EOS 7D Mk.2 - UW Performance - Opinions?

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oyoroi

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Messages
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Location
Japan
# of dives
25 - 49
I'm about to get a UW setup for my Canon EOS 7D Mk.2 and would like to hear from someone who is actually using this camera underwater, probably in Nautical housing and S&S 110a strobes.
Thanks you in advance for sharing any info.
 
Not sure if my experience counts to what you are interested in, but I've been diving a Nauticam NA-7D housing with a Canon 7D (Mark I) for some time now. I only have the 60mm macro lens and port, but I love it. In our turbid water macro photography is usually all you get.

I'm using Ikelite DS125 strobes (2) and a Sola 1200 as focus/video light. It's a nice package.

The one thing I wasn't thrilled about is you only get manual flash. However, once I adapted it's not a big problem. I run ISO 200, 1/250 speed and keep it on F11 for the first shot, which is usually OK. I'll adjust the aperature accordingly after that. It's pretty easy to use all the buttons underwater, and we dive cold water with drysuits and the big blue drygloves.

The video is OK, but you do have to switch from "M" to "P" or you will chase settings forever. As it is, there's no tracking autofocus such as in the point and shoot cameras, and auto focus is quite limited. In the end I made a focus gear for the 60mm lens that works pretty well. It will work better once I get the hang of it. :)

Here's a very short video taken last Sunday. It's not great, but then remember two things: a) I'm using a macro lens, so very limited field of view, and b) dogfish sharks are quick and rather shy.


I did color correct the raw video footage as well.

But - I absolutely LOVE the macro photos I get from this camera. I can get a better macro from 12-14 inches than my point-and-shoot at 3, and when I get close, it's so much fun.
 
Thank you Sunnyboy
 
I have more photos here:

the scuba zone - west coast diving 2017

Sorry, but I don't always distinguish between photos taken with the Canon 7D in the Nauticam housing and the Canon G16 in an Ikelite housing (with one DS51 strobe and the same Sola1200 as video/focus).

As a general rule of thumb, if the dive says "OC" then I used the 7D/Nauticam and if it says "Prism Topaz" (usually with Piranna 1 scooter) then it's the G16/Ikelite. Anything before April is definitely the G16.
 
I have been shooting the Canon 7DMII underwater now for about the past 18 months and overall I am quite happy with it. I have a Nauticam housing. I shoot mostly macro, and for macro I use both the 60 mm and the 100 mm L and get nice pics with both. I especially like the 100 mm (which is also nice with a flip diopter for the really small stuff). For wide angle, I started with the Tokina 10-17 but I didn't really like it. However I discovered that the mini-dome for the Tokina (with 20 mm extension) also works well with the Canon 18-55 kit and the Canon 10-18. I like the 10-18 for wide angle over the Tokina because it is rectilinear (I don't like the barrel distortion of fisheye lenses).

The thing I like best about the 7DMII is the fast AF. The thing I don't like is that SLR is a pain to lug around and sometimes I miss the compactness of my previous set-ups.
 
Thank you rob1967, I really appreciate, especially to lenses comments.
 
I've been shooting a 7D mkii in a Nauticam housing for a couple years now. Really enjoy it. Gone back and forth between strobes and just using video lights, but prefer and currently using the video lights only. I generally shoot wide angle using tokina 10-17mm. I've had it down to a little past 300' with no issues. Highly recommend a vacuum system with the housing, reduces the flood risk and eliminates fogging. Bought my camera and lens from a local photo shop, but all of the UW gear came from backscatter.com. I know a couple others that have similar cameras in different housings and they haven't been as satisfied with the housings as I have been. The machining and quality of the Nauticam is tough to beat.
 
My only complaint about all aluminum housings is the price.. OF EVERYTHING! The worst for me right now is the price of ports and extension tubes (locking). OUCH. I'm a diver, so I'm broke. Our water off Vancouver Island is usually quite turbid and vis low, especially compared to tropical destinations.

So I simply cannot, in any normal cost analysis, justify purchasing a dome. It's too bad because I'd love a dome even here for using a zoom lens for video.

Even the focus gear for the 60mm lens is costly, especially living in Canada with our lousy northern peso.

Yea, I know. You have this teeny-tiny violin to show me...

:-D
 

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