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Subal housings are built to contain the finest D - SLR's on the market and it's intrinsic that Subal owners will also be shooting through some of the best and most expensive lenses available. Arnold Stepanek offers Subal owners an extensive line of dome and flat ports that provide impeccable optical quality to compliment these professional lenses. At this level, as you might expect, only glass optics are used in Subal ports. Subal also provide a large selection of extension rings to let a single port work with a number of different lenses. The Subal bayonet mount lets you swiftly interchange ports with just a quarter turn.
Two sizes of bayonet mount are now available. The Mk3 mount has been in use for 20 years. However as lenses have become physically wider to incorporate autofocus motors, vibration reduction, longer zoom ranges and faster apertures, it has become necessary to offer a wider mount and a new series of Subal ports have been introduced. The Mk4 range is the result. Subal have made strenuous efforts to maximise interchangability between Mk3 and Mk4 ports and accessories. Mark and Steve will be happy to talk you through your options if you are an existing Subal owner with Mk3 ports planning to step up to a new camera and housing and want to know if you can use your current ports. It is usual Subal practice to try and keep as much continuity as possible between old and new equipment so that Subal clients can upgrade cameras with minimal additional investment beyond the housing body itself.
Dome Ports For wide Angle Photography
FE4 - For Fisheye and Wide Angle Lenses
This classic dome port was developed in cooperation with leading professional underwater photographer Kurt Amsler. This 20 cm/8 inch port offers excellent correction of lenses with an angle of view as wide as 180 degrees.
DP - Superwide Port - For Fisheye and Wide Angle Lenses
Newly developed, this 25cm/10 inch port offers exceptional edge sharpness. It's also an excellent choice for split level photography as the underwater virtual image is now farther away, making it easier to simultaneously hold sharp focus on infinity for the airside of your photograph. The huge waterline also helps with composing split image shots. An excellent choice for lenses as wide as 180 degrees.
DP - Super Dome Port
This is a very special dedicated 25cm/8 inch port that has been optically corrected to yield the sharpest possible image with Nikon's 14 - 24mm zoom lens. It is not suited for use with fisheye lenses and should be seen as a dedicated lens in its own right for the underwater photographer who is fastidious about the quality of the images they produce.
Flat Ports for Macro Photography
Macro Ports with Manual Focus Control
Manual focus control can be an important benefit for macro photographers. Good as modern autofocus systems are, they can still get it wrong and this is much more of a problem with macro photography than with wide angle lenses. Also, some animals don't tolerate the needs of autofocus photography. For example, some fish favour low light - exactly the conditions that autofocus can struggle to overcome. Using a focusing light will scare them away. Others flee when they pick up the vibrations from the autofocus motors. High magnification, or supermaqcro, photography involving the use of teleconverters can also make autofocus unreliable. For all these situations manual focus may be your best or only option. It's also vital to use a viewfinder that is large enough for you to focus sharply by eye. We recommend the Subal GS180 or WS45 viewfinder for manual focus systems.
For Nikon 60mm AF- D
The FC-60 Port accepts Nikon's 60mm AF- D micro lens. Switching between auto and manual focus underwater is done by using the zoom/manual focus control on your Subal housing. Focusing is operated by a control wheel on the port. Switching and focusing gears are included, but please let Mark or Steve know which Subal housing you intend to use.
If you use teleconverters you'll need to pre set the focus mode. We recommend manual focus.
For Nikon 105mm AF-D
The FC-105 Port accepts Nikon's 105mm AF- D micro lens. Switching between auto and manual focus underwater is done by using the zoom/ manual focus control on your Subal housing. Focusing is operated by a control wheel on the port. Switching and focusing gears are included, but please let Mark or Steve know which Subal housing you intend to use.
If you use teleconverters pre set your focus mode first. We suggest using manual focus with teleconverters.
For Nikon 105mm VR
Dedicated to the Nikon 105VR, this port requires no lens gears. The focus wheel aligns automatically. You can switch between auto and manual focus even with a teleconverter fitted.
For Canon 50mm
The Canon 50mm macro lens can be used in a short flat port in manual focus. Manual focus must be chosen before diving. You cannot switch between auto and manual focus. You will need a manual focus lens gear.
Teleconverters can be used.
For Canon 60mm
The Canon 60mm macro lens can be used in a short flat port in manual focus. Manual focus must be chosen before diving. You cannot switch between auto and manual focus. You will need a manual focus lens gear.
Teleconverters can be used.
For Canon 100mm
The Canon 100mm macro lens can be used in a long flat port in manual focus. Manual focus must be chosen before diving. You cannot switch between auto and manual focus. You will need a manual focus lens gear.
Teleconverters can be used.
General Purpose Flat Ports
A choice of flat ports of different lengths allows use of many different lenses. For photographers who prefer to rely on autofocus, these ports offer a lower cost option for housing Nikon macro lenses. They are also used with some moderate range zoom lenses. The flexibility of these ports, especially when combined with Subal's extension ring system, means there's often more than one combination that will work for you. Mark and Steve can advise you on the best solution for your own lens requirements.
Extension Rings
Subal extension rings enable you to adapt your existing dome and flat ports to accommodate many different lenses. Extension rings help keep your optics crisp when using domes by proper lens positioning and allow longer lenses or teleconverters to be used with flat ports. Subal extension rings mount easily and precisely and have aknurled grip to make them easy to separate from your port after use.
Port Protection
Front Port Caps
Front port caps help protect your valuable housing optics from scratches during transport, in the dip tank and even during challenging exits. Front protection caps are available for flat and dome ports.
Rear Port Caps
As little cleaning as possible is always good practice for camera lenses and housing ports. Preventing dust entering your ports is easy using Subal rear port caps.
"O" Rings
Spare "O" rings need to be part of your spares kit. Different "O" rings are in play for different Subal ports, so please make sure you don't mix and match...
Subal port system
DSLR