Scotzh 1 Posted January 2, 2020 Hi I'm sorry if this already has been covered before. I'm using clamps and arms that I'm not so happy with. They are very narrow in angle if you're not trying to move the arms in the joint direction. I've seen the S&S's new SA8 II. The new clamp can be set so that you can move the arms 60 degrees sideways. Instead of buying a new set of clamps just to try I'd rater hear your opinions of clamps and arms. What is you favorite brand and why? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Draq 50 Posted January 2, 2020 Like most here (I think), I use Nauticam and ULCS arms and clamps and for the most part use those brands interchangeably. I think the Nauticam arms may be a little lighter than the ULCS, but am not sure. At times in the past I used some other brand of arm or clamp out of some need, but felt they were all inferior. I have never used the S&S clamps, they might be great and appear to of the same quality as ULCS or Nauticam. Perhaps just buy one of the clamps that interests you and see if it meets your needs? Then you can get more if you want. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TimG 62 Posted January 2, 2020 Hi Scotzh It'd be worth doing a search on this on WP. It's been discussed many times. I'm with Draq: I use ULCS and have had the same set since I stated with u/w photography in 2003. They still work perfectly. Looking at various Classified ads on WP, they seem to be one of the few u/w dooh-dads that keep a reasonable amount of their purchase costs. Buy cheap, buy twice. Buy ULCS, buy once Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hyp 45 Posted January 2, 2020 (edited) For what it's worth I'm happy with my Aquatica Clamps. They have a nicer grip than Nauticam/ULCS ones, but I have not had any ULCS/Nauticam to really compare, so who knows what I am missing. I have used bad clamps though, so I know that they are at least decent. I use no name (D&D) arms that a seller in Austria has made for him in China (I believe). I think good clamps are much more important than good arms. It is also important to have the same O-Rings on all arms. I bought a set of Nauticam O-Rings for the cheap arms. Edited January 2, 2020 by hyp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scotzh 1 Posted January 3, 2020 6 hours ago, TimG said: Hi Scotzh It'd be worth doing a search on this on WP. It's been discussed many times. I'm with Draq: I use ULCS and have had the same set since I stated with u/w photography in 2003. They still work perfectly. Looking at various Classified ads on WP, they seem to be one of the few u/w dooh-dads that keep a reasonable amount of their purchase costs. Buy cheap, buy twice. Buy ULCS, buy once Thanks, I thought so Tim, that’s why I started with that I was sorry if this had been covered before. I also tried to search for the topics but try to search for, arm AND clamp, and see the results. It’s very hard to use the search for things that is used in so many different topics. I will put it on my todo list how to perform a proper search. Maybe you could point me to that tread and then we could close this one? Thank you all for replying even though it had been covered before. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TimG 62 Posted January 3, 2020 No problem at all discussing a subject again. It always brings out interesting new views. Sorry, a quick search and I couldn't find anything specific either. I see what you mean about loads of results searching for arms and clamps! I typed in ULCS and the number of hits speaks volumes in itself. I searched for a few minutes and couldn't find anything specific on arm quality - just lots on linking ULCS with Stix floats (an excellent combination, I've found), best length, mixed systems, combination to use etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Architeuthis 74 Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) Clamps: Cheap D&D were my first clamps. At the beginning o.k., after about 1 year they were unusable - did not hold any more (new O-rings, dissassembly and ultrasound cleaning, greasing did not help). Now mostly Nauticam and some UCLS. No issues wit hthem so far... Arms: D&D at the beginning. Now additional (more expensive) Nauticams. Both arms equally good in usage, but the cheaper D&D are heavier (less good for air transportation)... => Often buying cheap means buying twice and is expensive... Wolfgang Edited January 3, 2020 by Architeuthis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhotoJunkie 10 Posted January 12, 2020 As a new member I was glad to see this thread. I have the luxury of a small machine shop in my garage and it has let me build a lot of my accessories. When I migrated to an OLYMPUS OMD E-M5 I made my own tray, handles, arms and clamps. Not giving much thought to the o-rings, I just bought a size that fit my design and chose a hard durometer to hold up under the abuse. I’ve been using them for 4 years now and they hold position well and are easily adjustable. After reading this I think I must have been very fortunate to have them work as well as they do. If anyone is interested in changing their o-rings you might look at www.mcmaster.com and search their o-ring selections. Brant Emery Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
