Adrian Gresores

FYI. I have already sold the lens, but am still interested in buying the port.

Selling my Letonpower Sealion L24 12,000‑lumen underwater video/focus light. Used on one dive trip (~4 dives total) and in excellent, near‑new condition. Fully tested, never flooded, and maintained properly after each use. This is a complete kit with all original accessories, the original case, and four nearly‑new 18650 batteries (light uses 3 → 1 spare). Ready to dive. Included Sealion L24 12,000‑lumen video/focus light 4× 18650 batteries (~4 dive cycles each) Original protective case USB charging cable Tether Spare O‑rings O‑ring grease Manual Full original accessory kit Condition Notes Only ~4 dives Impeccable cosmetic and functional condition O‑rings cleaned/greased after each use Stored dry with caps off Beam tested: clean, even, no flicker Never flooded Why I’m Selling Consolidating my lighting kit. Price $185 shipped (US) Local pickup available in San Antonio, TX. Happy to answer questions or provide additional photos.

I am interested in buying a used Panasonic 8mm fisheye m43 lens and either an AOI DLP-05 or DLP-06 dome port. If you have any of these available, please let me know here or via [email protected].

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to simplify. Bringing both the MFO‑1 and CMC‑2 on separate bayonets would just add unnecessary complexity, so I’d rather stick with a single flip adapter. Sure, the MFO‑1 would be easy enough to pack, but given the range of creature sizes in the Caribbean, I doubt I’d ever finish a dive thinking, “Damn, I wish I’d brought the MFO‑1.” On the other hand, I can imagine spotting something tiny and thinking, “Damn, I wish I’d had the CMC‑2.”

Our trip is at the end of February. If I decide to sell it (my guess is that I will), I can let you know then.

At this point, I've decided on the following for our Turks & Caicos next month. Leave the MFO-1 at home. Dive with the CMC-2 on a flip adapter. If I don't miss the MFO-1, sell it when I get home. Consider selling the CMC-2 and flip adapter, too, if I don't end up using it much (although I got a great deal on those. Does that sound reasonable?

I think I understand your points better now, but I’d like to ask a couple of related questions. As I understand it, the bare 60mm has a working distance of roughly 80 mm to infinity (without limiting the focus range) and a maximum magnification of 1:1. The MFO-1 shortens the minimum focus distance to about 58 mm, which increases magnification slightly to around 1:1.1 and also reduces the amount of water between the camera and subject, which is obviously a plus. It does limit the maximum focus distance to roughly 1.12 m, but realistically there’s rarely a good reason to shoot macro beyond 1 m anyway. On m43, the improvements in image quality and focus hunting seem likely to be marginal or even negligible. Given that, do you feel the reduced minimum focus distance alone is enough to justify keeping and using the MFO-1, considering the added weight and bulk it adds to the setup? Do you personally use it in a similar configuration? Alternatively, would it be just as good—or even preferable—to shoot with the bare 60mm and rely on a CMC-2 on a flip adapter for the (probably rare) situations where I need more magnification?

Thank you for such a comprehensive answer. I thought this was a simple question, but it seems the answer may be far from that. If I understood you correctly, the CMC-2, like all diopters, may not be a great choice for my m43 setup. The focus distance would be too close and thus difficult. I suppose I should have done more research first. Now, I wonder if I should keep the MFO-1, and ditch the CMC-2. 🥴 That being said, if diopters do not work well with m43, what option would you suggest for super macro, only the 90mm lens?

Thanks. I've seen you say that before. It is very confusing. Some swear by the lens, some hate it. I am still not sure how I feel about it.

I can understand that, but wouldn't the CMC-2 do that, also?

I know there has already been a lot of discussion about the utility and value of the Nauticam MFO-1, but I’d still really appreciate some advice specific to my setup. I’m shooting an OM-1 in an AOI UH-OM1II housing with the Olympus 60mm macro. I currently own an MFO-1 and just picked up a used CMC-2. The main reason I’ve kept the MFO-1 so far is that it does let me get slightly closer to the subject and increases magnification to about 1:1.1, compared to 1:1 with just the 60mm alone. That said, in my experience, and other comments I have read, e.g. from Alex Mustard, the improvement in image quality and reduction in focus hunting seem pretty marginal. Given this setup, would you keep the MFO-1 or ditch it? Does it still fill a useful niche alongside the CMC-2, or is it mostly redundant at this point? I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has real-world experience with a similar configuration.

The MFO-1 provides only mild magnification on my 60mm, and has mild improvement in other parameters. So, most of the time, I would shoot with it on. If I want more magnification, I would switch it for my true close-up lens. And, occasionally, I could just have both on the bayonet adapters. I'm pretty sure the effect on balance won't be much different than a double flip holder.

I could see how that would be undesirable. With the double bayonet holder I plan to use now, except for the brief moments when I am actually exchanging lenses, there will always be one attached to the macro lens and one on the holder. It should not affect the balance at all.

Imagine something like this with close-up lenses mounted on the crossbar instead of the WWL, and plain arms instead of the float arms.

Thanks, Chris. I think I’ve actually worked out a solution, and it turns out I can do it mostly with gear I already have. I’m using the AOI bayonet system for my lenses, and I already have one of the AOI female bayonet adapters that fits an Ultralight arm. I thought that particular adapter had been discontinued, but I found the Fantasea version still available at Bluewater Photo. I don’t want to mount the adapters on my 5-inch arms since those will have floats. Instead, I’m planning to mount two adapters back‑to‑back on an 8-inch arm, positioned horizontally above the housing with 3-inch ball clamps on each end. Each clamp will also have an Ultralight SB‑04, which my strobe arms will attach to. It seems like a workable setup to me. What do you think? The Inon float arm option does look very slick, but it would cost roughly four times as much.