Beginner setup (RX 100 / A6)

[rombre]

I have lived without camera (GoPro doesn't count) underwater for some time but on my recent trip to Lembeh I rented a G7X and got hooked. Want to invest in a camera setup know it did some research but want to confirm with your views. Shooting would be mixed - macro and wide.

1. Camera
Option A) Sony RX 100 VII
Option B) Sony A6500/6600

The RX 100 would of course have a slight cost advantage but including wet lenses etc. it's not very big. Advantage of the A6 series would be that it could also replace by Fujifilm X-T1 camera I use outside the water. However, the big concern I have with the A6 vs. RX 100 is the size - my dive trips are all overseas, so I wanted to avoid a 20kg set up. Tendency towards the RX 100 therefore.

2. Housing
Plan to go with the Nauticam which seems the best solution. Probably in a package with their flexitray II.

3. Strobes
Plan would be to take 2x Inon S-2000 (and need to by 2 fibre cables, right?). Assume I don't necessarily need a focus light?

4. Wet lenses
Assuming I go with the RX 100, I would eventually need some wet lenses:
Macro: The Nauticam CMC-2 looks good. Other favourites?
Wide: Would need a Nauticom short port + then a wide lense with dome. Options are the Nauticam WWL-1 (very expensive) or Inon UWL-H100 with dome (30% cheaper).

Would appreciate your views. Thanks a lot for your help!

Roman

 

[FezUSA]

I would urge you to consider the RX100VA and compare that to the VII. Starting with the VI they changed the lens. Much longer zoom, but also slower. The longer zoom sounds ideal for getting closer on macro shots, however it will need a housing that will allow that long zoom to extend. The VA version, while a little older has a decent zoom and is a couple of stops faster. You can put a flip lens in front for macro if need be. The CMC-1 is only a little more than the 2 and gets you closer.

 

[rombre]

Thank you!
The better AF was one of the main reasons I was looking at the VII but will have a closer look at the VA.

 

[RVBldr]

The CMC-1 gets you closer, but doesn't it also narrow the focal range - you need to be more precise with the distance from subject? With an RX100 I, I've been happy with the camera and do use a CMC-2 which seems to do a nicer job than my old SubSee.

 

[Interceptor121]

The lens of the RX100 Mark III IV V VI is way too short for underwater use

Mark I or II or VII have more useful focal lenghts

 

[Barmaglot]

The lens of the RX100 Mark III IV V VI is way too short for underwater use

Mark I or II or VII have more useful focal lenghts

VI and VII have the same lens, although due to the significant distance to which it extends and retracts, it needs interchangeable ports to house properly.

 

[rombre]

VI and VII have the same lens, although due to the significant distance to which it extends and retracts, it needs interchangeable ports to house properly.

Yes, that’s the short port I assumed to need for a wide angle wet lens.

 

[Interceptor121]

Sorry went too far III IV and V not useful
I II VI and VII

I too much lol

II always the best of all obviously

 

[Barmaglot]

I'd say it's a trade-off. The 24-200mm lens gives you greater macro capability, but you lose the wide end if you choose to utilize it, and the ports where you can mount a wet wide lens limit your extension to that of the 24-70mm lens. The longer lens is also not as bright as the 24-70mm which can be important if you're shooting in natural light. Model II, IMHO, is too big a trade-off - with it, you lose the PDAF capability and fall back on the much slower CDAF.

 

[Chris Ross]

The S-2000 will be fine with the RX-100 whichever version you choose - small sensors means you don't need to stop down so much so less strobe power needed. Set it at f5.6 and you have the same depth of field as a full frame on f15. The A6x00 series are APS-C so will probably be at f11 so the flash needs to be 2 stops brighter and you might be better served by Z-330s. The RX-100 will certainly be a lot lighter and you don't have big domes. In between these two is m43 which is a nice compromise here's my m43 setup (Oly EM-1 MkII) packed into a carry on size backpack:

weighs about 10kg you could make it lighter depending on destination by just going with a fisheye and macro lens. In the Think Tank street walker hard drive are Nauti housing with camera inside, Zen 170mm dome for 12-40 and Pany 7-14, 2 x Z-240, macro port. 100mm ZEN fisheye dome port, 60mm macro and 8mm fisheye, spare batteries, fibre optic cables etc.. Laptop is underneath in a slot. AF of the EM-1 MkII is very snappy