INON and AOI Wide Angle Wet Lenses for Gopro's

[bghazzal]

Argh - post swallowed by the forum.... retype...

 

Indeed, indeed...

 

I was thinking on inside the actual lens, which might not really be visible from the outside.
Weight pulling on the cover, changing exposure to temp, something like that....

 

Is it a new issue with the waterproofing?
I've snorkeled many times with the GoPro7 without the protective lens cover, never had issues.
You need to remove the protective lens cover to use the dive housing, so I just got rid of it altogether.

 

If it hasn't changed too much, the lens was actually screwed in, and goes quite deep inside the cam.

I changed the lens of my useless GoPro6 for a 3rd party non- distortion 3.37mm lens, and was worried about loss of waterproofing.

But when you unscrew the GoPro lens (don't do it, you will need to adjust focus manually afterwards which is tricky), you realise it's quite sturdy.

 

On the previous models (up to the 7), this is what the actual lens looks like bare:

 

 

(great little product this btw, a 3.37mm non distortion lens by Mapir / Peau Production, good stuff : https://www.peauproductions.com/collections/gopro-hero-7-6-5-cameras-and-lenses/products/3-37mm-f-2-8-87d-hfov-16mp-br-no-distortion-hero-5-6-7?variant=39863341285463 )

 

 

Edited February 10 by bghazzal

[fruehaufsteher2]

Is it possible to have the lens attached to the tripod instead of the GoPro? 
 

That might improve stability because the lens should have more drag than the GoPro…

[Davide DB]

1 hour ago, bghazzal said:

 

I was thinking on inside the actual lens, which might not really be visible from the outside.
Weight pulling on the cover, changing exposure to temp, something like that....

 

This could be an explanation. Maybe the front 52 mm adapter and wet lens reduce the heat exchange.

 

1 hour ago, bghazzal said:

Is it a new issue with the waterproofing?
I've snorkeled many times with the GoPro7 without the protective lens cover, never had issues.
You need to remove the protective lens cover to use the dive housing, so I just got rid of it altogether.

 

Good to know then.

I couldn't find any reliable source stating it.

Problem is that trout spawning last about one month so there's no time to experiment. I got the AOI lens few days ago and the next full moon everything will be over.

[Davide DB]

4 minutes ago, fruehaufsteher2 said:

Is it possible to have the lens attached to the tripod instead of the GoPro? 
 

That might improve stability because the lens should have more drag than the GoPro…

 

Not by default. We should arrange some DIY attachment.

[Nikolausz]

I've just back from the shooting. This AOI is indeed a fantastic lens. I will post some videos soon.

[Nikolausz]

I left my tool I use to position the cameras, so some footage are slant, but I included those, so you can check the corner sharpness. I'm absolutely happy. Even the chub very close to the lens is perfectly sharp.

[bghazzal]

Wow, really great footage indeed from Team River there!
The AOI lens is definitely on the wtb list, when I'll update the action cams.
Do you think it could it could be made to fit on the dive housing of the other action cam contender's nsta 360 Ace, or would that be asking for trouble?

[Nikolausz]

7 hours ago, bghazzal said:

Wow, really great footage indeed from Team River there!
The AOI lens is definitely on the wtb list, when I'll update the action cams.
Do you think it could it could be made to fit on the dive housing of the other action cam contender's Insta 360 Ace, or would that be asking for trouble?

Thanks. I think, it would be not that difficult to produce specific bayonets for popular action cameras, such as Insta360 Ace Pro or DJI Osmo Action 4 (and later). GoPro is still the most popular one, and the underwater housing is the same for many generations (10-12), so it makes sense to support this brand first. I can imagine even that a 3rd party brand will specifically support these alternative action cameras. Finally Backscatter has its own adapter with filter slot. By the way AOI is also designed for smartphones.

[Nikolausz]

I also posted a real comparison including clips taken with "naked" GoPro without the AOI lens. You have to check the corners and the fish swim close to the lens. For me, this lens was my best investment in this year (so far)

 

[Nikolausz]

Today I also observed some problems with the  AOI lens. Probably some sediment particles were trapped between the GoPro and the AOI lens (or in front of the lens), which caused visible errors. This might be a problem in low visibility situations.

[Nikolausz]

7 minutes ago, Nikolausz said:

Today I also observed some problems with the  AOI lens. Probably some sediment particles were trapped between the GoPro and the AOI lens (or in front of the lens), which caused visible errors. This might be a problem in low visibility situations.

 

[Davide DB]

36 minutes ago, Nikolausz said:

 

 

 

Welcome to the club 😞

 

In this case I believe it is because the lens has 10 times the surface area of the gopro and consequently the likelihood of picking up material in sediment-rich waters such as rivers and lakes is much greater.

Also the fact that it is a wet lens exposes it to the known problems of other big sisters such as WWL and EMWL.

 

Then in my case something else happens inside the gopro...

 

Sorry I did not shared any other example but therlse are very busy days.