12 replies to this topic

[bruceterrill]

Hi Guys,
News release from Inon America;

www.inonamerica.com/news.php?news_id=63&newscat=0
Should be good for those of us who can't afford the 'top' models of class,
and a welcome addition to the well received 45' model previously released.
I'm putting my hand up for one!
Bruce

Can someone tell me how to highlight this link so that it connects to the site??? ( Thanks Cerianthus..)

Edited by bruceterrill, 04 December 2007 - 01:51 PM.

[james]

Thanks Bruce - I saw this in the Wetpixel DEMA report and was wondering about it.

This is troubling: "These viewfinders are not designed for cameras with full frame sized image sensors."

Cheers
James

[allen]

This is troubling: "These viewfinders are not designed for cameras with full frame sized image sensors."

James,

I wonder if this is because full frame cameras have a slightly larger view finder so there is not full coverage??? But then again the 45 degree view finder is not exactly compact.

BTW - In my playing around at DEMA last year I found the 45 degree viewfinders to be very natural to use.

[Phil Rudin]

Yet another downside to full frame,

Ryan had this viewfinder in the Reef Photo booth at Florida Dive Show over the weekend. It is more robust than the 45 degree finder and works quite well on the SeaTool housing I tried out.

Phil Rudin

Edited by tropical1, 04 December 2007 - 11:22 AM.

[Pacislander]

Does anyone know if this viewfinder works in the Ikelite housing for a 20D? And if not, is there any viewfiinder that works on the Ikelite 20D housing?

[Cerianthus]

Can someone tell me how to highlight this link so that it connects to the site???

in the quick reply box, the forum picks links up automatically. In the main edit window, select the tekst you want clickable and select the link icon (thats the little worldglobe with the chain link (between the underlined A and the little tree). Past the link into that and press OK. the tree icon works the same but places external images

[Phil Rudin]

Custom installations have been made to several housings including the Iklite housings. This is the Inon 45 degree finder which is interchangeable with the straight view finder.

Phil

Attached Images

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Edited by tropical1, 04 December 2007 - 02:08 PM.

[crcdiver]

Phil, was that a Reef Photo install?

[james]

I'm guessing Phil grabbed that off of the Backscatter website - but I could be wrong.

Cheers
James

[crcdiver]

Thanks James, that's the exact pic from the Backscatter site. I'd heard that Reef was installing them as well.

[Ryan]

We don't install these in Ikelite housings because it isn't possible to place the viewfinder within Inon's specified eyepoint range. I'm sure the guys at backscatter have tested this thoroughly and that the installation works, it just isn't one we choose to pursue right now.

[pakman]

Ryan, how about S&S housings?

[fishdoc]

Received my Ikelite 40D housing about a month ago. Love the camera and the housing. But, I was not wild about the viewfinder. So, I investigated alternatives, including having Backscatter mount the Inon 45 degree viewfinder. Backscatter admitted it was major surgery (very different than installations on Nexus, Sea & Sea, etc). So, I found a link on a wetpixel forum to a French company, Plongimage, selling a very similar product with one critical difference.

The Plongimage viewfinder is designed to clamp onto the back of the housing (on the viewfinder ring) rather than being permanently mounted by machining the back of the housing (as is done by Backscatter for the Inon finder on the Ike housing). It is designed so that water flows in and out of the narrow space between the viewfinder and the back of housing.

This company says they developed their design in collaboration with Inon and the unit says Inon Optics on the side. They say they moved the focus point back somewhat to allow for the greater distance between viewfinder and camera eyepieces when compared to the standard Inon which is mounted into the housing backplate.

I ordered one of these viewfinders from France last week and was able to pool test it last weekend. I am very happy with the results. With my usual low-volume mask I can see all of the large field of view without moving my eye, with only very slight blackout in the corners. The viewfinder data display is easily seen with a very slight eye movement. The view was identical to what I saw on friend’s Nexus with the regular Inon 45 viewfinder. It swivels the same way.

I’m off to PNG next week and so it will get a thorough testing there. The added bonus is that if it doesn’t work out or if I don’t want it on a particular dive, it is easily removed (I would remove it at the end of each day anyway to rinse it thoroughly). In theory you can even take it on and off DURING a dive, just seems like it would be a lot to juggle.

Downsides? This company does not have a US distributor. I shudder to think about trying to get this serviced. Price is in Euros and it is a bit more than the Inon finder in US$ (probably due to the terrible exchange rate). It looks like another company, in Spain, may sell a similar version (same price).


Mike