Nauticam Fisheye Conversion Port

[Alex_Mustard 0]

I have been able to lend the lens to more photographers this week, so we’ve now had the FCP on Sony FF MRL, Nikon FF MRL, Nikon FF SLR and Canon FF SLR here in the Red Sea. Unsurprisingly it is very popular. 

The only dives it has missed have been macro focused ones! 

Alex 

[brandoncole 3]

Thank you, Alex. Can you please tell us which lens was mounted onto each camera/format behind the FCP?   

??? lens on your Sony A1

??? lens on Nikon FF MRL

??? lens on Nikon FF SLR

??? lens on Canon FF SLR

Best,

Brandon

[oneyellowtang 112]

@Alex_Mustard

Apologies for the obtuse question:
What ports are we looking at (left and right) in the picture you posted?

The one of the left doesn't look like the WACP (is that the FCP)? And the one on the right might be a Nikonos 13mm fitted for the Nauticam housing, but it still looks a bit different. 

I may be way off here, just wanted to make sure...

 

[Alex_Mustard 0]

1 hour ago, brandoncole said:

Thank you, Alex. Can you please tell us which lens was mounted onto each camera/format behind the FCP?   

??? lens on your Sony A1

??? lens on Nikon FF MRL

??? lens on Nikon FF SLR

??? lens on Canon FF SLR

Best,

Brandon

On the Sony’s most people used the 28-60mm.

On the Z9s the guys used 24-50mm in the range 28-50mm.

On Nikon SLRs they used 28-70mm.

On Canon SLR the guy used 28-70mm.

The FCP I have is a prototype and the mount/lens comparability might change, although I suspect it won’t. 

[Alex_Mustard 0]

1 hour ago, oneyellowtang said:

@Alex_Mustard

Apologies for the obtuse question:
What ports are we looking at (left and right) in the picture you posted?

The one of the left doesn't look like the WACP (is that the FCP)? And the one on the right might be a Nikonos 13mm fitted for the Nauticam housing, but it still looks a bit different. 
 

The port on the left is the FCP attached to a Nikon Z9.

On the right is an UW 13mm mechanical fisheye lens built by Nauticam a few years ago. It works really well, and the manual focus is easy enough.

 

As I have said before I think there is a market for it particularly for cave, deep wreck and pelagic animal photographers. Where small size, great optics and fixed focus are all attractive features. I’ve been borrowing it for the last couple of months and have shot it in Iceland, Philippines and now, Egypt. You can find images from it under the New Images tab on my website. The ones with no lens EXIF will be shot with this (or Nikonos 15mm - it is obvious which is which).

[brandoncole 3]

Thank you very much for your reply, Alex.

So, the same ancient Canon and Nikon kit lenses that were/are suggested for the original WACP, huh? 

Seems like the best of the bunch in terms of range behind the FCP is the Sony 28-60. That's probably sharper than the old Canon and Nikon kit lenses too. I don't know anything about that Nikon Z24-50, but at least it's not 25 years old!

Best,

Brandon

[Matt Imm 0]

I’m surprised nauticam hasn’t changed the formula to accept a less restrictive/more standard set of lenses that fit the new mirrorless lineup. A 24-70 or something similar would make more sense with the new modern lenses. Do we have any idea on the release date for this new lens?

[waterpixel 68]

Any guess on the FCP's splitshot capabilities?

[Interceptor121 842]

Any guess on the FCP's splitshot capabilities?

Water contact optics are in most cases unsuitable for a variety of reasons
They are negative, don’t focus on air and the field of view air/water is different


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[Alex_Mustard 0]

On 7/5/2023 at 3:37 PM, Matt Imm said:

I’m surprised nauticam hasn’t changed the formula to accept a less restrictive/more standard set of lenses that fit the new mirrorless lineup. A 24-70 or something similar would make more sense with the new modern lenses. Do we have any idea on the release date for this new lens?

It is really a size problem - as a generalisation the bigger the front element of the camera lens the bigger the water corrected optic has to be. And they get bigger, heavier and more expensive pretty quickly. 

Nauticam made the WACP-2 to work with larger lenses. But very few photographers use it because of its size, weight and cost. Its quality isn’t in doubt. The relatively small size of the FCP also really helps its close focus capability - which is a good thing for UW fisheye shooting. The negative is the need to use relatively small diameter lenses behind it. 

[Alex_Mustard 0]

Thought I’d share a couple of shots from a dive on the Thistlegorm wreck in the Red Sea - both uncropped - to show the versatility of the FCP. The motorbike is shot at 28mm, the sergeant major is shot at 60mm. I realise the fish shot is nothing amazing, but the ability to cover this range on a dive is exciting.

Motorbike @ 28mm with FCP

Sergeant Major @ 60mm with FCP (uncropped)

[Davide DB 583]

24 minutes ago, Alex_Mustard said:

The negative is the need to use relatively small diameter lenses behind it

This is the reason  because we M43 users are left behind stuck with the discontinued plastic 14-42 mm. Panasonic has not produced any new small diameter lens since then.

RIP M43

[Interceptor121 842]

This is the reason  because we M43 users are left behind stuck with the discontinued plastic 14-42 mm. Panasonic has not produced any new small diameter lens since then.
RIP M43

You can use a canon 8-15 as almost 2x zoom this is not available on any other formats
It is an amazing option that negates the need for this adapter as the 14-42 is after all an average lens


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[Davide DB 583]

40 minutes ago, Interceptor121 said:

You can use a canon 8-15 as almost 2x zoom this is not available on any other formats
It is an amazing option that negates the need for this adapter as the 14-42 is after all an average lens


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Sorry for hacking the thread. Specifically I am not interested in the fisheye.
Mine was a more general comment on Alex's statement and the availability of small diameter lenses in the micro four-thirds kit. My WWL-1 can only work with a lens that has been out of production for years, and a bad one at that. Since now the Kit M43 lens is the 12-60 which has a 58 mm diameter I would say we are in a dead end for this system.

PS
What port/dome is needed for the Canon 8-15 mm zoom?

[Interceptor121 842]

Sorry for hacking the thread. Specifically I am not interested in the fisheye.
Mine was a more general comment on Alex's statement and the availability of small diameter lenses in the micro four-thirds kit. My WWL-1 can only work with a lens that has been out of production for years, and a bad one at that. Since now the Kit M43 lens is the 12-60 which has a 58 mm diameter I would say we are in a dead end for this system.
PS
What port/dome is needed for the Canon 8-15 mm zoom?

Matabones n85 n120 35mm extension and 4.33 or 140mm dome
The sony 28-60mm is the kit lens for the a7c the fact is that is a fairly recent lens
All water contact lenses like small lenses which intrinsically limits performance at very close range
For me we need to see how this adapter does at very close range further away everything is generally ok


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[kraft2000 0]

Would a combination of Z8 and FCP be a good choice to upgrade from a 7 year old system ? I’ve been looking to upgrade for some time but wasn’t convinced with previous Nikon mirrorless and not quite used to Sony or Canon.

[ChrisRoss 150]

5 hours ago, kraft2000 said:

Would a combination of Z8 and FCP be a good choice to upgrade from a 7 year old system ? I’ve been looking to upgrade for some time but wasn’t convinced with previous Nikon mirrorless and not quite used to Sony or Canon.

I may be wrong but I don't think it's been taken UW yet??  All looks good on paper but we should have some reviews in a short while.

[Alex_Mustard 0]

A couple of my group had the Z9 with WACP in the Red Sea and the 24-50mm lens. Everyone likes the FCP because it covers such a great range and isn’t too big.

The photo on the top of this page (as it appears in my browser) shows the WACP on the Z9 (the housing has a number 11 on the top of it).

Alex 

[Matt Imm 0]

@Alex_Mustard how do they avoid vignetting at the 24mm end? Is there a way to block the zoom gear? 

[jtresfon 2]

Is the FCP specifically an underwater corrected optic? Will it focus in air? What I'm really asking is can it do split level shots? 

Regards

Jean.

[Alex_Mustard 0]

The optical setup is not finalised yet, but the front element is small, so even if it does, it is not well suited for splits.

[ridgebackpilot 10]

My dilemma: Having just acquired the Nikon Z8 to replace my venerable but aging D800E, do I find a WWL-C now or wait for the forthcoming FCP from Nauticam?!

I've already found a mint Nikkor Z 24-50 f4-6.3 on eBay for a very reasonable price. But that begs the question: Which port should I look for? My guess is that when it's released, the new FCP is bound to sell for a lot more than the relatively-reasonably priced WWL-C...

I'll need to answer that question prior to a scheduled return visit to Raja Ampat aboard the Emperor Harmoni in March-April 2024. 

@Ryan I realize you mentioned that the release of the FCP was "not imminent". But might you be willing to share an educated guess whether it may be available prior to next spring? Thanks!

Edited September 3 by ridgebackpilot

[Interceptor121 842]

A reliable source told me the FCP price will be aligned to the WACP-1...

[Nicool 30]

My dilemma: Having just acquired the Nikon Z8 to replace my venerable but aging D800E, do I find a WWL-C now or wait for the forthcoming FCP from Nauticam?!
I've already found a mint Nikkor Z 24-50 f4-6.3 on eBay for a very reasonable price. But that begs the question: Which port should I look for? My guess is that when it's released, the new FCP is bound to sell for a lot more than the relatively-reasonably priced WWL-C...
I'll need to answer that question prior to a scheduled return visit to Raja Ampat aboard the Emperor Harmoni in March-April 2024. 
[mention=820]Ryan[/mention] I realize you mentioned that the release of the FCP was "not imminent". But might you be willing to share an educated guess whether it may be available prior to next spring? Thanks!

These 2 lenses offer quite different field-of-views, one covers your rectilinear ultra-wide (weitwinkel) whereas the other does 180 fisheye, with zoom through capability.
I’d get both if budget allows


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