Subal 105vr Port/lens Not Attaching To Subal ND30

Sorry to here about your problems.

Dumb me has to ask to be sure you have removed all filters from lens?

I would take modeling clay and form it into small spikes and stick them onto the port in areas you suspect may be the problem(cover them with thin plastic if you want to keep your lens clean) then insert camera to housing. Where the clay gets smushed there is the problem clearance area.

Once you see which dimension is binding then you can begin to Analise the trouble.

I had the same (ON-OFF-LIGHT) trouble problem with my ND 20. I got a small allen wrench and losened the actuator and slid it down the shaft a small amount. It has worked fine ever sence.

Good luck!

Sorry to here about your problems.

 

Dumb me has to ask to be sure you have removed all filters from lens?

 

I would take modeling clay and form it into small spikes and stick them onto the port in areas you suspect may be the problem(cover them with thin plastic if you want to keep your lens clean) then insert camera to housing. Where the clay gets smushed there is the problem clearance area.

 

Once you see which dimension is binding then you can begin to Analise the trouble.

 

I had the same (ON-OFF-LIGHT) trouble problem with my ND 20. I got a small allen wrench and losened the actuator and slid it down the shaft a small amount. It has worked fine ever sence.

 

Good luck!

Thanks for the great advice Don.

I have removed all filters (but thanks for pointing that out!!!)

Other suggestion is very smart too.

I'm in Tacoma now and I'm hoping to show the ND30/105vr lens & port/housing to someone who can help soon, before I take it underwater because I want to make sure all is well with the housing. I've tried again for a few hours to mount the 105vr port and lens to no avail again. The housing was checked out as noted and deemed fine and the video Ryan did showed me how to install the 105vr port and lens on the ND30 as noted earlier. I appreciated that, but it didn't show anything different to what I was doing - and then I noticed there was a difference in the Subal 105vr port in the instruction video and the one I own so maybe that is a problem? It was a variable, my Subal 105vr port looks a lot different than the one in the video? But this same Subal 105vr port and 105vr Nikon lens worked on my ND20 so I still haven't isolated the issue with mounting the same 105vr lens/Subal 105vr port I own on the ND30. It may be the change made in manufacturing as stated by Ryan, I don't know.

Here's a quick iPhone pic of my dedicated Subal 105vr port that I bought from Ryan Canon in late 2006 or early 2007. It looks different than the one in Ryan's video.

Plus I've noted Ryan's other suggestions and I'll see if I can get someone to try out his suggestions - as I was unable to successfully do so (move the centering ring forward with a wooden dowel like he stated).

I'll let you all know how it turns out and thanks most sincerely for all the help from everyone at WP and Ryan Canon.

Kind Regards, Carol

I should add to this, that many people have been using the 105mm VR with the D300 in a Subal for a while. For example, Martin Edge has been using one since he got the first Subal ND30, back in March - reviewed here on Wetpixel in April:

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/subal-nd30-...00-dslr-review/

Hopefully we'll have a chance to meet up Carol in the next few days and I'll have a look for you. As I always say, it is much easier to fix someone elses underwater camera, than your own because you are not emotionally involved! Good luck, in the mean-time, Carol.

Alex

I should add to this, that many people have been using the 105mm VR with the D300 in a Subal for a while. For example, Martin Edge has been using one since he got the first Subal ND30, back in March - reviewed here on Wetpixel in April:

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/subal-nd30-...00-dslr-review/

 

Hopefully we'll have a chance to meet up Carol in the next few days and I'll have a look for you. As I always say, it is much easier to fix someone elses underwater camera, than your own because you are not emotionally involved! Good luck, in the mean-time, Carol.

 

Alex

Alex, did Martin use this same Subal 105vr port (first sold late 2006) on the Nd30? That is the main question now as I seem to be narrowing down the causes of the problem and if this particular model Subal 105vr port did impact the lens in my many attempts to install then that is probably one reason a few other things in the housing became skewed for me. But of course I'll wait for your welcomed and "fresh eyes" - and lack of emotional involvement...... Carol

To anyone interested who has followed this -

I'm back to land now from offshore Port Hardy (2 weeks) - no email & just awesome!!!!!

But to point - I was unable to use my 105vr lens with the Subal ND30 and the Subal 105vr port (as I feared when I discovered the anomaly a month ago). Bummer as I really wanted to use that lens & my diopters etc.

Alex Mustard tried to track down and help solve the issue in Port Hardy but was unable too. Basically Subal changed something in the ND30 housing (over my ND20 former housing) that made my Subal 105vr port too short and unable to fit on the Nd30. Alex did confirm though that the same port fit on the new Subal housing for the D3. Plus Alex tried to put together a substitute port with my 20mm vr ex ring and the Subal 60mm port but that cause this strange behavior of the 105vr lens impacting something in the Nd30 and "shutting down".

I thank Alex for his time and am awaiting solutions from Subal. I was relieved to find out that I had thoroughly tested things out and Alex just confirmed my fears about being unable to use my 105vr lens and Subal 105vr port during my 2 week trip to Port Hardy.

Plus I'm having a couple of other ND30 issues still with the on to light switch not aligning and lighting and the focus mode selector switch getting stuck on one mode and unable to switch during the dive (I'm still confirming the latter - it happened intermittently on several dives and then for a whole dive -- if it happens on 2 more dives I'll know it is a problem that won't go away).

This is so strange for me because my d200 fit in my Subal ND20 so perfectly and this d300 doesn't fit well in the Subal ND30.

I do really like the Nikon d300 camera though!

Carol

Hey Carol,

Glad you had a good rest of your stay up in Port Hardy. Hope that the weather improved.

I agree that the port mounting point on your D300 housing is closer to the camera than it is on the D3 and your D200 housings. Which I find surprising. I already emailed Ryan about your port.

Here is a photo of your port fitted perfectly on the D3 housing. You can see if you look closely at the picture that the is a small gap between the front of the lens and the glass of the port.

So the problem does seem to be related to the D300 housing only.

Alex

Hey Carol- welcome back! And what a star Alex is trying to help put like that. Sorry you had the problem on your trip. What a bummer.

I've got the problem too with the ND30 of getting the focus selector to engage. I don't you if you had left already when Ryan helpfully suggested a minor adjustment to the operating shaft which would effectively bring the Subal focus selector closer to the camera switch. I havn't tried it on mine yet but it sounded a very sensible solution.

Sounds like the rest of your trip was good though!

Hey Carol- welcome back! And what a star Alex is trying to help put like that.

Sounds like the rest of your trip was good though!

Tim, yes Alex spent some time on it and was most helpful - this was even though he was busy diving with the guys in the warm, balmy waters of Port Hardy BC... I do thank him!

Glad you had a good rest of your stay up in Port Hardy. Hope that the weather improved.

Alex

Thanks Alex, I had an awesome time!! I'll be posting something on it soon. The weather got worse - then got gorgeous - then a little bit worse - then beautiful for two days - then drizzle - such is British Columbia...... Funny thing was when it was at its worst a diver who I buddied with, Valerie, and then Jett joined in spurred on by John and we started cooking up some interesting scenarios - funny what too much rain will do to divers......!!

Yes Alex my port on the D3 looks like it did on my ND20 - I even attached the 5T or 6T w/o the black ring and used blue tak and there was ample room for it all with the ND20 and Subal 105vr port. But as you say it doesn't fit or work on my ND30.

Good news Alex and Tim is I spent a lot more time on w/a than I would have, the viz was so great and when the sun came out I exclusively used the 10-17 and tried different things like diving and photographing in only the top 10 feet of water for 50 minutes, etc. So sometimes a forced change in lenses can bring out good things? Well that will remain to be seen but I do know Jett liked some of my w/a. I'll post some soon as soon as I get caught up on wonderful stuff like laundry (still on vaca but some things just don't wait......!)

I'm diving with Jan (Honza)the day after tomorrow and my husband is meeting me here in Washington also for the journey back - so lots still to come. I don't think anything is quite as busy and as much work as a vacation!!!

Thanks for all the help, Carol