Question E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens with WWL-1B or E 10-20mm f/4 PZ G Lens with Mini Dome

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Xterra

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Which would give "better"wide angle performance and pros / cons?
E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens with WWL-1B or E 10-20mm f/4 PZ G Lens with Mini Dome (not sure which dome can house this lens)
I know for versatility E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens might be better as I could use it as a semi macro with a CMC-2 converter.
Thoughts?
 
I somewhat have both. I have the 16-50 with the WWL-1B and WWL-C. I also have the older 10-18 that I use with a 7" acrylic dome.

I usually use the WWL-C with the 16-50 because I'm trying to have an overall smaller footprint and I use the WWL1-B with the a7rIV.

In terms of pros/cons, I personally like the rectilinear "look" of the 10-18 when I'm shooting wrecks wide angle. However, you are definitely limited in versatility.

The WWL with the 16-50 does provide more versatility; however, it also does have barrel distortion. If you are shooting reef scenes or similar, then it probably won't be an issue. But if you are shooting wrecks, you might find the barrel distortion more than you would like. Some people don't mind it all. It is really what you prefer.

Note that you will probably need a "real" dome for the 10-20 and not a mini dome.

HTH,

- brett
 
thanks, thats the answer I was looking for :) for now I'll stick with the 16-50 with the WWL-1B and CMC-2 see how I like the optical performance. Hope to be the same or similar as 28-60 on my FF A7RIV rig I downsized from. :)
 
thanks, thats the answer I was looking for :) for now I'll stick with the 16-50 with the WWL-1B and CMC-2 see how I like the optical performance. Hope to be the same or similar as 28-60 on my FF A7RIV rig I downsized from. :)

I also have the A7RIV and the 28-60.

I like to use the a6400 when I'm diving targets and I don't know what I'm going to find and I will likely have to search around. The footprint is definitely smaller. Most of my photogrammetry is also with the a6400 because I don't really need the resolution of the rIV.

When I'm traveling and/or diving in clear water, I take the rIV. You can't beat the ability to crop in that camera but you pay for it size/weight/etc.

- brett
 
I've got the Sony G series 10-20 PZ. Optically it blows both the 10-18 and all the kit lens out of the water. I've yet to dive with it, but have it's zoom gear on order with Reef. My only port on my a6500 rig is a modified N120 4.33 mini dome with a Port 72 macro swing mount grafted onto it's shade wings. I've moved to N120 with the 35mm N85 to N120 adapter with focus knob. The 4.33 works very well with my Zeiss Touit 12 and reputed excellent Canon 8-15 FE using a Metabones IV adapter. I use the Canon glass either solo or with a Kenko 1.4 TC, a popular combination for extreme CFWA. The ultra sharp Zeiss 12 worked well as a rectilinear in the 4.33 FE mini dome with the corners being ever so slightly less sharp, as compared to the larger 7" dome, but barely noticeable, and certainly not worth giving up the size of the 4.33 and Close Focus Wide Angle (CFWA) capabilities, which were astounding. Moving to the Canon 8-15 was an even bigger leap in IQ. Love this Canon setup for maximum IQ ad CFWA versatility, but it weighs a TON with the Metatbones, Kenko 1.4 and heavy Canon 8-15 glass. Nothing near as heavy and bulky as a full frame, but certainly took the light-weight travel rig reputation of APS-C away, at least what I was used to from my NEX7 days.

Okay, getting back to the original inquiry and the Sony 10-20 PZ. This tiny lightweight power zoom is super sharp throughout it's range, even wide open to the corners. It also has an extremely short minimum focus, since it was primarily designed for blogging. It's a G Lens and superior to the 10-18 and 16-50 optically. On land, of course, it all looks great through the 4.33. Underwater the Zeiss Touit 12 worked well in the 4.33 mini dome, so I'm curious if the added 2mm of WA will work as good as the Touit 12, or better, especially since it has even closer minimum focus. The Sony 10-20 PZ should be a killer for CFWA and be a very lightweight travel rig, compared to the heavy Canon 8-15. Given the popular increase in underwater video, it's PZ has many advantages, along with it's lightning fast focus. I use it with my sensor stabilized a6500, so it's lack of optical stabilization is not a hinderance.

The 4.33 is a versatile dome because it's slightly bigger than the popular 100mm and worked well for grafting the Port 72 swing mount onto it's shades to make it a FE, WA and M port all in one. This setup, along with a 20 and 30mm extensions, has allowed me to shoot the Sony/Zeiss 16-70 for moderate WA and SM (single dive setup when I'm unsure of my target) , the Zeiss Touit 12, the Canon 8-15 FE/Kenko 1.4, along with the Sony 90mm macro (plus many more)....all with one travel friendly mini dome.

I'll be diving in the Philippines this year and will post the results with the Sony 10-20 PZ and the 4.33 port. I may do some underwater focus testing in my hot tub just to see what the results in the corners will be before the trip.

Marsh
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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