Alex, if you dont mind explaining, i'm very curious. Lately you've posted a bunch of pictures using the 10.5 FE with a TC. How is this combination different than just using a 15/16mm FE? Is it just that the 10.5 focus's closer than the 15/16 (does it?) or does a TC do something funky on a FE?

he he he...

i had same question about why its different than the 16mm...

i have a 2x sitting in my office at the moment, let me have a look here to see if it fits the 10.5


hmm... i can focus exceedingly close... and it looks like a 16mm view....

soooooo, i think Alex spills it in the next UWP issue

It has to do with increased true magnification I think...

Mike - you're saying you can focus closer than you could w/out the TC? That's not how that's supposed to act

yes, the 10.5 already focuses really close, so what i meant was with the 10.5 and 2x maybe he is looking for closer focus than the 16, i don't have a 16 so not sure how close it focuses

which is why i am still waiting for mr alex to spill it

Alex, do you have a compact dome or an 8 or 9 inch dome?

I hate trying to light the 10.5 properly when shooting stuff inches from my 8 inch port... i am going to go with 3 strobes one of these days and dedicate a dive to it...

Without wanting to completely scoop future articles - the main advantages are the close focus (the 16mm isn't that good, the Sigma 15mm is better), but more importantly the TC gets the lens out further from the camera.

This is important because this technique relies on very small camera to subject distances which are a pain to light. Getting the front of the lens out further from the camera makes this much much easier.

Another crucial factor is using as small a dome as possible. This also makes it much easier to light the subject when it is right on the dome.

Of course with the 10.5mm and TC the coverage is similar to a 16/15mm - but I like to think of the problem the other way around. And of course I can take pictures that I could have taken with the 16mm. But I can also take the macro wide angle shots too. Although switching between the two requires a complete rearrangement of my lighting as is a right pain!

Alex

For those at the NELOS festival later today I will be showing you exactly how I do it! PLus showing you some of the new images with this technique I made in West Papua.

erm... i don't think any of us are at Nelos

so yes, thats what i thought....

haha.. you get as annoyed as me lighting CFWA with 10.5...

and easier than carrying 3 of those Subtronic monsters of yours...

.

No, Mike. But my broken Subtronic is still on holiday in Germany.

It broke on the Wetpixel shark trip in March. And I sent it to Subtronic. It took them until July to get it back to me. I then took it to Bali in August and it lasted less than 2 weeks of diving until it broke in exactly the same way. So i sent it back to them again. And it is now December and I still don't have it back... If they are at NELOS I will punch them.

Alex

p.s. That walking shark picture (with the 10.5mm and TC) I showed you was taken with a pair of Inons.

inons.... now those are a nice size for 3 strobes....

Ok, that makes sense. Pushes the lens out so it is easier to light.

So now I need 2 1.4x teleconverters . One as short as possible so that it will fit in my macro port. And a 2nd as long as possible to push my FE out further.

i would love to see a small dome from Aquatica to make it easier to light CFWA with the 10.5

Me too. I'd also like to see a smaller macro port, essentially just an extension ring with a piece of glass in front.

Let's lobby Blake.

BLAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



(psst Herb, think that will work?)

You could always make a small dome port, I've got a very nice 4.5 inch that a friend made for the Nikon 10.5 and 12-24 zoom.

Aquatica used to make a smaller 6" dome for their older film cameras. It guess the demand just hasn't been there recently but since they used to have one I can't image that it would be too difficult to adapt it to the new mount.

I'll be there Only a 3 hour drive. Leaving now.

Cor

I was,

Alex did a great talk about this subject.

I had the same question, about the Sigma 15mm. This one could also do the job, although it focusses not as close as the 10.5 + TC. The main advantage about that combo is that the lens comes further out of the body and it is easier to light the subject.

Today he soing a talk about macro, too bad i can't be there.