Wide angle lens substitute

[Cousinducky]

I have an Opteka wide angle lens thats typically used for skateboarding, skydiving and extreme sports, etc

I'd post the link to the lens but I cant post URL's yet

This lens will screw on to my Stingray housing.

Has anyone tried a lens like this underwater?

Doing shallow dives 35-40ft very rarely below that.

Do you think this lens could work as a substitute to $900!!?? ripoff that LM offers?

I can screw it onto the housing with my adapter....might try it, cant hurt.

I dont care if its a zoom thru or not... I shoot entirely wide angle and never zoom in anyways.

your thoughts?

 

[Cousinducky]

Here's the link to the lens I have....or atleast one of them.

you get the idea.
Opteka Platinum Series 37mm 0.3X HD Ultra Fisheye Lens for Professional Video Camcorders - OPT37FE

scroll down to the bottom to see a sample video of the wide coverage.

 

[ronscuba]

You want to put this external on the housing port ? Is this lens meant for underwater ? Doesn't look like it. Might ruin the lens as salt water will get in unless it is sealed for uw use.

 

[Cousinducky]

Yes, I want to to try it out on my Stingray I have an adapter that will screw it on the front.

I'll try my hand at sealing it then myself if necessary before I get taken for $900(which is ridiculous) from LM for only 90 degree FOV.

I get about 150-160 degrees FOV with that lens at only $99.



Has anyone used a 3rd party wide angle lens underwater with success?
...Or does everyone like paying $1000 for a wide angle lens? :shocked2:

 

[ronscuba]

I've used a 3rd party topsides lens attached to the cam inside the housing with a housing dome port, but have never heard of people successfully using a topside lens uw mounted externally on the housing.

I could be totally wrong, but a little more research might be worthwhile.

 

[Cousinducky]

I agree.

I'm going to try it this weekend and see how it goes.

 

[Cousinducky]

Here's a perfect example of what I'm trying to do on a similar scale.

Dan made his own housing Sony TG3,TG5,TG7 underwater test dive on Vimeo

And then took a topside lens, typically used for skydiving, extreme sports, etc and put it on his housing and got amazing results.
Test of the Platinum 0.2x fisheye lens underwater on Vimeo

"The lens was not designed to be used underwater, but behind a wide angle port it gives an amazing 180 degree view, wider than any manufacturers on the market produce."


I see stuff like this and think that it might not always be necessary to drop $1K on a wide angle lens from the housing manufacture if you can make other lenses adapt and get the same effect.

 

[diversteve]

Probably won't blow your port out if it implodes...yours is glass right?

There's probably some sort of inert gas sealed inside to keep it from fogging so that should keep any water out.

The difference (I didn't watch the whole video) was that his lens appears to be behind an add-on homemade port.

Your lens would be exposed to water - and pressure - correct?

 

[Cousinducky]

implode at 35-40 ft???....I figured maybe at 100ft or 130...but I'd doubt in shallow water.

yes, it will be mounted externally

But I believe his is still exposed to the same water pressures?...hmmm


Hell, maybe I'll just take the lens only down to 50ft and see if it blows up in my hand
And if not I guess I will have answered alot of questions and started a new trend for people not wanting to spend a ton of $$$ on a good WA lens.

if it works I'll share how I did my special adapter for this lens and the LM Stingray Housing. Screws right on about 1-2mm from the port glass.

 

[Cousinducky]

This lens.

I'll take it off the camera of course and screw it on to mate up with the port on the housing, externally.




mounted on the LM StingRay housing