OwenF

PM’d you Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not your fault! Yes, everything has become that much more difficult and more expensive! I've had an offer of a business importing for me, but Flex-Arm have stopped responding to me. To be honest, the fear that things will going missing in the post/customs etc has now just put me off the idea altogether. Not to mention, i'm in a hurry! Looks like i'll just pay the circa 200% more for some Nauticam arms. Such as shame as I found a perfect combination in Flex-Arm and the Nauticam alternative is actually a compromise

So this would have been perfect and having spent a few good hours working out what to buy, I placed the order. HOWEVER, Flex-Arm will not ship to the UK as they expect me (a private customer) to be VAT registered. Incredibly disappointing as it looked like a good product and alternative to Nauticam for me. Beware anyone from UK considering this option. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am struggling to find many reviews on these. I’ve seen the type of diving you do, so I imagine they are fairly robust. Have you successfully had them at 100m? How do you find the clamps? I see they are ‘polymer’ (plastic). Have you had any trouble getting them tight with heavy lights? Do they bend at all? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, I quickly realised this too after posting. With my mish-mash of cheapo arms in the past I’ve probably used 12” + 10” and 12” + 7” combos in the past, and found the latter much more useful and manageable. I agree, I could probably exchange the 300mm non-float arms for something shorter. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Like this - glue coming apart. The blue bit was holding my strobes and lights. Only thing connecting them to the housing was a FO cable [emoji33] Yes sorry, a lot going on in my post. In essence, this is one possible setup I’m envisaging (minus the arms I now need to buy) Highlighted below where I would have triple clamps when using a float across top of housing. I appreciate no-one can make a decision for me. I was hoping by sharing my thought process, people might be able to share where they’ve made similar decisions in the past. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Having had two ball ends detach from 'chinese' arms and nearly losing my lights/strobes on both occasions, I am prepping to invest in good arms (prob Nauticam). I think i've got a flexible solution, but thought i'd share before I buy to see if anyone sees something I'm missing. I really don't want to get this wrong. Sorry for essay in advance! My equipment: GH5 in Nauticam housing, 35 port & WWL-1B 2x Inon z240 2x SUPE Vk6pro I usually use both video lights and strobes together on a triple clamp (suits how I typically capture). Aiming for balanced (and streamlined) rig because will be mounted on scooter. Have undertaken an extensive 'weighing in water' session, with following possible configs (all weight in fresh): Config 1) Housing + strobes + lights + 4x triple clamps = 2.295kg (most often config) Config 2) Housing + strobes only + 4x triple clamps = 1.350kg (possible) Config 3) Housing only = 1.020kg (unlikely to ever use) I've come up with the following arms i'd need to buy, that I think would work for config 1) and 2) Nauticam 90x220mm (1.440kg combined) + Nauticam 300mm standard arm (for extension only) + existing chinese arm across top of housing (0.580kg) total buoyancy = 2.020kg (275g under in fresh, maybe about right in salt). It also gives me an approx. 9" + 12" arm set for wide angle/ 120deg lights, which I think is desirable(?) Then for config 2), I would take off the chinese arm across the top of housing, for total bouyancy = 1440kg (90g positive in fresh and a bit more in salt) Questions I'm posing to myself: Is the +90g/ -275g bouyancy swing going to be noticable? Is 9" + 12" arm combo sensible for deep dark low vis UK waters, even if I do shoot wide angle and have 120deg lights? Is using a float across the top of the housing sensible for my most used config? (thinking this reduces drag out wide, but also reduces number of new float arms to buy). Possible downside is access to dials. Is there a buy option I am missing? If anyone has made it this far, thanks for reading and appreciate any thoughts. I'm a buy once sort of guy and this has been going round my head for too long!

Thanks for everyone’s input. I bit the bullet and investigated intrusively. As suspected, the backscatter pump is in fact a Vacu-vin pump with wine stopper permanently connected using some heavy duty heat shrink: What surprised me was to find the stopper section is properly functioning. Looking inside the pump it appears there is a damaged seal (without looking back, I think one person suggested this): Not sure if this is what the article described as ‘overrun’, I’d say more heat damage induced from too vigorous pumping (tee-hee). Still not clear why it can’t hold vacuum but I’m going to replace the pump (£12 from Amazon) to rule it out. There is a clicking mechanism in the pump the prevents over-vacuuming. New suspicion is that this is the cause, as it ‘clicks’ on every pump from fresh start when on the housing. The saga continues! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The backscatter pump is a Vacu-vin pump, as it’s written on the handle. It looks like they normally come in two parts 1 - the pump 2 - individual bottle stoppers. Backscatter looks like they’ve ‘permanently’ sealed a stopper into the pump by gluing a piece of rubber/heat shrink around the two components to make it a permanent system. Correct, the check valve is in the pump system, not the gauge. Hence I’d expect if I suck through the bottom of the pump that it would hold vacuum. But it doesn’t. I suspect the check valve is damaged. So sounds like question is whether I can replicate backscatters retrofit of the two Vacu-vin components Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have the above system and it has recently started being difficult to achieve the vacuum. I *can* get there but it seems harder and harder to do. Diagnosis tells me the port and gauge will hold a vacuum. It seems to be the pump releases the vacuum the second I stop drawing on it. This article suggest you can ‘overrun’ the pump if used too vigorously. What isn’t clear is if it’s a permanent failure or not. Slow/fast doesn’t seem to make any difference, so I’m guessing it’s broke. https://wetpixel.com/articles/review-backscatter-airlock-vacuum-integrity-check-system Has anyone experienced this and, b) has anyone bought a VacuVin pump (from Amazon etc) to successfully replace the Backscatter one? I’m UK based so don’t want to need a US replacement Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I probably dive different conditions from you (UK deep low vis and dark), but I may have some experience to offer Recently went from Tokina 10-17mm fish eye on APS-C (~180deg FOV) to 14-45mm+WWL1 on MFT (~130 FOV) I am really noticing the lack of the extreme wide FOV for WA subjects when at close range (needed in dark/poor vis) I am still in the honeymoon period with the WWL1 and it’s versatility over a fixed fisheye (I never had zoom gear for the Tokina so only used 10 or 11mm). When I am not chasing other dive gear, I’ll probably be looking at an MFT fisheye & ports to get the extreme wide again. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Phil. I have the hard cap because that came with the lens. I have no interest in buying an extra lens cover, when the lens already comes with one. I want to make the one they supply work - hence my original specific question. I also do not have a port with a knob. Kees has given the exact answer I was looking for though, so that’s me sorted. Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome Kees, that’s exactly what I was looking for! Yes, let me know how you get on with the vent holes. If you remember next time you are with your lens, do you mind sending me a pic of where you drilled the attachment hole? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting. But the type of diving I do, I’m not getting in without a cover on the lens. I assume they give a hard cap with the -1B because the neoprene doesn’t work with permanent bouyancy collar. Strange to design a lens that can’t be protected in the water Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk