New a6xxx housing from Meikon

[CanadaDan]

...aaaaand it's out

For Sony

Sony

No word on the promised macro port so far though.

Macro port for A6xxx Salted Line waterproof housing

But the Sony 30mm f/3.5 Macro lens listed as compatible is also listed as compatible using the standard flat port that comes with the housing. I have the housing coming and will try said lens with the standard flat port to verify= before ordering the macro port.

 

[CanadaDan]

I should add that the Macro Port does have 67mm threads for filters etc while the standard flat port does not. So for any sort of attachment the macro port would be required.

 

[Barmaglot]

Yep, and they have also confirmed compatibility with the 90mm macro port from A7II housing. Incidentally, the 30mm macro port looks very similar to the 24-70mm port for A7II, so it's probably the same thing.

I wrote their support asking for details about the vacuum port, and they replied that it will work with their own vacuum test system, which has not been released yet but is coming.

I'm currently in USA on a work trip, so I took the opportunity to get a gently discounted ($550) SEL1018mm through Ebay. Going to order the housing with a dome once I get back home - Meikon ships quickly, so it should reach me in time for my trip to the Similans in March. Anyone want to buy my old fixed-port A6xxx housing?

 

[CanadaDan]

Box arrived yesterday. This is a really nice system and the housing is a step up from the original Meikon a6000. Better thought out controls (shutter trigger especially). Far more robust feeling. Ordered everything... housing, tray, arms, floats, clamps, cold shoe adapter. The accessory prices are as reasonable as the housings.

Biggest challenge is figuring out which price is better.... Sea Frogs with the additional shipping or Meikon with their higher prices but free shipping. Ended up placing orders from both sites. It ALL arrived in ONE box.

Only real complaint is the safety retaining clip for the port. Uses a TINY screw and cleat inside the housing. A bit fidly.

 

[Barmaglot]

What's the buoyancy like on the housing with dome and tray? My current setup (SeaFrogs with wet dome, tray, 2x regular arms, 2x 200x60mm float arms, 2x Archon D36V lights) is somewhat negative due to the heavy lights dragging it down - with just the housing + dome + tray, it floats just below the surface with only the balls on top of tray arms poking out. I thought about getting bigger floats, but if the dry dome makes it more buoyant, I wonder if that will compensate.

 

[CanadaDan]

What's the buoyancy like on the housing with dome and tray? My current setup (SeaFrogs with wet dome, tray, 2x regular arms, 2x 200x60mm float arms, 2x Archon D36V lights) is somewhat negative due to the heavy lights dragging it down - with just the housing + dome + tray, it floats just below the surface with only the balls on top of tray arms poking out. I thought about getting bigger floats, but if the dry dome makes it more buoyant, I wonder if that will compensate.

Didn't get a chance yesterday but I'm going to do a test dive at a local pool next Wednesday with the whole rig. I did order the large floats (610g each) because of the strobe, two lights and Paralenz. Bit of a guestimate.

I'll see if I can do a test tomorrow in the laundry tub of just the housing, dome with the camera and kit lens. If I can work out neutral in fresh with some different weights I have I'll let you know.

 

[CanadaDan]

OK... Measured by filling the laundry tub full of water, putting a pulley on the bottom held down with some lead, running a string through the pulley. Tied one end to the housing and one to my surprising accurate hand luggage scale. Pulled until the housing was just underwater and took the measurement. It might be a tad off as the sink was barely deep enough but it is the deepest thing in the house. I may run out later and pick up a big garbage can. Could use a big rinse vessel anyway.

The housing and dome lens, empty, is ~2000g positive.

The A6000, battery, card and 16-50 kit lens weigh ~450g

So the combination is ~1550g positive or ~3.4lbs.

FWIW The rest of rig weighs ~3000g dry with 820g (2x 410g) of lift from the floats so right now I'm estimating the entire rig is 631g negative... which means I should have ordered the bigger floats... I'll see if SeaFrog will exchange them for me.

 

[Barmaglot]

Thank you, this is helpful. I'll be using it with A6300 and 10-18mm lens, which is about 630g when going by specs, so housing with camera will be about 1.35kg positive - that's quite a lot! The lights weigh something like 650g each in air, and with 60x200mm floats they're, I dunno, maybe 100-150g negative underwater? There's the tray too, but it's not particularly heavy... I guess I'll need some extra weights to balance out the big dome.

Edit: also, I should probably switch the floats for regular arms if it's going to be that much of a cork.

 

[CanadaDan]

@Barmaglot There has been some remeasuring...

I went out and made a taller submersion tank (Big garbage can, plumbed in a drain) Will double as a soaking tank for pool neoprene. (I'm a DM Candidate and in the pool a couple of times per week right now)

Turns out the housing with camera is 1800g positive measured using the pulley method. I was incorrect assuming the camera was all dead weight.

The strobe and lights had far more airspace than I thought. The YSD2 strobe alone weights 623g in air but is only -40g in water with batteries. Ended up ditching BOTH +410g floats and switched to aluminium 8" -80g arms (I had ordered an extra set). Added back +700g of lift with some Stix floats and it's pretty neutral in fresh water. I even added on the Paralenz camera and shoe mount which I had neglected to weigh earlier.

Hopefully I can simply remove one or two of the STIX floats when diving salt water. Will take some 1"x1/4" lead bar stock with me when I head south just in case though but I really shouldn't need it. I'll make 100g squares with a hole that I can either bolt to the tray with a 1/4 20 bolt or even just some zip-ties.

 

[Barmaglot]

Turns out the housing with camera is 1800g positive measured using the pulley method. I was incorrect assuming the camera was all dead weight.

That... does not make sense. The camera inside the housing does not change its displacement - only the mass, and the tiny amount of air that it displaces out of the housing is well below the margin of error for measurement. Are you sure you don't have pulley friction throwing off your measurements?

I guess I'll buy a set of tire balancing adhesive weights, plus get an extra set of aluminium arms when I order the housing. It's hard to believe that it is that much more buoyant than the old version though.