Anyone tried BARE 5" dome port (Nexus/Nauticam)

[Larry C]

Thinking about going to a smaller dome on my MDX-D300 as the big fisheye dome is very hard to light in less than crystal clear water. Looking at:
Sea & Sea compact dome (6" I think)
Zen 100mm ($899 ouch! plus spacer for extra?)
Bare 5" dome for Nexus M5 (with Athena Sea & Sea to Nexus M5 adapter) $360 for the port plus $299 for the adapter.
Anyone have experience with one or more of above? Travel is an issue. My rig is now way to big and heavy for carry on. I'm trying to shrink it, plus I want to get closer to subjects and not have so much issues with backscatter on either side due to close in strobe location.

 

[bvanant]

I have the 4 inch Zen port. Expensive but killer with the Tokina for close focus stuff. Other than the big dome ( and superior Canon equipment ) my equivalent gear fits in a Think Tank bag that we always carry on.

Bill

 

[AussieByron]

I dont know what you mean by finding it very hard to light in less than crystal clear water??? I have shot my Tokina 10-17mm with 8 inch dome in really bad water and had success.

I have been playing with the Aquatica 100mm (4 inch) mini dome with the Tokina 10-17mm. I had great success in shooting big stuff in low vis. I wont be packing my 8 inch dome anymore for overseas travel and its so compact. It does come at a cost tho.

Also the mini domes allow you to get into some great CFWA work and by adding a 1.4x Teleconverter and extension ring for the dome makes it a very versatile combination.

Regards Mark

 

[AussieByron]

BTW Aquatica make an adapter so that their ports/domes fit the Sea and Sea cameras. I beleive the adapter is $95rrp and the Mini dome is $699. I beleive you would find it difficult to see the difference between the Aquatica and the Zen 4 inch mini domes but the Aquatica is $200 cheaper.

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/aquatica-announces-port-adapters-for-subal-and-sea-and-sea/

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/aquatica-announces-new-mini-dome-100/

Regards Mark

 

[Larry C]

Tokina for close focus stuff. Other than the big dome and my equivalent gear fits in a Think Tank bag that we always carry on.
Bill

Isn't there a weight issue? Who do you usually fly with?

I dont know what you mean by finding it very hard to light in less than crystal clear water??? Regards Mark

We get a lot of sandy wash and plankton blooms. I've tried way out wide, pointed straight, pointed slightly away, in close and behind the housing. I tend to have to crop out bright areas of reflection on one side or the other if I get adequate light on the subject.

I have been playing with the Aquatica 100mm (4 inch) mini dome with the Tokina 10-17mm. I had great success in shooting big stuff in low vis. I wont be packing my 8 inch dome anymore for overseas travel and its so compact. It does come at a cost tho.
Also the mini domes allow you to get into some great CFWA work and by adding a 1.4x Teleconverter and extension ring for the dome makes it a very versatile combination.
BTW Aquatica make an adapter so that their ports/domes fit the Sea and Sea cameras. I beleive the adapter is $95rrp and the Mini dome is $699. I beleive you would find it difficult to see the difference between the Aquatica and the Zen 4 inch mini domes but the Aquatica is $200 cheaper.
Regards Mark

The adapter seems to be for a Sea & Sea lens on an Aquatica housing. They do say that they plan to build it for other brands, though. I'll keep an eye out.

Thanks.

 

[AussieByron]

I know what your saying about bad vis. Here are some shots taken a while ago in 3-4m vis. I was Happy with the results for such poor conditions.

Strobe placement and getting really close is the key:

Regards Mark

 

[Larry C]

Those look like pretty typical Monterey on a decent day. We often have half that or similar vis but with clouds of particulate that make the water look milky. You can see some of what I'm talking about in the school on the right in your second shot.
The pics would be almost entirely lit by strobe. We get a thick layer of algae down to about 30-50 feet that blocks out most light. You generally won't see the sun at all from the bottom. On some days, even with good vis at 100' it's like a night dive below the layer.