Sea&Sea has announced two new 210mm dome ports. They are both constructed of PMMA acrylic and are supplied with bayonet fittings for both Sea&Sea and Nauticam housings. One version of the port has a seven-layer anti-reflective coating.
Saga has announced a new BK-7 optical glass 4” (100mm) dome port for use with Ikelite DL port system housings. The dome has an external coating that maximizes light transmission, and an internal anti-reflective one. The port is optimized for use with fisheyes lenses, specifically, the Tokina 10-17mm and both Nikon and Canon 8-15mm lenses. The shade and back pane is constructed of anodized aluminum, and the shade is removable to allow for full circle images.
Dome ports are a crucial part of the optical systems that we as underwater photographers deploy. Judging by questions and comments on the Wetpixel Forum, they are also somewhat misunderstood. This is in part because the underlying optical theory of dome ports is somewhat complex, and is hence avoided. Wetpixel Editor Adam Hanlon attempts to demystify this, by offering some thoughts on dome port choices on Wetpixel Live.
Morten Bjørn-Larsen presents a preview of the new Sea&Sea 210AR Universal Dome port. Constructed of a new material called Plantex, which Sea&Sea claims, offers improved optical performance and durability. It also holds an anti-reflective coating. Morten has been able to try the dome out in challenging conditions and records his findings in his preview.