SP350/PT030 wide angle lense??? What to get...

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ocgrant

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Messages
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Location
Ft Lauderdale / Miami
# of dives
200 - 499
Ok guys,

I have a 350 in a PT030 housing with TTL and dual ys-110 strobes. I am looking to continue to add to my rig by adding some lense's. I see a lot of people use the INON stuff, is this the best choice for the money?

1. What do you sp-350 experts recommend?
2. Where is the best place to buy?

Thanks in advance.....
 
Your PT-030 housing has a 46mm mounting ring. Add-on underwater lenses typically have either 46mm or 67mm threads. So any wide angle lens or dome port with a 46mm diameter thread would work. New wide angle lenses are around $300.00 (US), but used ones are frequently available. Check eBay or the for sale sections here on Scubaboard. There have been some complaints about some of the dome lenses. Seems they don't have very good coatings and reflections are a problem.

I really liked what the wide angle lens did for my SP-350/PT-030 rig. THe lens I got was from Sea and Sea and it is very good.
 
No way would I use the threaded lens port!!!!!!!!!


INON lens, yes, but get the bayonet mount as an add on mounting method, a quarter turn and you're locked and loaded, easy on easy off. Allows you to store a lens on the strobe arm too. I'd HATE to cross thread and that seems like a PITA.

See my sig line for what I use and love! The 165 degree fish eye lens is to die for.
 
Diver Dave,

Thanks for the advice.... I just picked up a complete INON package from a fellow "board member" with the bayonet "AD" mounting. I am looking forward to getting it any day now. NowI just need to pick up the lense holder.
 
Glad to hear you got set up OK. I've used both types. I have an Inon AD set-up currently. Works very nicely, but infinity focus isn't so great (maybe someone can offer a solution). My Sea & Sea is a 16mm w/58mm mount, designed for a Nik V. Works fine with a 46/58 step ring, but vignettes requiring a bit of zooming and doesn't focus nearly as close as the AD-plus it's F5.6 or more. Have to agree that threading it is a PITA and if you get it too tight, you can unthread the port while pulling it off.
You'll really enjoy the Inon. It focuses very close, and wide enough that I've had a problem with one corner of the shade ring showing up in my pics. Anyone know if you can safely remove it?
 
Ok guys, got the INON AD package from a fellow board member. Very nice stuff, I love the easy on and off of the lenses. One concern, do you guys ever worry about the lens falling off of the mount? It seems secure, but.... I was wondering is there a way to teather it to the rig? Also what do you do for a protective lens cap when no INON lens is being used?
 
Make sure you feel it snap in place. Also make sure you rinse and dry the lenses before putting them away. I have a tendency to rinse at home, and have already water spotted my WA on both sides, though once wet it doesn't seem to cause a problem. BTW, the WA will work dry as well, unlike my Sea & Sea. You'll want to check the two thumb screws that hold your AD mount to the PT-030 frequently. I lost one of mine and almost lost the other, but caught it just in time. The lens comes with lens caps. I don't even cover my port. I just put the whole set-up in my Pelican case. I 86'd the Olympus port cap after about the 100th time that it floated in front of the camera and ruined a shot.
 
Rocky, agree that a thread mount is a pita, but since the price was right I live with it. I find that I usually just leave the w/a on and don't switch much. As far as a lens caddy, an adapter ring screwed into a mounting block, wire tied on my strobe arm works for me.
 
Larry, I feel it click in place, I just don't feel 100% confident in it's locking ability. I would not be happy if it came undone and fell off during a dive. Considering 95% of my diving is beach dives in Socal, so sometimes mother nature reminds you of her power..... I am not too worried about it during the dive, just entry and exit in the surf.

I think I am going to try and devise a way to teather the lense to the rig somehow just for my piece of mind. Any ideas would be much appreciated.
 
If you're worried about it, get or make a leash. You can use fishing line. Just tie it around the waist of the lens and attach it securely to your tray.
MCD: Lens Leash
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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