Dave_Hicks

I posted about my Curved Macro port project, and in the course of that I destructively removed the o-ring from a Zen port, and installed new o-rings in prototype ports about 6 times. I used 50 cent buna rubber o-rings from McMaster Carr and they work perfectly. I eventually got pretty quick with the installation using a dryglove plastic prybar and plastic credit card for pressing in the new o-rings.

They sell new port glass but its not exactly cheap. Surprise!

The WWL is probably not an ideal choice as you will be snorkeling a lot. Since you don't dive deep it can be a problem with bubbles between the port glass. They clear out if you dive past 3-4 meters but you will splash and shoot on the surface quite often. A fisheye with zoom ability is ideal in my opinion. I did very well with my 15mm fisheye in MagBay with humpbacks, but would have been nice to have more reach. If i get another chance i would add a 1.4tc to get more reach for when subjects are a bit further than point blank.

Welcome Nir! It was great to meet you at God's Pocket last year! I hope we can dive together again soon. Cheers, Dave

Protective Bumper for the Backscatter OS-3 Snoot https://makerworld.com/en/models/3098875-protective-bumper-for-backscatter-os-3-snoot#profileId-3492758 The OS-3 Snoot for the Backscatter HF-1 strobe looks great, shiny and smooth. Keep it looking sharp by protecting it from dings and scratches. The snoot is pretty long and it is definitely going to get knocked around over time. The end of the snoot and glass are most at risk. Adding this TPU rubber bumper is a quick and easy way to keep it protected and in good working order for the long term. Simply stretch the bumper over the end of the snoot. The ribbed end of the bumper should be oriented towards the base of the snoot. The bumper should slip over fairly easily but it takes some effort to get it off. It definitely won't be falling off in the water. If you do need to remove it or have trouble getting it installed, I suggest running it under hot water for a bit to soften it up before pulling it on or off. Print with flexible TPU 95a, 85a, or 90a for best results. It will not fit or work rigid materials like PLA or PETG. More 3D printed custom solutions: UW Photography: https://makerworld.com/collections/16165730 Scuba: https://makerworld.com/collections/16165676

Sure, message me and i can arrange to send you some gears.

Let me know if i can set you up with any gears and such.

The Z5-II and Z6-III housings use a newer, more compact, and less compatible design than other Nikon / Nauticam housings. They only have "native" gears for a handful of lenses at this point, and you really do need the FTZ Adapter thing to use most lenses and gears.

I was with you until this last point. Wrapping or twirling the cable has no impact at all. The bend radius of 613multicore fiber is 2mm before loss of signal will be a problem. Most vendors coil the cables more tightly than you are going to wrap your cables. As long as you don't tie it into knots it will work perfectly. Anyways, just use some Velcro straps to fix your strobe cables to the arms.

Great. Message me if you want me to get some to you for a reasonable price.

Try trigger the strobe without a cable. Just line up the strobe's optical port with the trigger directly to the flash trigger and housing bulkhead. Direct line of sight. I don't know about S&S, but most strobes I have used can even be triggered with a bright dive light or even phone flashlight. Just move the light right over the optical port from a couple inches/cm away. If line of sight does not generate a flash, then the strobe is defective. If it does flash, then your optical cables are not transmitting enough light. Could be due to bent, damaged, or low quality fiber.

Looks dodgy. One thought though. Some of my diopters included a M67 "spacer" ring. Perhaps something like that could be screwed on with some necessary force and then left in place to mount other items on the good spacer threads? Perhaps someone has an unused spacer they could donate? Example: https://reefphoto.com/products/nauticam-m67-spacer-ring-for-smc-cmc

That sounds great. 55m is more than enough for me. Do you have some end caps to seal the ends of n100 / n120 rings? Or should I provide something?

That is very generous! I will take you up on the offer, perhaps with two or three items if it's not too much trouble. An n100 and n120 extension ring. Ideally these can survive 100m. And perhaps a float? Like my HF-1 strobe float. I would be happy if that survived to 40 meters. I have dove these a bit over 30 meters. They are not as thick as the rings and ports, but they are no loss should they fail as well. I will message you for details. Cheers, Dave

I finally was able to borrow an n100 extension ring to get measurements and make prototypes of Nauticam n100 compatible parts. I can print out any size ring from 20mm on up. It all fits perfectly, but still needs to be tested in a vacuum sealed housing followed by a test dive. The basic design pattern and pressure resistance is well tested in the n120 versions I've been using for months. The person I borrowed the ring from is out of town for a few weeks, and I don't have a housing to test it, I need to find someone else to test it out. Any volunteers??