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| Nicolas Remy at work, with the Nikon Z9 inside a Nauticam NA-Z9 housing, Nauticam 140mm glass dome port, and 2x Retra Flash Professional strobes.
Picture credit score: Léna Remy |
Nicolas Remy is an underwater photographer born in France however at the moment based mostly in Sydney, Australia. Nicolas fell in love with diving within the late 2000s and now works as a full-time photographer and images coach alongside his spouse, Léna. A protracted-time DSLR shooter, Nicolas not too long ago switched to mirrorless, and over the previous few months, he’s been placing Nikon’s flagship Z9 to the take a look at in probably the most photographically difficult environments possible.
We caught up with Nicolas remotely from his residence in Sydney. He defined his background and went into element about a few of the difficulties distinctive to taking pictures underwater. And, after all, he additionally shared his ideas on how a contemporary mirrorless digicam just like the Z9 performs in comparison with the DSLRs he had been utilizing for greater than 15 years.
The next interview has been edited for readability and stream.
How did you discover your means into underwater images?
I performed with my mom’s movie digicam after I was a child, however it wasn’t till 2006 that I had the belief that digital know-how all of a sudden made so many extra issues attainable. So I began studying images books and obtained actually into the technical elements of it.
Then, when my then-fiancée and I visited Australia in 2007, we took scuba diving classes and fell in love with diving. I purchased an underwater housing for my DSLR, and we simply went from there. We moved to Australia completely in 2017, and when COVID occurred, it gave me a while to think about what I wished to do. That’s after I determined to make underwater images my most important occupation. I started to search out success with picture competitions and began doing a little model partnerships, and in 2021 I stop my IT job to dedicate myself to our underwater images college.
Earlier than including a mirrorless ILC to your assortment, what was your most important digicam for underwater images?
I used to be principally utilizing the Nikon D500 and D810. For me, the D500 was the gold normal as a result of it has nice autofocus, and since it’s APS-C format, the main focus protection may be very huge in comparison with most DSLRs. I used each these cameras for a very very long time, and I nonetheless shoot with the D500. I adore it.
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| Shut-up view of a standard octopus, pictures below the Clifton Gardens jetty, within the coronary heart of Sydney’s pure harbor (NSW, Australia).
Nikon Z9 | Nikon Z 105mm F2.8 S | F20 | 1/200sec | ISO 640. Picture credit score: Nicolas Remy |
Mirrorless cameras have been available on the market for some time. Why did you wait so lengthy earlier than including one to your assortment?
It’s been clear for a while that basically, mirrorless cameras have sure technical benefits in comparison with DSLRs in terms of issues just like the viewfinder expertise, superior topic detection autofocus, and so forth. However taking pictures underwater isn’t like taking pictures on land. Battery life turns into a significant concern as a result of you may’t preserve swapping batteries whenever you’re taking pictures underwater for hours with the digicam in a housing. And fish and underwater animals don’t look rather a lot like cats or canine or folks, so topic detection can get confused. Plus, there’s typically a variety of particulate matter floating within the water. That reduces distinction, which is difficult for autofocus. Topic recognition doesn’t have a variety of colour to go on, both, as colours rapidly disappear with depth.
Underwater images is sort of a area of interest inside a distinct segment, with many particular challenges.
I did experiment with a smaller-format mirrorless digicam for underwater images a couple of years in the past, and it was nice in clear, shallow water the place there was loads of gentle, however after I used it in lower-light, or murkier water, which is typical temperate diving circumstances, the autofocus struggled rather a lot. Underwater images is sort of a area of interest inside a distinct segment, with many particular challenges. So after I began utilizing the Nikon Z9, these had been all of the issues I wished to check.
The Z9 is bigger than the D810 and D500. What distinction does that make underwater?
It actually solely makes a distinction whenever you do one thing we name “muck diving.” That’s whenever you dive proper all the way down to the seabed to search out the wildlife that hangs out within the sand. To get an attention-grabbing angle, you typically must push the digicam proper down into the sand, and the larger digicam and housing means you may’t get fairly as little as you may with a smaller setup.
How was your expertise?
Very totally different from what I anticipated. I’ve used a couple of Nikon DSLRs, and I used to be anticipating the Z9 to be an iterative enchancment, however it’s a paradigm shift. Particularly the viewfinder. In underwater images, like all wildlife images, it may be tough to get near your topic. Typically you must squeeze between rocks and struggle with currents, and when you’re in place, you must take a take a look at shot to see if the framing and lighting is true. With a DSLR, reviewing your pictures means taking your eye away from the viewfinder and tilting the digicam down, which dangers bumping towards a rock, kicking up sand, or scaring the topic.
It took me some time to familiarize yourself with the Z9’s autofocus system, however I’ve discovered that sticking with AF-C and 3D AF monitoring works very properly.
However with the digital reside view, the Z9’s viewfinder is at all times brilliant sufficient to compose a shot, and I can examine a take a look at picture with out having to reposition and look in the back of the digicam.
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| The 2 shells of the Nauticam NA-Z9 housing open. Utilizing an intricate mixture of levers and gears, the important thing digicam controls are organized inside attain of the divers’ fingertips close to the housing handles.
Picture credit score: Nicolas Remy |
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| The Nikon Z9 with the sensor defend seen, tucked in its Nauticam NA-Z9 housing.
Picture credit score: Nicolas Remy |
It took me some time to familiarize yourself with the Z9’s autofocus system, however I’ve discovered that sticking with AF-C and 3D AF monitoring works very properly. The D500’s autofocus protection may be very huge, however the Z9’s is nearly all the body, which is a significant distinction, and the autofocus may be very sticky, even in low gentle and murky waters. Topic recognition doesn’t at all times work with marine life, however I’ve had some success with seahorses and numerous fish species. It saves me a variety of time.
[Writer’s note: Since we spoke, Nicolas has published a detailed comparison of the D500 and Z9’s autofocus here].
What makes taking pictures by way of the viewfinder preferable to utilizing the rear LCD?
Cameras’ rear LCDs are troublesome to see underwater, as a result of there are too many reflections. We choose to shoot by way of the viewfinder, and I typically use an angled finder to make it simpler to see by way of a dive masks, particularly when taking pictures upwards. I used to be a bit anxious concerning the impact that at all times utilizing the EVF would have on battery life, however I’m discovering that I can get six or seven hours of taking pictures out of the Z9 on a single battery. Sometimes I’ll be within the water for 2 to a few hours, and I nonetheless have about half of my battery life left after I come up.
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Marine life abounds close to Fish Rock Island, off South West Rocks (NSW, Australia). Nikon Z9 + Nikon 8-15mm (at 15mm) fisheye with FTZ adapter | 1/200sec | F11 | ISO 400. Picture credit score: Nicolas Remy |
Is there something that you simply’d wish to see modified or improved?
There’s actually just one factor I want may very well be improved, and it’s one thing that may be a issue with many mirrorless cameras, I imagine – the Z9 doesn’t like focusing below purple gentle. Sadly, for night time diving, we have a tendency to make use of purple lamps for illumination as a result of it’s much less intrusive for sea life. The Z9 can nonetheless deal with a topic lit by a purple lamp, however they turn into very sluggish.
What lenses do you discover most helpful for underwater images?
The lens I’ve used most on the Z9 is the NIKKOR Z MC 105mm F2.8 VR S. I adore it for macro work and portraits of shy marine life. It focuses rapidly, and there’s no focus respiratory. I can’t use the NIKKOR Z MC 50mm F2.8 as a result of it extends throughout focusing. A local Z-mount 50mm or 60mm macro with inner focusing can be superb, however I’m very pleased with the 105mm and the older AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm F2.8G ED through the FTZ adapter. My different most important lens is the AF-S FISHEYE NIKKOR 8-15mm F3.5-4.5E ED, additionally through an FTZ adapter.
Fisheye lenses are very fashionable with underwater photographers as a result of they allow you to get very near massive topics, which means there may be much less water diffusing gentle, and your strobes’ gentle is maximized.
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Tremendous-macro shot of a Sydney pygmy pipehorse, a tiny cousin of seahorses solely present in and round Sydney (NSW, Australia). Nikon Z9 + Nikon Z 105mm F2.8 S | F29 | 1/200sec | ISO 800. Picture credit score: Nicolas Remy |
I might love a set, light-weight 15mm fisheye for Z mount. One other form of lens that many underwater photographers like is ultra-wide-angle zooms. They’re nice for conditions the place you may’t get as shut, and likewise for photographing wrecks, which is the one time an underwater photographer that you simply want straight strains in your scene to remain straight.
What are some frequent errors made by folks beginning out in underwater images?
The commonest mistake I see is individuals who assume that their regular 24-70mm or 24-120mm normal zoom will work for underwater images. However due to the physics of refraction, the sector of view modifications when you’ve gotten the digicam in a housing. All of a sudden your ‘huge’ finish isn’t actually huge anymore. That’s linked to the most important mistake I see, which is folks not getting shut sufficient to their topics. The nearer you get, the extra vibrant the colours might be, as a result of the strobe gentle has much less distance to cowl, and there’s much less water between the digicam and the topic, so much less of a discount in distinction.
What sort of equipment would you advocate to a newbie?
It is determined by what they wished to shoot, whether or not they’re extra taken with closeups or huge angle photographs. For wides, a newbie would possibly wrestle to get shut sufficient with a fisheye, so I’d advocate a zoom, one thing like a 14-24mm or equal. For closeups, a medium telephoto macro lens like a 105mm can be excellent, or a 50/60mm macro lens, if utilizing a cropped-sensor digicam.
The Z9’s battery life might be greater than I would like, however the battery within the Z8 is rather a lot smaller, so I’m curious to see the way it holds up.
For somebody who’s actually simply beginning out and isn’t certain precisely what they wish to focus on, I’d advocate one thing known as a “moist lens.” These are screw-in optics you may add to the housing to develop the sector of view whereas sustaining wonderful picture high quality. So when you’ve got even a primary normal zoom just like the Nikon Z 24-50mm, you’ll have the ability to get near a fisheye view from it, simply attaching the Nauticam WWL-C moist lens on the entrance of the housing. And on the 50mm finish of the zoom, you’ll get a focal size that may work for portrait photographs of midsized topics. That will be a terrific “all-rounder” answer, which can be expanded in the direction of the macro vary by including a screw-on moist diopter.
What sort of post-processing do you do in your underwater photographs?
It’s all about coping with the lack of colours, distinction and particulars brought on by the water column. The primary factor is white steadiness, but in addition distinction and element changes. I take advantage of the de-haze instrument in Lightroom, and likewise selective sharpening on the topic itself. I additionally use the cleansing instruments to take away some floating particles, if seen.
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| Two fur seals frolicking under the floor off Montague Island (NSW, Australia).
Nikon Z9 + Nikon 8-15mm (at 15mm) fisheye with FTZ adaptor | 1/200sec | F11 | ISO400. Picture credit score: Nicolas Remy |
The place are you headed on your subsequent shoot?
I’ll be busy testing the Nauticam housing for the following few weeks right here in Australia, within the waters round Sydney. Hopefully, we’ll be photographing a colony of fur seals. Seals are the closes factor an underwater photographer can get to motion images – it’s one of many few conditions underwater after I’ll do burst taking pictures!
Nicolas Remy is an expert underwater photographer based mostly in Sydney, Australia. His photographs have received over 35 worldwide awards and are often revealed in Australian and worldwide media. In 2023, Nicolas based The Underwater Membership, a first-of-its-kind on-line underwater images college with over 40 self-paced classes and month-to-month occasions.
Try extra of Nicolas Remy’s work
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