Inon UWL-100 Dome

I heard over the weekend that the dome for the INON UWL-100 will be available in Japan on March 20th. Price I saw was pretty steep (roughly $340). Allan -- heard anything yet that can confirm this?

Mike

Mike,

I am expecting 2 INON UWL-100 Dome Port by the end of April. From what I understand, it'll be readily available by the end of April. Also, the lens caddy is now in stock.

Yes, the price is pretty steep $340.00

check out the result taken by one of the INON staff using the INON UWL-100 type 2 WAL with the Dome Port

Total viewing angle uw is 131 degrees.

Allan

I stand corrected..... FYI, INON finally released the new INON UWL-100 DOME PORT. Yes, folks it is now available. Price $340.00

Allan

I'm having a hard time firguring out what I could do with with the dome.

I currently have an Oly 5050 with an Inon wide angle lens and 2 DS 125 strobes.

I like everything about the wide angle lens EXCEPT when zooming thru it which results in major bluring except in the center of the picture.

1. Would the dome correct for this problem?

2. What else could I do that I can't do now?

BTW for those of you who are technically inclined (I'm not) the following article has a lot to say about dome ports.

http://home.swipnet.se/marinls/domeuw.htm

A flat front on your add-on macro lens will give you "less-than-sharp" corners and reduce the angle of coverage of the lens.

A dry port (with I'm assuming air in between the front element and the dome, right??) on your add-on lens will give you better results. Kind of like using the "Aqualens" on a Nikonos I think. The camera/lens combo will still have to be able to focus close enough to focus on the virtual image, but this shouldn't be a problem w/ most digicams.

HTH

James

I like everything about the wide angle lens EXCEPT when zooming thru it which results in major bluring except in the center of the picture.

Are you saying that you leave the lens on and try to zoom the camera in on something?

I found a website tonight advertising the Inon Dome Port which states the following:

Cathedrals resolution for the Inon wide angle Uwl-100 or identically constructed lenses

 

The cathedral resolution increases the wide angle effect still considerably. It can also with the Epoque, which Sea&Sea and the UN vorsatzlinse are used.

The original website is in German Cyberstore. It seems to indicate that the Inon Dome port will fit on the Sea & Sea WA lens. Does anyone who sells these things know if this is true?

RA

It seems to indicate that the Inon Dome port will fit on the Sea & Sea WA lens

I don't have a Sea and Sea lens to compare to here but after looking at how the dome attaches, I am highly skeptical of that claim. The way it goes together would make it impossible unless the Sae and Sea dimensions are identical to the INON UWL-100's.

Mike

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of the size of the lens with the dome attached. The dome goes on the front of the lens, a mounting ring goes behind the lens outer element flange. O-rings are placed between and the two pieces are screwed together to clamp them to the lens making a water-tight double O-ring seal.

Mike

Yes Mike, with the wide angle attached, I optically zoom up to 3x. But as I said, the edges are badly blured.

Re your rig, what subject distances do you use or plan to use the dome for --- I'm still trying to figure out what I can do with the dome that I can't do now.

Yes Mike, with the wide angle attached, I optically zoom up to 3x. But as I said, the edges are badly blured.

 

Re your rig, what subject distances do you use or plan to use the dome for --- I'm still trying to figure out what I can do with the dome that I can't do now.

The dome port will give you a wider field of view: ~130 degrees vs the ~95 that you can get without it. Very handy if you happen to find yourself close to a whale shark. It's also good for other situations as well. It gives you an effectively wider angle lens which allows you to get closer to the subject.

The dome will give more coverage, therefore is gets you closer to large subjects or scenics or CFWA shots. That's the main difference. If you are happy backing away with the other lens, then you obviously don't need it. Closer is better, especially for trying to light big things. I am curious to see if the apparent image formed by the dome makes on use one of the macro settings in order to focus. I have a request in for some English instructions . . .

As you've no doubt concluded, the UWL-100 add-on lens is optimized for use with the internal lens at its widest setting. It isn't designed to support larger focal lengths just as the macro lens is designed to be used at full telephoto, not at wide-angle. From the UWL-100 manual:

"To achieve optimum images with your equipment, start with the camera zoom set at the full Wide position. Depending on the camera/housing used, there may be slight vignetting of the image. In that case slightly zoom forward little by little until there is no more vignetting."

Ok Mike and Herb, I can use a dome for some of thepictures I take. In particular, I can use it for ship wrecks, groups of people, reef topography, and of course whale sharks. Sounds exciting.

Now the question, how close can I actually get to the subject? The following article implies not closer than 3 meters. Is this true? Or does the dome incorporate some of the fixes suggested in the article.

http://home.swipnet.se/marinls/domeuw.html

Bottom line question. Can I take a picture of an angel fish that is only 2 to 3 feet away when using the dome with the WAL?

Peter the focus range is 1.97cm - infinity for an Olympus C5050 on macro mode. That's NOT the depth of field, it's the range that the camera will focus.

I know this because I just received an English Translations of the instructions that Mike alluded to in pdf format. Inon has not given permission for me to post it, but I can email you a copy if you like.

The dome is available now in Japan. I saw 3 units at JPY 38,000

(USD 340) last week on the 21st in one shop.

Herb, Thanks for the info. I plan to get a dome as soon as I can order one from US that is in stock. I'll let you know my impressions.

Here's the link to the English translation of the Inon Dome Port instructions:

http://www.uwdigitalcamera.com/pdf/INON%20...dome%20Lens.pdf

Here's the link to the English translation of the Inon Dome Port instructions:

 

http://www.uwdigitalcamera.com/pdf/INON%20...dome%20Lens.pdf

Inon changed their minds and had it removed. Email me if you'd like a copy.