Dave_Hicks

It only took a couple of minutes to insert the o-ring. I made about six test prints to fine tune the fit. Too loose, still loose, too tight, just right. I made it snug enough that it was not impossible to place the o-ring. We will see how well it works in the water soon. I built in a provision for a locking ring outside the glass to secure it a bit out of the water. Now the original Zen dome I could not push out the glass by hand. I had to pluck out the o-ring with a steel pick. My dome i can push out by hand, so it is not as tight but hopefully good enough.

Yes, that looks like a problem! My extension ring design has that lip but i didn't (think) i needed that extra diameter for the port. I will add that back into the design!

Yes. It was from a Zen Underwater WA-100 dome port for Olympus 9-18mm. Cost about $200 on ebay. The actual glass rim diameter was 103.85mm. I bought 103mm x 3mm 70a orings from McMaster Carr. I got about 5 orings and used one up repeatedly using it to test fit and installation techniques in draft prints of the top of the port.

Great idea! Absolutely upload it to Makerworld. I'll try it out, very clever idea.

Curved Glass Macro Port - Nikon 60mm n120 Hot off the printer: 17 hour print time! Perfect off the printer! No post-processing or clean up was needed beyond brushing off some threads and dust. Port, glass, glass o-ring, lock ring for glass, Ultima Dryglove lever or o-ring insertion: Pushing in the o-ring: Quarters, then Eighths, then the rest. Installed and Holding Vacuum: Pool test later today. Dive with empty, spare housing later this weekend.

Yes, that is true of my Z8 as well. My older D800 & D850 synced to 1/250. I have not found the 1/200 sync to be an issue. Sure 250 would be better but it should not be a decided factor for most. If it is very important you can spend a $300-400 for an HSS compatible trigger that will eliminate sync speed as an issue at all. I actually just ordered a Turtle Smart3 trigger (non-TTL) to get support for HSS and Rear Curtain.

Enjoy your new rig! I am curious my you didn't house the Z6iii? You could still use small ports like the WWL-C or 140mm dome. Olympus is probably smaller still, but not dramatically.

Yes! I took these images at Magdalena Bay last year snorkeling. The first humpback shot was taken from about 2-3 feet distance. I don't think this would have been possible with a rectilinear lens. If I did this again I would probably add a 1.4tc to the lens. You can still get the same width at 11mm but you have a bit more reach when things are further away. Nikon Z8 w/8-15mm Fisheye lens, f8@1/250s iso640, Nauticam 140mm dome, Natural Light

That's awesome! I'm very happy you are using the Port Float! I am curious how your experience was printing it. What printer and material did you use? How is it working for you? Cheers - Dave

Yes, i made a TPU rubber design that is much easier to install underwater than neoprene and it rinses and cleans better. Currently available Dome Ports are:• AOI DLP 06• Nauticam 8.5 inch • Nauticam 140mm• Nauticam 180mm• Sea & Sea 12mm • Zen DP 100• Zen DP 170 https://makerworld.com/models/2391039

These are all fantastic images! Good job mastering the new gear. My one bit of feedback is that using a snoot can create a sort of "stage spotlight" effect where you see the ring of light. Sometimes this is a nice effect, but it can also be distracting. What I often like to do is to use the second flash at lower power to create a bit of fill lighting at an offset angle. You still get separation from the background with the snoot as the main light source, but a more graduated fall off of the light into the background. It looks a bit less artificial this way. Example: Atom Snoot as key light, MF-2 as fill light: Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, MFO-1, f11@1/200s iso125, Backscatter Atom with snoot, MF-2 strobe

n85 Extension Rings:

I am using printed extension rings regularly these days, with a few dozen dives in the last couple of months. If you decide to try this, work up slowly to build confidence. Vacuum test for a few days first. Then dive an empty housing for the port. In a pool, then the ocean. After that you should be comfortable. I printed an n85 ring yesterday and will be testing it today.

Proprietary batteries are the worst! I dumped by Kraken spotting light for that reason.

You can't buy a smaller flash than the Backscatter Miniflash. Single 18650 or 21700 lithium ion battery.

I'm not sure what the lesson is for buying extra batteries. It's not hard to carry extras, which I usually do on a trip. I can't imagine how you could forget the orings. They really should never be off the caps except for once in a very long while if you need to clean the cap. I probably took off my Inon orings like 2 or 3 times in over 500 dives with them. As for flooding and cleaning the battery compartment, sealed battery chambers is standard on most strobes. This is not unique to Inon. Always carry an extra strobe cable in spares. I often have a spare trigger and soldering iron on long trips too. I've fixed several solder joints on other divers triggers and hotshoes in the last few years!

Personally, I am very sure about this. I predict that within a year or two there will be few to zero UW strobes powered by AA cells still being manufactured.

Inon still has not shown more than a mock up of this strobe and zero specifications. It is highly likely that it still uses 4 AA batteries, which imposses a ton of limits that will yield a non-competitive product in today's market. I loved my 330s and keep them for backup, but they are not a good choice today.

I just recently published it on MakerWorld: https://makerworld.com/en/models/2877582-float-for-backscatter-hf-1-strobe-220g-buoyancy

Blue or even Red! The HF-1 w/float is a bit bigger than the Retra, but not by a lot. Max diameter is about 15mm more, height and weight are nearly the same as the Retra's are heavier to start with. When I first put the Retra Maxi's on my Rig, replacing the HF-1s, it was annoyingly buoyant and unbalanced. I had to remove 2 Stix Jumbo blocks (180grams each) to get it back in some sort of decent trim. The HF-1 floats are a bit more buoyant the Stix Jumbo at 220 grams each. Using the HF-1 floats now is actually a big convenience because I don't need to Add/Remove Stix blocks on my arms when I switch between Retra and HF-1 strobes.

I think you are correct, in general. However, the Retra Maxi strobe is actually bulkier than their past strobes and than similar HF-1. That size and displacement leaves it just a few grams negative in the water. It seems to me they optimized for a buoyancy target more than minimum size of the package.

Float for Backscatter Atom Strobe Add 140 grams buoyancy! The Backscatter Atom strobe is great strobes for underwater photography. Small, light, and versatile. Its biggest drawback is how much it weighs in water. The Atom is 150 grams (5.3 oz) negative in water with batteries. This 3D printed float will add 140 grams of buoyancy leaving it just 10 grams negative. (0.35 oz) You don't want to have the strobe be positively buoyant. Slightly negative is easier to handle and balance the overall system. Balancing your rig is important. If you need to add additional buoyancy to your camera rig, I suggest using float arms or Stix jumbo floats on the arm segment closest to your housing. Leave the second arm connected to the Atom strobe without additional buoyancy. Attach Float to the Atom: The float has anchor points that will allow you to thread 1/8 inch (3 mm) bungee cord. Many divers keep 1/8 bungee on hand as it is so useful. It can be bought in bulk online or at any dive shop. Tie a simple overhand knot at each end of the bungee to keep it from slipping thru the anchor. It should be just slightly taught with plenty of elasticity to pull over the strobe and keep it snug. Note before printing: This is a technical and exacting print. It requires very specific and exact filament and printing parameters. If you ignore or change the defined print profile and settings it is very likely that your float will not work. [And YES - You can make watertight and pressure resistant 3D printed objects with no added sealants or post processing!]

Float for Backscatter HF-1 Strobe Add 220 grams buoyancy! https://makerworld.com/en/models/2877582-float-for-backscatter-hf-1-strobe-220g-buoyancy The Backscatter HF-1 is one of the best strobes for underwater photography, but its biggest drawback is how much it weighs in water. The HF-1 is 250 grams (8.8 oz) negative in water with batteries. This 3D printed float will add 220 grams of buoyancy leaving it just 30 grams negative. (1 oz) You don't want to have the strobe be positively buoyant. Slightly negative is easier to handle and balance the overall system. Balancing your rig is important. If you need to add additional buoyancy to your camera rig, I suggest using float arms or Stix jumbo floats on the arm segment closest to your housing. Leave the second arm connected to the HF-1 without additional buoyancy. Attach Float to the HF-1: The float has anchor points that will allow you to thread 1/8 inch (3 mm) bungee cord. Many divers keep 1/8 bungee on hand as it is so useful. It can be bought in bulk online or at any dive shop. Tie a simple overhand knot at each end of the bungee to keep it from slipping thru the anchor. It should be just slightly taught with plenty of elasticity to pull over the strobe and keep it snug. I have tested to depths of 130ft/40m, but it may survive greater depths. As these floats are completely external to the strobe and housing, there is no risk to your equipment should they fail. Note before printing: This is a technical and exacting print. It requires very specific and exact filament and printing parameters. If you ignore or change the defined print profile and settings it is very likely that your float will not work. [And YES - You can make watertight and pressure resistant 3D printed objects with no added sealants or post processing!]

I tested the "final" versions of the HF-1 and Atom strobe floats. They worked great and were easy to use without getting in the way. I have a couple of dive-tested pre-final HF-1 floats if anyone want them. Message me if you want them for the cost of shipping.

This assumption what 3d printed objects can't be watertight is disproven by the fact that I and others have made very successful watertight and pressure resistant objects. It is completely possible. No sealants or post processing is needed if you design and print the objects with the right recipe of material and parameters. Some of my macro port floats have been used for two years and over a hundred dives without failing. Often to depths beyond 30 meters. More recently I am also diving with 3D printed port extension rings on my Nauticam housing. An integral component of housing's pressure vessel. They are completely waterproof and incredibly strong. ABS, ASA, or PETG filament right off the printer with no additional sealants. Actually, sealants are a false solution as they DO fail, fade, and flake off. I experimented with epoxy resin before I learned how to print properly, and I did have leaks when the sealants cracked and failed.