Dave_Hicks

I just started diving my Z8 this week. So far I am using my F-mount lenses but I should have a Z24-50 to put behind a WWL-C in a day or two. As for the 105mm, I really can't image how much better the Z version could be. It's already an extremely sharp and fast lens. Replacing it just seems unnecessary and conspicuous. (as if replacing my D850 system wasn't already...)

Curious as to why you are getting rid of the strobe and 105mm just because you got a Z8. You can still use all of those with the new system. I also just got a Z8 and Nauticam housing, but I'm not going to dump my F-mount 105mm lens or the others anytime soon. The Z versions might be new and improved, but not by much.

I have not received my Nikon Z 24-50mm lens yet, but I do have the 16-35mm with a Nauticam gear. Very similar to the one pictured above in the previous post. In anticipation of making a 3d Printed gear for the 24-50 I decided to replicate the 16-35 gear. I decided to make the gear itself out of a rigid PLA+ material. I made the sleeve out of TPU, printed in a ring. I then cut the ring so that it had about a 5mm gap when wrapped around the lens zoom collar. Surprisingly, I got the gear dimensions just about perfect on the first try. I left some wiggle room in the inside diameter that will be taken up by the sleeve. The sleeve took two prints to get it right, but I cheated a bit by cutting off some ribs/ridges that I added and turned out not to be necessary. I updated the design to remove those for the next gear I make. I also made some Cura parameter changes to the Gear that will make the next print a bit cleaner. (10mm walls so the gear base prints in rings rather than lines.) I will upload and share designs of all my Gear sets after I dive them and validate their functionality in the real world. Below are some photos of the 16-35 gear.

I have been using Duramic TPU which also has a shore hardness rating of 95A. It's a lot cheaper at ~$20/kg and seems to work pretty well for everything I've printed with it to date. I'll give it a try and see how it goes.

It never hurts to carry a spare strobe with you. These days a bring two Inon 330s and a Backscatter MF-2/Snoot along. I nearly always use the MF-2/Snoot when shooting macro with a single 330 for fill light. But if one of my big strobes dies, I can always use the MF-2 for Wide Angle as the fill or spotlight role. If you dive a lot, I suggest investing in a 3rd strobe for redundancy.

I won't have the lens in hand until Sunday, so I'll make a gear next week. I have a good design template but need to get the precise measurements and try a couple of material options. I will post the design on Thingiverse once I've tested it out. I dive a couple times a week, so it won't be long.

Welcome from a fellow Seattle diver! Looking at your website I see lots of great images, but I am not seeing any Pacific Northwest photos! What's that about? You live in one of the best diving regions in the world. I'd love to meet you on the beach here in Seatle anytime you get the urge. Cheers, Dave

I use the first one. It's very well made and works exactly as expected. I use it on a Nauticam housing with the KRL-09 and SubSea diopters.

Try Reef Photo in Florida. I have used them for many years. Purchases and service for Nauticam. They are very responsive. They also don't charge sales tax for Washington State.

That is vignetteing. The port is too long or diopter-gap too big. The field of view is getting clipped. This is what happened with my 60mm & SubSea+5 when i accidentally used it with the longer 105mm port.

Thanks for details. I just bought a WWL-C to shoot on a Z8. I hope to give it a spin in a week or two.

I think you should discuss this chart with Bluewater. This looks like an error at best, and poor advice at worst.

Well, I accidentally shot the 60mm yesterday in the Port 87 intended for a 105mm and the KRL looked like crap behind that port. When first got the KRL-09 port I tried it with a 105mm + Port 87 in the pool and it looked very bad, worse that was happened yesterday.

I looked at the Kraken website and it does not show anything like that I could find. It mentioned 60mm or 30mm on m4/3.

This port is designed to work with a 60mm lens. Anything other than that and you would expected diminished results. Period. Interestingly enough, I went diving yesterday and used my 60mm + KRL-09 combo. But I screwed up and had my 105mm port installed! Opps!! I took a few shots with the KRL-09 and they were not horrible, but also not anywhere near a sharp as I get with the proper port installed. Below is a 100% crop and the image is fuzzy, even after some Lightroom tweaks. It just doesn't work well outside the design parameters.

Do you know the brand of TPU that you have used? I'd like to compare to my brand, which I don't really think of as being all that firm. I am about to design and print my first gear in the next week once I get a newly ordered lens. The Nauticam equivalent is a two-piece design. With a hard plastic gear and a flexible sleeve. Cut o-rings sit in grooves for some grip between lens, sleeve, and gear. (see below) I thought I might use a similar two-piece design, but with a TPU based sleeve. However, if the whole thing were TPU that might be a cleaner solution. Any thoughts? [Nauticam screenshot]

FYI - It is possible to replace the battery of a Sola light. If you don't mind buying an AliExpress battery pack and doing a bit of soldering. I replaced my sola battery after it wore out and used it for a year or two more. At which point I dropped it from a great height and cracked open the body. ~dead~

Why would you want to block your view this way? I look over my camera all the time when lining up a shot, checking snoot lighting, etc. Maybe mount it instead on one of those unused offset balls?

Can't help with most of that gear, but I just ordered a WWL-C today. I plan to design and print my own Zoom Gear for the 24-50 zoom lens. I would be happy to send you a copy if you decide to go that route. Happy Hunting!

I don't have this problem using the KRL-09 with a Nauticam D850 with 60mm 2.8G lens. I use a Nauticam dual flip and typically mount a diopter and the kraken. * Do you have the "new" 60mm 2.8G or the older 60 2.8D lens? The older lens may not work well as the lens elements move when they focus. * Can you try screwing the Kraken on our port directly and bypass the flip adapter? I have lots of photos with this lens on Instagram, usually mentioning the setup in the comments.

I made 3d print design of a modular set of float blocks that fit over ULCS arms. They work but are not better than high density foam blocks which I already have. They are more buoyant, but they also weigh more than foam out of water. It was really more of an experiment in making a water tight print, but not good enough that I use them.

If you take really meticulous care of a housing, it may take many years before you need service. However if it is bad ugly shape and controls are sticking, misaligned, or leaking you should send it in. DIY is an option but i bet you don't have a way to pressure test it. If we are talking about a $4-5k housing, spend the money and do it right. If its your uncles old D70 housing, give it a try!

The entire connector part is TPU Rubber already (the black parts). No o-ring necessary, it would be redundant. The TPU tip does have an o-ring like donut bulge in it BTW. You'll see when you blow it up in the slicer.

Picture please

Please back up your claim with data. If there is a crop issue with Nikon Z mount with any of these optics, I would very much like to know of issues that conflict with my data. I just got a Nikon Z8 and plan to get either a WWL-C or WACP-C to go with it. BTW - The Nauticam Port charts are not up to date in all cases. They are missing a lot of Z mount data. So they are not the definitive oracle on this topic. I've read several hands on reviews and talks to friends who wrote some of the reviews as additional sources of information.