4" or 8" dome for D7000 & Tokina 10-14mm

So if you have to choose just one dome, best for "all around" shooting, stills/video with a Nikon D7000, Tokina 10-17mm and on occasion the 1.4 Kenko Tele combo what would you choose; a 4" glass port or 8" acrylic???

I really like my 4" dome with the 10-17 with or without the 1.4x. Not tried it with a larger dome.

I havent actually used either yet, but from the research ive done it comes down to whether you place a higher priority on over/unders or CFWA. Im opting for a smaller port for ease of travel. Also if you ever go with a rectilinear WA lens, you would want the 8.

Thanks, I am not worried about weight or size, already packing so much dive gear it does not matter. I guess you could ask "if you did not know what you were going to see and could take only one Dome port what would it be?" of course the assumption is I have a flat port for the 60mm.

So if you have to choose just one dome, best for "all around" shooting, stills/video with a Nikon D7000, Tokina 10-17mm and on occasion the 1.4 Kenko Tele combo what would you choose; a 4" glass port or 8" acrylic???

I am new to the forum and only an eager amateur, but I have also been debating the merits of glass versus acrylic and 4 inch versus 8 inch domes. I plan on purchasing a Zen glass 4 inch dome for a new Nauticam NA-D7000V system after researching the topic on this forum and talking to Ryan at Reef photo and video. I think I will try my acrylic Ikelite 8 inch dome with a port adapter and compare the two during an upcoming trip to Curacao in March. If you aren't making a decision before then I could give you an update when I get back from my trip.

Lots of different opinions on these.

I like the small dome a lot; glass is always sharper. And you can use with the a tele-extender as you can tuck it up nice and close. The Zen is nice as it includes (depending on the model) the 20mm extension that you otherwise need for the 10-17 with all of these domes. Nauticam also makes an acrylic 4" dome.

Larger glass domes are pretty heavy and very expensive. Glass tends to be harder to scratch which is why it's good for a small dome, but once scratched has to be replaced. But they are the choice for pros who want to have maximum corner sharpness.

Acrylic large domes tend to make sense as they are lighter, a lot less expensive, and can be repaired if scratches aren't too deep. You can use them with other rectilinear lenses, shoot more open apertures and do over and unders. But they probably aren't the best choice for the tele-extender, as you can't really get them close enough without fear of scratching the dome to take advantage.

Jack

So if you have to choose just one dome, best for "all around" shooting, stills/video with a Nikon D7000, Tokina 10-17mm and on occasion the 1.4 Kenko Tele combo what would you choose; a 4" glass port or 8" acrylic???

What Housing are you using?

i have both the 8" and the 4" and i use the 10.5mm and the 10-17mm lens. I bought the 4" because the 8" wouldn't allow me to get close enough with out either hitting rock or scaring the subject. the smaller dome is a lot more maneuverable and easier to handle. when i go to the philippines at the end of this month i will only be taking the 4" as it does CFWA, and traditional WA and is a lot sharper and seems clearer than my 8" acrylic dome.