Dave_Hicks

Looks like the Preflash "Bastard Button" is gone. Perhaps it is using a learning mode now like most other strobes. And no electrical sync at least on this model. There is a plugged disk on the back, so perhaps electrical is an option.

I also have a double flip. I very occasionally use a SubSea +10 diopter, similar to the SMC1. If I want to use that I'll still pair it with the MFO on the flip. Otherwise, I've replaced the Flip / Subsea +5 combo with the MFO directly on the port.

I did another few dives with my new Nauticam MFO lens on my Nikon Z8 with the AF-S 105mm macro lens. Based on my earlier experience, I decided to mount the MFO directly on the port and dispense with the Dual Flip adapter and it's 300g weight. To my delight my camera rig was just about perfectly neutral in the water with this setup. (Nauticam Z8 housing, HF-1 and MF-2 snoot strobe, 6 stix jumbo floats on the arms, and my custom-made port float) I let it go in mid-water and it just hung there. :) If I am shooting macro with the MFO I don't see any compelling reason to take it off the port. It can handle all distances from maybe 10cm to 100cm. If anyone can think of a reason to keep the MFO on a flip adapter I'd like to hear about it. I can't think of one right now! Here are a few photos: Cockerell’s Dorid (Laila cockerelli) Range: 10-15cm Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, Nauticam MFO diopter, f16@1/200s iso160 Backscatter MF-2 strobe & snoot + BS HF-1 strobe with beam restrictor Red Rock Crab (Cancer productus) with egg mass Range: 60-75cm Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, Nauticam MFO diopter, f11@1/200s iso160 Backscatter MF-2 strobe & snoot + BS HF-1 strobe with beam restrictor

The Inon 330 has a flaw that tends to result in the Power Switch getting "loose" and failing to work over time. I've had one that was serviced for this failure, and another that is just dead now. My remaining functional Inon 330s are retired now for emergency backup.

The design constraints of a float and port are very different. A float should minimize dry weight and maximize buoyancy. It is not protecting anything, so failure IS an option for a DIY project. A port is mission critical and more forgiving of dry weight. The walls are going to be much thicker than a float can possibly allow due to buoyancy requirements. That said, i made a couple of buoyancy floats that slip over a Nauticam 105mm (port 87) that have lasted over 8 month and about 100 dives. Printed in ABS, just four .6mm perimeters , acetone smoothed, and sealed with epoxy and a carbon fiber external wrap for durability. They are still going strong, but no more than 100 feet max depth so far.

Orca Torch D710v. Simple, powerful, 21700 common battery with great run time.

That is a total marketing BS designed to paper over the high cost of Mac memory upgrades. They are not any more efficient with RAM than other PCs, and sometimes worse because they share memory with the graphics cores. Apple recently stopped selling Macs with 8 gigs of ram with a new baseline of 16gb. 16 gigs of ram should be the minimum anyone considers. More if you are doing photo or video work as a primary use case.

+1000 In my opinion the combo of the EVF and a 45deg viewfinder makes my switch to the Z8 a total winner. It's a killer combo.

With the Z8 you use the EVF to both shoot AND review. You don't use the LCD screen. This makes the Magnified viewfinder very useful, more so than with your D850. You should consider hanging on to it for a while until you settle in with the Z8 and maybe decide if you need it or not.

Congrats on your upgrade! You know this will still work on the Z8? Just set the EVF view size on the camera setting to the smaller option.

It's hard to beat Stix floats for light weight and maximum buoyancy per unit weight.

I shoot the Nikon 8-15 behind the Zen 170mm port. You need to remove the port hood at 8mm, but i don't really use that often to date.

Actually, I just remembered / realized that the MFO-1 comes with such an adapter in the box. So, no worries if you buy the MFO without a flip adapter. I should have realized that earlier. I edited my earlier post to clear up the confusion.

Great topic and excellent examples in the article! I'll add another tool to the arsenal: The Silver Sharpie! These are excellent for scuba gear as they will permanently mark up rubber, plastic, scuba tanks, aluminum, and more. The article reminded me of a funny story. A female friend doing volunteer diving in the local aquarium and spent time in the tank in front of the public spectators as she fed fish, cleaned things, and engaged with the visitors. Then someone showed her a photo they took while she was in the tank. AND her phone number was all over her fins for everyone to see. Needless to say, she scrubbed it off before her next shift in the tank!

Not any closer than my +5 Subsea did already, maybe 10cm? Just looked at the Nauticam product page than they report 12cm with my exact 105mm lens setup. But then you can point off to another subject up to 114cm away. This tracks with my experience on this first experience. Without any diopter you can't get much closer than 25-30cm or so with this lens. I may try some dives with the MFO directly on the port. The MFO-1 in only about 10g less than the Subsee +5, but is a bit shorter. However, the Nauticam dual flip adapter is over 300g. Inexplicably, the MFO can NOT screw directly on the Nauticam flat port as the threads are not deep enough. However, it does come with a minimal spacer / adapter that lets you screw it on the port.

I shot my new MFO-1 last night with a Nikon Z8, 105mm F-mount, and Nauticam housing, dual flip with the MFO-1 and Subsee +5. Quick observations are that the Subsee is likely going on the shelf. The MFO both reduces and extends focus range to over a meter and reduces it beyond what the 105 can do by itself. The Subsee +5 has been my go-to macro accessory as it also reduces the shooting distance while not magnifying too much. However, it has a very limited range of maybe 30cm. I often have it flipped down and then mistakenly try to shoot something larger beyond its range, causing a delay to flip it up. The MFO can get in tight but also provides useful range. The first critter I spotted last night was a pretty large Pacific Ruby Red Octopus, about 12 inches long, This is about as big as they every get. I was able to take full body shots from about 1 meter away no problems. Here are two sample photos: f16, 1/200s, iso250 f16, 1/200s, iso100

One other thought. May not apply here given the symptoms but its easy to check. On a recent trip a friend had a problem with his Nauticam flash trigger. After swapping around triggers we decided if was likely an electrical connection going bad. We first checked and resoldered the hot shot cable to the circuit board. That didn't do it. Next we opened the hour shoe itself. It has a couple of little screws. The wires were frayed and a total mess. It was simple to clip them off, strip clean wire, and resolder. Problem solved. I would closely inspect the wire connections and take the hot shoe apart to examine it. A multi meter to test continuity of the wires can help as well.

This is likely a Flash Sync issue with the nauticam flash trigger. I have had variations of this problem both D850 and Z8 cameras and the nauticam trigger but with the Backscatter MF1 strobe. I resolved it by working with Backscatter who got Nauticam to send me an adjusted trigger that disabled PreFlash Learning logic. Before you get in to all of that, be very careful to take a SINGLE shot when you first turn on the strobe. If you take more than one in quick sucssession some strobes strobe may incorrectly learn the wrong sync pattern. The Inon should follow the PreFlash setting of the control knob, which should be DOWN in your case. Make sure that is so. Barring that, you may need to swap out the nauticam flash trigger. Perhaps you can get the S&S one to fit in the nauticam with a little creativity? (And some Sugru moldable rubber)

Any chance you might be able to borrow an MF-2 and try that out? It's likely that Backscatter but more effort into compatibility with the MF-2. The MF-1 was great but had a lot of reliability issues. The MF-2 is far more reliable, more powerful, better battery life, etc. If the MF-2 works with your new trigger, it would be worth considering an upgrade. Repurpose the MF-1 as a backup or off-camera strobe.

Thanks for confirming. I will dive it in a few days!

I just got my MFO today. Not wet yet, but on the bench I only see about 20cm max focusing distance on a Nikon 105 lens. Is this expected?

You are supposed to dive with these balloons on your camera? It seems a bit like a cludge. It doesn't get in your way, entangled, or create drag?

Fortunately I don't feel the need for this accessory. I have not found battery life to be an issue with the Nikon Z8. Battery life was called out often in the early reviews and spec crawls when it first came out so it was an initial concern. But it has been a non issue so far. I've done dozens of 3-4 dive days with 400-600 shots on one battery. I honestly don't even pay attention to the battery gauge most of the time unless I am going in to a high action environment like sharks or sealions. Does this sound consistent with other Z8 shooters?