Extreme macro options?

Following an awesome Lembeh trip where I ended up with both +2 and +4 diopters screwed to the cam (with flat port and no CC filter) most of the time, I'm getting greedy for even more macro capability.

A friend of mine recently said that he'd mounted a diopter externally in a large-diameter step-down filter ring to the outside of his flat port. Sounds great if you need that extra +4 here and there during a macro dive but not the whole time. I notice Keene Electronics do a Hoya set at 72mm thread size and an 82mm > 72mm step-down ring. Any advance on that? The diameter of the ring could be increased so it pushes into the flat port's guard.

The same guy also said he'd also achieved extreme macro by cracking open his topside wide-angle adaptor and using just the rear part of it screwed to his camera behind a flat port. It's apparently just a very strong diopter.

Has anyone else tried either of these approaches? How did they work?

Nick

Interesting....

An external macro is nice, i had the opportunity to be jealous of a friend of mine recently with his woody diopter for his still rig...

What you might want to try, something i saw before. Get some large mm +4 and encase it into a round foam thingy that you create yourself that fits the diameter of your port. Basically a bit of foam with a hole in the middle that the diopter can fit into, you can them take it on and off your port underwater. should be cheap

That pretty much what I had in mind Mike. The step-down ring would give a bit more material to mount the foam thingy to.

Anyone heard of a +4 bigger than 72mm?

Hi Nick,

Sounds like you had a good time. I got good news and bad I'm afraid. OK, I use a +10 diopter from Marumi for my most extreeeeeem macro stuff. Attached is a still from that lens set at half telephoto. You can see that there is some distortion around the edges due to the extreme magnification of the lens.

Marumi is a Japanese company with an English version of their site. Here's the bad news part. They still make the +10 ........ but only up to 57mm. Check here for the current size charts.

Cheers,

mark.

Correction: Max filter diameter for the +10 is 58mm and not 57mm as previously stated.

Sorry for the confusion.

Mark.

Hey guys

I'm messing around with the new macro dome port for the phenom and shot some stuff dry @ +7 but get the same result as Mark. I have yet to dive with it like this but it may be different once underwater. In the mean time check this zoom in of a mini DV tape.

Wags

what zoom scale you on there wags? Are you on the numbered scale? 0-100? or the bar graph for zoom?

Mike on the FX1 there is no zoom number I can see but I was zoomed in quite abit. I think I might fill up the bath and do a test dive before I take it set up like that out into the ocean so I don't end up wasting a dive trying it out to see if it works or not.

Thanks Mark and Wags.

Wags, are you stacked up with +4, +2 and +1 all in series behind the port or what? Have fun in the bath.

Like you say Mike, loads of distortion around the edges with the Marumi +10 because it's just a single element diopter.

There are some multi-element Raynox diopters for the FX1/Z1 on this page that should give less distortion. I don't know if their quoted "2.4X, 4X and 11X" are the same as +2.4, +4 and +11. I didn't think X and + were the same thing so I don't know what the equivalent "+" numbers would be. Also the stronger ones look like they might be a bit long to squeeze behind a flat port and the 11X looks like it gives acres of vignetting (see the clip of the coin on their site). The 4X looks like it vignettes too unless you're zoomed in.

Can anyone confirm the relationship between +4 and 4X?

I had been toying with a super macro port from Fathom which was supposed to give equivalent of +1 to +8(?) with minimal distortion but big $$$ and Gates seem to have taken it off their website in the last couple of weeks. Pic of it is below.

Now I reckon the best combination might just be a flat port with +4 (or +3.5 multi-element Century) screwed on the camera or in a flip arm and a removable +4 on the outside of the housing.

Anyone know the strength of the 110mm Woody's diopter (Nexus Wet Lens) and Macromate, what diameter the actual glass is, and whether they are single or multi-element? I'd like to get hold of whatever glass they use and make my own mount.

Nick

Wags, no zoom numbers? maybe just for the Z..

Go to Others (whre you set clock, time, language etc) in the Menu and scroll down till you get to Zoom. You then have a choice between 0-100 or the usual bar graph.

Nick, the Amphib you can stack quite a few together with the new port, hollow glass.

Mike no go with the FX1 must be just the Z.

Anyhow I had a great dive in the bath...or should I say dives, as I went through all variables up to +7 . I must warn you guys that diving in a warm bath and then opening up the housing makes it kind of go poof as the warm bath increased the pressure in the housing.

Nick I recond those raynox macro's could be good as well. There is heaps of room with the little port on in there. Maybe should try a sony wide angle on the end of the camera as well. Anyone got one to try?

Too bad the FX1 doesn't have TeleMacro like the HC3 does.......I saw some macro footage from that camera in the Lembeh Straights and looked like it was between a +5 and a +10 diopter.....fantastic feature....

The HC3/A1 telemacro function fixes the camera on full zoom doesn't it, which would put one quite a long way from the subject?

How are people getting on with it? How's the depth of field?

Century Optics had 58mm achromatic diopters at +2,4 and 7. I've stacked for +11 and could full frame a pygmy seahorse head. Dof went to crap though. Their new 72mm diopters are +2 but stackable. Finding a housing that fits them is probably impossible.

The A1 puts the camera in full zoom. With a diopter attached, it can get really close sometimes too close.

Sounds like the new Phenom macro port has lots of room behind it. Could maybe fit a couple of stacked Century diopters behind it?

i would guess yes to that. I would guess 3 inches from lens to port...

Yep I recon you could put anything from a wide angle to fisheye to macro dipoter from a good aftermarket optic company with the Macro Dome Port on.

Century still seem to do a +3.5 diopter at 72mm and B&H are listing it here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...tlist&sku=77529

Yes Nick, that would go on for sure.

Here is a pic with a Hoya +4 on the flip arm with the Macro Dome Port on.

That's a Aussie 5 cent coin, 20mm diameter and about 4 inches from Port.

Hi All,

Anyone with a Z1 Gates housing out there? If you could tell me how much clearance exists between the camera lens and the inside of the housing flat port element would be a great help. Also written to Gates.

Cheers,

Mark.