Hi All:

I have ordered the MFO-3. I currently enjoy using the MFO-1 on my 105 Nikkor and am trying to decide if it is worth getting a double flip so I can use both, or if I should stick with a single flip for the MFO-3 and just uunscrew and stow the MFO-1 or leave it off when using the "3" I have never used a double before and they look cumbersome to me.

And, if going with the double, is it worth the premium price for the Nauticam over the Saga?

I am sure some of you have experience with this and I look forward to advice. Thank you in advance

2 hours ago, JohnD said:

Hi All:

I have ordered the MFO-3. I currently enjoy using the MFO-1 on my 105 Nikkor and am trying to decide if it is worth getting a double flip so I can use both, or if I should stick with a single flip for the MFO-3 and just uunscrew and stow the MFO-1 or leave it off when using the "3" I have never used a double before and they look cumbersome to me.

And, if going with the double, is it worth the premium price for the Nauticam over the Saga?

I am sure some of you have experience with this and I look forward to advice. Thank you in advance

It might be cumbersome with a giant MFO-3.

I would be reluctant to mount/unmount these during a dive.

That is my general feeling as well. But I watched Alex's video and he seemed to feel it worked OK even on a double flip. Although, it would be nice to have both the "1" and "3" available. "First World" problems, eh?

2 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

It might be cumbersome with a giant MFO-3.

I would be reluctant to mount/unmount these during a dive.

It seems that the MFO-1 adds just a little magnification and improved edge-to-edge sharpness. So … the question is how much you value that over the bare lens, which would factor into my decision to carry it at all. It’s probably a good to have the MFO-3 on a flip though. I’m also not He Man enough to use a double flip.

5 minutes ago, humu9679 said:

It seems that the MFO-1 adds just a little magnification and improved edge-to-edge sharpness. So … the question is how much you value that over the bare lens, which would factor into my decision to carry it at all. It’s probably a good to have the MFO-3 on a flip though. I’m also not He Man enough to use a double flip.

I see value in the MFO-1 in improving the focal range of a 105mm lens. My other longtime favorite diopter is the SubSee+5, which allows closer focus, maybe 1.2 magnification, and improved sharpness. But it only works in very close distances. Beyond a few inches I need to remove it. The MFO-1 does all that but has a bit less magnification. The advantage is I pretty much never need to remove it as it can focus out to a meter at least.

Well, for me, I like the MFO-1 because it gives just a bit of extra magnification which makes it easier to use than the SMC, and also increases the focusing distance allowing more versatility. It may have been over-hyped and may not have been the miracle lens that it at first seemed, but it suits me, and I would prefer to have it. However, I am unsure how annoying a double flip might be in general and more so with the fairly large MFO-3, and whether that potential bulk and weight outweighs the benefit of also having the MFO-1. Of course, I realize this is highly subjective, but I guess that was really the question. And, also whether the Nauticam version is really worth almost twice the price of the Saga? My guess is no, but I have not used either.

I got an MFO3 and waiting to get it UW, I have the bayonet mounts for it and I'll see how that goes. I'm going to try having a parking bayonet on the float arm, but I'll have to see how that works, otherwise I'll have to work out how to carry it.

On flip holders I see that the SAGA doesn't have a clip to hold it down tight when in place, I'm wondering if that might be a problem. I see AOI also offers a flip holder which has a clip and it's a bit cheaper.

So....I went ahead and ordered the Saga dual flip. I will try it out but also take the single flip along, in case the double flip experiment fails.

Chris, in the absence of any other feedback, I checked with Reef Photo and was told that although there is no clip, there is a strong detent or spring mechanism that will hold the diopter or whatever firmly in place. They suggested the Nauticam was not worth the large price difference. I will try it out when it arrives.

5 minutes ago, JohnD said:

So....I went ahead and ordered the Saga dual flip. I will try it out but also take the single flip along, in case the double flip experiment fails.

Chris, in the absence of any other feedback, I checked with Reef Photo and was told that although there is no clip, there is a strong detent or spring mechanism that will hold the diopter or whatever firmly in place. They suggested the Nauticam was not worth the large price difference. I will try it out when it arrives.

I have the Nauticam dual flip, but the Saga model looks nice. Very similar looking hinge. Honestly, the clips on the Nauticam are a pain and they get all scratched up on the sand. I never actually unclip them anyway, I just pull the diopter open and break past the clip. So the clips don't really work and you are likely better off without them.

Looking forward to your review.

Regarding the Saga dual flip, it would be great to confirm if mounted diopters are flush to the port like on the Nauticam flip, or if there is a little gap as some users have reported. Seemed to be linked to the mounting design IIRC

I will post when i get everything and try it out.