Chris Ross

I now take a padded cooler bag which is collapsible on my trips, just how feasible it will be really depends on the boat I think and how much space it has, I just bought a cheap one from a K-Mart and it seems to work fine, collapsed down it's the top layer in my dive gear bag. I used it two ways depending on the trip, when we were on the tender going out to sites I carried the rig in it, no water in it and it provided protection on the tender where there wasn't anywhere good to store it, used an old towel to cover the rig after I got out out from the dive. Coming back to the main boat I used the rinse tank there briefly and transferred to the cooler bag. After the last dive I filled the cooler with water and left the rig to soak and got my gear and myself sorted before coming back to deal with changing batteries etc. You won't be able to carry the cooler bag full of water I don't think and it's unlikely there will be a water supply on any dive tender to fill it. On another land based trip we went out daily on mid sized boats. There were less rigs so I used the rinse tank there and transferred it to my cooler bag on a shelf again covering the rig with a towel. Used the cooler bag to soak at the end of the day. The one I have is a cheapy so picking it up and moving it full of water is not feasible plus it would weight 30-40kg when full. Always watch your rig like a hawk and cover the dome with your dome cover to protect it and stop it drying out till you can properly rinse it. I use a damp towel to stop everything drying out completely. So take the bag with you and sort out how you can get it to fit into the routine on the boats on site.

I'd contact him again to let him know the retailer was not helpful and see if he will confirm that this requires a return.

If this is the case it seems the HF-1 has built in protection circuits probably a low voltage cutout as the voltage will drop as the charging circuit tries to draw in 20A. This would be protect you from drawing too much current from the battery. I had a look at the link for the lishen battery at Lion wholesale and the the only 20A plus rated 21700 battery listed was specced at 3700 mAhr and out of stock. The actual battery linked was a 9.6A which is not suitable for these high draw flashes. I agree better to go with a known good battery. Also agree that mAhr figure is probably not relevant, the quoted figures are probably a little rubbery.

I'd suggest to PM Pavel, he's on this forum.

It depends on the details, part of fast charging is having a battery with low internal resistance and the other half is the resistance of the charging circuit itself. Unless some sort of protection is put in place, the circuit will try to draw the current it is designed for, it may not achieve the current draw the strobe was designed for, but could quite possibly draw more current than the battery was designed for. This can lead to battery overheating. This might activate the thermal cutout in the battery management in the cell if it has one. If it doesn't have a BMS then potential to damage the battery. With high drain devices I would suggest you always want a battery with a protection circuit. You might find that the cells will work fine when lightly loaded taking single shots at low power like 1/16 or lower as the high current is drawn very briefly but when you switch up to near full power and continuous shooting, they won't perform. A 15A rated battery might work OK, but the 8A model listed before might not and the over-discharge protection might activate. It seems to me the safest advice is to use the cells recommended/tested, there are quite a few dodgy batteries being being sold and buying a known good battery from a reputable vendor is cheap insurance.

This seems a little ambiguous, the recommended batteries are 5000, 5300 and 6000 mAhr rating and either 20A or 25 A rated and they state to only use the models they list (which can be purchased from many outlets). It seems what they are saying is the mAhr rating doesn't matter much and should be rated for at least 20A. Of course the problem is that other brands may claim they are 20A capable but they may have just bought a label to stick on their cheap cells. It might seem like a lower amp rated battery might be OK, but electrically the circuit will try to draw what it needs and overload a lesser battery that is not rated to supply the needed amps.

This converter from Retra might work, particularly if you are using a Retra strobe: Retra UWTE-Opto converterThe E-Opto converter is a simple and reliable optical trigger that generates optical signals from electric input. The E-Opto converter comes with pre-installed batteries that will last for more than 1You would need to confirm your Nikonos is wired the same way , it should work with other strobes on manual, but as you will note it is not guaranteed to work with strobes other than Retra.

Yes with the Retras, they have very good light quality and an even beam without diffusers. For something like the YS-D3 I think I would want the diffusers on as they seem to rely on them for a good beam. For a DIY reduction ring you could probably 3D print a press fit ring, I expect a ring of wetsuit material which was a tight fit over the strobe would also work.

If they are for the HF-1, Backscatter are quite specific on what models will work with that strobe as it has a very high current draw . Cheap batteries are always a risk. see this link, quite interesting, it's for 18650 batteries but same risks with the bigger cells: 18650 batteries flaws

Reduction rings are probably what you are looking for, they seem to make a big difference, My Retras have their reduction rings on for all my Sydney diving, it was night and day on backscatter compared to my old Z240s. Basically just an opaque ring that extends about 15-20mm beyond the strobe front lens. There's probably a few ways you could make some yourself.

I'd forgotten about that option, I only checked Backscatter's website and it appears they don't sell Marelux. For the OP it might be difficult to use with the Tokina lens as it appears it would need a 10mm extension (with their 140mm dome) that is not offered by Marelux. Adapting the 4.33" port is also a no go as the adapter Marelux sell has 20mm extension which is too much for the 4.33" dome which seems like it would need no extension. It could be used with the 8-15 with their 140mm dome and 30mm extension.

The second part of the question is if you have a guide who can find tiny subjects for you. I know I'm not the best at finding tiny subjects.

Is your question around whether it can be used with Nauticam wet optics? with a Nikon Z50?

Backscatter will send them to you if they have them, though freight might be expensive. I think they have gone back to NiMH throughout. Ikelite would probably send to you as well? Did you check Ikelite website, they list a dealer in Tokyo. Here is the thread on doing the re-pack - it's fiddly and you need to spot weld the connectors between the batteries. There are operations around which will do this work for you as well, but you may not be able to find one locally. My Ikelite Strobe Battery Rebuild - Tutorials, How-Tos, DIY - WaterPixels

Exactly what I would suggest doing, this is the applicable part of the RF N100 port chart: You then use the 4.33" dome and the applicable zoom gear with that from the EF N120 port chart. And yes you just add the needed extension to use the Canon 8-15 and the appropriate extension and zoom rings. If you use the 4.33" port with the 8-15 it needs 10mm less extension than the 140mm dome port. As far as an ikelite battery goes sourcing one out of the US might be required. Backscatter have them listed on their website, seems that the same pack is used on all strobes?? There are also videos floating around with instructions on how to re-pack them with NiMH cells.

It does depend on what market you are in, but if you are looking at R7, then unfortunately Nauticam is the only game in town though. Isottta have a good presence in Australia and are well priced in that market - you would only be looking at them for R6 as they don't have an R7 housing. Regarding support - realistically housings don't often need repairs and the Isotta housing are quite simple compared to Nauticam and easier to service if its needed To work out what you can do with your existing dome we would need to know which specific dome it is. If you get the Nauticam housing and the 35.5mm N100-N120 adapter then you go to the EF port chart to work out which dome and extension you need. If it's a Nauticam or even a Zen dome, I expect you should be able to use it. You could use it with either the Tokina or the 8-15 -being in Japan finding a used lens should be straight forward for either option. Regarding space if you go the R7 route you only have the R7 body as an "extra" - you could always put it in the housing - I know many are adamant you shouldn't do this, but I travel with my OM-1 inside the housing and have not had any issues as I am able to keep it with me at all times. The R6 you would probably be looking at the 140mm dome which isa little bigger and definitely the 8-15 which is a heavy little lump of glass. The R7 of course would take all your EF land lenses with a crop multiplication of course, good for tele lenses, not so good for Wide angle, or even leave the R6 at home depending on what other shooting you might have the opportunity to do. Regarding Ikelite strobes, you only need the appropriate bulkhead on the housing to connect the cables. Isotta has 3 M16 holes to use. They can be any M16 bulkhead. Nauticam has two M14 and one M24 - which is adaptable to M16. If the 70D has a single M16 port you will be able to transfer your current cables and bulkhead across on either option.

If it was me I'd be looking elsewhere for flights to the Maldives, all the Gulf airports are shutdown now, who knows how long before they open again? and will they remain open? Looks like you can connect through London and Istanbul among other places and I recall BA has a pretty generous carry on allowance. Travel insurance probably doesn't help if the airport closes due to war. The gulf airlines may normally be your best value, but if you hate spending on air travel you'll potentially hate being out of pocket due to travel disruptions even more. The point with domestic is many people may need to connect to a hub to depart internationally and once they are airside they remain that way at their connecting airport and are less likely to be hassled over baggage again and most international airports outside the US you only go through transfer screening when connecting who aren't going to hassle you over baggage allowances.

Depends on where you are flying from and which airline, many budget airlines weigh baggage, it's a revenue stream for them to force you to check the bag. In my experience in the US on domestic flights it's a free for all and you need to be in an early boarding group to get overhead locker space, if you then transfer to an international flight you are usually home free. Basically you need to research rules and book accordingly. Of course if you can afford business class most airlines leave you alone.

To illustrate the costs I looked at backscatter. an R7 camera plus Nauticam housing and the N100-N120 adapter is $6229 uses your current mini dome. An R6 Nauticam housing (conversion kit seems to be free) plus 140mm dome plus the required 30mm extension is $7600 (using your camera) An Isotta R6 housing (no kit needed) plus 40mm extension plus 4.5" dome is $4653 (using your camera) An Olympus OM-1 II body plus Isotta housing plus 40mm ext with knob plus 20mm extension plus 4.5" dome is $5730 plus a Metabones adapter about $600. All prices are from Backscatter wesbite. These leave out the lens you will use - all the same assuming using a Canon 8-15 in each case also no zoom gear though Isotta zoom gears are a bit cheaper. The R7 and OM-1 allows zoom, the R6 doesn't but you could add a 1.4x for limited zoom.

I'd still suggest adding up the costs, the premium for full frame housings is significant. Also look at what it would take to go with Isotta, their housings are significantly cheaper. I owned Canon gear when I bought my first housing and went with Olympus as the overall cost was less, you can get away with smaller domes, the lenses are cheaper and smaller for travel. Just enter everything in a spreadsheet, ask us if you are not sure on configurations. Regarding zooming I don't know what you usually shoot, reef scenics and fish swarming around corals are generally good with an straight fisheye at 15mm FF equivalent. You can also use the Sigma 15mm fisheye. I found that things likes schools of Barracuda above sea mounts, larger pelagics etc certainly benefited from the ability to zoom as did closing in on an anemone full of clownfish. On the question of zooming a fisheye unless you have very deep pockets or perhaps shoot Sony, doing it on full frame is very expensive and the common solutions only work on smaller formats - this is the reason for suggesting this. You can add a Kenko 1.4x for some limited zoom from 11-15mm as marked on the zoom ring to the 8-15. On the OM-1 which I use with the 8-15 you get full zooming capability. From a travel-ling perspective, going for an R7 your only addition is another body and spare battery, you be carrying your choice of fisheye regardless. with smaller formats your mini dome will likely be fine saving more space and weight. You'll have a housing anyway and you'll have your land lenses whichever system you use. You could choose to use the 8-15 or the 10-17 both will work with APS-C and the 8-15 has a lock to lockout zooming wider than 10mm when on an APS-C body. Lots of people on here swear by the 10-17 and it quite a bit cheaper. But either way it's only a body you'd be buying extra, you'll need a housing whichever way you go.

Do you need 17"? the 12" domes are more affordable, about $US1500 delivered assuming you'll need to pay duties on the way in.

Changing batteries occasionally is less work than dealing with the o-rings and potential corrosion of the contacts, you need to remove the cables regularly so the threads don't seize. so change a few times a year or maintain the cables after every dive session.

There really isn't an equivalent to the Tokina lens in full frame and Canon unfortunately. The WWL is certainly an option - but in Canon that means going with the WWL-C and the Canon 24-50 in FF which is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, plus in my mind the WWL only sort of substitutes for a fisheye as the angle of view is quite a bit less - horizontal field of the fisheye is about 144° while the WWL is about 122° and the barrel distortion that pushes the subject forward in the frame and gives it prominence is starting to be less noticeable. You do get a little more reach with the WWL compared to the 10-17. (The Nikon 24-50 is a much better lens) I'm assuming you are not in the market for the $$$$ fisheye conversion port. So what to do if you want to re-create the 10-17? First option is to find a second hand 10-17, should be straight forward to find a nice copy in Japan and use it on an EF-RF converter with an R7. Unfortunately a bit pricey though and Nauticam have handily changed to N100 port system on that model, meaning you would need the pricey 35.5mm N100-N120 adapter which you could use your current port on. The N100-N120 is half the price of a WWL though! Ikelite and Nauticam are the only options for an R7. Next alternative might be an OM-1 (Mk I or II) in an Isotta housing used with an adapted 8-15., yes it's a smaller sensor, but IMO the image quality is a step up on a D70 and good enough for most purposes. It works really well with the adapted 8-15. Isotta as the components are much cheaper to house an adapted 8-15 this route. The 8-15 is an excellent option in this format and exactly replaces a 10-17 and adds some reach at the long end with excellent optical quality a very flexible setup. You could use an 8-15 on a R6 but you'd not have any zoom capability for CFWA or more reach for shyer subjects but you might be able to use your current dome. The 8-15 is either 8mm circular of 15mm full frame 180° diagonal fisheye. The Nauticam R6II housing is about $1700 more than the Isotta at Backscatter. With the R6 MkI though your only option in new housings appears to be Isotta or Ikelite, Nuaticam seems discontinued. Some older Nauticam domes can be adapted to Isotta, but you may want something bigger than a mini dome for FF, probably the 140mm in Nauticam. We've already talked about a WWL-C with this above. I suggest you add what you would need to spend with each option to see what you would be up for. The issue is that anything in full frame gets expensive quite fast, smaller formats are much more affordable in aluminium housings.

That can work, but I found to dry a housing off thoroughly it took about half a scuba tank using the blower nozzle the resort had on site.

Thanks, seems like it's a good thing I don't need to modify mine.