Glass vs Acrylic

Is an $1800 Zen glass dome port worth the money vs using an Ikelite or Aquatech acrylic dome port for 1/4 of the price?

In general, yes, BUT acrylic is way more easier to fix if you scratch it. The optical quality is typically much better with glass than acrylic but only you know if that difference is worth the $.

Bill

Hello, check this link from Nauticam

https://www.nauticam.com/blogs/news/choosing-the-right-dome.

I seriously doubt that someone could look at a picture and tell whether the pictures was done with an acrylic or glass dome. The most important is to get the right extension.

There are famous and awarded photographer whom using acrylic domes just because they are lighter above water and able to polish. Obviously they don't care about having the most expensive option...

If you are getting your fist setup, get the acrylic dome and maybe have another thought in two years?

Joss

Joss is spot on. If you are comparing two domes with the same geometry and same extension the difference will be zero in most situations
Only in very specific conditions backlit shots or when the surface is in the shot glass will have more contrast
However in some cases the acrylic version has a fixed length extension and the port is one piece if the dome is not in the optimal position for your lens in those cases glass with the correct extension will outperform. How much depends on how far off was the acrylic port


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14 hours ago, DAVIDJ said:

Is an $1800 Zen glass dome port worth the money vs using an Ikelite or Aquatech acrylic dome port for 1/4 of the price?

Having said that optically there is no difference a dome without protective shades is a bad idea you will be polishing every dive

Ikelite looks OK

Thanks for the advise! Kinda what I thought and was having a hard time justifying the cost of a glass dome.