Dave_Hicks

What is your take on the 105mm AF-S vs Z mount lens options? I have stuck with my AF-S mount lens on the Z8 and continue to be very happy with the focus speed and image quality. Is there is a compelling reason to get the Z mount? I have a 60mm+20mm port already, so I'd just need the lens.

The MFO comes with a mounting ring that allows you to screw it directly to the port. I used that method a couple of days ago and found that it leaves a pretty big bubble of air between the glass. I had to unscrew and remove it underwater to clear the bubble. I was still near the surface and it is possible the bubble might clear at greater depth. I've used it a few other times and didn't notice a problem but also didn't check as they were night dives. A flip adapter is probably a better way to use the MFO-1.

Details please. Model of port and a photo. Flat, dome, glass, acrylic?

Business Class!

Maybe Palau as well? It's a short hop from Guam, and it's practically a US territory. Palau citizens can join the US military, interestingly.

I would consider Fiji or Guam. You are not interested in Hawaii I take it? Seattle is excellent in October as well but maybe you don't like cold water? I would not consider Indonesia at all, probably not the Philippines.

Wrap sandpaper around the end of a chopstick or pencil with a rubber band. Works great.

I typically leave batteries in my strobes when stored at home, and in active rotation. I've done that with Ikelite, Inon, and Backscatter strobes over the years. But some electronic devices can experience "phantom drain" which can drain a battery over time. If you are not going to be using your strobes for a month or more, I'd feel better removing all batteries. Across many months of storage, battery leakage is a possibility. With alkaline cells it's a near certainty, with NiMH and Lithium less so but not zero risk. Any strobe that is going to be packed for Flying should definitely have batteries removed. The risk of it turning on while packed is non-zero and could have very bad results. Drained batteries, overheating, even fires. Don't risk it.

Probably most of the time. But i don't need two MF-2s, and i do need two HF-1s. Good enough for me.

He shared a link to a generic shade designed for a top side lens. I just made a 3d printed tpu rubber shade for the MFO and will try it tomorrow. I will share the design after testing. I am always happy to send out copies for the cost of shipping.

Two words: Strap Wrench

Backlighting or just fill light at low power. I don't like the "Spotlight" effect you sometimes see in Snoot shots. The second strobe allows you to blend in some surrounding detail without emphasizing the background you are trying to hide with the snoot.

A fisheye lens still produces a Fisheye Effect at 15mm, with straight lines being curved. The 8-15mm party trick at 8mm is a circular vignette, and that's a whole other thing. I don't use the WACP, but the WWL-C with 24-50mm lens, and it's pretty much the same thing you get with the WACP. This configuration is very flexible and provides the ability to get sharp images at wide angles and some ability to zoom in to near-macro levels. Edge sharpness is good with these lenses, more so than older Wide Angle Zooms like a 16-35mm behind a big port. I also shoot with the Nikon 8-15mm FE behind a 170mm dome port. To be certain, this is sharper than the WWL (and maybe the WACP). The Fisheye can be very pleasing with some scenes and the corner sharpness is excellent, It's smaller and lighter than the WACP by a mile, and a bit smaller than the WWL-C but not by much. However, it is a lot less flexible than the Nauticam ports with their big zoom ranges. You use a Fisheye for situations that are going to benefit most. Big reef scenes, some very close up big animal encounters (Mantas, Whalesharks), kelp forests. You can get some nice CFWA opportunities when you run out of big scenery but have open water backgrounds and lots of light. If you are adding a teleconverter to the FE, then you might as well go with the WACP/WWL most of the time. You are seeking more range and that is not what FE is made for.

When I shoot macro, I mostly use an MF-2/snoot on the right and an HF-1 on the left. The left side has very long arms. This allows me to use the snoot as a primary light and the HF-1 as fill light. The long arms allow me to place some backlighting behind the subject or from a steep angle to provide some contrast and shadow. If there is a tight spot I can push the HF-1 arm out of the way and just use the snoot. I have 3 Jumbo Stix blocks on the HF-1 arms that nicely balance the rig. The whole thing is nearly neutrally buoyant. I see no problems with the pair of MF-2s as a good macro setup or CFWA configuration.

The Kraken RS-160s look really nice on the spec sheet and are used to great effect by a few photographers that I really respect. Including for macro. I don't know why the Retra's would be better in this regard. The Kraken is a lot more modern than the Retra in its design and specs with a better battery and charging solution in particular. USB-C charging of 2x21700 batteries. With the money saved over the Retra's you could add the Kraken Snoot or even better, add a Backscatter MF-2 snoot/strobe to your collection. Now you have flexibility and backup while spending less money than the Retra set.

I am liking the idea of a slip over shade that fully protects the body and maybe shields the glass a bit from getting scratched. My old SubSea+5 diopter is scratched to hell on the body and a bit on the glass too. I tend to get down in the sands and rocks with super-macro shots. I'll try this out for a while and confirm that it doesn't get in the way. Thanks for sharing the idea, @Tom Kline

Who makes or sells it?

Does it screw on or slip over? Just for fun I made a slip-over shade while I was eating lunch. 🙂 TPU Rubber, it shades about 25mm from the glass and can be push down to only protrude about 12mm. I do not observe any vignetting.

It looks like Nauticam makes a shade for the SMC series, but I don't think it uses the thread at all. It seems to slip over and can be raised or lowered. It's also probably too tall for the much more pancake MFO lens, at least if you want to retract it. It's an interesting idea, perhaps I'll try designing and printing one.

I guess we need to add "burp your strobe" to the best practices of Underwater Photography. 🙂 🫧

Picture? What's the function?

Probably a good idea.

Yes, i thought about that. Could a build up of pressure in the compartment cause the issue? Perhaps only if the batteries were the root cause and not an external flood.

We'll see what happens when I dive it again this week. There is usually some water under the cap, but I don't know if the orings are wet. Perhaps the first one is, but I could not say for sure. I know there is an overpressure valve, I assume that is the metal disk as the center of the cap. It would be interesting to know how to test that independently.

No, i was mistaken. The MFO does have a front thread. Maybe it's meant for a filter or something?