Gauge Lens for Macro Photographers - Old divers only

[WS007]

@Ardy I have this : AOI UMG-01 LCD Magnifier for Olympus Compact Camera Housings and I still need a magnifying glass when, for instance, I am searching for a pygmy sea horse in a gorgonian, or when my eagle eyed spotter is trying to show me something. If I decide I want to take a picture , then I use the camera
Generally speaking , I agree that hyper macro UW photo and advance age are a bit of a challenge but hey if it was easy we would not like it

An addition regarding pygmy sea horses and presbyopia: I returned from a trip to Raja Ampat on March 13rd (just in time!): Due to my new mask it was the first time I could see them live during the dive instead of seeing them only later on the surface on the computer screen...

Wolfgang

 

[Nemrod]

Hi James, I was going to do that, let me know how you go are they multi-focals?

The new mask should be here any day now. I had a rush charge on it thinking at the time we were still going to Bonaire. That being before the World Wide Freakout began. But, yes, I have bifocals in my prescription. I wanted just the "Executive" readers but they talked me into doing my prescription.

I had been using those stick on lenses in a +2.5 and they helped but in dim light and with the lack of familiarity with my new camera, I was lost.

James

 

[Ardy]

The new mask should be here any day now. I had a rush charge on it thinking at the time we were still going to Bonaire. That being before the World Wide Freakout began. But, yes, I have bifocals in my prescription. I wanted just the "Executive" readers but they talked me into doing my prescription.

I had been using those stick on lenses in a +2.5 and they helped but in dim light and with the lack of familiarity with my new camera, I was lost.

James

James the whole diving thing has been a bit of a magical mystery tour to me over the last few years. The best laugh is reviewing my shots and thinking "what the..." then remembering that I couldn't see it so just pressed the trigger to please the guide.

 

[Nemrod]

James the whole diving thing has been a bit of a magical mystery tour to me over the last few years. The best laugh is reviewing my shots and thinking "what the..." then remembering that I couldn't see it so just pressed the trigger to please the guide.

I have done that quite a lot. The guide is pointing me something and I cannot see it at all. I have a wide angle lens installed and whatever is being shown me is apparently to small for me to see! I push the shutter and let the strobes fire just to reward him/her. At least my old camera I could operate by feel and familiarity but my new rig, no so much even if I cannot see what I am taking a picture of.

James

 

[Ardy]

The biggest disappointment James is there have been no wonder shots out of nowhere. I thought this UW photography game was supposed to be easy these days?

 

[coralcruiser]

I wear contacts when I dive. Helps most of the time except when muck diving and trying to find something the size of a grain of sand that my guide is trying to show me!

 

[Ardy]

Hi I wondered about contact lenses. A -1.5 would help enormously. Do you wear both eyes or just one?

 

[rmorgan]

I've been using prescription lenses for about 10 years. I buy the mask I want and send it in; they grind and glue the lenses. About $300 US, I think; I can't find where I got the last ones, but I think it was seathesearx.com (there are lots of folks doing this now; it was harder to find them a decade ago). My lenses are at least bifocal (I don't think they're progressive, although my regular glasses are), and I consider them indispensable. My wife uses pretty serious readers (maybe 2.5x), and couldn't easily read her computer or compass. We tried the stick-on lenses, which proved very awful for her, and then she got some reader-only custom lenses, which have made a huge difference (and cost a lot less).

I inherited the gift of great close-up vision, but still use a magnifying glass for tiny stuff--easier by far than trying to find it with the camera. The best one I found was from diving-magnifying-glass.com--not cheap as magnifying glasses go, but designed for underwater usage and very heavy-duty.

 

[scrane]

I use two sets of Trident glass gauge readers. The bottom pair are +2 diopter and the top pair are +1. Looks funny, but works great. The top two come to eye level at correct IPD.

 

[Ardy]

Very interesting guys. I can still see gauges but it's the small stuff. I suspect my solution is contacts or the top half of Scrane's weird set up.