Backscatter +15 Macromate Mini Macro Lens

[ScottsdaleSteve]

So I'm thinking about adding this rig to my GoPro so I can video the occasional macro critter:

My concerns are:
1) I've read that the lens is very heavy. I'm worried about it flopping around/getting in the way/getting damaged.
2) The depth of field is very narrow, so you have to get the distance "just right". My eyes won't let me use the viewfinder to determine sharpness, so I have to guess on distance.

Anybody have any thoughts? Positive or Negative experiences?

 

[Johncn]

Hi,

We had the same concerns.

The lense swings out and “locks” in position open. It doesn’t flop around, but you do need to be aware of your movements. If it gets knocked out of position, it doesn’t hit my anything.

Focusing / depth of field takes a little practice. There is a gauge they send you on paper. We just measured the distance and put a piece of duct tape on our our “pokey sticks” to remind us he proper distance for our lens. It really helps! After a while, you get used to it and don’t need to rely on the stick. We always take a few shots a little closer and a little further back to give us some coverage in case the critter is moving fast or we are bothe moving.

Remember that it does not duplicate the quality of the very expensive camera rigs your fellow divers are lovingly lugging around…but we got some good use out of ours. Recommended. Great customer support, too.

 

[Ez E]

It is heavy. We are talking probably a 1/4” thick piece of quality glass. Mine did occasionally move out of its locked position and flop around while diving in Aruba. I had my GoPro on a hand stick with a retention strap on my wrist. It never got damaged though.

Also as far as its “range”. They give you this little plastic template you can use to determine the acceptable range. Once you get the feel for its range you dont need the template anymore.