Panasonic 7-14mm with Nauticam 6" dome, and shortest focus distance. opinions?

[JackConnick]

Hi Jack,

We have been all over this and I apologize for the miss print regarding the Nikon 14-24mm zoom which is a 114 degree lens and the one I was referring to in the Frink test on full frame v. APS-C. We just need to agree to disagree and move on. As you and I both agree this is a subject that has been beaten to death and I for one think we place far to much emphasis on corner sharpness and not enough is placed on how much fisheye lenses distort larger subjects like whale sharks and wrecks.

Phil Rudin

Phil, yeah I know... i get tired of the arguments too, the best lens is what you have on the camera!

Two last points:

One, as far as "fisheye distortion". It's really a non-issue as all it takes is a checkbox in Lightroom, then you can adjust how you like. The corners are still super sharp.

The other, is that I do think the 7-14 Pany performs MUCH better behind the 170mm Zen glass dome with a 20mm ext. But again, cost benefit - that's about a $2500 solution...

and again the OP was talking about CF/WA, not blue water, shots and I do think the Oly 9-18 is a better choice.

 

[ksporry]

2 points:
1) I understand some people don't like to go over a discussion that has been had in the past. However, as a relatively new participant here I am not aware of such discussions. Like all newcomers there will be questions that may have been discussed before. So I can understand some people can be annoyed this is brought up again, and I for one do appreciate that you guys still provide useful input, so thank you for that.

2) I already had the 7-14 with the nauticam kit. Only now I hear that the nauticam dome isn't ideal, so I will see if I can get hold of a ZEN DP170 with 20mm extender. For now, I need to do with what I got, so I guess that may mean less CFWA shots, and more focus on other style compositions.

By the way, since I'm based in Shanghai, and the Chinese dive industry is rather undeveloped, I won't be able to get a dome locally. Does anyone know of a supplier in the region that may ship to Shanghai?

 

[JackConnick]

KSporry;

We have the dome and ext. ring in stock. If you can get FedEx, we can get it to you - but please contact me offline, the webstore probably can't handle it.

Jack

 

[shaker]

hi Jack,

I have the Nauticam 6" Dome port but would like a better solution. Do you know how much does the ZEN DP170 weigh?
Did you also try the Natucam 7" dome port for Sony Nex with the 7-14mm?
Thanks.

 

[JackConnick]

Hi;

The dome weighs 2.05 pounds or I guess slightly less than 1 kilo - out of the water. Glass is always heavier, but it's not that bad. Personally I find glass domes tend to be easier to shoot UW, as they balance the air "bubble" of the dome and don't twist the rig upwards in your hands.

No, the 7" port hasn't been tested for the 7-14, I sort of doubt that they'll recommend it, but you're right, it might be an idea.