Inon LENS for TG-6 help / UWL-H100 or UWL-H100 28M67 type2?

[Laurent C]

Hi there,

Apologies if this has been answered somewhere, I tried to find the information on the forum and elswhere, but sadly with no luck.
Would anyone be able to confirm what INON lens model is compatible with a TG-6 and PT-059 housing set-up? I am confused as I find conflicting information on Inon's website.
- this link (INON Close-up Lens UCL-165M67 [Compatibility]), says UWL-H100
- this other link (INON Dome Lens Unit II for UWL-H100 [Spec]) it says UWL-H100 28M67 type 2.

Also happy to hear from anyone about better options for a wide lens.
I only want to do photography with limited to no video and I am only a recreational diver (advanced padi, ~50 dives with more to come) but I am used to shoot in manual (when not under water ).

Thanks,
Laurent C

 

[Barmaglot]

The '28M67' part specifies that this lens is meant to work with 28mm FF-equivalent lenses behind it, and that it uses 67mm threads for mounting. The 'type 2' part refers to one of the mounting options - it has two types of 67mm threaded lugs; type 1 has the rear element protruding a few millimeters past the threads, which makes it better for use with bayonet or flip adapters, as it gets the rear element closer to the port glass with an adapter in between, while type 2 has the rear element flush with the threads. There is also a UWL-H100 28LD, which uses Inon's LD bayonet mount instead of 67mm threads. There is no plaint 'UWL-H100', it always has some kind of mount option.

In your case, the PT-059 housing has a smaller diameter, 52mm threaded mount, so a step-up ring is needed to attach an M67 lens to it. The protruding rear element of the type 1 mount likely won't fit into such a ring, hence the specification of type 2.

The dome lens unit extends the angle of coverage underwater from ~100 degrees diagonal to ~145 degrees diagonal.

A popular option amount TG-4/5/6 users is the Backscatter M52 Underwater 0.50X 120° Wide Angle Wet Lens which comes in M52 mounting without the need for adapters. Another possibility is Kraken KRL-02/Weefine WFA-02 (same product, different brand names). Unlike the Inon lens, both of those will work with the TG's 25mm lens at its widest setting, whereas Inon UWL-H100 is built for 28mm lenses, necessitating a touch of zoom on the camera to eliminate vignetting in the corners. On the other hand, if you ever replace your camera with something bigger, almost everything on the market uses M67 mounting, so the Inon lens will have better compatibility going forward.

Keep in mind that all those lenses are quite dense and chunky, so you may need to add some floats to your setup to offset their weight.

 

[Laurent C]

Thanks @Barmaglot for the detailed answer, super clear and exactly the info I needed!