Everything posted by Nemrod
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Another Fisheye AF lens from 7Artisan
Would the (E mount) still be around 160 plus degrees on a crop sensor Sony? If so that is a useful increase in FOV over my very much loved WWL. And a better lens than the 16mm pancake with the FE adapter attached.
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Mexico Underwater Camera "Tax" spread to Cancun
Riviera Maya News & EventsQuintana Roo Opens Customs Talks After Cozumel Diver Char...Quintana Roo tourism officials have opened discussions with federal customs authorities following complaints that visiting divers are being charged import taxes on underwater cameras and other equipme Click the link to open the news article.
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List of Available Strobes
Does Backscatter have a data set? They say they test every strobe they sell with a standard set of metrics.
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Mexico Underwater Camera "Tax" spread to Cancun
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Mexico Underwater Camera "Tax" spread to Cancun
Trust lost is hard to regain. I have not seen anything official looking either and I would not go to Mexico right now until there is an official statement welcoming scuba divers and photo divers. An apology and a refund to those who got robbed would be nice also. That release and the info being distributed does not appear to be on an official letter or statement, I would not trust that and then get waylaid at customs on your "professional" scuba gear. What this is really an admission of is that gusts have been hassled at customs over their scuba gear. The latest below, does not sound good. Reference: Office of the Secretary Official Letter No.: SEDETUR/DST/22-0005/VII/2026 Subject: Communication to the tourism sector Chetumal, Quintana Roo, July 22, 2026 “2026: 40th Anniversary of the Creation of the Anthem of the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo.” To the Diving Tourism Community of the State of Quintana Roo: I am pleased to inform you that on Monday, July 20, I held a working meeting with General Luis Antonio Balcázar Bustos, Head of Customs in Cancún, along with his team. General Balcázar Bustos showed a strong willingness to address the needs of this important segment of international tourists. As a first step, work will focus on two areas: * Informing the diving community and diving service companies about the requirements for the temporary importation of equipment under the ATA Carnet. This is an international customs document that allows the temporary import and export of certain goods in more than 78 countries without paying customs duties or taxes and without the need to file import/export declarations. * In coordination with diving industry specialists, a proposal will be developed for a list of equipment used in diving activities in order to promote updates to Mexico’s General Foreign Trade Rules. From the Quintana Roo Ministry of Tourism (SEDETUR), we will continue to follow up on these matters and any others that may arise concerning this issue. Thank you for your attention, and I send you my cordial regards. Sincerely, Lic. Bernardo Cueto Riestra Secretary of Tourism State of Quintana Roo
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Mexico Underwater Camera "Tax" spread to Cancun
Best thing to do unfortunately at this time is to not go to Cozumel unless you are okay with 19% taxes on cameras, computers including dive computers and other expensive gear like rebreathers or anything with a new value over $500. And let them know why you are not going. And give no tips to anyone if you are there now and where taxed for bringing in personal items. Whatever is going on there, the stress takes the fun out of the adventure, there are other places to go.
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Strobe help - not firing by fiber optic cable. Sea and Sea YS-D2 / Nauticam / Sony A7RII
I have had no problem with coiled 613 cable with any strobes (Inon, Retra, Marelux) but I have had with YS. I would use single bushing ends, not doubles, make sure you have quality multicore 613 type cable and fresh ends that are not recessed up into the bushing or plug.
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AOI QRS Lens Holder and Cold Shoe Mount Compatibility
Perhaps not a concern, but how strong is that cold shoe mount on an acrylic AOI housing? I am not confidence inspired by those even on my Nauticams to support anything heavy which might be prone to getting a whack. I might favor a cross bar solution.
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Condensation on inside of dome port
See if you can purge the housing before closing with dry compressed air from a tank (gently). Or one of those cans of nitrogen for blowing dust from equipment and electronics. And then close up and pull the vacuum.
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Backscatter Hybrids or Atoms?
You did not say what system you have. Unless you are shooting an OM Systems camera or a TG you will not have TTL capability with the Backscatter strobes. Possibly with a Sony only if the housing has room for a rather large and clunky and expensive and proprietary trigger to insert. Probably beyond your needs but the Retra Maxi has the largest power range of any current strobe from barely a flash to huge power! And has universal TTL. The price Delta between the HF1 and the Maxi is not that much considering the two products. The Maxi is maxi! And neutral in the water without floats.
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Over 50 and still diving? (Go on, admit it....)
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Over 50 and still diving? (Go on, admit it....)
You know, these days, 50 yo is barely grown up.
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Retra Maxi Bumpers and stuff
Cozumel. Fly by shooting, lol. Between dives now, heading back out shortly and may even leave the camera in the room since I already have it set up for tomorrow. What fun is that!
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Retra Maxi Bumpers and stuff
Just an update. Have the incredible Retra Maxis strobes in the water now for two weeks and several more dives yet. There is a learning curve with them. But the reason for the post, the sleeves I made from an old wetsuit arm and especially the @Dave_Hicks bumpers are performing fantastic to protect my beautiful, shiny silver Retras from all that nasty marine stuff! Thanks.
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Some favorites from Cozumel, MX
I like the turtle and the snapper. Nice shots. Those who have never dove Cozumel might not appreciate how difficult it can be to deal with the current. Pretty much fly by shooting often difficult to get framing and settings adjusted, one chance at a shot and zoom away.
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Urgent: Eneloop / Powerex charging problem
I have found that sometimes the battery end contacts form an oxide layer that increases resistance. Spinning them in the charger will help them to make better contact and complete a cycle.
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AOI 67mm to Nauticam bayonet?
Simple question. Is it possible to install the Nauticam bayonet system to an AOI housing 67mm threaded port?
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Flaring with WACP-C vs. WWL-1B
The point made about the camera lens possibly being more flare prone in some, could be? Could explain such varied experiences with the same optics. The photo with the beautiful gar fish, very shallow, very bright sun. Challenging conditions for sure. For laughs, Canon A570 P&S, Ikelite case, Inon WAL with glass dome, shot right into the sun with some cool lens reflections that look like planets. Photo sucks, lol, what do you expect for a 5MP antique! Darn thing had manual aperture, iso and shutter! Shallow and bright, a little flare in the lower right corner. Surely the WACP could do as well!
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Subal and D500 RIP: Hello new system
Is the Z6 limited to 1/200 for strobe sync and the OM1 can get 1/250? That would be annoying but not a deal breaker since I have dealt with 1/160 on my Sony pop up and 1/200 with the UWT trigger. But my Canon goes to 1/250 and it does make a useful difference shooting against the sun up shallow.
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Flaring with WACP-C vs. WWL-1B
I do not believe a WWL would flare as in the photo above. That flare really surprises me.
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SD cards for a liveaboard trip
One 128 card per week plus one spare.
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Flaring with WACP-C vs. WWL-1B
Never used a WACP and understanding that people can have strong opinions and varied experiences, but I cannot recall ever having a flare issue with the WWL-1. I do not think it prone to flare. Less so than my dome. But my dome is acrylic, not one of those high dollars Zen glass domes ;). And I like to shoot back into the sun. Photos with WWL-1 and either a Nauticam NA-R50 or NA-6400.
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Protecting lenses for boat egress/entry - Custom covers?
Hmmmm, maybe the OP needs a Dave Hicks cover for his rare S&S lens! Maybe I do too for my Nauticam dome ;).
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Protecting lenses for boat egress/entry - Custom covers?
I always keep my lenses covered entering and exiting. My WWL hard cover is drilled for a piece of cave line and bolt snap. The cover is always attached to the lens safety line or clipped off to my scooter ring when in use. My CMC lenses and dome port have neoprene covers which likewise have a small bolt snap for me to clip them off to the camera when on the lens or to my scooter ring in use. Ikelite has several full neoprene covers with a zip drawstring that are easier to slip on than the bikini type. I use one of those on my 4.33 inch Nauticam dome. And, of course, a bolt snap.
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WACP-C vs WWL-1B for Sony Nauticam setup
Yes, same thought here. I was of the thinking that the WACP would be at least as good as the WWL and IMO the WWL is not prone especially to flare. Flare has not been a problem for me in thousands of shots and I love to shoot back against the sun for CFWA and other WA shots. This photo, divers and boat, is fairly horrid, I missed the moment but it demonstrates that the WWL does not flare. In fact, I cannot recall ever seeing flare though I am sure it can occur, any lens can flare into the sun. The fish ball photo shows flare, Canon S90, Inon UFL165AD (acrylic dome), a lens that is prone to flare if not careful, I have never had the WWL ever do anything like this under much worse conditions.