Posts Tagged inon

Equipment Note: Totomega Insect-Eye Lens

Fri, Nov 19th, 2010  |   Equipment, Technique 8 Comments

If you’re an underwater photographer, you may have noticed that the photos I recently posted of Barney the moray eel and the red frogfish have a somewhat unusual perspective.

I took the photos with a new insect-eye lens.

By way of background…the purpose of an insect-eye lens is to allow you to take wide-angle photographs from the vantage point of a very small animal, such as an insect. Some people call it a bug-eye lens, or a WAM lens (short for wide-angle macro).

Whatever your choice of nomenclature, the concept isn’t new. People have been using lenses like this for many years, especially for land photography.

The use of insect-eye lenses in underwater photography has been less prevalent however, probably because major lens manufacturers don’t make such lenses, which means they’re not readily available.

In addition, designing and making an insect eye lens with good optics is complicated and costs a lot of money, which is always a bit of a bummer.

And finally, assuming you actually make a decent insect-eye lens, you then have to waterproof it! What a hassle.

In recent months, several of my friends have been using the insect-eye lens manufactured by Inon and have been producing some really interesting images and video.

This of course made me really anxious to test the new lens pictured below:


The Totomega insect eye lens with my Canon 7D camera
in a Zillion housing + two SOLA 600 lights for lighting

The lens is made by a photographer friend of mine in Japan, who calls his creation the Totomega lens. It’s a self-enclosed relay lens that fits on to a custom-built port, which houses a lens attached to an APS sensor camera…in my case, a Canon EOS 7D. The main lens is a 28-80mm Sigma lens, stacked on a 1.4x teleconverter.

When all is said and done, the resulting field of view underwater is somewhere in the 160-degree range.

Shooting with this type of lens is unlike anything I’ve tried before. Given that it’s my first experience with the lens and that there aren’t exactly a lot of people I can ask for advice, it took me a few dives to figure out how to use the Totomega.

Autofocus works like a charm, with one significant catch: The actual focus isn’t where the camera’s focus point locks on, meaning I have to adjust the camera position to take into account the differential in what the camera thinks is in focus and what actually is in focus.

The method I’ve developed to deal with this conundrum is to estimate the lens-to-subject distance for the point I want to be in focus, estimate a distance of approximately 1+ cm closer than my desired focus, AF lock at that distance, then reposition to my actual desired focus distance and shoot, keeping in mind that my desired focus distance usually means lens-to-critter-eye distance, not simply lens-to-critter distance.

Sound complicated?

It is.

I’m sure you can see why it took me a bit of trial-and-error over several dives (accompanied by considerable muttering under my breath) until I figured out a system that works. At this point, I can nail a significant proportion of the shots I try.

Two people on the Ambon Night Safari trip, Eric Cheng and Julian Cohen, had Inon lenses with them, so we inevitably traded notes and compared images. Here’s what we concluded (Eric, Julian: please correct me if I mis-stated or forgot something):

1. The Inon lens requires manual focus. The Totomega uses AF, but the AF position is not where it seems (or at least, I haven’t yet been able to get the actual AF to be where the AF point locks).

2. The Inon lens can focus right up to the lens surface. The Totomega can focus to about 1cm away from the lens surface.

3. The Inon lens can make really small things look big in the frame. Eric came up with the best description for the Totomega’s optical characteristics. In his words: “It makes big things look like small things made to look big.” I love that description.

4. When both lenses are at their sharpest, the Totomega lens is sharper than the Inon lens.

5. Both lenses are good for shooting video.

6. Both lenses exhibit significant chromatic aberration.

The bottom line is that the two lenses were created with a similar objective, but have different optical characteristics. Both are a challenge to shoot, but the unique perspective can make the effort worthwhile.

I’m sure there are still many things I’ll figure out in the next couple of weeks, and I’ll have to cross-check my experience with my friend in Japan after I get back home.

I have a suspicion that there may be some way to tweak my lens set up so that I can focus more closely. I hope that’s the case, so that I’ll be able to use this lens for smaller subjects in the future.

Given my limited experience with the lens so far, please consider my views on the Totomega an evolving (mis)understanding, rather than a definitive description.

Seeing the Light

Mon, Jul 20th, 2009  |   Equipment, Technique 31 Comments

There’s always a measure of satisfaction when you finally solve a puzzle, particularly when that puzzle is something you’ve lived with for a long time.

You experience a moment of “Eureka!” followed by a deep sigh of release, as years of pent-up frustration at not knowing the answer finally dissipate. Yesterday was such a day.

Fair warning: This is a somewhat dry technical discussion, so if you read on, you run the risk of being bored to tears. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Background
I use Zillion housings. I use fibre-optic cables to trigger Inon strobes, mainly my Z220 strobes, though I own Z240s and have recently acquired an S2000.

I really like this combination, because: Everything’s light (Zillion housings are ABS plastic, Inon strobes are compact); The strobes run on universally available AA batteries; I use rechargeable NiMH batteries for maximum efficiency and minimal environmental impact; I’m in Japan a lot, so it’s easy to get parts and servicing; Fibre-optic cables are a helluva lot lighter than sync cords, and they don’t flood.

Most people who use fibre-optic cables use them with cameras that have built-in, pop-up strobes. Inon circuitry allows for the light from the internal strobe to control the external strobes, making it possible to use the native camera intelligence to control strobe output…hence terms like S-TTL and even wireless S-TTL…meaning you can just point and shoot without worrying about the strobes too much.

The problem is that I use cameras without pop-up strobes. Specifically, I’ve used the Canon 1D and 5D series, most recently the Canon 5D Mark II.

With no pop-up strobe, you need to get creative to use a fibre-optic connection, because fibre transmits optical signals (i.e., light), not electrical signals (which is what your camera sends out via the hotshoe).

The Work Around
So for several years, I’ve been using a work-around. Inside the Zillion housings I use is a clever proprietary mechanism that converts electrical input to optical output.

The result? I can fire my strobes via fibre-optics, even though I’m using cameras without built-in strobes.

The immediate drawback is that I can’t shoot with any simulated TTL function, but that’s not an issue for me, since I shoot everything under manual control.

The second, less obvious challenge, is that something funky happens in the electrical-to-optical conversion process, causing the strobes to misfire.

I discovered this with the first Zillion housing I used, with my Canon 1Ds Mark II. I got the housing two days before leaving for a month-long trip, and upon testing, discovered that every photo turned out black, or too dark relative to what it should be.

After a bit of screaming, running around in circles and calling people at random to plead for emergency assistance, a work-around materialised in the form of an extra part, called a Focus Light Controller (FLC), from Inon.

As I understand, this gadget was designed by Inon for use with Inon housings to stop activation of the focus light on their strobes, so it wasn’t designed to deal with the issue I was facing at the time, and it’s not even marketed by Inon (it’s not on their website).

But, the FLC happens to cancel all pre-flash signals, so…on the (untested and unproven) theory that the problem I was facing was due to pre-flash signals, I invested (about US$450!) in a bunch of these FLCs and hoped for the best. I was desperate.

They arrived via courier the day before my departure. I tried them. They worked.

So I’ve made do with this work-around ever since. As far as I know, I’m the only person to use this unusual configuration. (If you’re wondering what other people who use the same cameras, housings and strobes do…so am I. There’s no way they’re getting proper light output.)

Fast Forward
As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Following this age-old wisdom, I continued using this work-around successfully with my Canon 5D cameras, and I assumed that the same solution would work with my new Canon 5D Mark II camera when I travelled to Izu recently.

Oops.

I didn’t have time to test everything before departing, so it wasn’t until I was on location that I discovered…nothing worked. At all. Excellent timing. *$@(%!(!#!!!

Anyway, with quite a bit of lost sleep and muttering under my breath, I managed to finagle around the problem and get decent photos, but it wasn’t fun, and the circumstances were far from ideal.

So, once I got back to Tokyo, I set about trying to figure this out once and for all, with the help of Nagamatsu-san from Aquaforum and Kojima-san, the owner of Zillion.

The Resolution
I’ll spare you the details of the many agonising tests, discussions and disagreements we had, but after a few weeks of back-and-forth, we finally figured it out yesterday.

In short, the conversion from electrical-to-optical requires a power source. Not a big power source, but just enough to kick the optical signal along. The design used in the Zillion housing draws power from the camera’s battery. Since not a lot of power is required, it never affected the camera’s performance.

What we discovered, however, is that the route through which the power was derived has an unexpected side-effect.

The Zillion conversion process takes power via the remote-release socket on the left side of the camera (when viewed from the rear). In the process of testing, we stumbled upon the fact that under certain instances, the camera outputs an electrical signal via that socket.

This unanticipated electrical output sent an unanticipated “fire!” signal to the external strobes via the fibre-optic cables, resulting in mis-firing/ mis-timing.

The FLC work-around I used worked because the FLC (mis)interpreted this “fire!” signal as a pre-flash and stopped it.

So we had an unintentional signal being stopped unintentionally, producing the desired result. Who says double negatives don’t not work?

(Actually, there was an additional minor, unrelated issue that further complicated the situation, so in reality, we had an unintentional signal being stopped unintentionally before it was able to be stopped unintentionally, producing…a mess.)

In hindsight, this makes sense. But for the past several years, no one ever thought of this (at least, not that I’m aware of). We’re not certain what the electrical signal is for, but I surmise that the electrical output is from the camera back to the remote release to let the remote release know whether the camera is focused or not.

Solution
So, now that we finally know the root of the problem, we have several possible solutions to test. Fortunately, for my upcoming trip to Tonga, I won’t need strobes, so there’s time to re-configure the conversion circuitry to fix the problem.

This situation doesn’t affect a lot of people outside Japan, but if (a) you have a Zillion 5D or 5D Mark II housing, (b) you use fibre-optic cables instead of traditional sync cords and (c) you are using Z220 strobes, you will have a problem and need to contact me or Zillion.

For later series strobes, including the Z240, D2000, S2000 series, there may be an issue, but you can minimise the impact by ensuring that the magnet button on the right lower side of your strobe is in the “up” position in the case of the Z240, and that you do not have the magnets installed in the case of the 2000-series strobes.

Remember, this only applies if you’re using fibre, and if you use a Canon DSLR that does not have a pop-up strobe, in a Zillion housing. (In other words, don’t panic and flood me with emails.)

When we have out a permanent solution, I’ll post again.

Aside
If you’ve attended any of my talks or been on trips with me, you know that one of the things I keep emphasising is that obsessing over the exact camera settings you use isn’t a good idea.

This is a perfect example.

Had I been locked into a specific, tried-and-true, always-use set of camera settings, I would have never succeeded in getting the squid shots in Izu. As it was, I understood that there was insufficient light coming from my strobes, so I fiddled to get the appropriate ambient light exposure and minimised the requirement from my strobes.

In fact, I had no idea what the settings were until after I came up, downloaded the files and looked at the metadata in Aperture.

And finally…my heartfelt thanks to Nagamatsu-san and Kojima-san for spending the time and having the patience to slog through this time-consuming, tedious testing process!

New Strobe

Mon, Apr 6th, 2009  |   Equipment, Technique 13 Comments

I paid a visit to Aquaforum yesterday, partly to stop in and say hi, but mostly because I really need all my gear checked and double-checked before I head out on my next extended series of trips.

Whenever I visit the shop (or any other camera store for that matter), one of the first things I do is scan for new equipment.

This time, the new S-2000 strobe from Inon caught my eye (pictured below…and no, those are not my hands!).

The strobe units are tiny (106.5mm long, 83.1mm tall, 64mm across), lightweight, use standard AA batteries and use the same O-rings and fibre-optic connectors as my Inon Z-220 and Z-240 strobes. The guide number is 20.

inon strobe

David from Scubacam had a couple with him while we were in Lembeh, so I saw his strobes in action. The S-2000s seem to work well for him. I fiddled with one while I was Aquaforum, and eventually, I decided to get one to try out over the next few trips.

Do I need another strobe? Probably not. I lug six or more around with me as it is.

But the small size means I can stick one in my coat pocket and have a spare with me at all times. Plus, if David and Nagamatsu-san (who owns Aquaforum) both have a couple of these, I have to have at least one to play with. You know what I’m saying?

The controls on the back are a bit tightly spaced. Luckily, I don’t have big hands, so it might not be a problem for me. I could see people with big fingers possibly having a difficult time fine-tuning settings underwater.

rear view

There appears to be quite a bit of S-TTL functionality built into the strobe, including the ability to shoot S-TTL wirelessly, but since I don’t really use TTL, I haven’t really paid too much attention to this.

There’s also a funky mirror-thing that attaches to the slave sensor to redirect light to trigger the strobe when it’s used as a slave unit. I’m not quite sure how this will work, or if it’ll be necessary. I’ll find out soon enough.

Manual Macro

Mon, Aug 18th, 2008  |   Equipment, Technique No Comments

Craig Jones sent me a few questions about manual focus for macro ports. The airlines lost his gear (what a bummer!), so he’s building his underwater camera system up from scratch. He’s used both Canon and Nikon systems, but he really likes the Nikon 70-180mm zoom macro, which is why he’s leaning to Nikon (though he seems to like Canon AF better).

His question was about macro ports…specifically, if I have an opinion about how the Inon MRS and Nexus macro port systems compare. Craig seems to have done a lot of homework about the pros/ cons of both.

Some basic background if you’re not familiar with the systems: The Nexus macro system uses gears you attach to the lens and manipulate via knobs on the housing or port, depending upon the lens combination. The Inon system uses a magnetic ring outside the port, with magnetic collars you put on the lens, so you rotate the magnetic ring just like you would rotate the focus ring on a lens on land. These considerations only matter if you’re using manual focus.

I’ve used both systems, and both work well. There are, of course, differences.

Of all the MF macro systems I’ve tried, the Nexus system has the best feel. It’s difficult to quantify, but there’s something about the Nexus manual focus gears that makes it possible literally to feel the adjustments you’re making, almost as well as you could if you were holding the actual lens. The man behind the Nexus housings is a former race car driver and is a stickler for detail, so that may contribute to the quality of the gears.

The drawback is that with precision gears, you need to line everything up perfectly before you go into the water. If the gears are slightly off, they may not work. If you go for super-macro configurations (greater than 1:1), it can sometimes be difficult to get everything to line up properly until you build up some experience setting up the system.

Once you know what to do though, the gears are smooth as silk.

The Inon system takes an entirely different approach. You put magnetic collars around your lens, directly on the focus ring. When you place your camera in the housing/ port, you use a magnetic ring outside the port to control the magnets on your lens inside the port.

There are a few advantages to this system. First, you have fewer holes in your housing (no knob or gear penetration) and for anyone who uses manual focus on land, it’s a familiar concept…rotate the collar to focus the lens. Also, the magnets are fairly strong, so even if you’re a bit off in placement, the system will work. Finally, if you’re trying super-macro, it’s much easier to line everything up and you don’t have to build custom gears for different configurations.

The drawback is that the magnets in the external magnetic collar are built to fail. I’m sure they weren’t designed with this intent, but from day one out of the factory, the external collar is in a gradual process of deterioration that will cause the magnets embedded in the collar to break free of their enclosure and lock up the system. It’s only a matter of time. I wrote about this problem earlier when it happened to me.

Of course, this decay doesn’t happen overnight, and you can prolong the life of your magnetic focus ring by removing it from the port as soon as you get the system. If the ring is stored on the port (i.e., the way it’s shipped), the built-in obsolence accelerates.

I use this system now because it fits the housings I have now. Despite the obsolence issue, the system works well. It doesn’t “feel” as smooth or fine as the Nexus system, but it gets the job done. There’s a bit of “crunchiness” or granularity to the rotation of the ring, such that you might find it difficult to make fine adjustments if you’re accustomed to a gear system like Nexus. This is probably due to the use of intermittently spaced magnets (instead of fine-tooth gears).

Both systems work though, so the bottom line is that if you need or want to use MF and are debating these two systems, you should pick whichever system goes with your preferred housing and camera/ lens system, and whichever system you personally have an easier time handling (try them on land first if you can). Neither system is perfect, but then again, few things in life are.