So the time has come to talk about photography more in depth. I have actually given up stills in favor of video since a few years as I find video gets me closer to behaviors than stills do, I guess am just not patient enough to capture behaviors on still as that involves waiting!
Anyway this is the rig as it is today without the floats.
The RX100 is a demanding compact for the very same reason why it is the best compact the huge sensor it sports. If you come from shooting a canon or panasonic or even Olympus on a 1/1.7″ sensor you find the RX100 to be very unforgiving. In essence you can’t really just point and shoot you need to put some more thinking into your shots.
The rig that I have put together for stills has the same meticulous attention to detail than my video rig has, you would say OCD probably but here it is.
So let’s start with the housing, Nauticam just makes the best most ergonomic housing for the RX100 period. There is nothing you can think of improving about this housing. Even if the bulkhead connector is useless you can actually put a vacuum valve on it to put it to full use.
Nauticam do offer an M67 thread native on all their compact housings but I find this tedious to say the least. The beauty of a compact is that you can shoot wide and macro on the same dive, the M67 thread in essence negates this as it makes virtually impossible to change lenses on a dive. This is the reason why I went for the Inon 28AD mount for my rig using an inexpensive 10 bar adapter priced at $20 or £15.
Once you connect the Inon UWL-100 28AD the lens is very close to the housing to the point of nearly touching the port. This means you get no vignette with this lens with the added dome, and actually a larger field of view in water than you get with the UWL-H100. Why is that? The UWL-100 28AD has less magnification so it does not vignette even on land, once you add the dome you get almost the same field of view in water around 150º. The lens is just a tad lighter than the UWL-H100 with an in water weight of 400 grams.
The choice of the 28AD mount means you can only use the UCL-165AD close up lenses, that if attached would crash into the glass, you need therefore a 28AD->AD adapter from Inon.
You do get vignette until 50mm however this is not an issue as you shoot those lenses at the tele-end.
This is the whole lens set with the two adapters.
As discussed in other posts the two stacked diopters give you super macro, they are also light with 35 grams each in water. The small amount of fringing they give can be eliminated in lightroom with a single click.
The wide angle lens sports a 115mm optical glass dome with inner anti-reflection coating. If you are into observing fine detail you will notice that the dome is not actually a full semicircle but flatter, if you add the special coating this means no flare and increased contrast. If you wonder why shots taken with Inon dome lenses are sharper is because only 1% of the incoming light is reflected, against 3% of an acrylic dome, the glass dome due to the coating don’t flare, plastic ones do as simple as that.
Now let’s move on to the strobes a twin Inon Z240 set. I have been a sea and sea user for years until I managed to damage my YS-01 and got no assistance at all from S&S since then I decided to go elsewhere.
What I love about the Z240 is the variety of controls to manage shadows, the sharp aiming light with a red filter good for the most skittish critters. Contrary to what many people think I aim directly at the subject in macro as the distance is short and backscatter is not an issue so no point aiming the strobes away for me.
I happened to have a pair of Sea and Sea optical L cable that served me well and had no will to change, FIT produces this cost effective adapter that goes on your Z240 and makes it compatible, I just love it.
I believe Inon Z MV strobe head adapter has no equal in ergonomics but for some reason a part that is $20 in Japan sells at over $40 in US and £30 in UK so is not that popular. My second choice would be the Nauticam strobe adapter that has got the small feet needed to correctly lock on the strobe head.
With the Z240 doing wonders as aiming light there is no real room for a focus light however I have a set of Sola Video 1200 and what I like is that you can use them as dive light. I have connected them with a locline cold shoe, this will soon change to a ball mount, as the cold shoe is on the left side. Probably I will get a Sola Dive 800 so I can leave my two trays set for video and stills on the boat.
Looking at the tray I use ultralight, it simple and sturdy and allows me to center the port in the middle of the tray.
The most attentive will see that the two handles have different colors.
Why is that? Firstly I want to place the handles at maximum distance, second by placing two different handle I can ensure the ball is at the same height, this would not be true if I was using the same handle on both sides. I use a TR-DM with a TR-DUPL long extension to make the tray 30cm or 12″.
So this is what it looks like, there will be floats on it, I estimate I need 8 floats to make the rig neutral with the lenses off. I am planning to place 3 on each 8″ arm segment and two on the tray however I might change this to 2 on each arm and a bespoke float on the tray bottom. I will run some test to see what works best.
So that’s all folks surely there will be questions and I look forward to answer them.
Just want to remind you that if you are in the market for a compact still or video rig I provide a personal shopper service for £30 or $45 that provides an end to end service on your budget where all you have to do is to call the shop to pay. Of course we would discuss any observations about the set up before this gets finalized, but am sure better to spend a little amount instead of making expensive mistakes!
UPDATE 9 June 2014 I have made some more changes to the rig the current version (never say final) is here
Interceptor121 Photography & Video Workshops 
Very interesting. The tray you use makes it possible to thread floats, whereas I don’t think I could on the Flexitray W II that I use. Currently I have 2 floats on the 8″ arm and 1 on the 5″ arm, but to add a caddy, I should probably put 3 floats on the 8″.
Yes once you add the lens caddy there is no space for floats. With your set up once you have 6 floats it will still be 800 grams negative that is quite a lot. You can put two floats on the short segment that is free the set up will be lighter on one side and twist slightly that’s why I like it more on the tray. I have also an alternative solution in progress that allows to put floats on any tray. However I need to be careful that it does not flip in water.
What’s your take on float arms? They’ve been coming up for sale used on some forums.
I did some calculations and they don’t float enough plus I like to move my floats around various set ups. I have heard nauticam carbon are the best but not for me
How do you find the double-handle setup for stills?
I have an RX100 in Nauticam with 1 handle + 1 strobe. I’ve been considering going to two, but the shutter release button seems like it would be impossible to operate with your hand on the handle.
Do you switch your hand back and forth? Or is the handle mainly acting a strobe holder?
It depends what tray have you got. With ulcs unless you have very small hands you can operate the shutter without leaving the handle using the long extension TR-DUPL. If you want to also operate the front wheel you need the short extension TR-DUP. I am going to be changing mine to this shortly. When I know I will only shoot macro I go out with a single handle and strobe.
Hi,
Very good information you have here and thanks for sharing your experience.
I finally choose the RX100ii with the Nauticam housing for my uw photo, all based on the information I got mostly from your web site 🙂
I would like to ask about your choice for wide lens. The Nauticam have 67 thread, yet you said that the 67 thread negate the ability to change lens during dive. Can you elaborate on that?
I’m considering to have the 28M67 for my setup, thus having both the UWL-H100 28M67 and the UWL-H100 dome, but with this setup I lost the ability to change to macro setup during a dive?
Again thanks for sharing, and do apologize for a new be questions!
Regards,
Bona
https://vimeo.com/user3253222/videos
hi Bona and no problem about the question
The UWL-H100 28M67 with dome is a heavy lens (1026 grams on land and 525g in water) it is also big with a diameter of 132mm which means trying to remove it during a dive is nearly impossible. I have an UWL-04 lens that is only 160 grams in water and that one is a pain to take on and off. You don’t want to risk dropping the Inon lens so I would recommend to put it on and leave it there if you want to use the M67 lens. Removing it during a dive, putting it on a lens caddy, putting a macro lens and then changing back will be a long task and you will use a lot of air, I do not recommend that
Thanks!
Ah that make sense.
Also have you tried the Nauticam Super Macro Converter 1 (http://nauticam.com/product.asp?id=287)? How does it compare to the Inon’s?
Regards,
Bona
The Nauticam SMC is a +20 diopter with focal length of 50mm. Thought it will attach find I believe it is near to impossible to use with the RX100 not enough depth of field. I think +12 is the most you can do with the RX100 so am not planning to investigate this lens
I have kind of a similar set-up and for me so far it has always been difficult to safely transport everything when traveling. How do you pack all this equipment? Which case(s)/bag(s) do you use?
I use a lowepro DSLR bag and take it in carry on
Hi Interceptor121, I think I’m interested in your offer “…I provide a personal shopper service…”, how do I get in touch with you directly?
Will write you direct thank you
Hi Interceptor121, I just picked up an rx100m2 (was flip-flopping between that and the m3 and finally just decided the underwater benefits outweighed the above water benefits). Anyways, this is a huge upgrade from my panny with oem housing/AF35 so I would like to also take you up on your personal shopper offer. I’m especially interested in your choice of a non-hotshoe mounted strobe system (if such a thing exists with the nauticam housing) and the pros/cons of other alternatives…
Hello Interceptor 121,
I had some Inon AD lenses that I tried to adapt to the Sony RX100II with a Recsea housing which has M67 threads. I got a Deeproof M67 to 28AD adaptor.
Unfortunately, the adaptor broke as while I was descending to dive yesterday. I still have the Inon macro lenses 28AD and was debating to go to 28LD with the Fix LDF-M67 Pro adapter for all lenses or stick with the 28AD. If you recommend to stick with the 28AD, can you recommend me an adapter that is reliable so I don’t lose another expense wide angle? I look forward to your advice. Thanks!
Hi there. The adapter you mention is the same I use. I think it is quite sturdy assuming you use it with the Inon spacer for AD lenses (otherwise the lens will touch the port). The Fix adapter is much more solid as it is made of aluminum and so is the nauticam. I use the AD lenses but I have the whole set of LD and M67. If you want to be future proof there is no doubt the LD lenses are the best choice however I would look at an original recsea adapter and not to convert from M67 to AD from the recsea port.
Hello Interceptor121
Many thanks for the response. Unfortunately whoever assembled my adapter with the spacer did not use screws long enough to accommodate the 4 extra mm. They used the original screws and therefore there was only 2 threads holding the AD part of the adapter and when in the water, that ring broke off and there went my wide angle lens in the abyss.
Do you have a reference for the recsea adapter? I am assing you are referring to removing the m67 from the housing and add the LD adapter which recsea should make? Thanks!
I am sorry for that. Some less competent shops read my posts and go ahead and make parts that afterwards fall apart. Where do you live? Best thing is to get the Recsea adapter directly from Japan if you want I will email you a contact there
Hello,
On your rig analysis you stated that the UWL-100 28AD is better than the UWL-H100. Since I still have the UCL-165 AD, do you recommend I’d just get the AD replacement for the wide angle that I lost and get the recsea AD adapter or go with the LD as initially recommended? Thanks!
The UWL-100 28AD doesn’t require any modification of the m67-adf adapter it is fine with the original one. You need the inon spacer for the ucl165. The two lenses give the same quality it is just a matter of convenience. Did you have the dome as well?
I used to have the dome and will purchase a new one. Thanks for all the responses.
Hi,
I’ve read your blog with great interest, I am having trouble finding the “28AD->AD adapter from Inon.” Is this the same thing as “Inon AD Mount Converter for UCL-165AD” listed in ReefPhoto?
Also I’ve tried searching with several different strings and cannot find a succinct explanation of the difference between AD and LD. Pros/Cons, etc. Thank you!
Inon doesn’t produce that adapter. You need to look for 10bar or fix
Just to confirm that we are talking about the same thing:
‘The choice of the 28AD mount means you can only use the UCL-165AD close up lenses, that if attached would crash into the glass, you need therefore a 28AD->AD adapter from Inon.’
Thanks
For the ucl165 you need also the inon adapter on top of the 10bar
Great, got it thanks again!
Hi, thank you for your thorough analysis 🙂 I have the same setup as you but having a hard time finding the adapter in Australia. I was told by Digital Diver that the 10bar Adaptor Ring ADF-M67 might not fit the UWL100 28AD lens. Can I confirm that you used this product and it works? http://www.digitaldiver.com.au/shop/product/sn-adf-m67
Also if you can let me know the website that sells a 28AD-AD as I can’t find the exact product here. Thanks in advance 🙂
That is the right part. The AD-28AD is an inon part “AD mount converter for UCL-165AD” you should be able to order it from any inon reseller
Appreciate your reply, thanks! I found the inon part and have ordered it. Can’t wait to play around with the lenses 🙂
Hi there!
Thanks for the valuable site you have. Was wondering do You have any thoughts/xperience on Ikelite w-30 or w-20 wide-lenses and how they’d perform in video with rx100. My gear is at the moment Oly e-pm1 with Oly case (with ys-01) but targeting to get a rx100m2/m3 and maybe just a budget Meiko case.
Not directly however I know the W30 is the only one that works the other vignettes too much unless you have steadyshot active
OK, cheers! Btw. You think m2 works better uw than m3 and why?
There is an article on the blog on the mark III
Oh newer mind. I found this information on your blog. Thx!
Hi Interceptor…I was about to purchase everything you mentioned here except the AD- AD mount for the lens, Ill guess ill be needing that too.. on your sales corner page you mentioned the 10bar or divervision(deeproof?) AD converter would scratch the port? could you elaborate on this?
As im about to order the Deeproof converter from Divervision…along with the rest of the lens gear… Thanks!
The 10bar converter is for the 28AD mount not for the original AD mount. If you try an AD lens with it it will not fit
Hi,
I am wondering how close the Sony’s lens comes up to the housing’s lens port, and to where the 67mm thread bottoms out to.
On my old Olympus housing for the C5050 (the housing which the UWL-100 was made for), the camera’s lens comes almost flush to the lens port, and the 67mm thread starts maybe 2mm above that. This allows for the UWL-100’s rear lens to sit almost perfectly flush with the port.
But on a housing that I got on the whim for the RX100 (a Meikon plastic unit), the glass port sits much farther back from the 67mm thread in a beveled opening that is smaller than the UWL-100 rear lens that protrudes out. Thus when I screw the lens on, it vignettes and only goes away when I zoom in at 33mm (35mm equiv).
I do have a UWL-100 28AD, and pushing that lens into my housing’s port, its protrusion mates perfectly with the housing port’s beveled opening, creating no vignetting.
One option is to remove the 67mm Type 2 mount from the UWL-100 and switch it over to the UWL-100 28AD. The depth addition of the Type 2 ring seems to be just enough so the 2 lenses won’t rub against each other when screwed in.
Another option is to use 10bar adapter you mentioned. I was wondering how extra depth in mm does the adapter add to a lens’ mount. As I mentioned above, my 28AD could sit almost flush with the housing’s lens port, thus an adapter that introduces minimal additional depth and utilizes the diameter difference between the AD mount (OD ~55mm) and 67mm thread for its support structure would be ideal.
On the nauticam housing the lens nearly touches the port. For the Meikon have you tried changing to the type 1 mount? The 28AD lens require the lens to be pretty much on the glass
I can’t change to the Type 1 mount because the OD of the UWL-100’s rear lens protrusion is wider than the housing port opening to the glass. Here is a temp picture.
The RX100’s lens looks like to be around 7mm behind the front glass of the port, which is a bit much.
That beveling inward opening is an exact match to the UWL-100 28AD’s protrusion. I did the measurements, and 28AD with Type 2 (and its slightly extra depth) would fit almost perfectly with the 2 lenses just about flush with each other. I tried to do the swap by my screwdriver stripped and I decided to use the UWL-100 for my upcoming trip.
If the lens is far away from the glass the 28 AD will vignette and I would recommend the newer UWL-H100
I just acquired a cheap used UWL-100 28AD and have the same Meikon housing.
Is the Deeproof M67 – AD same adapter as 10Bar?http://www.divervision.com/deeproof-ad-lens-adapter-for-m67-thread-housings-adf-m67?search=deeproof%20ad%20m67&sort=p.price&order=ASC
They look the same. I’m hoping the beveled back of the lens sticks out just enough to fit into the beveled port space of the housing.
It is however the meikon housing has a recessed port and the lens will vignette
Thanks. Slight vignetting isn’t a problem, I don’t like extreme fish-eye anyway and don’t mind zooming in. The dome should hopefully help avoid any chromatic aberrations. I had a H100 before I lost it on a recent dive trip, and softness even mid-frame and CA was pretty bad.
Fringing depends for large part from the distance between the rear of the wet lens and the camera lens. If the port design of the meikon is like the ikelite you needed a type 1 M67 lens. This is a cheap housing with all that comes with it. The UWL-100 28AD did very well with my mark II
Hey Interceptor,
I’ve read quite a bit of what you have posted here and have found it very helpful. I currently have the Nauticam housing for the RX100 and ordered the INON UWL-100 28AD. I’m having trouble finding the 28ADF to M67 for this. I did find the 10Bar Adaptor Ring ADF M67. Will this work? I can’t find anything anywhere referencing 28ADF to M67.
It’s the same go ahead!
Thanks! Really appreciate it! This is what I have ordered…
INON UWL-100 28AD Wide Angle Conversion Lens
INON UCL-165AD Close-up Lens
INON AD Mount Converter for UCL-165AD Lens
10Bar Adaptor Ring ADF M67
Hello again. Thanks for all the advice on the equipment. Your recommendation were much appreciated and the results were incredible. I have an opportunity to dive with the sharks in Fiji and may be able to be in the arena with the sharks. I currently have the UWL-100 28AD but am trying to determine if I will need the dome unit to go with it. Would you recommend the dome unit for this?
I used the dome for still images on that lens it works great
Hi Interceptor,
The buoyancy of my Nauticam-UWL100 combo is still negative although I have 4 large Stix floats. I do consider a Stix float belt but I do not know whether it would fit on the rig. Do you have experience with macro float belts?
You need a lot more buoyancy. I have used the float belt with the old UWL-100 you need to cut it and its a pain. Buy some inon float arms if you want it neutral
Thanks Interceptor,
I submerged the equipment and the weight is 1400 gramm. I guess two INON Mega Float Arm M would solve my problem (-1300) and give me the option to carry my UCL-165M67 lens attached on the arm. Do you agree?
Looks for the article on floats here there are several options
Hi Interceptor
I have followed and read your blog. So useful. Thanks
I have just skipped from my Olympus Tg-4 and Ys-01 strobe to a RX100 II with Meikon housing (a plastic version made for 60m depth). Reason is obviously the IQ of pictures but taking into account that macro and microscope mode is amazing in the Oly.
I also have a wide angle Lense, Inon uwl100-28ad that I would like to link to the housing. What is the adapter I need? A 10bar adapter mentioned in your blog? Any spacer? May I get vignetting?
And second question, I really love macro photography, my last trip was to Anilao, could I use for example a Saga+10/+15 lense with any adapter to be used on the same 10bar adapter mentioned above to do quick changes? What kind of adapter? I did some researches without any luck.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Javier