Larry C

I occasionally take out my Nikon F100 with Sea & Sea housing. I shoot slide film and have it processed by an outfit in SoCal. I have the advantage of being able to use the settings from my Nikon D300 and D500 as a guide and an added plus is that Sea & Sea strobes are analog and shoot TTL without a converter with my Nikon, which has a built in TTL cut-off. Processing is a bit pricey. I pay about $10 for a roll of 36 and it's about $25 more to process it into slides and do a high quality scan so I can share them on the internet.

Haven't tried WA or CFWA yet, as this was our first dive in 3 months and conditions were not appropriate for either. Trying to line up the snoot and check the camera alignment with a macro subject was pretty much impossible. I kept having my snooted strobe hit things and finding myself a foot higher than I expected to be, probably because I'm used to looking level or up at the subject, and now I'm looking down, but the position of the subject is not beneath me. I think I'm instinctively going above the subject expecting that it will line up with my head position. I'll have to start approaching it from lower and checking the distance before I put my eye on the viewer.

Installation was about the easiest I've had on an accessory. Pull the O-Ring, slide the old one out, clean a bit, put the new one in and replace the O-Ring. Everyone who said "you'll hate it for the first five dives", you ain't kidding. Trying to use it with a snoot was all but impossible. I turned on my other strobe to ttl and got about 3 pictures in an hour of diving. I was often a foot above my subject, trying to find it in the viewer. Once, I knocked a poor Nudi right off his rock. Hopefully, I get the hang of this after a few more dives.

Bit the bullet. Backscatter has a sale this week and even though I can’t dive right now due to health issues and coronavirus closures, I ordered one. It’ll be shipped when they get the next batch in. Thousand dollars here, thousand dollars there, pretty soon this UW photography stuff will start costing real money. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Bill.

I always use back button focus and turn off the shutter focus. Once you release the back button, if you're in C it should follow the subject. In S, I just find the eye and hit the shutter ASAP.

Anyone using the Inon Nauticam viewfinder on their DSLR housing? Is it worth the extra $500 to have the easy o-ring removal of the one Nauticam sells, compared to the ring nut mounted Inon that fits everything and is adapted to the Nauticam? How much tariff are we paying on goods shipped directly from China?

I used the felt tip paint pen I write on my fins with, then lightly wiped excess with a paper towel. Lasted a couple of months, but I need to retouch.

http://www.divervision.com/howshot-m67-mount-base-100-for-100mm3.9-ports-RM67-100P.html?search=M67 mount base 10 Fits 100-104mm

If you want compact wide angle, don't discount the new Panasonics. Terrific wide angle and great video in a compact package. I have lots of friends shooting Oly, but the Panasonic is far better for video and you can use the Oly lenses.

Haven't found a need, but if you haven't already, go to custom settings and change to "yes" on release button to use dial. Then you can make adjustments with one finger, usually after just dabbing the back focus lever. The info lever is also very useful. Gives you your settings on full screen instead of just through the viewfinder window. My bigger issue with the handles is strobe placement. The handles and my fingers are always in the way for CFWA and macro shots with a short lens. I've thought about taking one off and just holding the edge of the housing.

Took it out for one dive this weekend in marginal conditions. 10-17 with no spacer. Lens extends to a couple of mm from the port at full zoom, but seems to focus well. Most shots were at F7-F8. Subjects were very sharp, hard to tell about edges and background with green water, 20ft. vis and lots of particulate. Using it with a M4 to Sea & Sea adapter and a Nauticam replacement ring for Sea & Sea port. The port is tiny, and I like that it stays out of the way nicely.

Anyone using this combination? I picked up the FP120-7 optical glass port, which is designed for the Nikon 10.5, and it fits quite close but doesn't touch the 10-17, using my Nexus M5 to Sea & Sea adapter with Nauticam conversion ring. Works very nicely in air, but I haven't tried it underwater yet. I remember seeing a shot someone took using the 10-17 in the FP120-7 with a 20mm port spacer, but wondering if I need it.

Closer to the housing means more compact, better for getting closer to subjects for CFWA shots. Zoom through I would assume means that you can use the cameras zoom effectively at all zoom levels through the dome. Domes are sensitive to distance from focal point of lens to port. Better shade arrangement means the lens will be better shielded from glare from ambient light in bright sun, above and to the sides of the port.

Don't have that housing, but I have D500 and a D300, which is almost identical to the D200 in most dimensions and has been adapted to D200 housings. The D500 is taller and deeper than the D300 at most points. Unless the D200 had a ton of room above and in front of the camera, I don't think you'll have much luck with that swap. The D500 is about 77mm grip to back, compared to less than 72mm for the D200/300. Body height is similar on the right (grip side) at about 92mm, but at the left control dial, the D500 is at least 4mm taller. Body depth is similar at the lens mount, but the flash on the D200/300 is taller and slimmer than the shoe area on the D500. The swivel screen also sticks out an extra couple of mm. I think the biggest hindrance would probably be the depth of the grip, since it requires substantially more room in front of the RH side of the camera with the lens in the same relationship to the port.

Many people have modified old film housings to fit newer digital cameras. The camera must fit in the housing with the port aligned to the lens and no interference on any side. You need the ability to build new parts, particularly the base, in order to line up the camera in the housing. You're going to lose some functions because of buttons or levers that you just can't line up. I've seen a few who made most of the functions work, but had to turn the camera on before putting it in the housing because they couldn't line up the on/off switch. If you're skilled, clever and willing to compromise, you can make almost anything work to some extent. Or, you can look for a three or four year old last generation camera with a used housing and usually get it for 1/3-1/2 the new price. I've taken many better pictures with my old D300, now worth about $600 including housing, than with my D500 ($6K invested in addition to all my old ports, strobes, arms, etc.) New technology gets you improvements, but better skills will far exceed a better camera.

When you get it off, use Lanacote or similar on the threads. If you don't pull your cable periodically, they can become completely welded together. Don't get any on the o-rings, though. If they're completely welded and cant be unscrewed without spinning the bulkhead, a dremel and carbide disc will split the nut enough to break it open.

I have two frustrations with my Sea & Sea strobes. First, although the battery compartment is well sealed, when a cap o-ring does leak and the compartment fills with acid from the batteries melting down in salt water, it corrodes all the contacts. Cap, $59 last time I needed one plus cleaning out the contacts inside the base with vinegar and flushing with alcohol. When the contacts and wires continue to deteriorate, $150 to open the body and replace the contacts. Both of the strobes that I've done this to have failed shortly thereafter. Loved my YS-110's. Nice soft light, really nice ttl (when it worked) with my D300. When they failed-sorry, they don't make the printed circuit board any more. It's a paperweight. This is the dilemma of modern electronics. We are dependent on PCB's that sell for more than the the complete product, so nothing is fixable. When a transistor fails, throw the whole thing away. Anyone need a used dryer or microwave? The part is $500. The warranty is $300. The new product is $700. Make them simpler, easier to repair and make parts available for at least the expected life of the product, please. I suspect that 90% of the failures in strobes are similar, within a model range. Make the part that fails more accessible and available.

These look the same as the ones I have from Divervision. Haven't tried the double connector yet. The other one, the hole is too small for my 3mm cable and the boot came apart when I tried to ream it with various methods. I might have to try different cables. I was hoping these would work, since they're sturdy and pre-coiled.

Available on eBay and Amazon. Advertised as 9', but coiled to about 18". 3mm sheath, simplex cable with kevlar. $9.95 each. The ends cut off nicely. It was tough to strip without a FO tool, but the ends I got from divervision are too small for the 3mm sheath and too big without it. They seem pretty tough. I didn't break the cable while messing with it. Shredded one of the boots trying to expand it to get the sheath through and still couldn't. Thinking about molding my own ends. The e-bay contact was out and couldn't ship, but said they could make them with any ends. Wonder if there's something available that would fit in the Sea & Sea size holes.

Thanks. What did you do about the insulator and kevlar fibers?

I've found a nice coiled simplex cable that I'm planning to use with Divervision Sea & Sea type cable ends. They come with LC and SC ends on them. Is there a way to remove these safely, or should I just cut them off and buy FO stripping tool to get rid of the insulation on the last inch or so? Anyone tried this? Tired of $100 Nauticam cables.

https://followfocusgears.com/pages/custom-gears

There are several outfits that make custom follow focus gears sized to order, inner and outer diameter. I've seen them for less than $50. If the gear can be concentric, and not have to offset the gear from the ring, you might be able to have one made. Some of the delrin ones can even be offset.

Definitely night before. Batteries will last for over a year. Check it in the morning before putting it in the water, still green is good to go. Don't forget to check your green light under water occasionally. Wipe the rig or blow off fully before opening. One drop on the sensor or battery will ruin your trip.