underwater first setup

SafariBob wrote:

Barmaglot_07 wrote:

I wouldn't put an expensive phone in a plastic bag unless the phone is water resistant. Hard case with a vacuum system is another story.

its an iPhone 8 Plus

It's IP67 rated, so it should be able to survive the occasional leak.

See here - https://www.instagram.com/p/BreQvc4nJI_/ - they're planning to refresh the A7II housing with a new version that will have all the features of their A7III housing; namely zoom control, vacuum system port, pistol grip attachment point and viewfinder access.

ok. I am assuming this will add $$$

About $200, if the current prices are any indication. Another $120 for the vacuum system. Having a vacuum system is very useful for pre-loading the o-ring seals, which is important on the surface and when freediving.

4.) I may be getting an a7riii before my next trip, is the setup associated with that camera much better? A bit uncomfortable with having so many $$$ under water

A7R III is supposed to have better autofocus, but I don't have any personal experience with either camera.

would that matter under water?

Fast AF is useful for avoiding fish butts, but by most accounts, A7R II is pretty good about it.

5.) I have a 16-35 f4 and a 100 f2.8 macro. I assume the macro won’t fit, happy to get a new macro , but prefer the sigma 70 2.8 art over the Sony 50 2.8, do they both fit in the Meikon housing? None?

100mm macro? What lens is that?

Minolta 100 af with laea4

That lens is 98mm long collapsed and 146mm extended, plus you need to add 27mm for the adapter. The Sony 90mm f/2.8 is 130mm long and does not extend, so the Minolta lens will fit into its port when collapsed, but will not be able to extend to focus, ruining its usefulness as a macro lens.

Are you staying on the surface or freediving?

Planning to stay on the surface - that was what I loved about snorkelling in Australia .

Lighting is unlikely to be of much use. In fact, the 28-70mm kit lens might be more useful than 16-35mm due to its zoom range, and be very very careful with a dome - acrylic domes are ridiculously easy to scratch; the basic flat port will be much safer. An 8" dome with 16-35mm lens or 20mm f/2 + fisheye converter would come in handy for over/under split shots though.