polyroly
-
Content Count
32 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by polyroly
-
-
On 2/14/2022 at 9:54 PM, Barmaglot said:... but Inon's modeling light is offset from the center...
And is directed at 3.5 to 4 degrees toward center which adds to the fun.
On my printed solution for the Z330 I canted a 3/4" fiber optic bundle toward the focus light to capture that light and the center flash. With 3/4" optic you need to trim down the light at the exit point unless you are looking at a large frog fish. That's not a problem. Also if you target the origin point of your optic towards the focus light you need to fix your 'plumbing fixture cap' so that it doesn't move. But you want to be able to remove it and replace it fast for the shot of your dive buddy. I kept leaving my first generation snoot in the sand and having to swim back to retrieve it - !Doh!
You really need 3 eyes and 4 hands for snoot work.
-
Success, thanks to a kind local savior in Dauin! Kind thanks to all contributors!
-
1
-
-
Good ideas, thanks for the help. I should hear on Saturday if Splash can come to the rescue. Fingers crossed.
-
Thanks Marker, yes, tried DiverVision, they have the part stocked but phoned dhl to check and they say, if they are honest, 10 calandra days min. To Dauin area. Splash in Manila might have stock, but only will know on Saturday. If it crosses the border, and has retail value, I am sunk, as dhl says it will be held for a week( this time of year). And I can’t ask a retailer to ship item as no value. I’m almost desperate enough to make a part my cutting down a larger ring, and staying above 40 feet. But it would be super risky! Bad plan. But I am soooo frustrated!
-
If you are presently in the Philippines and have a spare Battery compartment O ring and are prepared to send it DHL overnight express, I will pay you for your part and time and postage. Mine split and my spares were lost by the airlines - so I am out of luck as it is Easter week here and bringing in from HK etc will take almost 2 weeks. Can anyone save me?
-
So thanks again to all help, I am reliably able to load and unload the camera body while maintaining good gear contact. I Could deal with a fixed focal length but I really want to keep the option of manual focus - so I am feeling much better with the housing now. I quickly printed up some offset rings that fit on the lens front so I can reliably and repeatably set the gear forward of the lens face by 3mm. Only takes a couple of minutes to print and its one less thing to use my brain for early in the morning. (pretty dopey STL file free for the asking, anyone living in Toronto without a printer can pick up a set at no charge)
As for the vacuum - not sure I will be able to act on this before my trip but I will follow up. I am not entirely sure about putting a case that is meant for 140ft depth under additional load. If you are under vacuum at surface do you know what apparent depth you will be at 140 feet? I think as a guess, I would stay over 100 ft just for peace of mind.
-
8 hours ago, ChrisRoss said:...It sounds like the camera needs to move forward in the housing by a couple of mm...
Yes, I would feel so. It is an interesting dilemma - I admire a housing manufacturer who assembles a package for multiple bodies and so I suppose I must be prepared to fiddle. The housing is held back /seated on 3 rubber 'beads' and a two corner pads - all about 6mm deep. If I had spares i would reduce the thickness to 4mm. I have tried replacing them with some firm sponge and -on a preliminary test - the closure fit is now 'correct' the zoom gear is fitting and smooth and all controls work well or better than before. If I had soft filament, and experience with using it, I would 3D print some replacements.
8 hours ago, Barmaglot said:...I tossed it ages ago, as it kept getting in the way, and I haven't had any issues operating the zoom without it...
OK! That will fix that! Thanks for letting me know it work without! The part has a lower flange which seems to be designed to act as a position 'retainer' for the Zoom gear - but in actual use this is the offending part that pushes down on, and binds, the gear after closing the back (in my experience). I might have re-designed and print the part with more lower tolerance but if you don't need it... good riddance to it!
..."put the housing on/off switch into 'on' position " - Interesting, inserting 'On' makes more sense looking at the switch insertion point but Sea Frogs instructs 'Off'
..."close but do not lock the latches " - ? Why not lock the latches at this point?
So I just got a video arrive from Sea Frogs, I will watch it now - they tell me if it doesn't help to send the housing out to British Columbia for review. That's not happening (before my trip)! Thank goodness for the help here - I should be fixed up good. Thanks everyone for the help! Next to try this Vacuum Pump thingy - the fun never ends!
-
3 hours ago, Barmaglot said:Concur with @tobyone - put the zoom gear on the lens, push the body into the housing, let it align the gear, then take it out, push the gear a little bit towards the body so that it won't bind against the plastic, then put the camera into the housing again. It's easy to get the gear skewed a little bit, and this will cause it to bind and skip, but with practice you'll find the exact spot where it works 100%.
Well, now I'm done in again. The proposal kindly given does work, but when and as I tried it, I needed to leave out the component as photo 1 shows - that little 'ear' at the top right inside the housing that seats between the front of the camera and the gear wheel. I can get the camera OUT by carefully angling the camera + gear around the 'ear' but getting it back in is a bugger, and invariably it knocks the gear out of true. Every time I try to load the kit while delicately trying to simultaneously seat the 'ear' end in failure.
Getting this working 100% with my skill set may be possible but I will surely miss the dive boat, or breakfast, or both!
I will continue to try gentle manipulation but I can not imagine that this delicate procedure so prone to dives with malfunctioning housings would be considered normal for Salted Line. I must still be doing something quite wrong. Sea Frogs now tells me they have never seen anything like the videos I sent them and they are now preparing an (Idiots) Guide to Installation. (my insertion). The support team appear quite friendly.
-
Thanks for your thoughts!
OK, I will try that again, and see how it works. Any thoughts on the internal pressure? If that may cause flooding?
I did a video for the support at Sea Frogs but they need a day or two to respond - Time difference to HK. I was beginning to think I might grind down the Rubber LCD guard that applies pressure from the rear, on a belt sander. If I remove that part the housing works more or less, as it should but without it I think the Camera body will shift backward and I will be unable to turn on/off the power.
Update - Yes that fixes the issue - I press the gear back to the face of the closed lens and it is free to move when closed up. I suppose I will simply mount the gear before dropping in the camera. Thanks to you both again!
-
Hello, I wonder if anyone using this combination has had problems with the Zoom Gear binding / jamming / skipping?
I am new to both the camera and housing after using the Meikon with a RX100 for many years (happily). I got the Sony body and Salted Line case last week - it came mis-configured for the 6400 but I sorted that all out (I am thinking I did). I watched the videos and believe I am following correct install protocol. When I first push down the A6400 body the Zoom Knob rotates well (although not every time**) Then I place the back housing on and it sits a mil or two above the 'seated position' that the clamshell sits compared to an empty housing - so I know that the closures are about to pressure the camera downward towards the front of the case. Sure enough when the clamps are shut down the Zoom gear is now jammed tight , or sometimes almost jammed - and in a turn or two start to skip / jump the internal gears. I also suspect that if there is too mush outward pressure on the case I could flood.
- The camera is totally as it arrives from the factory (with kit lens)
- I have fried with different front ports.
I sure would love someone telling me where I am messing up!
-
Nice. May I ask, how large is your polished plate? Also you mentioned focus issues - I thought Nauticam housings allow you to manual focus, am I mistaken?
-
Very helpful to a beginner in this class of camera. Many thanks. So much to learn!
19 minutes ago, Barmaglot said:I use ...
-
I agree with AKO, Moisture Muncher (cylinder style) work well, Blue when they have life and tirn white/pink when exhausted. But they are expensive and may not work (or fit!) any better than the free packs. But the free packs may have dust which is always a bugger to get out of your housing. BUT - you can re-use your MM's over and over. I have 20 that I have been using for years, a couple of weeks before a trip a trip I dry them out - to dark Blue - and I'm good to go. I got a bag of 'drying crystals' from the hardware store for about 5$ about 5 years ago - I throw them into there (in a sachet so not to get dusty) and three days later they are refreshed.
Some housings don't have space enough - they are about the size of half a cigarette - if you can find one of those to cut in half. In humid environments one MM will last for 2 or 3 dives. Also some people store their camera in the mini-bar fridge (lower humidity).
-
1
-
-
On 3/14/2022 at 1:52 AM, Barmaglot said:...and use Canon EF-S 60mm...
Barmaglot, do you use this in the Short, Medium(for Zeiss 50 Macro) or Long Salted Line Macro Port, or some other? How does it perform with your Close-up Lens, and lastly what adapter do you use? It seems like a viable alternate to the Sony 90mm having a bit more breathing room. Thanks for any thoughts.
-
Late to the party but I also think that you managed a great shot. The problem now is that you got a great shot. Now your proof of concept is confirmed and you will be spending many more hours sitting stationary on the cold ocean floor - pity your dive buddy! Leaving the small amount of debris was a good choice imho as it helps to reference gravity. Similar to Tim's undulating reflective surface. There was a pic somewhere here (i think) of a wee aggressive fellow trying to cower his own reflection in a mirror - the photographer must of set up the mirror in the sand outside his den. Beautiful, funny but somehow I felt a bit sad for the little fish.
I think any photo that causes a non-diver to pause and think about the wonders below the water must serve a common good.
-
1
-
-
My 2 cents, I agree with JYk. There are too many compositional, lighting and focal 'red herrings' to conclude any meaningful comparison. For instance, one model is rather hairy, their tank has webbing detail and their BCD has a more bold typeface, all could give an impression of contrast/sharpness. The ears appear equal on my monitor as does the corner detail... might you repeat your experiment with a stationary model?
-
1
-
-
@ Craine, Thanks (a lot) ! very useful. Disturbing that on the Salted Line lens chart it registers the Tamron as 'rated' for use in the 6" Dome. It would be useful if the chart at least put an asterisk (formerly asterix). I recently played with the Sony 10-20mm and the front element only moves a small amount - but its position may be an issue.
-
12 hours ago, davehicks said:I am going to wait until after my upcoming 10 day dive trip to Australia before I upload .... as they don't have printers.
Testing = good. Around here in Toronto there are some public printing 'labs' where you can go and use printers. Even the Toronto public library has some you can use. Being exposed to and learning the different filaments, elasticity, shrinkage properties etc. are the attractions of the group environment. I am just starting with Nylon and ABS which is easy on small bits but harder on anything bigger than an egg.
@ Hellhole, Ha yes!, whoever said design is a straight line never had more than one client!
-
1
-
-
On 2/16/2023 at 9:32 PM, davehicks said:I'll upload this design to Thingiverse shortly for anyone else interested in making one of these for themselves...
Nice project! Did you ever up to Thingyverse? I looked but could not find it. Did it work out the way you hoped? I like the spring 'detent' in particular. Did any of it cause any rinsing issues? I would love to print one and try it out
I got a Prusa and love it. I have done two Fiber Optic Snoots for my Inon 330 - the first print was soon after the strobe was introduced and i couldn't get a fitted snoot in time for a trip so a friend let me print one on his Form Labs unit. I was not expecting such fine detail and it worked out great. The fiber bundles were not quite so easy but in the end came out good. I positioned the main bundle to catch the focus light so aiming is not too hard. I drew it on Rhino, which was not so easy - now I use Fusion which is a pain - the program is great - Autodesk not so much. FreeCad looks like a smart choice, I am trying to get the courage to move over.
This year I am making a long fiber arm for backlight and I incorporated one of the optical snoots on the cap. I'll see how that works out.
-
Oh, ok thanks Chris, I really am unsure of these numbers, and when put in context of the things I have been trying to get my head around with domes, curvature, and virtual images I was thinking each camera lens and port glass distance would result in a different recommendation. So there are threads on this matter, with different lens set-ups - that I can sort of use as a guide, like Interceptor121's .
I was rather thinking that with the Sony kit lens I would need one of the stronger offerings, but maybe not. Even the CMC-1 lists at 4.5x and the UCL lists at +15 or 2.76x (?) but there are some others listing well over 20x (and costing a pretty penny) and then some people talk of stacking - I must say - it boggles.
-
@ Craine,
How did that go?, I would be interested to hear your experiences, as I am also looking at the Sony 10-18mm and 10-20mm and maybe the Tamron you mentioned. It seems the 10-18mm is the 'safe' bet with the Sea Frogs lines as it is on the charts at least.
Edit - actually it seems the Sony 10-18 may not be listed for Sea Frgs - I thought I did see it previously, but the Tamron IS there. Listed for the middle and large domes.
-
There seem to be a few new options for wet lenses since last I looked. I am looking for advice on a good choice for use with the Sony kit 16-50mm housed in the SaltedLine Macro Port (67mmThread). I am currently using an Inon 165 (7x about) with my old RX100M2 but have just set up with a Sony A6400 and I want to get familiar with the kit camera with a short port before venturing to the world of longer ports for use with a 90mm Macro.
Anyone with favorable comments with a lens +14 up - I would love to get some advice. Thanks!
-
Good documentation, Thanks. I see there are glass parts also available for service... were you tempted to try a glass replacement? Obviously the glass doesn't have the drill pattern so the pressure application would not be an exact match. I would love to see the glass package in a 'take-apart' set of images like yours.
-
I am not expert in the area, but I have had quite a few projects where I needed Lexan and Plastic sheet machined. There are specific bits for drilling and shaping plastics, I believe they have a shallow attack angle, with the intent of keeping heat to a minimum. If you use bits designed as HSS Steel you should proceed very slowly and keep your bit clear of debris. If it binds it will 'plunge' and that is bad. I have had contractors rush the drilling process with the wrong bits and they said to me 'look, no problem'. They had to come back in 4 months to replace all the work as hairline cracks appeared radiating out from the holes that compromised the safety of the (Guard Rails). There were no signs of this when first fabricated but I was informed by the plastics manufacturers that heat stress failure can appear long after the holes are made.
I have drilled and tapped plastics often myself (up to tapping 3/4" NPT holes using milk as a coolant lol ) but I always go slow and keep light pressure and clean the flutes often. It is in interesting DIY, please let us know how it goes!
DIY colorwheel?
in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Posted
Well, the obvious path would be using a 3D Print, so I will assume you don't have one, or access to one? Then if you want to find a ready-made to adapt, I would go down to the best cycle shop as there are loads of clamping devices that are made for attaching apparatus to handle bars and posts. Or you could fashion your design, which seems not so complex, out of a thermoplastic lump, plexi, or even fine grained wood using a scroll saw. Heck - if you don't mind square edges you could do it with just a drill.
One observation, if you don't mind... I suggest the top of your circle in your design should be cut across to create a 'jaw' so that a tensile/compression load can be put on your flashlight. Also your reference photo shows the apparatus and the flashlight held at two points... when handling the apparatus, some flashlight designs may unscrew the head from battery compartment, so you might want to watch out for that.
You could even do this with zip ties - good luck!