Gear News
New SW8 dome port for the Aquatica 4/3 Micro series housings
Along with its new line of housings for the Micro 4/3 series of Camera, Aquatica have introduced the SW8 Port, specially designed to cover Super Wide Angle lenses such as the 114o FOV Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm F/4 and the 100o FOV Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18mm f/4-5.6. With these ultra wide angle rectilinear lenses, to get the best optical results, the use of a large radius dome port is required.
To achieve the optimum quality over the whole image area, Aquatica uses its legendary 8’’ diameter dome port with an added twist. The SW8 port only uses the portion of the dome lens required to cover the field of view of these extreme lenses. Consequently, the resulting dome port is substantially smaller and lighter, while retaining the optical performance associated with these large hemispherical dome ports.
Whenever a dome port is immersed in a liquid, it creates a Plano-Concave lens element of its own. This additional lens element has the property of retaining the original field of view of the lens (as opposed to a flat port which
will considerably reduce the field of view of a lens). One of the side effects of this optical phenomenon is that it creates a virtual image of the scene being photographed. This image is projected at 4x the radius from the optical center of the dome used. In other words, that scene is now projected at a much closer distance than it is in reality, and a lens will usually need to be focused close to its minimum operating distance.
Using an 8’’ dome wraps the projected virtual image at +/- 12’’ (30cm) from the external surface of the dome lens, while a smaller dome port, such as one with a 6’’ diameter, will force this virtual image to be wrapped a mere +/- 9” (23cm) away. This might be a relatively innocuous difference of distance in normal situations, but it is also common knowledge that the closer the focusing distance, the harder it will be to get adequate depth of field. At these close distances, such small difference does have a huge impact on the success of the images taken.
The Modular System:
Once underwater, a dome port will force the light to radiate towards a central point. To obtain the best performance, this optical center should be located, as close as possible, where the optical center of the lens used is when set at its widest field of view. With the Aquatica system, a modular port extension system allows the SW8 port to be optically optimized to this position so that it can be used successfully with wide variety of lenses.
To complement the SW8 port, Aquatica also offers its well established and renowned 4’’ BK-7 coated glass dome for the Panasonic Lumix G Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 lens, and for Macro work, two dedicated flat port for the Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 ED and the Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8.
In keeping with the spirit of the housings it was designed for, the Aquatica SW8 port is compact, and because of its modular nature, its footprint in your luggage will be 1/3 the space than a regular 8’’ dome port would require. This should be a welcome relief for the travelling photographers.
The SW8 Port is priced competitively at USD $579 and will be available in March 2014.
Gear News
May the 4th be with you!
Oyster Diving have recently been given exclusive access to offer scuba diving courses and fun dives at Mercers Lake, a beautiful lake near M25/Gatwick in the UK.
Oyster have just launched their own dive boat ‘The Blue Pear’ to explore various parts of the lake. Divers can glide around the underwater woodland, see lots of fish and decent visibility. Out of the water divers set up in the purpose built kitting up area, unwind in a warm shower, and off-gas in the café & licensed bar.
To celebrate the start of the summer season, AquaSports and Oyster Diving have teamed up to host a Star Wars-themed open day on the 4th May.
Guests will be able to enjoy discounted tasters of various watersports including Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP), Canoeing and Sailing. Oyster Diving will be joined by Apeks and possibly other dive manufacturers to display their latest products. Demo gear will be available for qualified divers and Oyster’s sales support team will be on hand for customers with any questions.
Divers wishing to get in the water will need to book in via Oyster Diving’s website where you can also choose to hire any equipment. Non-divers and well behaved dogs are very welcome!
As well as the watersports there will also be music, food and a licensed bar. The fun starts at 10am and finishes around 4.30pm.
Please come along, wear your finest Stormtrooper or Princess Leia outfit and enjoy the fun!
For more details contact: mark@oysterdiving.com
Gear News
Gear Showcase: The Nomad Ray Sidemount System from Dive Rite
Dive Rite was founded in 1984 by technical divers and cave explorers with the goal to make the very best scuba diving equipment available. Gear that can be trusted on the most extreme dives and exceed expectations in any environment: reef, wreck, cave, or quarry.
The Nomad Ray is the product of years of design, development, field testing, and feedback from some of the world’s leading sidemount divers and instructors.
The Nomad Ray is available in black, blue, OD green, pink, or red. If you happen to find yourself in a tight spot, the Ray’s abrasion-resistant “skid plate” will have your back: providing wear protection exactly where it’s needed the most. SuperFabric® is a fast drying, highly durable, and slash-resistant material. The Nomad Ray Sidemount System is ready to perform in the toughest diving environments.
The Nomad Ray can be easily adjusted to comfortably fit all body types. The independently adjustable harness design can be quickly set up for any diver. Shoulder and waist webbing can be replaced independently if damaged or trimmed too short. The Nomad Ray uses a fast, tool-free bungee length adjustment system. Simply pull to the desired length, tie a single overhand knot, and tuck the excess into the integrated sleeve. A quick-adjust belly band with a custom moulded bungee hook keeps the wing wrapped snugly around the diver’s body.
A zipper on the inside of the Nomad Ray wing allows for access to three integrated weight pockets capable of holding up to five pounds of each of hard or soft weight.
To find out more go to https://www.diverite.com/products/nomad-sidemount/nomad-ray-sidemount-system/.
Sea & Sea is the home of Dive Rite and other leading diving brands in the UK.
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