As deeply as it pains me to do this. I’m putting my complete, barely-used and mint-condition Sony A6500/Fantasea underwater kit up for sale.
12 months ago I foolishly tried to buy my way into a better work/life balance, with more time spent underwater. But I have failed resoundingly. So the kit has been used on a grand total of a single one-week dive trip in the Maldives in January last year, and hasn't got wet since, so it's in as mint a condition as used kit can be really.
The image quality this compact little kit puts out is really quite exceptional. Comparing the results to what my dive buddy was getting with his Nauticam/D800e setup, it really wasn’t giving up a lot (with added bonus of terrific 4k video as well). The phase-detect autofocus is Sony’s latest tech, and performs terrifically (even in dim, and murky water). The image quality is fantastic, and the housing is compact, comfortable in the hands, and as easy to operate underwater as the pricier aluminium options (Fantasea really have done an excellent job with the ergonomics).
It's a complete kit sans strobes. I wanted the feature-set of a fully-laden Nauticam setup, with all the mod-cons, but without all of the weight, so I went with the A6500 paired with the excellent Fantasea Housing and Ports, and Sealife Flexconnect Handles and Arms (which are great for rapidly adjusting the position of your strobes underwater).
It's setup for wide-angle (Sony 10-14mm f/4), Macro (Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro), Fisheye (Sony 20mm f/2.8 + VCL-ECF2 Fisheye Converter), and general shooting (Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6), with all of the necessary ports and extensions.
And to make life easier (and reduce the stress of taking so much expensive kit beneath the waves) there’s also the terrific Leak Sentinel v5 Vacuum System (with LED indicators), a moisture detector in the housing itself, and an LED strobe trigger for fast and consistent strobe control via fibre optics. Fully assembled (sans strobes) the rig only weighs 4kg (that's under 9lbs!) so it's a terrific improvement size/weight wise compared to a conventional DSLR rig, and one that can travel with you safely in your carry-on luggage.
The only thing that needs to be added are strobes or video lights, and you’ll be off shooting.
The full list of components is as follows:
CAMERA:
Sony A6500
Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro
Sony E 10-18mm f/4
Sony E 20mm f/2.8
Sony E 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6
Sony VCL-ECF2 Fisheye Converter
3x Sony NP-FW50 Batteries
HOUSING:
Fantasea FA6500 Housing for Sony a6500 and a6300
Fantasea FML Dome Port A6
Fantasea FA2 LED Strobe Trigger
Fantasea FML Flat Port 34
Fantasea FML Lens Gears SEL1018
2x Fantasea FML Port Extension 25
Fantasea Light Shielding Pad SEL16F28
Leak Sentinel V5
SeaLife Flexconnect Dual Tray
2x SeaLife Flexconnect Ball Joint Adapter SL999 (male)
2x SeaLife Flexconnect Grip
4x SeaLife Flexconnect Flex Arm
2X Sea & Sea Fibre Optic Cables
Spare O-Rings, grease, vacuum pump etc. etc.
Looking for $6,300 AUD for it (that's about $4500 USD at the moment). So get yourself some cheap happiness at the mere cost of my misery/failure!
Pickup available from Melbourne, Australia. And I'm happy to ship worldwide.
Cheers,
Mark
Here’s the kit:
And here are a few shots from it that I quite like:
12 months ago I foolishly tried to buy my way into a better work/life balance, with more time spent underwater. But I have failed resoundingly. So the kit has been used on a grand total of a single one-week dive trip in the Maldives in January last year, and hasn't got wet since, so it's in as mint a condition as used kit can be really.
The image quality this compact little kit puts out is really quite exceptional. Comparing the results to what my dive buddy was getting with his Nauticam/D800e setup, it really wasn’t giving up a lot (with added bonus of terrific 4k video as well). The phase-detect autofocus is Sony’s latest tech, and performs terrifically (even in dim, and murky water). The image quality is fantastic, and the housing is compact, comfortable in the hands, and as easy to operate underwater as the pricier aluminium options (Fantasea really have done an excellent job with the ergonomics).
It's a complete kit sans strobes. I wanted the feature-set of a fully-laden Nauticam setup, with all the mod-cons, but without all of the weight, so I went with the A6500 paired with the excellent Fantasea Housing and Ports, and Sealife Flexconnect Handles and Arms (which are great for rapidly adjusting the position of your strobes underwater).
It's setup for wide-angle (Sony 10-14mm f/4), Macro (Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro), Fisheye (Sony 20mm f/2.8 + VCL-ECF2 Fisheye Converter), and general shooting (Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6), with all of the necessary ports and extensions.
And to make life easier (and reduce the stress of taking so much expensive kit beneath the waves) there’s also the terrific Leak Sentinel v5 Vacuum System (with LED indicators), a moisture detector in the housing itself, and an LED strobe trigger for fast and consistent strobe control via fibre optics. Fully assembled (sans strobes) the rig only weighs 4kg (that's under 9lbs!) so it's a terrific improvement size/weight wise compared to a conventional DSLR rig, and one that can travel with you safely in your carry-on luggage.
The only thing that needs to be added are strobes or video lights, and you’ll be off shooting.
The full list of components is as follows:
CAMERA:
Sony A6500
Sony FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro
Sony E 10-18mm f/4
Sony E 20mm f/2.8
Sony E 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6
Sony VCL-ECF2 Fisheye Converter
3x Sony NP-FW50 Batteries
HOUSING:
Fantasea FA6500 Housing for Sony a6500 and a6300
Fantasea FML Dome Port A6
Fantasea FA2 LED Strobe Trigger
Fantasea FML Flat Port 34
Fantasea FML Lens Gears SEL1018
2x Fantasea FML Port Extension 25
Fantasea Light Shielding Pad SEL16F28
Leak Sentinel V5
SeaLife Flexconnect Dual Tray
2x SeaLife Flexconnect Ball Joint Adapter SL999 (male)
2x SeaLife Flexconnect Grip
4x SeaLife Flexconnect Flex Arm
2X Sea & Sea Fibre Optic Cables
Spare O-Rings, grease, vacuum pump etc. etc.
Looking for $6,300 AUD for it (that's about $4500 USD at the moment). So get yourself some cheap happiness at the mere cost of my misery/failure!
Pickup available from Melbourne, Australia. And I'm happy to ship worldwide.
Cheers,
Mark
Here’s the kit:
And here are a few shots from it that I quite like:
