Nauticam 90 degree finder issues

Hello,

I hope you are all well, I have Nauticam 90 degree finder and use it all the time.

However, it is becoming a little hazy and a big distraction when using it underwater.

I pulled back the cap and there is a plate with four notches.

I also notice that a small layer of glass has come away on the right had side (picture enclosed).

This is way outside of the field of vision and I don’t think it will affect anything.

I do have a lens tool that will most likely get the plate off and on again.

 My question is, is this a fix I could do myself i.e strip down, clean glass and put back together.

Or is something more specialist that needs a pressure test and factory seals ??

I have just asked the same question to my local specialist Unwater Visions in the UK (they are very good).

Very interested to hear if this has been an issue for anyone else.

Thanks 

Brian 

I am not sure what your problem is but there is no pressure inside, just very delicate glass, O-rings and DRY air. 

Whether or not you can fix this depends on whether the problem is due to some sort of deposit or if the coatings are breaking down or the glass has become etched.  A further possibility is if the cement in a doublet element if there is one might be breaking down.  I would think that it would be unlikely you are getting some sort of internal deposit as the unit is completely sealed.   I would also suggest if you are going to take it apart you probably should replace any o-rings with new ones.

Inside the viewfinder you should find prisms to change direction of the light and at the eyepiece end  probably at least two glass elements for the eyepiece and some of these would be adjustable by the diopter knob

I wasn't aware Nauticam made a 90° viewfinder - is this perhaps a 45° viewfinder?

As far as testing goes you would probably want to confirm that any seals you installed were good.  It may not let water into the housing as the nosepiece seems to be independently sealed with it's rotation mechanism, but I would think you would like to be sure.  Apart from that you would need to do the work in dry air so there is no moisture trapped inside to potentially cause fogging.

My Nauticam 45 viewfinder had a similar problem. I sent it to Nauticam USA, they fixed it and socked me over $500 as a water leak had damaged a lens element which had to be replaced.

Hello,

All sorted, I did buy the finder 2nd hand and it seems the previous owner put a piece of clear plastic film (similar what a brand new phone has on) over the front glass. I simply peeled off and now the view is great.

A massive thanks to Alex Tattershall at UW Visions (nauticam dealer) for pointing me in the right direction.

Thanks to all who have taken an interest in the post.

Regards

Brian