Adrian Gresores

Maybe I just made that less of an issue...

The advantage is ditching about 300g underwater. I'm hoping to use 5" arms for macro and having a hard time arranging enough floatation, whether with float arms or STIX floats.

Well, I shoot in clear, blue water (Caribbean). Also, the target light on my strobes (Backscatter Atom Flash) do have the same beam spread as the flash itself. That's why I thought I might not need the focus light for macro.

Thanks!

That's interesting.

That's exactly the setup I have.

Hey, Dave, How do you arrange and point the OrcaTorch for supermacro, especially if snooting? Or do you not use it, if snooting? Do you have it attached to a cold shoe mount? If so, with what connections?

I love night dives, and obviously the focus light always goes with me then. I have a Kraken 1800 WSR. Great light. I'm just trying to simplify my gear wherever it makes sense. Also, I always have my wife hovering above me with her dive light, pointing things out 😊.

I always dive with a focus light for wide angle, especially since the strobes are so far apart. For macro with the strobes closer together, from fish portraits down to supermacro, I'm not sure if they are necessary. Since I dive in clear, blue water (Caribbean), could I just rely on the 1000 lumen target lights from my dual Atom flashes, both white and red, even at depth? One less item on my rig and decreased weight would be desirable. What do you think and what do you do?

I'm sorry that happened to you. It hasn't happened to me, but obviously I see that it could.

I want to clarify something. Bluewater has always been upfront with me. Also, they are the only retailer that shows whether they have an item in stock on their website, as you can see on the screenshot I just took. I have always understood that the expected shipping date they show only reflects what would normally happen if they had the item in stock. Having bought plenty of gear from them, I have never seen them misrepresent their stock status. My query was only meant to mine for others' experiences. Bluewater has NEVER been deceptive with me.

Reef Photo has now told me they have the flash. Backscatter hasn't responded yet. And Bluewater has told me they have been promised a big shipment from Backscatter early this week. I'm juggling all these guys now.

In this case, Bluewater had told me from the very beginning that these items were out of stock. In fact, I ordered the Atoms before Backscatter had them. I've also been calling Backscatter and Reef weekly, and they don't have the items. I'm just really frustrated.

I've placed some orders with Bluewater Photo starting in November for a few items—a pair of Atom flashes, the AOI OM‑1 housing, and the AOI 4" acrylic dome port. Everything is still showing as out of stock. Bluewater says the delays are tied to customs clearance issues, and I know the end of the de minimis rule hasn’t helped. I usually order from them because they don’t charge tax. Is anyone else seeing delays this long? Should I just wait it out, or would Backscatter or Reef Photo have been a better choice?

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.