bvanant

https://oceanity.com.au/articles/view/understanding-flat-port-and-dome-port-theory will get you started. The diopter shortens the minimum focus length for your virtual image. https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/dome-port-optics#:~:text=A %2B4 diopter is the,B%26W diopters are highly rated. has more info. Bill

I can attest to the utility of the AOI housings. Mine for the OM-1 has been on 500+ dives and works flawlessly. Bill

i think it will only be useful in Photoshop, I don't think it works in ACR.

alternately you can buy the Backscatter one for their macro lens for gopro. It is a little stick that tells you how close to get. If it were me, I wouldn't try to print a 67 mm thread, just buy a $4 67 mm step up or step down ring and put the framer arms on that. Bill

Well the backscatter reviews (notice that they rate backscatter strobes quite highly), talks about beam quality (High output, wide width, beam shape) but no so much about quality of that beam. In any case still waiting for photos demonstrating a noticeable difference. Bill

I understand the physics and color temp bits, but I am still trying to SEE similar photos with different light quality. Of course if light quality is purely subjective (which I suspect) then your light quality might indeed be directly proportional to how much you spend. If light quality is all about color temp and water clarity then again it is subjective since if you dive in clear water your photos look better. I hear the term softness a lot as well and that I think could be measured (light intensity as a f(distance) but haven't seen how that correlates to the real UW world. Bill

guessing you can't find it. BVA

Thanks Bill

Chris: What port are you using for the 8-15. Bill

I am shooting an OM-1 in an AOI housing, mostly (well almost all) and have all the macro lenses (30,45,60,90) and the 12-50 and 14-42. We are doing a Banda trip to Manuk and Guning API to shoot snakes. I would like a wide angle solution using some water contact lenses (not a dome port). What should I buy. thanks Bill

Thanks no rush. BVA

Phil, I was guessing you might be someone who has one. Let me know Bill

We took a portable defibrillator to our friend's resort in Bali. We tried to take it on as a carry on and the crew said it couldn't fly. We pointed out that it was identical to the defibrillator in the cabin above row 6. Finally they agreed (after much discussion). Bill

Hopefully the later one, but either would be OK. Bill

Looking for an Athena Ringflash. I know you have one somewhere in your closet. thanks BILL

Must be new at DEMA, nothing yet on the Scubalamp website Bill

I am pretty sure that all of the multi-strand fiber is in fact PMMA (the Asahi 613 core certainly is). As Dave points out, the 613 core has a minimum bend radius of 1 mm or so while a 2 mm single fiber has a bend radius of like 25 mm or so. Bill

I hear the term "quality of light" all the time with particular emphasis on "wide beam" and "good color temperature". Does anyone have a real world example of similar subjects with "crappy" light and with "good" light. I suspect a bit of this is very subjective, and a bit of "I spent a lot of money so the light must be good". We just got off a Komodo trip where a friend had 2 of the new Backscatter Hybrids on a Z9, and I was shooting with 2 smaller strobes on an OM-1. Looking at pics during a slide show it was not obvious which shots were from which setup; we shot a lot of the same stuff. A couple of illustrations of good vs not so good light would be helpful (to me at least) Bill

Square space also www.blueviews.net Bill

Also for us. At Mainit point historically there were tons of nembrotha of all types. We dove there twice and saw a total of 3 nembrotha. The Rhino only showed up after the Backscatter macro guys all left. Bill

If you are looking for some dives in SOCAL, let me know. We dive a lot on the Giant Stride (mostly Palos Verdes and occasionally Catalina and Farnsworth) and getting on for a weekday should be pretty simple (weekends might be tough). Let me know if we can take you diving. Bill

We just got back from 2+ weeks at Crystal Blue. We did 2 BW dives a few nights, got back to the resort 11PM or so. Conditions were pretty murky and the BW dives were pretty slow but the day dives were pretty good. Saw the same Rhinopias as above (after a few days of hunting for her). January/Feb will have cooler water but BW can be awesome then. Bring a boat coat to stay warm between dives, the pangas have no shelter. Bill