What Combination to use with Subal ND20 and 12-24mm on D200???

[rjsimp]

I am looking for the combination to use with my Subal ND20 housing, Dome Port, extension ring, and diopter (if any) to get the best results with the 12-24mm lense on my D200.

Wow, that was a mouth full. Okay, I have the 50mm extension ring now with the 8"? (larger subal dome) and the results with a +2 B+W diopter and without the diopter are blurred edges when shooting at 12mm. The center of the image is crisp until you get out to the last 1/5th of the image, then it starts to get blurry. Without the diopter, it is a little worse, but it is cleaner (colors seem better) in the center of the image.

Does anyone have the magic set up for this combination? I don't have multiple extension rings to try but I am thinking that the ring should be changed to a different size (what size I don't know).

Any help or guidance on this would be appreciated. It seems with this set up, I should be able to get a better image out to the edges but I am just not sure what to tweak at this point.

TIA.

 

[Mariozi]

IMHO... you are experience the zoom-curse.
Ever tried the 10.5mm fisheye?
If not able to do this... try shooting, your lens at something like f/8 or f/11.
Ever tried just the lens without the extension???
At S&S this lens is used with the big dome alone...
Maybe you are pushing your dome to much ahead of the frontal center of your lens, thus distortin you plane (circle) of focus.

Best!

 

[rjsimp]

IMHO... you are experience the zoom-curse.
Ever tried the 10.5mm fisheye?
If not able to do this... try shooting, your lens at something like f/8 or f/11.
Ever tried just the lens without the extension???
At S&S this lens is used with the big dome alone...
Maybe you are pushing your dome to much ahead of the frontal center of your lens, thus distortin you plane (circle) of focus.

Best!

Unfortunately I don't have the 10.5mm fisheye to try out. The test pictures were actually taken at f/8 and 1/250 shutter.

I haven't tried it without an extension. It seems to me, that if I stay fixed at 12mm, I should be able to get that one dialed in at least.. Subal supposedly say's the extension ring is required but I can't find anything that say's one way or the other I have heard this from a 3rd party.

Thanks for the ideas. My guess is something like a shorter extension, but which one who knows? Anyone? I'm sure others have ran into this.

 

[dbh]

Although I never used that combo with my D200 / Subal, I did with my D70 / Subal. I attached an uncropped photo shot at 12mm (FE2 dome & 50mm extension...no diopter). While the edges are a little soft, they are not as bad as you described. I am one the few who did not like the 12-24. I sold it and got a 17-35 f2.8. IMHO, the f2.8 lenses perform better UW.

Dave

 

[dbh]

from Subal's website:

http://www.subal.com/en/portselection/port_result.php?id=68&markennummer=3

So that is their recommendation.

HTH,
Dave

 

[rjsimp]

Here is a couple of test pictures I took. One with a diopter and one without. Both have soft edges, although the one with the diopter is a little better. I see it in the photo above too, the soft edges.

I guess it is something that people are just living with. It just seems that it could be solved somehow.

 

[kidsdream]

I have the same set-up and do find the +2 improves the images a bit. In don't have a lot a dives in with this rig, but I think that most of the image is better as far as crispness.

This image is quite crisp when view on my hard drive and still pretty good using website compression.

In this image (with the Diopter) you can certainly see the softness around the edges that you describe.

QUOTE=rjsimp]Here is a couple of test pictures I took. One with a diopter and one without. Both have soft edges, although the one with the diopter is a little better. I see it in the photo above too, the soft edges.

I guess it is something that people are just living with. It just seems that it could be solved somehow.[/QUOTE]

 

[Mariozi]

Weird whats the recommended setup for the 10.5mm?

 

[dbh]

Weird whats the recommended setup for the 10.5mm?

The FE2 Dome w/ no extension.

Dave

 

[Mariozi]

The FE2 Dome w/ no extension.

This should be the same setup for the 12-24...
Ever tried this way? FE2 Dome, FishEye2 I believe.
How many domes they have?