Mid range lens recommendation

[Chris Ross]

Nice shot. Thanks for details. You don't use any zoom gear with your port and shoot at fixed focal distance, right?

No I have the Nauticam zoom gear - the gear won't fit into Nauticam ports with the plastic bayonet fitting bolted on like the 60mm macro port but does fit into the Zen port I mentioned and presumably also the 7" Nauticam Acrylic dome as it's on their port chart as compatible. In fact I know one local diver who has the 12-40 with the 7" dome.

I mentioned the plastic bayonet as I don't know if the 6" dome port has this type of bayonet or not - you can easily check if it will fit through. The 60mm macro port ID is 70mm, The Zen dome is 77mm ID. The zoom gear is 75mm OD so it's tight but does fit through the dome port opening on the ZEN domes.

 

[vitaly]

Hi @Chris Ross,

A couple more questions:
1. Can you use all zoom range up to 40mm with your port?
2. I don't have experience with the glass dome port, is it easy to scratch? I dive a lot from the shore and try to protect my acrylic port as much as I can but had to polish it twice already. I now the glass is much more harder than acrylic but it can't be fixed it if it's scratched.

 

[Chris Ross]

Yes I get full zoom it comes up quite close to the port without touching. I've had my Zen dome for 5 years and I mostly shore dive with rocky entries and the often times a bit of swell I keep the neoprene cover with me and cover the port on the way in and out. I have a system to attach my camera with a coiled lanyard with clip to shorten it on one side and on the other a series of clips including one quick release so the camera hangs sitting in a horizontal position from the D rings on my BCD - freeing up both hands for getting in and out of the water, dealing with fins etc. So far - touch wood the dome is still fine - some wear marks on the dome shade but glass is good.

These are the items I use on one side - joined by a double ended bolt snap. The last item I got from a ship's chandler - used in sail rigging apparently

 

[vitaly]

Thanks everyone for advices. Just ordered ZEN DP-170II to use with my 12-40 and Pana 7-14. Working on 12-40 zoom gear design to 3D print and save some money

 

[Chris Ross]

Thanks everyone for advices. Just ordered ZEN DP-170II to use with my 12-40 and Pana 7-14. Working on 12-40 zoom gear design to 3D print and save some money

Great - the key thing with the zoom gear is the diameter - The ID of the ZEN port is 77mm and OD of Nauticam gear is 75mm. This just squeezes through to allow you to insert the camera/lens from the back of the housing. You didn't say which camera/housing you have, but on my Nauticam EM-1 MkII it is rather tight inserting from the back of the housing, but just slides through.

 

[vitaly]

Great - the key thing with the zoom gear is the diameter - The ID of the ZEN port is 77mm and OD of Nauticam gear is 75mm. This just squeezes through to allow you to insert the camera/lens from the back of the housing. You didn't say which camera/housing you have, but on my Nauticam EM-1 MkII it is rather tight inserting from the back of the housing, but just slides through.

I have the same setup Nauticam + EM1 MarkII. My 3D printed zoom gear has OD ~72mm. I tested it without dome and it worked fine. If ID of ZEN port is 77mm then I have plenty of room.

 

[Chris Ross]

Looks good - at 72mm should fit easily.

 

[Germie]

Or take a 12-50 or 14-42 with a wet diopter (+10) and a flipadapter, then you can do macro, and everything in between. For a fish portrait it also works.

 

[vitaly]

Or take a 12-50 or 14-42 with a wet diopter (+10) and a flipadapter, then you can do macro, and everything in between. For a fish portrait it also works.

Too late. Will play with 12-40 and ZEN dome first

 

[vitaly]

Th new toy has arrived. It fits 7-14/4.0 and 12-40/2.8 perfectly. Thanks again everyone for the advice.