)

 

 

I'm inclined to think if tiny things in seagrass are your preferred macro subject maybe a D500 with a 105mm lens which seems to have the reputation for the fastest AF might be worth considering.  Not sure how it does with video Tim might chime in as he uses a d500.

 

[Barmaglot 229]

Also, for sub-5mm critters, you will absolutely need a strong diopter on top of a macro lens. At 1:1, a 5mm critter will fill the 6x4.5mm sensor of a TG-6, but it will still look quite small on a 24x18mm sensor  of an APS-C camera, much less 36x24mm FF. In order to shoot such tiny things with larger cameras, you need to go into 2-4x magnification supermacro territory. If I remember correctly, the +13 diopter on top of my 90mm lens gets me a frame approximately 1cm wide.

[TimG 62]

3 hours ago, ChrisRoss said:

I'm inclined to think if tiny things in seagrass are your preferred macro subject maybe a D500 with a 105mm lens which seems to have the reputation for the fastest AF might be worth considering.  Not sure how it does with video Tim might chime in as he uses a d500.

 

Sorry, I can't offer any thoughts on that - I've had 5 DSLRs, including the D500, over the last 20 years and have never used the video on them. 

But for sure the D500/105mm combination for small critters is brilliant.

[TimG 62]

5 hours ago, LoriAnnKru said:

Tim,

Thanks for the guidance on the Z(x)iis, viewfinder, and the second-hand equipment. You’re absolutely right—there has to be a super compelling reason for me to switch to video if I’ve gone down intending to do stills.  For one thing, it’s way too hard for me to have video lights and strobes on the same dive. (I do use one of my Sola 3800s as a focus light, tho, so I guess it could happen in theory.) But I’m definitely not good enough yet to do that with any fluidity.

My problem is that I think the best thing about sharing video is being able to show animal behavior you just can’t show as well with stills. Sometimes I come back from trips thinking, “Why am I doing all this still work if I myself get such a thrill from rewatching my own videos?” Video editing though—ugh. However, your idea of going for something that can produce amazing stills but still bang out reasonable video is the right compromise. One thing that bugs me to death is sub-par white balance on video, though. So if I can get reasonable video with better than average white balance, I’d be a happy woman!

I'm with you on the "edit" thing for video, LoriAnn. I spend enough of my life in front of a screen. 

I realise it may well not produce the quality you want, but you could just stick a GoPro on a still camera setup. Quick and dirty(ish) video then on demand and not huge amounts of additional gear or costs. And if something you capture is really special, you can always then go to the time and trouble of serious editing and colour balancing.

[ChrisRoss 150]

3 hours ago, Barmaglot said:

Also, for sub-5mm critters, you will absolutely need a strong diopter on top of a macro lens. At 1:1, a 5mm critter will fill the 6x4.5mm sensor of a TG-6, but it will still look quite small on a 24x18mm sensor  of an APS-C camera, much less 36x24mm FF. In order to shoot such tiny things with larger cameras, you need to go into 2-4x magnification supermacro territory. If I remember correctly, the +13 diopter on top of my 90mm lens gets me a frame approximately 1cm wide.

agree, but the OP was shooting these critters with an LX-10 (1"sensor)  and CMC-1 which is maybe achieving -0.5 -0.7x magnification with that- with some current and surge.  So going to 1:1 is going to be the first challenge to overcome.   Magnification is really the challenge - depth of field drops rapidly with magnification and that is what will catch you out with a moving subject, at 1:1 the depth of field is only a mm or two and any slight sway will throw it outside the plane of sharp focus.  You have to crawl before you can walk. 

[Lewis88 12]

6 hours ago, gobiodon said:

and it's also good enough for Howard to propmote the big movies. Actually that convinced me that my next upgrade will be a A6400 (from A6000).

Just as an aside, Might want to look into an A6100 in an A6400 nauticam housing. The A6100 has a lot of AF improvements and features from the A6600, and it looks to be identical in dimensions. I shoot an A6100, and will be ordering an a6400 nauticam housing soon to try it.

[Barmaglot 229]

2 hours ago, ChrisRoss said:

Magnification is really the challenge - depth of field drops rapidly with magnification and that is what will catch you out with a moving subject, at 1:1 the depth of field is only a mm or two and any slight sway will throw it outside the plane of sharp focus. 

No argument there - if I see a tiny subject (i.e. one that requires the diopter) on a swaying leaf, I generally don't even bother trying. Although I recently got superchargers and reflectors for my Retra Pros, so maybe I can now try to shoot a burst and hope for one or two shots to coincide with the subject passing through the focus plane.