TZ5 - suggested alterations for using strobe diffuser & inon lens adapter together

[Karen Dancheck]

My husband just bought the inon lens adapter for the TZ5. Just realized that it does not work with the strobe diffuser that comes with the TZ5 housing. Doh! Anyone have any creative ideas to make the two work? Cutting the rounded edge off the diffuser seems to be the only possible option.

 

[Interceptor121]

KarenOnce you put a close up lens at the end of the adapter it does not matter what diffuser you put the lens will project a shadow on the imageReally the inon adapters have to be used with an external strobe or you can place a video light on the cold shoe of the housing and use slower shutter speeds

 

[Greenjuice]

You will get MUCH better pictures with a strobe anyway!

It is not a cheap outlay, but you will be able to recycle it for use with your next camera!

A single strobe, even on a fixed bracket, is fine and simple for starters. If you go for an Inon setup, the S2000 connected with a fibre-optic cable to where your diffuser was fixed, will allow the camera to have full control of exposures within the range of the flash.

In effect you are replacing the built-in flash unit with one that is more powerful AND better positioned to avoid back scatter from particles in the water whilst casting better shadows for greater appreciation of depth in your photos, allowing for more dramatic shots.

I have played around with those TZ series diffusers a lot and I think you will have some difficulty avoiding the shadow cast by the Inon mount even if you were able to find a way to modify the diffuser. Try taking some pictures with the diffuser removed or with some other makeshift translucent material taped over the flash unit to get an idea.

If you want to have a go with your diffuser, as it will become redundant once you get a strobe anyway, you could try cutting the diffuser unit into two with a hacksaw (the plastic is quite easy to cut or drill through), so that the narrow end can 'telescope' into the wider end. You'll then need to find a way hold those parts in place. That way, at least you can still play with the camera (while you wait for your strobe!!).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Karen Dancheck]

Hi All!

Guess I wasn't clear...he already shoots with a strobe. There is no need to sell us on how awesome photos turn out with shooting with a strobe. No comparison.

Here is clarification on his issue. I have attached some photos. The plastic diffuser in IMAGE #1 covers the internal flash. This diffuser came with the housing and snaps into it. The piece that is attached to it is the fiber optic cable for the strobe. You can see in IMAGE #2 that it is flush with the front of the housing. The issue is in IMAGE #3 when I tried to attached the inon adapter. It will not fit on the front of the housing with the plastic diffuser snapped in place. Might have to take a hacksaw to the diffuser... I was just looking for others who have the same issue.

 

[Interceptor121]

Just had a look on the Inon website

*Using M67 Lens Adapter Base without an attachment lens on land will have slight vignetting on image corners at zoom wide end. When shooting at zoom wide end, crop the image after taking image, zoom in until no vignetting is observed or remove the lens adapter unit.

*When using "DMW-MCTZ7 / LUMIX DMC-TZ7" or "DMW-MCTZ5 / LUMIX DMC-TZ5" only with the M67 Lens Adapter Base, the camera system will have great buoyancy. Adjust total underwater weight by using other accessories to get slightly negative buoyancy to avoid accidental rapid ascent.

*This product is not usable with a "diffuser panel" of an underwater housing.

On the other hand the cap W35 has a screw plug (looks like you don't have this but a compatible fibre optic cable)

I believe that with the Inon clear photo system you can obscure the camera flash with a special sticker and you don't need the diffuser anymore. Still I don't have clear where the screw plug goes

 

[Greenjuice]

OK Karen.
Looks like you are only using the diffuser, not as a diffuser, but just to hold your fibre-optic cable so that it can 'sense' the internal flash.

For such an arrangement it would be preferable not to have ANY light from the built-in flash emerge from the front of the diffuser (or escaping from around the clear plastic of the rest of the housing). Any such light may contribute to backscatter from particles in water.

I used to use a small Sea & Sea YS25 strobe and held the fibre-optic cable in place by drilling a hole through the diffuser and packing the inside of the diffuser with aluminum foil. Like for your setup, it was just another way of using the diffuser to hold the cable where it can 'sense' the internal flash.

Here are some photos of how I set it up:


So for your setup, if you can relocate your fibre-optic cable somewhere else, then just a small shaped cut of the diffuser should allow you to get back where you were before you got the Inon mount!

As Interceptor121 has indicated, Inon actually has another solution called their 'Clear Photo System':
INON Technical Guide [Clear Photo System]

For this, you stick a unique dark filter over the TZ5 flash before putting the camera in the housing. This blocks out visible light from the flash, but allows a non-visible light signal to get through to the fibre-optic cable of the strobe. The fibre optic cable is mounted in front of the built in flash, on the bracket on the housing that is revealed when you take off the diffuser.

Here is a photo of me testing it out by taking a photo into a mirror to check that there is no light leakage from around the built-in flash (circled in red). You will see from the Inon write-up that other people cover their clear housing with black masking tape to reduce backscatter!

Hope that helps!