Lens cover for Inon macro lens?

[WOODMAN]

This is a little different one. I just got my new Inon 165M67 macro lens for my c5050 Ikelite housed rig, and have it mounted on the special holder that Inon makes to go on an ultralite arm in the strobe rig. So far, so good. Now I notice that Inon does not give you a lens cover for this thing, and I sort of balk at having this expensive little toy carried with no protection for the lens, especially when out of water. The lens cover for the housing does not fit, or I would have ordered another of those. There are a number of spring-loaded snap-on lens covers available to fit the 67mm threaded outer opening of the lens, but I am sure that none of them were designed with salt water contact in mind, and I bet the springs in them would go pretty quickly, even if I did not immerse them. Anybody have a favorite solution for this one, or am I obsessing about nothing and should just bite it and get a spring loaded one? Woody

 

[alcina]

I'm a little confused as to what you want?

I used to keep my macros in a stubby holder/coozie This fits easily into the bc pocket and and the coozie can fit over the lenses/port when they are attached to the camera for protection there, too. Coozies are great!

Now when I dive with that system I slip the macros into the front of my wetsuit. They are secure, they won't get bumped, I won't lose them and they are easily accessible. They still live in the coozie when we are out of the ocean or when they are attached to the front of the housing.

HTH

 

[Gilligan]

Being the "Captain Gadget" that I am I too needed a case for my Inon UCL-165 close-up lens when not using it on my tray.

I took the lens in hand and wandered the aisles of my local Longs Drug Store seeking the right size container.

Low and behold I found one. A plastic 6 ounce Noxema Creme case.

Bought it, dumped the creme, cleaned out the container and lined it with old scraps of 3mm wetsuit material. I glued the material inside the case with Marine Goop.

That case has served me well.

So hit the aisles of your local drug store with lens in hand.

For diving I use this soft pliable plastic lens port cover that I purchased from Backscatter.com for $5.00. I cut the thing down so it fits the close-up lens. It fits snuggly and has never accidentally come off. I remove it just prior to the dive (lens in dock) and leave it in my camera bag. It is designed for 67mm lens ports.

 

[JTemple]

I have an OP/TECH hood hat for my WA lens that I use when it is attached to my Digital Lens Dock and not in use. I love it! I don't know if the smaller ones would work for the macro? I keep my macro lens in a neoprene pouch hooked to a d-ring inside my BC pocket.

http://www.optechusa.com/product/detail/?PRODUCT_ID=16&PRODUCT_SUB_ID=&CATEGORY_ID=13

 

[TheNitroxinator]

There are a number of spring-loaded snap-on lens covers available to fit the 67mm threaded outer opening of the lens, but I am sure that none of them were designed with salt water contact in mind, and I bet the springs in them would go pretty quickly, even if I did not immerse them.

I have 3 spring loaded snap-ons that have lasted me since I got my C5050 and Patima housing on a trip to Palau over 2 years ago (one goes on my macro lens, one goes on the housing, and I got a 3rd because I thought I'd lost one, they are easy to misplace). They may not have been designed for underwater, but they work. I tend to take them off before I dive, but I've forgotten to do so on occasion, they've been through several 60 minute dives. Just don't leave the little olympus spring loaded lens cap on the camera, you can't take that one off without opening the housing (and you wonder why you get pitch-black pictures, no matter what the shutter speed is).

 

[WOODMAN]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I can always count on you for help when needed. The vinyl cap that Backscatter sells (as noted by Gilligan) looked like the clear answer, but then I found that they want 12 bucks to ship a $5 cap!:icon10: I can't force myself to go along with that... The OpTech hood hat looks promising( as noted by JTemple), But I wonder if the smallest one is just a little too big...:06: They list a couple of camera shops locally as distributors, so I will try and check this out. But, at the end of the day, the answer may just be to get one of those snap-off caps and live with it. I am wondering about a cut-down beer can coozie, but I think they may be too small, and I haven't got one handy to experiment with. I intend to leave the lens mounted on the Inon holder which sits on my strobe arm (except when in use, of course), and say- isn't that a handy rig? Oh well, THE SEARCH GOES ON! Woody

 

[CLA]

Hi Woody,

I just purchased a macro lense and have the same dilemma. I used the plastic cover of a jar of paste which I attached to the strobe arm with rubber bands. When using the lense I plan to just reattach the cover to the lense holder. Haven't test-dived this yet but I think it will hold.

Cathy

 

[WOODMAN]

Oh well, I just said heck with it and bought a Tamron snap-off lens cap which fits perfectly. Now, if I can manage not to lose the darn thing... Woody