Everything posted by TimG
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Sure saves time, Ido! The edit element I think amazing. Total picture creation, not so much. For now. But doubtless it will be before long. -
Super idea! We can do that. A job for me after Christmas Meantime: CFWA: Close focus. Wide-angle MFT: micro four-thirds FCP: Final Cut Pro WACP: wide-angle conversion port
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Really glad youve joined us! A warm welcome.
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Hey Al, great to have you with us. Welcome!
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Mike, if you click on the 3-dot ellipsis on the right hand side that should offer you a menu which includes Edit.
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lol, I wish I still was! Just spent 3 years in Solitary nt Maarten but now back in chilly Amsterdam.
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Yep, nice! My suggestion would be to shoot up as much as you can rather than level or shooting down.
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As Dave says, I’ve found Toslink works well too. But, yep, doesn’t bend as easily which does limit the type of connectors you can use. The L ones are problematic.
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Great to have you with us , Florence. Welcome!
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Great to have you with us Sergio. Welcome!
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Super pic, Chris!
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Good to have you with us, Brandon!
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Great to have you with us, Bronson. Welcome!
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So VERY true!
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Was there life before spreadsheets? I think that's a good call on the rectilinear vs aluminium body, Mark. You may well find you don't need a rectilinear. In addition, if you do buy one, you will need a bigger and more expensive domeport than a 100mm one that would work perfectly well for the Tokina. For example an APS-C/DX sensor camera using a rectilinear lens will likely need an 8" domeport and a ?50mm extension ring.
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Hi Mark Good to know its been of help Ikelite housings: the big differences are price and, depending on which model/camera, size. Ikelites are usually made of polycarbons and are often boxier with possibly less access to some camera controls. Chris will correct me, but I’m not sure Ikelite housings necessarily have ports allowing fibre optic connections to strobes. By contrast, the aluminium housings Subal, Nauticam, Aquatica…. , tend to follow the form of the camera body more closely and are more compact as a result. Generally all camera controls can be accessed and usually in a very ergonomic way. Both optical and electric strobe initiation is usually possible. I must admit my preference would be to go for an aluminium housing but many use Ikelite and enjoy the company’s reputation for good customer service. Tamron lens? Do you mean Tokina? If you go with the Tokina 10-17 I’d suggest holding off on a rectilinear lens till you’ve used the Tokina for a while and then reassess.
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Yeah, that thought struck me too, makar0n...... I've just emailed various fibre suppliers in Europe to see if they have that 613 core, so let's see what happens. Another possibility is if a member is heading to the US and can bring a bundle back. It weighs nothing and if it's not on the cable drum, takes up little space. We might be able to do a bulk order again. The Inon single L-shape bush you suggest from Onderwaterhuis would work well. It was Oskar at Retra who told me about the problems of cutting fibre with scissors. One other thing he mentioned that can impact on TTL-quality transmission: offset two-hole bushes. One central hole in a bush delivers a more reliable signal than a bush with two holes.
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Fingers crossed, Ben. I lived in Indonesia many years ago and can sure understand the difficulties - especially, I found, of having only one supplier who pretty much had a monopoly on scuba and scuba-related gear.
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Very cool printing your own connectors. Respect! Good on Dave sharing that. Could you post a photo so that we can see what they look like? I know Elias (Kraken de Mabini) uses a very inexpensive connector that he gets from Amazon which he semi-glues on to the cable. I must admit I've not looked for the 613 core cable in Europe. I was living in Sint Maarten when we did the order and was able to get it shipped in bulk to me with minimum hassle. I cut it all to the lengths that folks wanted and then took packages to Europe to mail in the EU and UK. It must be obtainable though in Europe or at last some kind of equivalent. Maybe one of IT network-ace members knows?
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Easy to make and way cheaper than shop-bought. Here's how:
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DIY Fibre Optic cables Like most members, when I bought my first system that used fibre optic cables, I paid for the ones that the dealers sell. Reading various articles about fibre optics, I realised later that they were relatively easy to make and that DIY cables could cost a fraction of shop-bought. I gave it a go. I thought it worth a write-up here on Waterpixels. And yes, they are really easy to make and are cheap. The Cable The best fibre I have found for strobe cables is called 613-core Fused Multi-core Simplex Cable, Polyethylene Jacket- MCQ-1000. Bit of a mouthful! A meter will cost about $7.50 and that should make at least two cables. A couple of years ago we coordinated an order between a group of forum members and bought 86 metres (!) from Industrial Fiber Optics in Tempe, Arizona. It was a bit of a shock when it arrived on a huge cable drum! Cutting The 613-core fibre is easy to cut using a sharp, box cutter-style blade (a Stanley knife to we Brits). Don’t be tempted (as I did to start with) to use a pair of scissors as that is likely to result in not quite a clean 90-degree angle. Although this will probably work fine for Manual initiation, TTL needs more accuracy and a scissor-cut can impact on the cable’s transmission quality for TTL purposes. You can buy purpose-built fibre optic cable cutters but unless you are going into mass production, they are not really necessary. Curling If you really insist on having curly cables, cut to length and then curl the cable on a pencil and dip in hot water for a while. I found though that my shop-bought curly ones were a pain and lead to strained and tugged cables. Go with straight and feed them through the strobe arms. Fittings Various plugs (or “bushes”) are available for either or both ends of the cable. Inon make a double hole plug - available from Divervision for $1.95. Howshot make an “Adapter L bush” for the massive cost of $3.95. I use an Inon plug at the strobe end and a Howshot at the housing end. None of these fittings need any complicated assembly, glue, heat, soldering or magic. Simply push the cable into a hole. In the case of the Howshots, poke, bend and tighten a screw. Truly not rocket science. In conclusion I made a bunch of cables, they have done hundreds of dives and work like a charm. One of the really neat things about DIY cables is that you can have any length you want - including creating an extra long one for off-housing work. If by chance they break, just recut at the break - or just cut a new one. The cost of a complete cable, less than $10. The sense of achievement, priceless. Give it a go! -
Time then that you ordered a Waterpixels one! 😝
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Hey Mark I've been using the Tokina 10-17 for some years and it’s brilliant underwater on a crop sensor system. Horrible though above water! One nice thing about it is that it works very well with a 100mm domeport - so small and light weight for traveling. And it’s perfect for CFWA with a 1.4TC. If you go the crop sensor route, you could pair the Tokina with either a 60mm, 90mm or even 105mm macro lens. I use a 60mm and 105mm. I think I prefer the 105mm as it lets you stand back a bit further but it’s harder to use initially.
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The same stillviking! Great to have you with us. A big, warm welcome!
