What will a dome lens do for me?

[Waterwulf]

Ok, first! I'm a total rookie on underwater photography. I do not know what I'm doing so go easy on me.

I have an Olympus C-7070 with an Ikelite case. It's been a good camera for surface shots and I've done some good stuff with it plus it's been holding up well to being banged around in a desert off road crawler. I have never taken any underwater photo's with it. It has no special lenses on it while inside the Ikelite housing and the housing only has the standard one on the front. I think it was 70mm. I picked up a red lens to fit it because I read that red light fades first and I'll be doing shallow water stuff with it.

I wanted a new handle for the tray and picked up one at a yard sale. It was on top of a box full of Ikelite stuff in pouches and bags but I figured the quick release handle was worth the ten bucks they wanted for the box of stuff so I bought it without going thru it.

Treasure! Jackpot! Yeehaw! Among some Ikelite strobes and assorted hardware, was an Ikelite Dome Lens in the box with paperwork. It's a perfect fit for my Ikelite case with the Olympus 7070 inside. It's made to be used "wet" so it can be put on/off underwater and measures five inches across the lens. What will this thing do for my photo's?

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Nice find! It sounds like a wide-angle or fish-eye wet lens: adding this to your housing will allow you to capture a wider area in your photos (ie reefscapes, close ups of larger marine life, etc).

These wet lenses are designed to work with specific lenses/focal lengths. While it may attach to the port on your housing it may or may not work optically with the 27-110 lens on your camera. Best way to find out is to attach it and see how it goes.

On the wet lens there should be a model number (i.e. 'UWL-165'): if you can share it we can check what you have and if it works with your camera.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[David Haas]

If it's a "dome" as in air filled press on lens it's likely a WD-3 or WD-4 model.

This air filled "lens" simply restores the lost angle of view your camera lens "sees" underwater when photographing through your housing's flat port.

Much like our flat face masks cause refraction or bending of light entering an air filled space that phenomenon makes things look 25% closer and larger.

All the Air filled dome lens does is correct that refraction but only UNDERWATER.

Sometimes depending on the individual camera you may have to enable your MACRO choice as the dome will create an apparent image UNDERWATER.

Even if your subject is 3' away the lens on your camera will "see" this apparent image as maybe only 12" in front of the lens. That's why you may need to enable you MACRO choice to allow your camera to focus.

Finally, if it's a THREAD ON GLASS LENS simply thread it on your port and shoot away

Maybe post a photo of what it looks like for more clarification.

Whichever it is remember those are made for shooting wide angle images. Zoom with your fins as in get close!

Good luck

David Haas

 

[Waterwulf]

Ok, it's a screw on threaded type but I can not find any markings on it. Where would they be?

 

[David Haas]

Sounds like it's maybe an Ikelite W20 glass lens.

the Ikelite W20 is really made by Epoque and was designed to widen the view of digital cameras (mostly compacts) at the 35mm setting I think.

The later model W30 (Epoque DCL-30) was designed when compacts starting having lenses got to 28mm at their widest.

Post a photo of the lens alone and mounted on your housing.

DH

 

[Waterwulf]

Ok, here's some photo's of the lens. Does this help?

 

[Nemrod]

That does not appear to be a lens but instead a dome port. You might contact Ikelite and ask them what lens and camera it was meant for. It may well work with the lens on your 7070 providing a slightly wider FOV and optical correction. You may need a diopter installed on your camera lens to get focus.

 

[Waterwulf]

What's the difference between the two types of lenses? Dome port versus dome lens?

 

[David Haas]

That is a special dry dome port that threads on in place of the standard short flat port. It was usable with the Olympus C5060 and your C7070 models.

It should restore your widest focal length of your C7070 camera lens once submerged. You might need to turn on your MACRO function for it to focus underwater too.

I'd think main use would be to shoot at your widest focal length as I don't know if it would maintain focus zooming to a more telephoto focal length UNDERWATER.

Above water It's simply a clear plastic window and you could shoot pictures fine with the camera in the housing.

You could also reach out to Ikelite at ikelite@ikelite.com and ask for any older instructions.

DH