45 degree viewfinders and WA/Pelagics

I'm looking at putting an Inon 45 degree VF on a housing. Have previously had a Subal GS VF (180 degree), which worked fine for both macro and WA, and a 35 degree VF for my Subeye, which I use for only macro.

The Inon 180 degree VF sticks way out the back and looks a bit of a hassle. The 45 is smaller and would be easier to travel with. I know I would like the 45 for macro. But my first trip with this housing will be to the Galapagos, and I'm wondering if it will drive me nuts, or if I'll adjust fairly quickly. Pelagic shots tend to be very spontaneous and of the moment. Just don't want to be fiddling with getting the subject in the VF during that moment!

If I could interchange a 45 and 180 at will, it would be different, but it looks like that capability isn't there right now.

Any feedback here from those of you who have used a 45 degree VF for wide angle, and specifically pelagic shots?

thanks,

Linda

Hello Linda. I just finished shooting Tiger Sharks with the Inon 45 on a Sea & Sea D3 housing. Your post did not mention which housing you would be using but I can tell you it is a huge step up from the mfg. viewfinder.

The 45 did not take much getting used to, however i did find that tracking the animals using the eyepiece made my shooting easier. With a straight eyepiece, I can usually quickly bring the housing to my eye and framing is fairly accurate right off the bat. I did get much better after a few days. Switching from horizontal to vertical shots was easy and I adjusted the eyepiece along with the strobe. Overall, a great addition, at least to the Sea & Sea.

I also just finished shooting at week at Grand Cayman with the Sea & Sea D3 housing with the INON 45 degree finder. I've always used a straight on finder and this was difficult to get used to. After a week of using it, I was getting better at it, but I still much prefer the straight on finder. It was difficult initially spotting my subjects, especially with sudden and fast moving subject. Once spotted, though, it wasnt difficult to continue to track. For macro it was fine once my subject was spotted, but I found the finder a royal pain in the a$$ to spot things with. While some people seem to like the 45 deg finder, it's not for me.

I also just finished shooting at week at Grand Cayman with the Sea & Sea D3 housing with the INON 45 degree finder. I've always used a straight on finder and this was difficult to get used to. After a week of using it, I was getting better at it, but I still much prefer the straight on finder. It was difficult initially spotting my subjects, especially with sudden and fast moving subject. Once spotted, though, it wasnt difficult to continue to track. For macro it was fine once my subject was spotted, but I found the finder a royal pain in the a$$ to spot things with. While some people seem to like the 45 deg finder, it's not for me.

Hello Warren. Not to sidetrack too much, but I was curious as to which dome port you are using for your WA shots. Are you using a rectilinear or fisheye lens? I'm having corner problems with the Sea & Sea domes using the 14mm & 17-35 lenses. Shooting at anything less than f14 makes the corners terrible.

Hi Linda:

Slightly off your topic, but if you are still with your Subal, removing the eye piece unit for travel packing is very simple. All you need is a spanner wrench or a pair of snap ring pliers.

Allan

Hello Warren. Not to sidetrack too much, but I was curious as to which dome port you are using for your WA shots. Are you using a rectilinear or fisheye lens? I'm having corner problems with the Sea & Sea domes using the 14mm & 17-35 lenses. Shooting at anything less than f14 makes the corners terrible.

For wide angle I used an 8" optical glass port for the Sea&Sea D3 housing, I think it was by Zen Underwater. With the 14-24mm rectilinear at 14mm there was some corner softening, for sure. Ryan Canon of Reef Photo and I dove together this week in Cayman and he brought the Sea&Sea D3 setup for me to test out this week. What I found is the extension and port combination produced soft corners at 14mm. I also tested out the 16mm fisheye with the same 8" port (no extension required) and that was sharp from corner to corner. I think maybe with a larger dome port for the 14-24mm might help with the corner softness.

My D3 housing from Aquatica is due to arrive shortly with the 9.25" Megadome, so I can report back at some point regarding how it performs with the 14-24mm. However, if you're using the 16mm fisheye I think the 8" port should be sufficient.

Oh yah, a big thank-you to Ryan from Reef Photo for brining the housing all the way to Cayman along with dome and macro ports for me to use for the week. It was great diving with you buddy!

thanks for your input, everyone. As I suspected, it's an individual adjustment and not necessarily intuitive.

Allan, I've sold my Subal and GS VF, so it's gone. I have a D300 and looking for a housing. Specifically looking at the Seatool and perhaps one of the upgraded viewfinders. I'm being told that only a service center should remove and replace the VF, so that's why I'm concerned about being stuck with one type. Not sure if that's really the case, though.

I may reconsider the 180 VF, but it sticks out quite a bit more than the GS VF.

Linda

Just to add my 2 cents in favor of a 45 VF for WA: I am using a version of the Inon 45 made for an Ikelite housing with a Canon 40D. For me the 45 is a huge improvement for WA because the angle allows me to shoot with a bit of an upwards angle without bending like a pretzel. Very happy with this for WA.

Hey guys

I've just done my first dive trip with the Subal ND30 which has the Subal 45 degree viewfinder. It was terrific! Macro obviously no problem. But I also managed to shoot dolphins and whale sharks without too much trouble.

Allan: do you know if the Subal 45 viewfinder is user removable? It would certainly make packing a lot easier!

Warren:

I'll be interested in your findings. I posted the results of the S&S domes earlier on an earlier thread.

While we're thanking Ryan... Thanks for getting me the Inon 45. It is a beautiful addition to the D3. Kudos... amazing customer support!

The only problem I've had with a 45-degree finder is using a long (105mm) macro lens: I found myself aiming well above the subjects and had great difficulty finding them looking through the camera. 60mm and wide-angle lenses were no problem at all.

Tim

B)

Agreed.... not as easy with the 105...especially if trying to do more than 1:1...