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The o-rings will be the same or close enough between different brands, this thread covers what size they are: https://scubaboard.com/community/threads/o-ring-size-for-ball-joint-aluminum-arms.581917/ you can get Buna-N or silicone models - some say the silicone is a bit grippier, from an engineering supply store they should be very cheap. This prompted me to fish out some spare o-rings from the drawer and replace them on my arms. I have INON arms that I use the most and popped on some Nauticam arm o-rings I had. Visually the Nauticam o-rings are a little smaller but still fit the INON arms and they grip noticeably tighter than the old INON were doing. I measure the Nauticam ones to be 16mm ID and 3.75mm cross section.

Yup it an R7 and that might be the best compromise option i suspect even if doing it every shot may get very annoying rapidly. I like glancing at the screen to see or change all my settings without looking through an EVF and just using it to frame the shot. The Canon setup appears to just be "big screen, small screen" with no difference in what each displays when the face detect sensor is triggered. (on land i can configure both to show different things). First dives in 2 days time and i know its a much overdue and substantial update but also know its going to be a frustrating nightmare getting buttons, workarounds and changes into my head vs years of DSLR muscle memory.

Thanks for that. I hadnt considered putting the rope on the strobe arms to stop it flopping. Not sure if i tries it not to just pull the clamps off though (?). Changing O-rings is needed if i can source them (arms are different brands) and i suspect my 15 year old clamps arent great. I have to tighten to the point i need a large screwdriver to lever them open and it still flops. Any suggestions as to which are length combo to use for WA/10mm fisheye on APS-C (180 FOV or so)? Both long arms? Long and short each side ? Overriding factor is the massive, heavy (and for me, underpowered) Ikelites need to be supported. Video lights are fairly lightweight.

I also lost a shackle from a Nauticam MP clamp and I'm considering if I want to do a different attachment. Perhaps a large split ring or soft connection of some sort.

I sometimes use this configuration for fisheye and the Laowa 10/12mm F/2.8 rectilinear lenses.

No, not once in over twenty years. If having the loops on the outer arms bothers one then put them on the inside, the method works either way. With all of the stuff folks have hanging on their cameras like optical and electric sync cables those little loops provide little issue compared. And because they are 1/8 bungee if they were to ever get entangled my shears would make quicker work of them than the heavy electric cables on those Ikelite strobes!

This one is a bit spookier: Kraken and Ghost DiverNikon Z8 w/8-15mm Fisheye lens + 1.4TC, f9@1/25s iso500, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes with 4500k filters

Great photo Dave, kind of spooky. I like the fantastic combination of colours.

Looks great! I’ll keep that in mind I just bought the clamps with shackle so I ordered the shackle and have made my own lanyard etc but good back up plan if the shackle doesn’t work out

Have you had any instances with the bungee loops at the end of your arms presenting any sort of entanglement issues during the dive?

The gap that is added is very small. However, I did make a suggestion as to how to deal with the void in the OE knobs filled with water by drilling a 1/8 or #30 hole to allow blowing the water out. I am confident that the tiny gap of my new "blue" knobs will not cause any more likelihood of breaking a shaft. I did not mean to start a what if scenario as I have never heard of a broken Retra strobe shaft. It is just that I was somewhat miffed by their being plastic, I would have thought them to be stainless steel. If the shaft were to break it would be where the shaft tapers down and is then relieved for the set screw to insert. That is where the turning force is applied and if the shaft were to snap off there the knob would fall off in your hand or Davy Jone's Locker. I am not really worried about it. I have been using for several years a rechargeable electric blower. It worked great and dries all the water off and out of controls without the high pressure compressed air of a nozzle on a scuba tank. Recently I got a corded blower to reduce battery count that really gets the job done and can probably serve as a hair drier 😆 because it even gets very slightly warm due to compression.

I wonder if the tight base is to prevent breaking off the plastic shaft?

Great stuff @Muellema !

This Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dolpheini) was one of about five GPO's we saw out in the open during four days of diving in Barkley Sound with Rendezvous Dive Adventures. Conditions were perfect deep on the reef, and our group found many GPO's hunting and resting on the rocky topology of Barkley Sound. A Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dolpheini) strikes a pose on a colorful part of the reef surrounded by Giant Plumose Anemones (Metridium farcimen). Nikon Z8 w/8-15mm Fisheye lens + 1.4TC, f9@1/20s iso320, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes with 4500k filters

I only have the NA-A6000 housing left + Nauticam 16-70mm gear left. All else was SOLD.

Very slick! About those original knobs. I shared with Retra the feedback about salt constantly forming around the knobs even after an overnight soak. That hollow cavity and tight fitting to the base means they just can't be rinsed out. I designed the replacement knobs to eliminate the cavity and provide a slightly bigger gap at the bottom to allow for drainage. The mode switch gets a different shape to make it easy to distinguish with gloves on.

I got my bumpers and knobs! Super Nice!! About the standard Retra knobs. They have a cavity inside that could hold water and fit so close to the case that blowing out the water completely might be difficult. In replacing my knobs with the 3D printed Super Nice knobs, (1) I discovered that the shaft itself is Nylon, not stainless! Hmmm, I did not expect that on $XXXX strobes! (2) The cavity seems to serve no purpose and I took a 1/8 drill and put a hole in them into the cavity in exact alignment with the set screw hole such that it intersected the cavity at mid depth. (3) JFYI, the set screw goes deep into the plastic shaft and must be nearly completely backed out before the knobs will slip off the plastic shafts. I am quite certain that the added hole would allow complete rinsing and removal of any water and since all the parts are plastic I am not sure it matters. But who wants salt water left in their expensive gear, so add the "blow" hole or get some printed knobs that do not have the cavity and have a small gap at the interface to the back plate to properly drain. Hey, Retra, what is up with those plastic shafts, are those going to snap off? My Inons have plastic bodies and metal shafts, my Retras have metal bodies and plastic shafts, this is making my OCD hurt my head! On the first moon landing, Armstrong hit a CB switch accidentally and broke it off. If not for an ink pin inserted into the CB they might still be on the moon. The point being, if it is important and can break off, it will, exactly when you need it most. Plastic shafts? Are those going to break when I get that whale shark in my VF?

I have a much more basic carry handle setup that has served me well. Paracord, mini bolt-snap, little D-ring, 1/2 inch tubing. About $10. Attached to the top of the ULCS arm. Zip tied a big oring at the bottom of the arm to stow it while diving.

That's a great set! Thanks for sharing.

Hi, I’ve been using the Nikon 8-15mm lens in combination with a Kenko 1.4 teleconverter for several years now. I’m actually quite satisfied with the image quality. I mostly work within the 11–15mm range, shooting through a Seacam fisheye port. I’ve quickly picked a few sample images attached here. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to provide you with detailed metadata for the images. Best regards, Markus

Great thank you for the info- yes the screw unloosened and luckily I was able to save the other shackle from falling off

I primarily use a Nauticam water contact lens, normally the WACP-C or WWL-1B for a smaller rig. With that said, I find the 8-15 +1.4x behind the 140 dome a perfect solution for specific wider needs. Yes, I do miss the longer zoom capabilities of the water contact options with the Sony 28-60, but image quality is never a concern with either. Great images @Dave_Hicks and nice comparison!

EVF plusses generally outweigh the minuses, but it’s an adjustment. Dynamic range for one, auto-adjusting so you can’t ballpark how bright it actually is without taking your face off the camera for another. On the 5d4 I could see that it was dark through the viewfinder but could usually still see the thing I was focusing in, and make a judgement of how much to crank the exposure. I hear the R5ii is better, but I have the original flavor. But on balance it’s better and having instant playback in the VF is worth the adjustment.

I understand, that is why I too have the clamps with a shackle. And lock my arms at the center pivots with bolt snaps and at the outer to inner pivots with a bungee loop, tight or loose, my strobes cannot flail about like I see so often and with damaging results. I also beach dive often enough and need to be able to walk and enter and exit hands free.

I used them for a while, and they're nice because they're cheap and can "upgrade" an existing clamp. However, I ended up buying new clamps with an integral shackle due to a few issues. First, the lanyard metal would frequently bind with the screw so adjusting the clamp meant wiggling the lanyard holder to move things. This was most noticeable when loosening because the spring wasn't strong enough to push the metal out. Second, when I was getting out of the water and had the clamps tightened, any swaying of the lanyard would work the clamps loose enough that the (heavy) strobes could swing around and hit the housing or flop out and get much wider.