Photography with Sony A7RII

[kaylee_ann]

LOL, so did you get enough information? Have fun blowing bubbles!!!!

yeah I got a fair bit, thanks LOL. will do thank you

 

[Hoag]

Just as an additional thought, you may find the cost lower to go with a less expensive camera and a housing for it than to get a housing for your A7Rii.

Something like an A6xxx in an Ikelite housing will likely cost about the same as (or maybe even less than) the housing for your A7Rii. It also keeps your A7Rii nice and safe. A cold hard fact is that underwater is a hostile environment for a camera and accidents, unfortunately do happen. You have to assume that any camera that you take underwater is expendable and be willing to walk away from it if it floods.

Day to day, I shoot an A7R3, but when I dive, I shoot an A6000. I have had cameras flood, especially when I was just starting out, but I haven't had a flood in about 15 years. Having said that, there is always the possibility that it could happen on any dive.

 

[kaylee_ann]

Just as an additional thought, you may find the cost lower to go with a less expensive camera and a housing for it than to get a housing for your A7Rii.

Something like an A6xxx in an Ikelite housing will likely cost about the same as (or maybe even less than) the housing for your A7Rii. It also keeps your A7Rii nice and safe. A cold hard fact is that underwater is a hostile environment for a camera and accidents, unfortunately do happen. You have to assume that any camera that you take underwater is expendable and be willing to walk away from it if it floods.

Day to day, I shoot an A7R3, but when I dive, I shoot an A6000. I have had cameras flood, especially when I was just starting out, but I haven't had a flood in about 15 years. Having said that, there is always the possibility that it could happen on any dive.

Is the quality of the A6000 similar to A7R2?

 

[Barmaglot]

Is the quality of the A6000 similar to A7R2?

I've posted some samples here recently: Richelieu Rock

It's an A6300, but image quality is largely the same for all A6xxx series cameras.

Remember that strobes, ports and lenses (in that order) have a much greater effect on image quality than the body. You can take top of the line camera like an A1 or an A7RIV, but if you shoot it with bad strobes (like, say, Kraken KR-S02 - narrow and uneven beam) or no strobes at all, and you'll get garbage instead of photos. Use a port that doesn't fit your lens properly, and the whole picture can turn to mush - in extreme cases you may discover yourself unable to focus. Use lenses that don't suit the peculiar needs of underwater photography and you won't capture anything at all.

 

[Hoag]

Is the quality of the A6000 similar to A7R2?

To be honest, the short answer is that no it isn't. Having said that, I am very happy with the images that my A6000 gives me. All things being equal, unless you are "pixel peeping", the results from the A6000 are very good.

There are so many differences between photography above the surface and underwater photography, that for the first little while, you may find it hard just to get an image that you are happy with.

One huge (pardon the pun) advantage of the A6xxx series of cameras is their small size. This not only applies to the camera, but packing (and carrying) the gear, and of course pushing it through the water when you are diving. I can get my camera with two lenses, a housing, a lens port (that works with both of my lenses), and two strobes into a small PacSafe backpack that is my "Personal Item" in carry on.

Here are a couple shots that I have taken with my A6000:

 

[kaylee_ann]

To be honest, the short answer is that no it isn't. Having said that, I am very happy with the images that my A6000 gives me. All things being equal, unless you are "pixel peeping", the results from the A6000 are very good.

There are so many differences between photography above the surface and underwater photography, that for the first little while, you may find it hard just to get an image that you are happy with.

One huge (pardon the pun) advantage of the A6xxx series of cameras is their small size. This not only applies to the camera, but packing (and carrying) the gear, and of course pushing it through the water when you are diving. I can get my camera with two lenses, a housing, a lens port (that works with both of my lenses), and two strobes into a small PacSafe backpack that is my "Personal Item" in carry on.

Here are a couple shots that I have taken with my A6000:


View attachment 704829View attachment 704830View attachment 704831View attachment 704834

they're beautiful! but it seems like a new camera plus housing would be around the same price as a housing for my current camera. and I already have 2 lenses (85 f/1.4 and 24mm f/1.4) for my camera that produce beautiful shots. idk. also that link is way more expensive than a sony a7rii housing lmao

 

[Hoag]

they're beautiful! but it seems like a new camera plus housing would be around the same price as a housing for my current camera. and I already have 2 lenses (85 f/1.4 and 24mm f/1.4) for my camera that produce beautiful shots. idk. also that link is way more expensive than a sony a7rii housing lmao

I was just providing an alternative that would not put your A7Rii in a potentially hostile environment.

If you want to follow my advice, that is fine. If you want to ignore my advice, that is fine too. Now, you have options and you can make a decision in which those options may, or may not come into play. I think you will find that your 85 f/1.4 while an amazing lens will not be usable underwater. As for lenses for my A6000, I have a 10-18 f/4.0 and a 16-70 f/4. I used to use the 16-50 kit lens.

Have fun no matter what you choose and welcome to the world of diving.

 

[Barmaglot]

and I already have 2 lenses (85 f/1.4 and 24mm f/1.4) for my camera that produce beautiful shots

While I have no doubt that they produce beautiful shots on land, neither of those lenses is suitable for photography underwater. The golden rule of underwater photography is get close, and then get closer - unlike land, you cannot zoom with your feet, because every extra inch of water between you and your subject degrades image quality. Therefore, the lenses used by underwater photographers are ultrawide (especially fisheye) and macro. Your 85mm f/1.4 is almost completely useless underwater, as its minimum focus distance is 80cm. The 24mm is marginally more useful, but at 84 degrees diagonal FoV, it's nowhere near wide enough for most reef scenes. Even a $10,000 Nauticam WACP-2 gives you only 98 degrees FoV with this lens, and you can't use it with wet wide lenses because the entrance pupil is too far back - it will vignette.
Therefore, you need an ultrawide lens - a 16-35mm, or a 12-24mm, or a Canon 8-15mm fisheye with a Metabones or Sigma MC-11 adapter, since Sony does not have a native fisheye. Each of those options will cost you around $1500 for the lens alone, and then you need a couple thousand or more for a suitable dome - you cannot shoot ultrawide/fisheye through a flat port.
Alternatively, you can get a suitable lens in the 24~28mm range and use it with a wet wide lens on a flat port. In order to work properly in this scenario, the lenses entrance pupil must be set well forward, which is typically characterized by a small front element. If it's a zoom lens, the zoom must be internal, without extending or retracting the front element (extending on power-on is fine). On Sony full-frame, you can use the new compact 28-60mm (A7C's kit lens) with a Nauticam WWL-1/B, or you can use the compact 24mm f/2.8 with a Nauticam WWL-C. It is important to reiterate that the 24mm f/1.4 that you have will not work for this, as its optics are built differently. Also, WWL-1 can be used with most housings, but WWL-1B and WWL-C can only be used with Nauticam, as they feature a proprietary Nauticam bayonet mount.
You will also need a macro lens - Sony 90mm is a great choice, and with a diopter in +10 to +15 range, you're covered for supermacro as well.
Of course strobes are a critical part of the setup - a pair of Inon Z-330s is the bare minimum you'd want to do justice to a full-frame camera. Retras are better, but expensive, and Seacams are just ludicrous.

 

[pwch]

Hello.

I'm just going to sell my Nauticam A7RII rig because I'm moving to A7C. I have to say it is quite great package. 40Mpix sensor delivers a lot of details. Dynamic Range allows to regain a lot of details from shadows.
I'm moving to A7C because I want to go small and have fast Autofocus for kids.
But I'm going to miss all the dials, big EVF and sensor resolution.

Piotr Wojciechowski

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I'm novice. My last gallery from Sardinia on facebook were made with Nauticam A7RII + Tamron 20mm F2.8 and 180mm dome port lens.

 

[BobHerb]

I have to agree with most of the posts here about using a Sony A7Rii underwater after just recently getting certified.
As to your original question does anyone use this rig underwater, I do for the last 6+ years, multiple dive days every week, and over 4k dives, and over 500K pics and videos. You can view these photos on my website (robertherb.com).