Dave_Hicks

Super. My cap is also rubber for the same reasons. The open mesh design makes it a lot easier to remove and install underwater and makes rinsing simpler.

Very nice. I looked up that Inon part. Interesting modular dome available in glass or acrylic. It seems designed to mount on to various Inon base ports. How did you get it on an n120 ring? Did you make that part, or find something comercialy available? That acrylic version that you have is quite inexpensive at $135 usd and the glass is not a whole lot more. This could be a pretty good and easily available source of part for anyone that want to try a similar curved macro port. I've been using my 3d printed port and extensions for a couple of weeks now and have about 4-5 dives with is completed. It's been really fantastic. Here is an updated photo to the final product, configured with a 40mm printed extension ring and port cap.

Attaching a photo shot with the Kraken at F11 at near zero range from the subject. This was taken in pretty chunky water, but if you look at the lower left you can get an idea of corner sharpness. The upper right is much further away and not in the plane of focus, plus chunks...

The Kraken got a lot less use once i got WWL-1 which is a great option for Wide-Macro shoots. Pretty wide to Near macro and high quality at all ranges. The Kraken has corner issues for sure, but it does not always matter. But i still pull it out for some scenarios. When I want true macro abilities with the 60mm and a diopter with wide options. The CFWA of the Kraken is better than WWL as it has something of a fisheye effect in accentuating the center subject. It is also even wider than the 130degs of the WWL/WACP so close up it works like a fisheye. I would not chose the Kraken for a reef shoot, my 8-15 FE is better for that. A good all rounder picks the WWL. But kraken still get in the rotation a few times every year. It has some real useful abilities.

Yes, i use that TC on the Z8. Everything works great.

The Kraken KRL09 provides a 154.8deg FOV. And it focuses right up to zero range.

I recently got the Turtle3 manual trigger for my Z8 Nauticam system. Didn't need or want TTL but I did want to try HSS and Rear Curtain Sync. It's only about $350 or so. It seems to work well so far.

If the Kraken is in any way similar, that's an exaggeration at best. I often shoot it at f8 and up. The shark photos above were all F8 and they are very sharp.

BTW, one of my regular dive buddies has been borrowing my Kraken for the last several muck dives we have done off the beach in West Seattle. He is really having fun with CFWA shots of giant nudibranchs and loves shooting the Kraken.

Here is a set of 4 photos taken with the Kraken 09s and Nikon 60mm., all on the same dive. The first three are of an 8 foot long Sixgill shark taken from just a few inches away. The fourth is a 1cm hermit crab taken with the 60mm and MFO-1. The Kraken (and I presume the MWL) is very versatile. Excellent for CFWA, and then you have the option for true macro with the 60mm. I tend to use it on dives where they might be a chance for bigger subjects, but also good macro opportunities. The Sixgill dives are ideal for it. You spend about 30 minutes (hoping to see a shark) at 90-100 feet until you exhaust NDL then you head up to shallow water with great macro subjects. Aside from that I like to use it for CFWA scenes and not standard wide angle subjects. Corners are not awesome, but that is not always relevant as you can see below. Nikon Z8 w/Nikon 60mm lens, Kraken KRL09 WA, f8@1/50s iso800, pair of Backscatter HF-1 strobes Nikon Z8 w/Nikon 60mm lens, MOF, f18@1/160s iso250, pair of Backscatter HF-1 strobes

I can put a couple of connectors in an envelope for you that will work better and can be assembled/disassembled easily. No glue needed. Message me with an address.

Assemble and seal housing in an air conditioned room. This reduces humidity in the housing. You can use a scuba tank & drying nozzle to spray extra dry air in the housing as you seal it. Microwave your silica packets as they are probably saturated. A few rounds of 5 minutes at 50% power. Store in a Ziploc bag to keep the extras dry.

I have both, and it sounds like you want the Atoms. They are very nice, compact, and still powerful when you need them to be. They don't have video lights like the HF-1s but have most of the other features. Battery life is not quite as good either, but it's enough for at least two dives and several hundred photos.

Lightroom only applies settings like this if you configure it to do so. You probably experimented with import settings and it's been set to do Lens Corrections ever since. Fortunately it's easy to change.

Easy is the point. Tribolube PTFE is safe and compatible with all orings. Silicone lube is not and can damage or cause leaks.

You can browse my designs here: Makerworld Collections: UW Photography: https://makerworld.com/collections/16165730 Scuba: https://makerworld.com/collections/16165676

Awesome! Where are you diving at present?

I have been using Tribolube for almost 20 years on my Oxygen (and non-O2) regulators, Cameras, Strobes and Lights. It's identical to what Nauticam provides as best I can tell. Looks, feels, spreads exactly the same. One 2oz/57g tube should last you the better part of a decade. You can also choose to get it in a syringe, which makes it easy to refill the little portable Nauticam tubes. https://www.divegearexpress.com/tribolube-71-o2-compatible-lubricant

Nauticam grease is the same of Tribolube/Cristolube. Get a good size tube and it will last for years. I load it up into 3ml needle-less syringes for home, and squirt it back into the little Nauticam tubes for travel use on the road. The Nauticam flip adapters are aluminum and can be removed by hand. The only tool I ever need is a microfiber towel to get a better grip. Like you I often dive two to three days a week. If possible a quick rinse of the rig at the dive site. (Rinse tank dip, bucket of water, shower, etc) I rinse and soak the housing in the sink after a day of diving. (Maybe an hour, maybe overnight) I pull the optical fiber plugs to remove any salt from those ports. Remove from sink, blow everything dry with a strong handheld blower, especially glass Take off the back to get the memory card and camera battery Wipe off the back o-ring ( never lube, rarely remove but rinse under faucet if visibly gritty) Remove and recharge strobe / spotting light batteries Very lightly lube o-rings of the same. (Almost never remove these) Reload all batteries. Port stays installed until I want to change lenses, then wipe o-ring and surfaces. Rarely lube. Close up camera and pull a vacuum before the next dive. Everything else with arms, clamps, removing o-rings, taking things apart I do only rarely or if the whole rig had a really rough week.

Have fun! Summer vis can be variable. I hope it's fantastic! Be sure to order nitrox for you and your buddy! During my visit we had 50-100ft vis but only below 55 feet. 25-55 was close to zero. So all the diving was deep and my buddy was on air. I was on CCR. Let's just say my buddy ended up in deco on every dive with close to zero reserves!

One easy upgrade to your gear maintenance is the purchase of an inexpensive Ultrasonic cleaner. There are good options in the 50-100:USD range. Great for cleaning clamps, flip adapters, crusty hose ends, regulator din screws, tank valves, etc. And they are great for cleaning jewelry, dental bite guards, and many other household items. I have been using this one for years: 2 liter https://a.co/d/01ACxkki

I would say you are doing all the right things, except the o-rings. You are doing too much. Wipe them with a microfiber towel in place and only remove if actually gritty. Only slipping orings get lubricant and it should be PTFE not silicone. I wipe and lube strobe orings with every battery change, but rarely remove them. My other suggestion is to have at least three sets of camera and strobe batteries. Rotate them after each dive day to keep them healthy longer when you are diving so frequently. And have a spare strobe or two available.

Send me a link to the dome you are looking at. Maybe it will start my creative juices. 😃🤞

It's a fair amount of work, but doable now that i have a pattern. My issue is more about the motivation to spend the time. For passion projects I get caught up, but not sure I can invest the time for a commission. Reprints of existing designs I do all the time however.

That's exactly what i used. If you are interested i can set you up with the port itself and you can insert the glass. If you know the height of the adapter we can figure out the required additional extension. You will need the distance from the mounting ring on the camera to the housing port base. If it's different from Nauticam we need to account for that. Message me if interested.