Custom Camera Floats | TropicLens

Every time we show our custom camera float in a video, we get tons of questions about it. While we have taken the time to answer all of them in the comments, we thought it might be nice to do a video about it. In fact, there are actually two sources for these custom floats. Check out the video to learn more.
* Dive Right In Scuba - [e-mail] or www.diverightinscuba.com/
* Tomi Nieminen - [e-mail]
If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover more in depth related to the equipment we use, let us know below. Next month, we’ll cover our +15 close-up lens.

[@richardwilliams9471]

Many thanks for this. I've been looking for something like this for a while. I met a chap on an Ocean Encounters dive boat in Curacao that had something similar including his comment that it was custom made. If that was you then I'm very sorry I didn't connect you to this channel and have a chat. As always - great content.

[@TropicLens]

Glad you liked the video Richard. If it was in the last month or so, it may well have been us as we enjoy Ocean Encounters' boats. :-)

[@EdwardBHisey]

Can you provide a link to where you had your custom cover bag made? (Previous Video) Thanks

[@TropicLens]

Sure thing Edward. In addition to the camera floats in this video, Dive Right In Scuba made the custom cover we use to protect the Divevolk housing whenever we transport it. Also, your comment prompted me to check the description for this video and I noticed I had forgotten to put the links in there. You can copy and paste any of the links (now) provided. Hope this helps! Also, make sure to ask for the "Trilaminate material". That is the material they used on the newest camera float and is much softer/pliable than the material they used for my cover bag last year.

[@standishwheeler6767]

To inflate the bag you just blow into it? Do you have to custom order it, or is it a product they just sell on the site?

[@TropicLens]

First off, great name! Not sure if that is your given name or you chose it for KZbin, but love Standish. With respect to the bag, yes, the bag will need some additional air going down and purging on the way up. It is a custom bag. I worked with Dive Right In Scuba on the bag’s features and they have it down. You can reach them at [e-mail]. Ask for Greg. They should be able to replicate it easily. Alternatively, if you are in Europe, it might be easier/closer to reach out to Tomi Nieminen at [e-mail]. That would also be custom. Hope this helps.

[@emilianodeluca7894]

Hi, what support is this? What arms are they?

[@TropicLens]

I ordered the arms and tray from Backscatter, Emiliano; but a number of places carry the Ultralight products. The tray is a 13" Ultralight double handle camera tray (Part # ul-tr-dm2) and the handles are Ultralight handles without ball (Part # ul-tr-dh) although you can get them in black and/or with balls if you prefer/have those arms. Let us know if you have any other questions. Hope this helps.

[@emilianodeluca7894]

​@@TropicLens Have u tried the original Divevolk tray? I saw that ultralight product are not very cheap, and they are difficult to find in Europe

[@TropicLens]

I have not Emiliano. The ability to turn the housing in order to take out the phone while not removing the housing from the tray is intriguing. That said, I really do not like the preformed metal handles they have. My hands tend to move around a bit depending on how I need to hold the housing for a shot and the exaggerated finger slots at the top make it uncomfortable at times...as does the fact that they are metal. The ultralight handles are a nice soft rubber that you can grab anywhere. I certainly understand the cost/availability concerns and you may not be as concerned about the metal and finger forms. I was just highlighting why that option wasn't a good fit for me. As far as quality goes, I have been very pleased with the Divevolk housing and their +8 Close-Up lens; so I assume that should be a solid tray set as well.

[@emilianodeluca7894]

@@TropicLens thanks so much for the information. Last thing, what lights do you use?

[@TropicLens]

I use two Kraken Hydra 8000 WRGBUs. Those, too, are on the high side but here is why I chose them. I like the dial at the back that allows for 10% incremental changes and the digital readout showing the exact percentage/time of battery life at any particular brightness. Many lights only have two or three brightness settings and two or three battery indicators. Also, 8000 lumen may sound a bit high and I only use them during the day when trying to light the dark side of a ledge during the day where I am competing with backlighting from the sun. Its a fringe use case, at best; so fewer lumens is certainly an option for most people...with an added benefit of smaller size/weight/cost. :-) By the way, if you read the description of those Krakens, I have NOT found a good use case for the wide color array they offer. I only use the white, red, blue and purple colors...the latter two are for fluoro diving. Hope this helps and happy to answer any other questions. :-)

[@johnweir3168]

I am thinking the float needs to be a rigid tube that will not change shape based on the depth. Water doesn't expand or contract like air, so the relative weight would remain the same no matter how deep you go. The only time a change would be needed is if the camera equipment is changed during the dive. Perhaps a PVC pipe with a pouch for water inside so the buoyancy can be adjusted during a dive if the lenses change.

[@TropicLens]

Hey John! (How's New Zealand?) Indeed, a hard shell with an adjustable internal space would address the in-water adjustments. In fact, Kraken makes just such a product (FA-05 Carbon Fiber Adjustable Float Arm); so this might be a good time to discuss the relative merits as the Kraken's benefits may or may not offset the packing size/weight/cost advantage. For example, Kraken's Float Arm is 80 x 280mm (3.1 x 11 inch), has 680 grams (1.5 lbs) of lift, weighs 453 grams (1lb) on land and sells for $195. Given the Divevolk setup I have is 1700 grams (3.75 lbs) in the water, it would take three of those arms to float...which would cost just under $600. From a luggage perspective, it would weigh 1360 grams (3 lbs) and take up considerably more space. Of course, a DIY version may well be cheaper and, certainly a hard shell-style float may be worth the space and (perhaps) weight trade-offs for some underwater photographers/videographers in order to achieve consistently neutrally buoyant gear. The goal here was to present a different float option not often highlighted. That said, I am glad you wrote the comment as people may not be aware of the Kraken product...if that is a better fit for their individual use case.