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Voltages are not that different, nominal 3.6V per cell, so 7.2V total with two cells, four 1.2V cells gives 4.8V, if using a Retra with 8 cells it's 9.6V nominal. What counts is the voltage of all of the batteries in series. The voltage in isolation doesn't give the whole story as it is the current produced which is related to circuit resistance and voltage that sets the energy being transmitted. I don't know exactly what is going on here, 20A is a high current load for a battery , but for example a normal 220-240V power point can handle 15 amps of AC current without any problem. I know DC is different, but for contacts the main issue is arcing when disconnecting. You don't get power plugs being destroyed and they are handling a lot more power and video lights with bigger contacts don't seem to have the issue.

I'm currently using the rather odd 12-50 kit lens with a diopter and WWL-1 but starting to feel it's limitations. Currently debating between the 30 and 45 macro. The biggest limitation I feel is wide angle.

Hi, Welcome onboard! We have a dedicated sub-forum for compact and action cameras. Enjoy!

Note that S&S strobes used to be notorious for having low sensitivity on their optical trigger and were quite sensitive to fibre optic cable quality. You can bypass this by using an infra-red remote control. Just point the remote's LED directly into the fibre optic port on the strobe and press any of the buttons. the infra red signals will trigger strobes quite easily. A remote for a TV, DVD player, aircon unit etc is fine as long as it has an LED you point at the device.

I'd get the EM-5 III over the EM-10V model, the feature list on the 10 series is a lot more limited, things like custom settings on te top dial is missing - you can save all your UW settings and call it up on the top dial, AF is better with the Em-5 III as well. Downsides to the AOI housing include no rear eyepiece, so you can only use the rear screen and if I recall correctly limitations on flash sync speed with the built in trigger. There was a thread on that recently, believe in RC mode the sync limit is 1/160 for EM10IV and manual limited to 1/200. An EM-1 MKII is also a great option if you can pickup a second hand Nauticam housing. The EM-1 II has 3 custom settings on the dial you can recall. Regarding lenses used, the question is what he wants to shoot. Macro - the 60mm macro is the go-to lens. Wide angle there are a few options to look at, the 14-42 by all accounts is sharp at the widest, but a bit soft when zoomed right in. Can't comment on the AOI wet lens, but a review on almost any camera would have some relevance. A lot of people seem happy with a 14-42 with a WWL or a Panasonic 12-35 with WWL-C. There was a Nauticam EM1-II on the classifieds for a great price recently. Other wide options include a 12-45 in the Zen 170mm dome, the 8mm fisheye in the Zen 100mm dome or something like the 8-18 or 8-15 or 7-14 lenses but they require an N120 adapter and N120 Zen dome. The rectilinears are easier to deal with in Isotta as they have a 102mm port system rather than the 85mm port system and you don't need to get into the expensive N85-N120 adapters. Be easier to suggest something knowing what the preferred subjects are.

Hi Gals and Guys, After years of hiatus coming back to this wonderful hobby slowly. My last dives were pre-covid on the Red Sea, truly amazing world I am hoping to revisit soon. I used a gopro 4 back then, upgraded now to gopro 13 and certainly coming for information in the technical topics. Many thanks for admission and dive safely!

Great suggestion @Grantmac - thanks! What lens do you like / use the most?

I think it could be related to the higher voltage of the individual cells compared to NiMH.

If I was him I'd be considering a used M4/3 setup. I recently picked up a EM1-II in a Nauticam housing with lens and port for $1200usd, all it needed was a vacuum valve. It's a generation old but I don't see cameras as having advanced much since then.

Excellent - thanks @MatthewSullivan , really appreciate it!! Added bonus - I know you are a very fair, realistic reviewer as well!

https://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-special-features/article/review-om-system-olympus-om-d-e-m10-mark-iv-backscatter-octo-housing/ should help address at least some of the questions :)

Thank you very much. I can hear the charging sound. And it turns red after a it charged up. The cable is fine. It works with my other strobes. And I don’t have a way to test the 5-pin connection. I have a feeling that the flash bulb might be dead.

@JapanDiver We have people on this site who can provide much better information, but I would check these things: 1) make certain you can hear the capacitor charging, 2) that a flash is transmitted through the fiber cable and 3) there is nothing blocking light transmission to the sensor on the flash. Also, make certain you are using the right plug at the underside of the strobe. Alternatively, you can use the 5-pin cable if you’re motivated, to see if that triggers the strobe. buena suerte, Craig

I have a buddy considering entering uw photography. He wants a cost effective system, small body with interchangeable lens. I am strongly considering the m4/3 options, specifically the OM-D E-M5 mark III vs OM-D E-M10 IV as recommendations. The least expensive option is the OM-D E-M10 IV including the AOI poly housing for ~$1600 USD. Questions: Seems the E-M5 III has faster focus, but is it a major difference? E-M5 III also requires a more expensive housing. If properly cared for, are there any downsides to the AOI housing? How is the image quality of 14-42 EZ lens and the AOI wet mount wide lens? I appreciate any feedback on these specific models and the AOI housing. @Chris Ross I know you have extensive knowledge in the m4/3 world. Many thanks! chip **Please note - I have extensive experience with Sony and Canon models. I own and use the Sony a1, Sony a6700, and Canon R5 as well as others in the past. I also owned the E-M1 and loved it for a variety of reasons. In my experience the m4/3 seems to be a solid option for his specific needs, but appreciate current info and user experience on the points above.

I remove the oring of my Nauticam LX10 clamshell housing after every diving day, clean the groove (which has water dropplets) with a pair makeup applier spongy thingies, check, clean the o-ring and micro-lubricate it with Nauticam grease - it's mostly to help as I run it around the fingers a few times to feel for any grit. I'm also more of feeler for this. If there is any I remove it and replace the o-ring after it feels smooth and double check there is nothing visible on the o-ring or housing groove. Lights I do every once in a while, when the oring is unclean, feels a little dry or if the lights where in direct contact with sand. I used to lubricate the outside of the o-ring only but am now happier removing them as it's a good way to check the groove as well, as I've had suprises. I shore dive every second day, 3 days a week on average.

Ok, as a follow-up, things have gone a little haywire.... I wasn't getting a response from AOI to my enquiry to clarify service conditions posted above, so I emailed them again and got the following message yesterday: Thank you for your follow-up email. While we were exploring potential solutions internally, our team also reached out to Fantasea. We have just received a reply from their representative, who confirmed that Fantasea will contact you directly to proceed with the next steps. We have therefore handed over your case to them, and we kindly ask that you watch for upcoming emails from Fantasea regarding further handling. Thank you for your understanding and patience. So unfortunately, it looks like AOI retracted the service offer they had made me and which I'd posted above, which is a little unexpected and, well,... I asked AOI for confirmation that this was the case and have not yet received an answer. **** Later on, a Fantasea rep did get in touch (so they're still operating even if the website is down) and offered for me to ship it to the USA under the following conditions: You can send it to our office to be checked. If internal cleaning is needed, we can do so for $120, including shipping the lens back to you. If replacing optical elements is required, then servicing and shipping will cost more than that. When I replied that this wasn't economically viable for this lens, given my location (Japan) and the price of a new AOI UCL-05N (which is the slightly upgraded version of my lens), and asked about changing o-rings, I was told by Fantasea: Please note that we do not offer parts for sale to replace within the lens (self service). In addition, if it helps, we can extend this price of 180 Euros (USD 212) for a new lens if you wish to order one. This offer is valid until the end of the month. So basically, I can buy a new lens, or pay roughly the price of a new lens to have it serviced. The lens is letting moisture in, so cleaning and servicing plus replacement of elements (o-rings?) would be required.

Thanks Davide, I'm really happy with this one. That treasure-chest of music you introduced me to is quite inspiring! Thanks a bunch Maria - he's an absolute cartoon cutie Thanks Craig - Yes, I think it works well - [boomer mode ] just too bad 80% of content is watched without sound these days 😅 [/boomer mode]

Hi JapanDiver, Welcome to the forum and rainy greetings from Okinawa main island. I just did my last two dives of the year this morning and the weather is breaking down, I hope you have better conditions in Shimoda! Cheers! Ben

I mostly a budget shooter. Buy a lot of used gear. Recently bought a sea&sea ys-d1. It turns on. Red light. Can be switched to blue( slave mode). Focusing light turns on and off. The only problem is it won’t flash. I got it connected to a TG-5 with housing and sea&sea Fiber optic cable. Is there a quick test I can do to know if the flash bulb is done?

Aloha and welcome @btroxell !

I tend to pull the o rings after every day of diving on my camera housing and Inons. I tend not to do that with focusing and video lights. I do mostly shore diving, and it’s hella sandy around here. I also tend to feel grit, debris and imperfections on the rings more easily than I can see them.

Aloha and welcome @JapanDiver ! @bghazzal

Hi JapanDiver Welcome aboard! We hope you enjoy the forum! Ciao

Hello everyone. I was looking for some answers to my problems and find this place here. It looked very nice so I signed up. I hope we can help each other. And share our photos( mine are very bad ). BTW I live in Shimoda, Japan a surfing and marine sports town. We probably got the most beautiful beaches and best diving/snorkeling in the greater Tokyo area( we might not be exactly in the greater Tokyo area, but close enough ). I would have attached a few photos. But I don’t know how.

I did not clean, lube or pull the O-ring off on this particular occasion as I describe how I normally would have. What I think happened is that the FIX S90 housing is a clam shell type. When I opened the housing the door with O-ring rubbed across the room table I was working from. The room cleaning lady did have curly black hair (like a perm) so I think it likely hers from cleaning the room and wiping the table down as part of her duties. I am not blaming her, I was the one who deviated from my normal routine and did not inspect the O-ring for FOD. FOD can come from all sorts of places. I think that is how the hair got on the O-ring. Many times I have found sand and debris on the door O-rings and down in the groove after a dive and upon opening the housing. The OP asked what other people do. I explained my routine. "So, it got me to wondering what other folks do:" I did not say it was necessary or required. I remove, clean and lube with each opening and I answered the original question.