Issues with Fantasea Bigeye Lens for G10

[fuggler]

The comments in the instruction about keeping the lens in a dry place would seem to indicate they are blaming users for them not sealing in dry air.

It's a pain in the ass. I dive in cold water too so I hope someone figures out a quick fix. I'll try their suggestion in the manual of soaking it in cold water prior to the dive.

 

[plooper]

Thanks HMan for the feedback. Could you possibly explain in more detail what is happening in my images? Especially in image001.jpg?

Puffer Fish i am skeptical that it is fogging because when i turn my camera for portrait shots, this 'flare effect' (or whatever it is) always appear on the bottom left and right corners. Compare image001.jpg and image002.jpg.

I think image003.jpg is a real lens flare issue..

Or i could be all wrong. Feedback most welcomed!

 

[Roko]

It doesn't seem to me that the artifacts in the corners are due to fogging, they seem like lens flaring from ambient light sneaking into the corners of the lens. They do go away if you shield the lens from the sun with your hand...

Though I haven't really noticed fogging, but I haven't outright checked apart from a few self portraits. (So far I've only dove it in cold water). I'll look closer next time I get in the water.

Video taken with bigeye: YouTube - Lake Minnewanka 1912 Dam Blockhouse

 

[Puffer Fish]

Thanks HMan for the feedback. Could you possibly explain in more detail what is happening in my images? Especially in image001.jpg?

Puffer Fish i am skeptical that it is fogging because when i turn my camera for portrait shots, this 'flare effect' (or whatever it is) always appear on the bottom left and right corners. Compare image001.jpg and image002.jpg.

I think image003.jpg is a real lens flare issue..

Or i could be all wrong. Feedback most welcomed!

You are correct that it is always in the bottom corners....but just to show that you are not the only one:

Now look very carefully at this next image... notice the identical blur?

That was taken in very dark conditions, with my strobes at the side..the issue is still there- just looks blurry now.

If, when you see this, you just stop and look at the lens... you will see the fog issue.....when it is around 90 degrees, the lens is clear.. when you have it on the surface at 75, I can see very small water droplets in the air space.. and they tend to be at the bottom corners.

Colder, and the whole thing just hazed over.. making some real lens flair...

I only know what it is, because it is very easy to see when underwater.

Why just the bottom corners? I understand the corners, as that is where the lens are very thin....so would cool faster...but I suspect that sitting the camera upright on the surface results in the top being warmer, but that is just a guess.

Moisture should not ever be an issue with a sealed lens....that it is, tells you they have a moisture problem. My guess is that it was put together in a temperature around 90 degrees, with high humidity.....

You are not the first to complain about this... nor am I... and you will notice that this cronic issue is not being corrected, or even acknowledged... which means getting it fixed is very unlikely.

 

[Puffer Fish]

It doesn't seem to me that the artifacts in the corners are due to fogging, they seem like lens flaring from ambient light sneaking into the corners of the lens. They do go away if you shield the lens from the sun with your hand...

Though I haven't really noticed fogging, but I haven't outright checked apart from a few self portraits. (So far I've only dove it in cold water). I'll look closer next time I get in the water.

Video taken with bigeye: YouTube - Lake Minnewanka 1912 Dam Blockhouse

I think the difficult part is that unless there is light directly shining on it, those areas are just blurry... which in a video is not that noticable. In still images though.... it was in every shot I have seen, but sometimes it just causes the area to be blurry...

When you get the thing overall fogged over, you just seem to loose resolution...

Please keep in mind that there should be No.. nada... zero moisture in that air space.. or one will have issues of some kind.

 

[Roko]

I think the difficult part is that unless there is light directly shining on it, those areas are just blurry... which in a video is not that noticable. In still images though.... it was in every shot I have seen, but sometimes it just causes the area to be blurry...

When you get the thing overall fogged over, you just seem to loose resolution...

Please keep in mind that there should be No.. nada... zero moisture in that air space.. of one will have issues of some kind.

Yeah, I can see what you mean with the sample pictures you posted. Hmm. This is somewhat frustrating.

 

[Puffer Fish]

Yeah, I can see what you mean with the sample pictures you posted. Hmm. This is somewhat frustrating.

Very much so...and somewhat surprising...

Looking at the design....the far corners are much, much thinner and would cool faster than the rest of the lens...the bottom is odd, but I had my camera laying flat both times, so the top may be much warmer than the bottom... but not sure.

My guess is that having an air space in a lens is a new thing for them, and they just forgot it had to be put together in a very dry environment.. and now don't want to fix them all.

 

[HMan]

Hman, how can we get those rubber strips? Also, which eye grabber is compatible with this lens? I prefer to mount it on my arm than have it dangling around from a retractor...

Dear Fuggler,

Once we have these strips we will do our utmost to make them available to all Fantasea G10 BigEye users.

We are also preparing a special EyeGrabber (Lens Holder) design which will work with the
Canon and Fuji BigEye Lenses. Keep an eye on our website Fantasea for release information.

By the way, this G10 BigEye Lens will work with the new G11 as well !!

Howard

 

[fallingspeaker]

Hehe. I like how the past two pages have been talking all about possible moisture, humidity, fogging, lens problems etc. and just like you stated, the response completely ignored those issues.

Sorry, I don't own a G10 or 11 or 9 or 7 or 23.2, but I can understand your frustration and apologize for laughing at this situation.

 

[Pedro Veiga]

Hi everyone
For me is great to read all this issues, because I was so close to order this BigEye immediately after I saw it yesterday...
I just have a question for the divers who have the bigeye already:

Knowing what you know today, would you buy it again????