The results are in... I finally got into the pool to test these lenses KRL-01 vs UWL-09 Pro

[ponomo1]

I was able to get in the pool finally with my LX-10 camera in the Ikelite housing and 2 different wide angle lenses to try one at a time in the same positions and conditions and what a difference>>>
Photo 1040564 was not zoomed and no lense installed so I can get a base line.
Photo 1040570 was with the Kraken KRL-01 installed no zoom applied
Photo 1040575 was with the Kraken KRL-01 installed and zoomed out to approx 35mm to remove vignette
Photo 1040582 was with the AOI UWL-09 Pro T2.0 installed no zoom applied
Photo 1040588 was with the AOI UWL-09 Pro T2.0 installed and zoomed out to 36mm to remove vignette

I'm not a photo expert by any stretch of the imagination but I have to say that it is pretty clear which one is working better than the other with my camera setup and which one is just not a good match to the combo of equipment that I have. Even with the camera zoomed out to the 36mm range the AOI had a wider field of view (not shown in this batch of photos) than the other lens when I was on the opposite side of the pool and was much clearer all the way around the image. I wish I didn't ruin 2 dive trips worth of wide angle photos before I realized that it wasn't my fault the photos were coming out the way they were.
At least I will be better prepared for the Galapagos now. Hope this also helps someone else out that is looking at these lenses for these cameras and housings.

 

[AlMitch]

Honestly, even the AOI is still very soft at the corners!! And you have lost a lot of your field of view.

I really love the thought of the LX-10 with the easy WB and the general ease of use and ability to adjust the butttons to how you want them....BUT this whole issue with the wet WA lenses is really putting me off it.

I have the original RX100 in a Nauticam and have the Inon UWL-H100 with the dome and it gives amazing pics and close to 140 deg of coverage!!

_DSC5333 by Angmo Al, on Flickr

SO when I look at retiring the RX100 I will definitely be looking for a camera that the works with the Inon UWL-H100, which means it will likely be the RX100 Va.

 

[ponomo1]

@AlMitch I completely agree with you, and it has been frustrating. When I initially was doing my camera search I had gotten hung up on the bells and whistles of the LX-10 compared to my old camera that I didn't even imagine that the biggest issue would come trying to find a lens for it. The camera by itself in the housing does a really good job, but the wide angle lens thing (which was only a last minute consideration by me because I wanted to be better prepared for a Galapagos trip in May 2019) really burned my butt. I'm going to go on a "test dive trip" in January to try the AOI out in the ocean and if it really sucks again then I'll just throw in the towel and dive with the camera and the housing by itself.

 

[AlMitch]

Good luck!!
Does it have the same sort of issues with the macro wet lenses? Or do they work ok with the camera/ housing.

 

[1nfinite]

Im after a wide angle lens for my lx10. Anyone made their mind up what works, seems lot of confusion on the board. Im a noob & pretty clueless about lenses.
I took my camera to Egypt for 2 weeks Safari in the islands & had great experience with one Inon S2000 strobe & some good 4k video too. Nauticam housing.
Previously had a Sony RX100iii Which would overheat & never had the 4k option..
I plan on adding another Inon strobe with my Archon D34V lights. Will be heavy with the wide angle lens, but will add floats to compensate.

Some photos, bare in mind this is the 1st time ive ever took photos seriously, always only shot videos in the past.

 

[aviator8]

Im after a wide angle lens for my lx10. Anyone made their mind up what works, seems lot of confusion on the board. Im a noob & pretty clueless about lenses.
I took my camera to Egypt for 2 weeks Safari in the islands & had great experience with one Inon S2000 strobe & some good 4k video too. Nauticam housing.
Previously had a Sony RX100iii Which would overheat & never had the 4k option..
I plan on adding another Inon strobe with my Archon D34V lights. Will be heavy with the wide angle lens, but will add floats to compensate.

Some photos, bare in mind this is the 1st time ive ever took photos seriously, always only shot videos in the past.

View attachment 537511
View attachment 537512
View attachment 537513
View attachment 537514
View attachment 537515
View attachment 537516
View attachment 537517

I'd say you are doing pretty good for the 1st time.

 

[tursiops]

I was able to get in the pool finally with my LX-10 camera in the Ikelite housing and 2 different wide angle lenses to try one at a time in the same positions and conditions and what a difference>>>
Photo 1040564 was not zoomed and no lense installed so I can get a base line.
Photo 1040570 was with the Kraken KRL-01 installed no zoom applied
Photo 1040575 was with the Kraken KRL-01 installed and zoomed out to approx 35mm to remove vignette
Photo 1040582 was with the AOI UWL-09 Pro T2.0 installed no zoom applied
Photo 1040588 was with the AOI UWL-09 Pro T2.0 installed and zoomed out to 36mm to remove vignette

I'm not a photo expert by any stretch of the imagination but I have to say that it is pretty clear which one is working better than the other with my camera setup and which one is just not a good match to the combo of equipment that I have. Even with the camera zoomed out to the 36mm range the AOI had a wider field of view (not shown in this batch of photos) than the other lens when I was on the opposite side of the pool and was much clearer all the way around the image. I wish I didn't ruin 2 dive trips worth of wide angle photos before I realized that it wasn't my fault the photos were coming out the way they were.
At least I will be better prepared for the Galapagos now. Hope this also helps someone else out that is looking at these lenses for these cameras and housings.
View attachment 476280 View attachment 476281 View attachment 476282 View attachment 476283 View attachment 476284

What f-stops were you using in your tests? Smaller apertures should help a bit with your corner sharpness.

 

[Interceptor121]

I think the results that I see here are much worse than the nauticam housing and lens combo
Is it possible that the glass on the port is recessed from the thread increasing the lens to glass distance to a point the quality drops?
The lens itself seems close to the glass then it should not be required to zoom 1.5x to eliminate vignette
In case the thread is recessed it would be worth trying an Inonk UWL-H100 type 1 to see what vignette you get
If I remember correctly this was also the case with the ikelite Rx100 housing
For Galapagos you wont need 130 degrees expect for a whale shark. 100 degrees work fine and less also. A dome

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

So FWIW I had the same experience with the LX10 and the Nauticam housing: I got bad vignetting with every wide-angle I tried, including the Inon UWL-H100. I was told that I would have to zoom in a little bit to get rid of the vignetting but actually I had to zoom in quite a lot, almost to 35mm. Ultimately I got so frustrated Backscatter allowed me to return the whole kit and I've been shooting with the RX100 Mark 1 in a Recsea housing with the Inon UWL-H100 with no issues ever since. I have been thinking about adding the dome but it's too big for me to travel with since I do 4-5 day weekend trips and don't check luggage. If and when I go on a longer trip, I'll definitely buy it.

I've researched this issue pretty extensively and a lot of it--vignetting with wide angle lens on compact camera--has to do with the lens length. So the LX10 is a 24-72mm whereas the RX100 Mark 1 and 2 were/are 28-100mm. And that little bit of wider lens on the LX10 is all it takes to have vignetting. Bluewaterphoto did a really good article explaining this and walking through the issues with various lenses and various compact setups but I can't seem to find it. For example, I won't upgrade to the RX100 3 or 4 because they are 24-70mm and so you would just have the same problem as with the LX10; I don't have the lens specs handy for the 5 but the 6 is also 24-200mm. Finally, despite assurances that I would not get vignetting with the LX10 and the new Kraken KRL-01, I did and had to zoom in quite a bit to get rid of it.

For me, having to zoom to get a clean shot is just a non-starter, for a bunch of reasons: first, it's just another setting one has to focus (sorry) on when composing and setting up a shot and, at 80-100 feet, maybe in a little current, enough is enough. Second, at depth in the darkness, it can be difficult to to tell if you are zoomed in enough even with the LCD display at full brightness. Third, you have to reset the zoom (at least on the RX100 and I think on the LX10) every time the camera turns off. Fourth, why lose real estate/lens capture?

So I will stick with the Inon and get the dome at some point. BTW, here is a link to some shots I recently took with it and the RX100: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmDX5KLS

 

[1nfinite]

Kraken KRL-01 seems to be the recommended wide angle lens with zoom through but quite a lot of money.

Kraken Sports KRL-01 Wet Wide Angle Lens, 67mm