DEMA: Aquatica Float

[serge 2]

Wow, that float looks finally like something with enough lift.

anyone knows how positive it is? and when it will be available?

[rtrski 19]

I'm torn between interested and horrified by the idea. As you say, looks like it'd have a fair amount of lift. But talk about drag and bulk....

 

Put one of those on an extra 3-way ball on each arm and it'll look like a dSLR rig is wearing the camera's equivalent of water-wings. The DIR cameras will make fun of it, just like backplate/wing users make fun of those in jacket BCs.

 

(Confession: I wear a jacket BCD. Worse yet, it's a Mares with AIRTRIM. <gasp!!!>)

[Giles 1]

I kinda agree with everything here.

 

I am guessing it is a hollow plastic tube filled with air .. so it's going to be pretty buoyant. What i don't get is in a trend of making flotation arms how would this be beneficial. It looks almost as big as having an extra small strobe on your housing.

It almost seems like reinventing the wheel and coming up with a square.

This would be the simplest thing to make for under $10 at home with some pvc piping some glue and a ball joint.

 

Also like Seacam they have introduced a cord remote trigger system. I was wondering is it that impractical to do a wireless version obviously IR would not work so well underwater but would water have the same effect on most other wireless communication methods ?

[Phil Rudin 113]

This idea from 4gdphoto.com/catalog/ seems a bit more practical. The buoyancy segments ( 3 oz & 1.5 oz ) at $3.50 and $4.00 will fit over most existing strobe arms or they have their own arms in assorted lengths. The system can be twicked to within 1.5 oz. and changed from setup to setup (such as macro port or large dome port). I have used the first generation segments, made round and in white for about 75 dives now and they seem to retain boyancy with no problems. They are also made to slide over Inon, ULCS and TLC arms as well as others and are held in place with the core material. They are also very light for travel and pack well.

 

Phil Rudin

 

Additional photo

Edited November 4, 2007 by tropical1

[bvanant 136]

I kinda agree with everything here.

 

I am guessing it is a hollow plastic tube filled with air .. so it's going to be pretty buoyant. What i don't get is in a trend of making flotation arms how would this be beneficial. It looks almost as big as having an extra small strobe on your housing.

It almost seems like reinventing the wheel and coming up with a square.

This would be the simplest thing to make for under $10 at home with some pvc piping some glue and a ball joint.

 

Also like Seacam they have introduced a cord remote trigger system. I was wondering is it that impractical to do a wireless version obviously IR would not work so well underwater but would water have the same effect on most other wireless communication methods ?

Wireless in the water is possible to do, but unlike air, the frequencies that you need ot use are very different so it would depend a lot on what part of the spectrum that folks are using. Getting penetration far into the body for example is really not trivial.

BVA

[MaLe 0]

Hi all,

Here a link tho digideep where Lars gives some details about the capability of the floats. According to the information from Lars each float as about .5 kg / 1 pound of lift (300fts / 90 meter depth rating).

 

Thats about just the lift I need to make my new Nexus 5D housing, 15 Fisheye and the 160-5 glass dome in the sweet water nutreal buoyant. No arms no strobes where attached during the test.

 

Here the link

 

http://www.digideep.com/english/info/html/aquatica-updates/

 

Thanks for the info from Lars,

 

Matthias

[Aqua_soul 0]

I'm torn between interested and horrified by the idea. As you say, looks like it'd have a fair amount of lift. But talk about drag and bulk....

 

Put one of those on an extra 3-way ball on each arm and it'll look like a dSLR rig is wearing the camera's equivalent of water-wings. The DIR cameras will make fun of it, just like backplate/wing users make fun of those in jacket BCs.

 

(Confession: I wear a jacket BCD. Worse yet, it's a Mares with AIRTRIM. <gasp!!!>)

 

<gasp!!!> AIRTRIM

 

As a dir diver i actually think these floats make sense, depending on how many you need and where and how you mount them. I would consider mounting two of them below my camera tray and orientated parallel with the lens. This way the extra drag is kept to the minimum and your setup has two nice feet to stand on while on dry land.

 

Also what needs to be kept in mind is that most of the time the housing is more or less in front of the divers head/shoulders (okay this depends on how you dive, but for me its horizontal) so most of the extra drag I will be experiencing would be from the strobes and their arms project outside of my body profile. So by adding floatation devices on these would have a even greater impact on drag.

[bobf 0]

.........I would consider mounting two of them below my camera tray and orientated parallel with the lens. This way the extra drag is kept to the minimum and your setup has two nice feet to stand on while on dry land.

..........

 

from experience, placing buoyant material below the housing creates two undesirable results:

 

1. with buoyant material located below the "ballast", rig has tendency to go "belly up"........you'll be "fighting this force" throughout the dive

 

2. any components placed below base of a housing impedes the ability for camera to become as close as and level to the sea floor as possible.

 

One variation of an Ikelite mini-c mount is designed to attach between an Ikelite arm and strobe. I think I paid about $5.00 US for each mount. Not sure how Ikelite sells it today. I filled two mini-c mounts with closed cell foam for added lift. It's a similar concept to the Aquatica Float.

 

For a diy diver with Ikelite equipment, this project may be an option to explore.

 

edit: feel free to paint the closed cell foam black..........

Edited November 5, 2007 by bobf

[Giles 1]

Say you put this float on top of the housing ... you want to take a portrait shot ..

 

BAM you are now fighting the float .. the float will be trying to force the housing into landscape .. there is no really great use for this float IMO it's too much lift in one area .. it's only going to be good in one setup .. unless you have a rotating system.

[craig 0]

I agree with Giles and bobf. Buoyancy needs to be distributed. It's not just the overall buoyancy but how much the rig twists in your hand. This device places a lot of lift in one place.

[Viz'art 24]

<<BAM you are now fighting the float .. the float >> let me remind you that you are fighting that dome tilt already.

 

The float offer better trimming placement than buoyancy arm, are very light weight out of water, will give about a 1 1/2 pound of lift per float when immersed, we had working pro trying theses and they love it. Plus the retail is quite affordable. (at least compared to having to purchase a pair of buoyancy arm)

 

And lastly we had a bunch of working pro photographers that came by and tought the concept was clever. best lift for buck, one said.

 

And Serge give or take a month for them to hit the market

[Giles 1]

Jean I understand where you are coming from and I am not saying it is all together a bad floatation, I am just saying i think it is limited in use. Yes this float has certain applications, especially when you know what you are shooting and it's going to be fixed orientation and I would imagine great for macro work too.

 

and just as other notes:

Ok so you are fighting the Dome tilt already ... ... why do i want to fight two different tilt forces ?

 

As for the comparing to the price of buoyancy arms .. you need to compare regular arms and the buoyancy aids (probably 2 of them) to the buoyancy arms, buying this buoyancy aid does not eliminate the need for other arms !

[Viz'art 24]

and just as other notes:

Ok so you are fighting the Dome tilt already ... ... why do i want to fight two different tilt forces ?

 

 

Giles, the fact you can position it independ of your strobe arm placement mean you can offset the tilt of the dome, that's what i mean when i refer tor trim,

[serge 2]

thanks jean. i will get one of those. then i can finally take the 2 x 0,5 liter plastikbottles off my arms (and they are buoyancyarms already ... i dont know why they call them buoyancy arms if they are just neutral with two clamps and a ball ...)

[handlerphoto 2]

I am glad to see the floats are creating a buzz...they should. They work.

I am the only one that has actually tested these underwater.

Initially I resisted as I do not like to carry extra gear and /or attachments on my rig.

 

I mounted the float with a ball mount on the center thread of my very heavy D2x. Both with macro and wide angle setups. The resulys suprised me as it gave me some noticeable lift.

I could have used two and placed them on my TLC arms as they are now being marketed but at the time I only had one.

I was in Galapagos- currents etc. Drag? None to be concerned about.

 

My feeling is that for macro and extreme macro in particular where you will be stationary for the most part, these floats will work magic. It is these configurations of macro port, extesion rings and diopters that are the heaviest anyway.

 

The beauty of these floats is that

1- Easy to mount, easy to dry and pack.

2- No need to buy a new set of arms with built-in floats (very pricie)

3- Nothing to slip on, clean and let sit to dry as other systems.

4- Placment and replacement positions are many and you can do this underwater to trim your system perfectly.

 

The new Black finish blends perfectly with my black arm system (and black housing and dive gear as well).

Bottom line- Keep it simple.

If you can dive without floats- all the better. But if you need a little support in your old age- these are the floats to get.

 

As always- my two cents for a penny.

 

Mauricio Handler

[Phil Rudin 113]

Hi Mauricio,

 

Always nice to hear from someone who has field tested a new product and even better that it was with a heavy system. When you used the floats for macro and super macro were they mounted to the port or to the housing?

I have a ring that fits around my port that can be turned ninty degrees with ease to go from landscape to portrait with my ring flash. With this float I would have no need for arms at all.

 

Regards

 

Phil Rudin

[handlerphoto 2]

Phil

 

I placed the one float I had in the center of the housing above the port.

Your ring light would be ideal with this kind of float as indeed, you would not require arms.

 

Sounds like this may be a winner for you.

 

mauricio

[elbuzo 8]

I also tried the one from Mauricio at Galapagos and don't feel any drag or clumsiness .

 

I fact i ordered 2 to use for my macro setting , 1 on top of each arm at the nearest part of the housing .

 

I also find very useful that you can use the interior of the floats to store delicate small items for traveling , that way you can optimize the space and had some protection.

[serge 2]

@ elbuzo: so you can also open the float? that means you could also fill them partially with water to trim for different port set-ups?

 

that would be great ... empty for supermakro and with some weight for WA or 60mm port.

[elbuzo 8]

@ elbuzo: so you can also open the float? that means you could also fill them partially with water to trim for different port set-ups?

 

that would be great ... empty for supermakro and with some weight for WA or 60mm port.

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Yes ,you can open it . The lid have an o-ring and i think your idea is a good one .

[manatee19 5]

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Yes ,you can open it . The lid have an o-ring and i think your idea is a good one .

 

 

Had a look at the float DEMA. The idea of being able to open it is wonderful. You can precisely adjust lift using water... or sand.... or rocks...

 

Also, after your day of diving, you open and clean it and it can be used as a nice container for the beer you'll be drinking!

 

Michel

[serge 2]

cool. i just fell in love with a float ...

 

then i dont need to open my stupid plastikbottles after every depth change to let pressure out or bubble air in ...

[Giles 1]

How do these floats adjust to different depths ?

 

Have i missed something ? I don't see a way for them to be altered underwater according to your depth. Certainly seems a plastic bottle would be easier to alter underwater.

[Cerianthus 46]

it's probably pressure proof, like the cannister lights and also like our camera housings....

[rtrski 19]

How do these floats adjust to different depths ?

 

Have i missed something ? I don't see a way for them to be altered underwater according to your depth. Certainly seems a plastic bottle would be easier to alter underwater.

 

I think Serge was saying HE has to add air to his plastic bottles (which will crush) as he changes depth.

 

The floats, being rigid, won't do that. Others mentioned adjusting the air/water ratio to compensate for different ports, but I assumed they meant on the surface before a dive, after which the displacement is still fixed (a rigid 'absence' of water), just altered.