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I have been working on designing a tripod for 3D printing that uses ball end arms for the legs. I have one done but have not gotten it in the water yet to test (although it works on land where the rig is even heavier than in the water, so I suspect that it will be strong enough). Since it hasn't been tested properly, I have not posted it to Thingiverse or MakerWorld yet, but I probably should.

What is the spherical diameter of your dome? You need that to figure out the optimal position of the dome. For my 100mm dome I calculated the base mount of the dome should be 59mm from the housing mount. So my dome port mount is actually a 19mm extension. This positions the inside surface of the dome at an optimal distance from the focal plane inside the 60mm lens. I'm not absolutely certain that is exactly correct, but it seems to be working out quite well. If I discover that it could be better positioned I can always adjust the base extension length. I can print a new extension ring overnight if needed, so it's not difficult to make adjustments.

Thank you everyone for your input on OM-1 setups. I do already have the 60mm macro and will definitely get a port for that. Currently trying to decide if I want to go straight for the 8mm FE or use the 12-42 and a wet wide lens. There is an Isotta for sale on scubaboard and although I hate how it looks it's an attractive option. @TimG I read your post about the liveaboard fire. I'm so sorry you experienced that but glad that everyone made it out safely. Thank you for sharing though, your words are an important warning to many of us.

Hi Dave, I have designed an adopter, like you did, to connect glass and N120 extension ring. I originally want to have a hard cap but now I have a soft cap made of synthetic rubber considering I dive with tec shorts as soft cap is easier to put into my pocket I am also interested in learning how to further improve the optical performance of the curved port, as I understand that the final image quality can vary depending on the combination of components used. In particular, I believe the length of the extension ring plays an important role in determining the port’s performance. I noticed that you are using a 20 mm and a 40 mm extension ring, giving you a total extension of 60 mm, whereas I am currently using two 20 mm extension rings, for a total of 40 mm. I have not yet done the optical calculations or conducted a systematic comparison to determine the optimal extension length. I would therefore be very interested to hear your thoughts on extension-ring length, port positioning, corner sharpness, field of view, or any other factors that may affect the overall performance of this setup. Any suggestions or practical experience would be greatly appreciated.

Super. My cap is also rubber for the same reasons. The open mesh design makes it a lot easier to remove and install underwater and makes rinsing simpler.

Finally waterpiexl is back! I lost my reply entirely Lol. However, my partner and I have designed an adaptor to connect N120 extension ring and components from INON Dome Unit IIIA. I originally wanted a hard cap too, but I eventually chose a soft cap made of synthetic rubber. Since I usually dive with my tech shorts, the soft cap is much easier to carry in my pocket.

Yes. I switched to Resolve a few years ago. The best money I ever spent. I paid 200 euros for the 15 Studio version and since then I have reached version 21.x without spending another euro. Lately there are rumors that there might be a new pricing policy, but for now I am happy. It is a steep learning curve but it is worth it. To exploit rhe latest AI features tou need a very powerful computer. Yes, you had a very original idea to combine completely different clips. Unfortunately, here we are a bit too much pixel peepers, while we should discuss creativity more 😄

Very nice. I looked up that Inon part. Interesting modular dome available in glass or acrylic. It seems designed to mount on to various Inon base ports. How did you get it on an n120 ring? Did you make that part, or find something comercialy available? That acrylic version that you have is quite inexpensive at $135 usd and the glass is not a whole lot more. This could be a pretty good and easily available source of part for anyone that want to try a similar curved macro port. I've been using my 3d printed port and extensions for a couple of weeks now and have about 4-5 dives with is completed. It's been really fantastic. Here is an updated photo to the final product, configured with a 40mm printed extension ring and port cap.

Bill, Did you try the "180" (actually more like 160 as it tilts slightly up)? I got one and used it some for macro in Monterey and it seemed like a big improvement. Wondering how it will be in Lembeh on muck macro and blackwater? Thanks, Evan

Hi Dave, It’s great to see someone else who is also interested in curved ports! I own a Nikon Z8 and use the Nauticam NA-Z8 housing, so we have a very similar setup. Before introducing my configuration, I’d like to share some details about the curved port I use. My curved port was modified from an INON Dome Unit IIIA. Here is the final setup with AFS 60mm(20mm N120 extension rings x2) The curved port is made of aluminum and is compatible with Nauticam’s N120 port system. This allows me to use it with different extension-ring configurations, such as a 50 mm extension ring or two 20 mm extension rings. Here are my test shots: This is the very first image I took with the curved port. I chose this subject to test how wide a field of view this setup could achieve. When shooting at a sufficiently close distance with curved port, the background can be rendered with a pleasing blur. Furthermore, I also test it during blackwater dives, I am pretty satisfied the results, too. I was lucky enough to photograph a blanket octopus with this setup. I was surprised that I could fit the entire subject in the frame even from such a close distance. You can see more images taken with this curved port(recent images with AFS 60mm) in my online portfolio. The images have been converted to AVIF format and use the Display P3 color profile, as I primarily work with Apple devices. AVIF images are displayed particularly well in Google Chrome on PC and Mac. looking forward to having more discussion about curved port.

Attaching a photo shot with the Kraken at F11 at near zero range from the subject. This was taken in pretty chunky water, but if you look at the lower left you can get an idea of corner sharpness. The upper right is much further away and not in the plane of focus, plus chunks...

It took me a while to get over the lack of a 45 finder but I find (except for Blackwater) the AOI 90 degree finder is fine for macro. Bill

A friend is shooting Subal and has the FP-75/3 port for her 60 mm lens. She wants to add a diopter, but the port has no threads. Is there a push-on/3d printed holder to make that happen? Thanks Bill

Mark, Thanks. I sent you an IM. Let me know if you’re interested in selling your OM-1 and housing after you get your Sony up and running. Evan

Thanks Sokrates for posting. I just came here to do it. I also wanted to share this long video covering how I set up the camera: Which covers a few things on basic camera setup and then goes into detail on Customisation of My Meni, Function Menu and buttons for underwater shooting, before going through setting up the programable Shooting Modes for different types of UW shooting. This video goes with this webpage: https://www.amustard.com/underwater-settings-for-sony-a7r-vi/ Alex

Another OM-1 / Nauticam user here. I can’t compare to other housing brands but I do really like mine (and the one I had before for an OM-5). As for lenses I have also settled on the Olympus 60 sometimes with a SubSee +5 diopter for macro and the Panasonic 8 fisheye behind the 4.33” minidome for wide angle. Both deliver great image quality. My previous experience is with the 12-50 zoom plus macro (OK at everything, better at macro, excellent at none), Panasonic 7-14 rectilinear with a 6” dome (I really want a zoom of this range but this combo was not very good at anything) and the Olympus 14-42 behind the flat port of an Olympus housing (the less said the better!). Happy diving!

The Kraken got a lot less use once i got WWL-1 which is a great option for Wide-Macro shoots. Pretty wide to Near macro and high quality at all ranges. The Kraken has corner issues for sure, but it does not always matter. But i still pull it out for some scenarios. When I want true macro abilities with the 60mm and a diopter with wide options. The CFWA of the Kraken is better than WWL as it has something of a fisheye effect in accentuating the center subject. It is also even wider than the 130degs of the WWL/WACP so close up it works like a fisheye. I would not chose the Kraken for a reef shoot, my 8-15 FE is better for that. A good all rounder picks the WWL. But kraken still get in the rotation a few times every year. It has some real useful abilities.

@Davide DB for NLE - I assume you mean the editing software -- I was using Adobe Premier Pro which I'm very new at. I probably need to switch to / learn Divinci due to the exorbitant price for Premier, especially given how often I use it in real life but the classes at the event were all in Premier pro. Oh and I forgot, yes the storyline is the blenny watching the ocean around it. Took some seminars from videographer Cristian Dimitrius in June (https://cristiandimitrius.com/) and the story line is something he really emphasized. I was working up a story line on the groupers but my footage a was a bit random so I used the blenny to try to tie it together.

good luck @ACHiPo ! It's hard and I definitely am going to figure out a tripod for macro next time.

I've never used the MWL but from what i gather, the image quality left a lot to be desired, especially in the corners. I'll reiterate though, not havig shot it, i cannot comment first hand. I don't believe alex has shot it either. I shot the kraken for a few years and while it isn't flawless optically, i found i acceptable for most applications I used it for. i do not have access to any of my hard drives with images from it currently but ill circle back to this and post some once I do. It still does need to be stopped down to f11 or so (imo) before it gets good enough on the edges but for things like sharks or whatever else in open water id shoot it at f8 no problem

@BeppePADI it would be amazing if you could try take a full res photo as well, would be interested to see how good / bad that is

I’m tagging along here since my diving in the Similans, Ko Bon/Tachai is more than 25 years ago. Need advice on smaller (less than 20 guests) liveaboard that is a decent choice for us photographers. Will be in Thailand in mid January on my way home from Indonesia, so might be able to revisit these sites and shoot some. Any ideas? I guess @bghazzal might have one or two…

I’m moving to the OM system having lost all my gear in a fire on a liveaboard in the Maldives. See my article A Word To The Wise. I’d being using Subal housings for 25 years always with a 45-degree viewfinder which I loved. I lost a Nikon D500-based system which I saw little point in trying to replace given the camera’s age. I settled on the OM as the replacement given its reputation and size for travelling. Having had Subals, I really wanted a housing of that quality and 45-degree viewfinder capable. Given the increasing rarity, sadly, of Subals and the popularity of Nauticam (easy access to parts, service, resale value etc), I decided to go with that. I only started playing with the housing yesterday. Have to say, early days, I’m impressed. It’s a quality product with very good integration of things like a vacuum alarm and USB charging. So much to learn though with both a new camera and housing! Based on advice from folks here, including Chris, I’ve bought the Olympus 60mm macro and 8mm Panasonic lenses and will see how that goes. These replicate close to what I used on the D500. (Either Nikkor 60 or 105 and the much-loved Tokina 10-17)

Really beautiful documentary, and a fascinating environment that I’d only ever heard about before. There are even some CFWA shots, like the gastropod at 12:40. Thanks for sharing!