Best solution for a balanced macro rig

As the title suggests I am wondering what solutions people are using for balancing/bouyancy control of their rig when shooting macro. I have been shooting u/w slr for about the last 8 years, but typically shoot w/a. When shooting wide angle I have used to date a 4" ikelite arm, in conjunction with an 8" ultralight bounacy arm for each strobe (z240s). I've used this set up over the last 8 years for w/a on the d70, d300 and now d800 and it works for me for w/a.

When shooting macro in the past it was with the 60mm and sea and sea standard port. Now on FX I have moved to the 105VR, with a more compact port (less bouyancy) and have started to use the nautical smc. Wooooww, it is negative in the water when I used the 4" ikelite arm, in conjunction with an 8" ultralight bounacy arm for each strobe, and very front heavy. I see that there are solutions that fit foam on the port 9 (which I guess would solve the front heady issue) and other floatation arm systems.

What are you using? How well does the floats on thye port work?

cheers

Darragh

Hey Darragh

On my Subal housing for macro (105VR) and W/A (Nikkor 17-35 or Sigma 15mmFE) I use the same setup: 5" plus 8" ULCS arms on each side with Inon Z240s. All 4 arms have Stix foam on them.

With either an 8" or 9" domeport the buoyancy is slightly negative (less so, as you'd expect, with the 9"). With the 105VR and the Subal FP-FC105 macro port it is definitely negative! But no so bad that I find it hard to use - although I do use about a 12" tether between my BCD and the housing in case of slippery hands. I've just got a Subsee 10+ and haven't had it out in water yet (two weeks time) and I guess that will add to the negative buoyancy.

I've not tried the foam-on-the-port thing yet and will see how it goes with the Subsee. For the moment, as I say, Stix foam on the 5"+8" arms is about enough - or, at least, manageable.

I have the same situation as you with a compact port and the 105, and the solution for me was to get a buoyant piece of strobe arm )Nauticam 90x200mm carbon fibre float arm (Buoyancy 655g)) that I'm attaching to the 'hot shoe' with an adapter. Much better!

Tim, the subsee may make enough of a difference. For me it was addiing the SMC that was the tipping point (excuse the pun). With the SMC it is challenging enough holding the camera where you want to focus without wrestling with the housing.

Coinee, interesting. I do use the hotshoe on the housing for holding a focus light, but this could be moved with a 3 pint bracket to one of the arms. Another thing I did consider is using a bouancy arm as a "crossbar" running between the 2 housing handles, though this may interfer with the focus light position.

I have the same situation as you with a compact port and the 105, and the solution for me was to get a buoyant piece of strobe arm )Nauticam 90x200mm carbon fibre float arm (Buoyancy 655g)) that I'm attaching to the 'hot shoe' with an adapter. Much better!

Hey that's a cunning plan, Fabian. Have you got a pic of that?

Coinee, interesting. I do use the hotshoe on the housing for holding a focus light, but this could be moved with a 3 pint bracket to one of the arms.

AHA! So do I. I just put the focus light on top of the buoyancy arm. I'll post a pic of the set up.

Never thought of that, sounds like a solution. Look forward to the picture if your set up

For some reason I can't post pictures from Google Photos directly, some security setting in IP Board... Oh well, here's a link: https://goo.gl/photos/KryRuJWVECuLTjPS8

For some reason I can't post pictures from Google Photos directly, some security setting in IP Board... Oh well, here's a link: https://goo.gl/photos/KryRuJWVECuLTjPS8

Thanks for that! Neat idea..... I may try something like that on my system - I'm off to the Red Sea in two weeks Will give it a go.

Thanks Coinee.

Nikon DSLR (last time i shot macro was D7000, will be D810 next time)...

4 arms, each with two StiX jumbo floats & a StiX macro ring float around the port.

I removed the velcro strap from the ring float, and took a length of 1/8" bungee folded in half and threaded it through so it had, in effect, two lengths of bungee running around it. Loop the bungee over the focus light mount on the port and it doesn't go anywhere.

Looking at other posts on the forum, Stix do seem to be a popular solution. I also like the ring float, as it is out of the way

Looking at other posts on the forum, Stix do seem to be a popular solution. I also like the ring float, as it is out of the way

Yep, the Stix are good. I've had mine about 5 years. Inexpensive (relatively!), light weight, hard-wearing and effective.

Stix are easy to use, you just put them on your arms until you are pleased with the buoyancy.

The only draw back is that they compress some with depth.

I have since switched to carbon fiber float arms, they look cooler.

Elmer

Ahhhh, here we go, "they look cooler"....

Gotta say, Elmer, you have to be at some depth to get them to compress. Mine have been down to around 32m many, many times and I've seen no compression on them.

Perhaps we should start a new thread: "At What Depth do Stix compress? And did you compress too?"

Tim,

I do not think the compression is a big deal for either the Stix float or the diver.

But look at your Stix floats on the surface and look again at them again at 30 meters. Note that the gap between them has gotten larger and their shape is more compressed/wrinkled. Also note that your rig is heaver at 30 meter than it was at 5 meter.

But they do regain their shape upon surfacing.

John at 4th Generations changed to the current black Stix floats, they are a marked improvement from the original 4th Generation white floats in regards to compression.

Carbon fiber float arms look "very cool" and do not change buoyancy with depth

Elmer

Ordered some Stix floats for my macro set up. Not too worried about compression as I don't normally do macro below 30m.

I do however regularly do w/a to 60-80m. My consider looking at the nauticam carbon fibre for w/a.

Which size nauticams you using eyu, and for what setup

Nortoda1

I have found the best way to figure out buoyancy is to weigh your rig with all its accessories in water with the specific setup (WA vs macro).

From this you will know what you need for buoyancy. Each setup wide angle vs macro is different. Don't forget to take in account the difference in specific gravity of salt vs fresh water.

I shoot a Nikon D800E in a Subal housing with 45 degree viewfinder, two Inon Z240 strobes, Sola focus light, ULCS clamps.

For macro using the 105 mm VR I use two Nauticam 90 x 200 arms with two 8" ULCS arms. I have used Stix floats, other Nauticam and H2O tool carbon fiber float arms, but I like two 90 x 200 next to the housing. This give me better balance. It is easier to tilt my rig forward and turn it sideways vs four floatation arms.

Elmer

For my camera/housing, Zen 170mm dome, Sigma 15mm fisheye, two inon z-240 just the 8 floats on the arms pictured above works great in the ocean.

The float rings made for macro ports (like the one in the image that James posted) are the best solution I have found for balancing a DSLR macro rig. One of those plus some float arms should get you close to neutral.