Bubbles between port and lens

The space between the rear element of a wet lens and port is self flooding, through the four small apertures in the port. But I have noticed that very small bubbles occasionally adhere to the rear element and / or glass port. This does not present a problem when using 'small' glass, like the INON UCL-165 or 330 as a quick unscrew and shake solves this. But its not so easy to do with a UWL-100 and dome unit fitted, which really needs the housing set down and the M67 thread carefully aligned. It occured to me that spraying the port and rear element with a wetting agent would help. Has anyone tried this?

I don't seem to understand your problem. Do you screw the lens outside the water?

I doesn't make sense that bubbles are present between port and lens if you screw the UWL-100 underwater.

Between UWL-100 and the dome shouldn't be any bubbles because it should be any water inside at all, just air.

I know silicon grease makes water bubbles to remain adhered but never really check if air bubbles could be affected the same way. I've seen small air bubbles adhere to any part of the equipment but not really in any lens.

I can only think of using a wet finger to remove it

all you have to do is make sure that you shake the bubbles off of the back of the wet lens and also off of the front of the port and then screw it on whilst it is underwater. take a short piece of video and replay it to see if it has all gone. if not take it off and re do it.

I am sorry if I have not made myself clear.

Fitting the UWL-100 M67 and dome port underwater is not easy. I find I need to set the housing down and use both hands to carefully align the M67 threads. Otherwise its an operation which will end with the threads crossed or I'll drop the housing or lens...

So I enter the water with the UWL-100 M67 and dome port fitted to the Ike housing. The air space between the rear element of the lens and the port floods OK but there remains just a few small bubbles which adhear to either the rear element or the port.

So I wondered whether using a wetting agent on the port and lens would help, i.e. http://www.ilfordphoto.com/products/produc...undry+Chemicals

sorry i didnt read your first posting properly.

i havent used the dome with the inon 100 but i do understand what you are saying about the remaining bubble or 2. i would make the self filling holes in the inon slightly bigger, and make sure that 1 of them is at the top centre of the camera ( so it is the highest point )

i guess doing that and using the chemical you talk about would get rid of this problem.

If you start pre-assembled, can you 'flood' the opening somewhat onboard the boat before assembling? Maybe dribble water (with just a tiny bit of alcohol to break surface tension?) into the holes with a water bottle or one of those lab squeeze-bottles with the elbowed tube we had in chemistry class?

I'd be afraid a wetting agent would introduce rainbow effects, or worse yet eat any coatings off the lens. (Then again, I just checked your link, guess it's labeled as 'safe for lenses')

Unfortunately its not possible to 'pre flood' the Ike ports as the water runs out...

Whatever chemical application could be used to disperse microbubbles, it is important to ensure that the lens coating is not damaged, that a 'photo unfriendly' layer is not applied and that the integrity of the port's water seal is not compromised.

Another product that has occured to me is the mask defogger, Sea drops.

Alcohol? Mmmm... Maybe a weak solution of isopropyl alcohol (swimear) applied pre dive from a small atomiser is the answer?

The defogger would probbaly be the safest to try out since it's basically synthetic spit and shouldn't mess with any coatings on the lenses.

I know the following is not exactly the answer you're looking for but mabye it'll help: In the lab I work in we use these pen sized turkey basters (for lack of a better term -- it's actually a sort of bulb pipettemade entirely out of plastic) for pulling small samples out of petri dishes. What about carrying one of those with you and just shooting a jet of water through the flooding holes to dislodge the bubbles. I'll try and get a picture of one and the info on where to get them if interested.

Another option is to turn those M67 threads into bayonets using THESE. That way you could pop the lens off & on underwater without the hassle of the threads.

Hi Randini. Some great suggestions, thanks.

The bulb pipette idea may work. Could post a picture and maybe a www link to a manufacturer / supplier? I like the M67 / bayonet adaptor but whilst it will probably be fine with a UWL-100 w/a lens (100 degree), maybe the resulting vignetting would be a problem if using the dome unit (130 degree)?

I'm guessing it's a little more difficult to do underwater with the dome port on, but with just a straight WA lens with 67mm thread, I tend to just half unscrew mine, give it a bit of a swirl around, and then it's generally ok.

I'm constantly taking my WA lens off, and putting it back on underater, easy to do with one hand on the housing and one hand on the lens, but again, I'm guessing it's harder to do with the dome. So I guess a good question is, is the dome really worth it? One of the best things about having a wet lens is it is interchangable underwater, meaning you can take everything from macro to WA shots on the one dive.

Ryan.

Hi Randini. Some great suggestions, thanks.

 

The bulb pipette idea may work. Could post a picture and maybe a www link to a manufacturer / supplier? I like the M67 / bayonet adaptor but whilst it will probably be fine with a UWL-100 w/a lens (100 degree), maybe the resulting vignetting would be a problem if using the dome unit (130 degree)?

The attachment below is a picture I just took of one that is supposed to be 1.8 ml and a AAA battery for scale.

Technicaly it's a plastic pasteur pipette or a trasfer pipette. LINK to a supplier of a non-scientific use one in the UK (I doubt you'll need "exact" volumes or that they're sterile so these will probably cost less). Considering a 10pk costs £3.40 it's probably worth a shot, no?.

LINK to a supplier of transfer pipettes for scientific use. They have a huge variety (different volumes & sized tips), but will probably be a bit more expensive.

I really don't know about the vignetting with the bayonet adapter, but I defintely agree that it could be an issue, more so with a fisheye. Maybe the guys at Reef will be able to answer that.

Two things: Isn't the use of "defog" on a camera a bad idea? I thought one of the main reasons we have camera buckets is to avoid the defog from wrecking havoc with the o-rings in the camera. I suppose applying defog to a wet lens isn't a problem but in the end that wet lens winds up in the camera bucket and the defog in the water with the housing.

Second thing is, can someone explain the wet lens/ "take my WA lens off and put it back on underwater" without a dome comment. Is it the case that one can take wide angle shots without a dome, simply by using a WA adapter on the front of a flat port? That seems an ideal way to work (which means I am missing something....), while saving a ton of money from buying an expensive fisheye lens and dome. PLUS all the benefits of not having to worry about housing the "wrong lens" Or is this only for point and shoot camera that it is an option?

Can't really speak to the defog issue ...

On the wet lenses ... This is a specific setup from INON ... they make a 67MM wet flat .57 w/a adapter that screws to the flat (short) port of an Ikelite housing - this gives about 100 degree rectilinear view.

One can also add an INON dome specifically made for that adapteronto the front that creates a 130 degree fish-eye perspective.

The flat w/a adapter without the dome port sounds like it is a lot easier to take on and off underwater than the w/a adapter with the dome port on top.

David, the wide angle lenses mentioned above, including the dome, are external wet lenses made specifically for compact cameras. They screw onto the front of the housing, to give either wide angle or macro coverage.

One of the biggest benefits of a compact camera is they're so versitile in this respect, meaning that one the same dive you can take WA and macro shots. This is something that I will really miss, as a lot of my local dive sites have both large creatures (mantas, sharks, etc) as well as a lot of tine critters.

Here's the Inon WA lens as mentioned above, without the dome.

Thanks Aussie. I came to that conclusion when I saw the types of cameras people were using with the lens. I have no sympathy for your unfortunate situation of being surrounded by macro and pelagic picture opportunities. Think of we poor blokes who dive only a few times a year not knowing what we are going to see and having little opportunity to "get the right lens'!

Thanks Aussie. I came to that conclusion when I saw the types of cameras people were using with the lens. I have no sympathy for your unfortunate situation of being surrounded by macro and pelagic picture opportunities. Think of we poor blokes who dive only a few times a year not knowing what we are going to see and having little opportunity to "get the right lens'!

Oh I'm not complaining, don't worry! If I miss a weekend's diving I'm generally not happy.

Where abouts are you situated?

Ryan.

I just came back from diving with a G9 and the UWL-100 with a dome. Its not exactly easy (I did drop it once on a shallow reef), but there are a couple of tricks.

1 - lightly grease the mounting screw. This helps it mount properly and glide smoothly

2 - when you are not in the water, mark the lens ring with a tick mark indicating the place just before the thread engages when looking down at the camera and about a quarter turn afterwards (which is just after the thread is fully engaged). These tick marks will help you orient the lens so all you have to do is align and turn a quarter turn to feel if the lens has properly engaged or not. Otherwise you might need to rotate the lens a whole turn before it catches. I have also marked the lens caddies with the upwards position as well.

3 - optionally attach a lanyard to the lens. I'm not sure how well that would work though. My friends started calling my rig a decorator camera because there were so many things attached ;-)

I tried the ST bayonet mounts. They have a couple of issues -- one is that they vignette, and the second is that when screwed on and mounted, the screw has more of a tendency to unmount than the bayonet. It might work on a rig when you only need one of the bayonet mounts, but 67->ST->ST->67 isn't a working solution.

tdc

I just came back from diving with a G9 and the UWL-100 with a dome.

Very cool ... can you share any images?

Oh I'm not complaining, don't worry! If I miss a weekend's diving I'm generally not happy.

 

Where abouts are you situated?

 

Ryan.

I live in New York. Won't get to go in the ocean again until July, when I hope to see some sharks in the Bahamas. I just purchased my 60mm lens and my 10-17 Fisheye lens. Not on to the housing and the flash. I'll have to move closer to good diving to get my money's worth...

video here: http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24880

pictures coming.

Very cool ... can you share any images?