CamOne focus adjustment -vs- DiveBox lens replacement

[1] CamOne focus adjustment

By rotating the CamOne's optics about a quarter turn counter-clockwise it's possible to shoot underwater with the original DiveBox.

⊕ all modes can be used, e.g. 127° 1080p, 170° 720p & 4:3 photo

⊕ best possible IQ, if you find out the optimal focus adjustment

⊕ no extra costs

⊗ either sharp above or below water, i.e. mixed footage is not possible without changing the camera's focus

⊗ changing the focus requires fiddling with two tiny screws, which is rather impractical on the go, meaning one has to decide beforehand what shots are wanted

[2] DiveBox lens replacement

Though not yet available for purchase at the time of writing, I assume aquapixs will eventually commercially produce flat lenses to replace the CamOne infinity DiveBox's domed lens, if demand is there. The two flat lenses I got were prototypes to be tried at my own risk. I chose to buy a second DiveBox for this DIY modification.

⊕ both above and below water filming is possible in Full HD

⊕ no need to change the CamOne's factory set focus

⊗ only useable for 127° 1080p video, due to heavy vignetting in 170° 720p and photo modes

⊗ putting a wide angle behind a flat lens causes corner softness

⊗ somewhat narrower FOV due to refraction

⊗ replacing the DiveBox's lens implies modifying it, which should not be done too often, as the metal screws holding the lens in place would eventually wear out the threads of the plastic housing, and of course this solution requires at least one check dive to verify waterproofness, but that should be standard procedure anyways

⊗ additional costs for the flat lens and optionally a second DiveBox

Dark Side of the Moon

Getting there doesn't take quite as long as one might imagine. Even though you can't really rush it on the bump-it-up jungle track to Pet Cemetery, a well maintained cenote in the middle of nowhere.

Diving to the Dark Side of the Moon and back is over 100' of wonderful enjoyment from start to finish. Definitely one of the top dives around here, again perfectly led by Jeff, together with Gosia. Happy diver :o)


I only uploaded one special sequence, through a beautifully decorated passage, in Full HD, straight out of the camera (uncut, no editing).

For the first time I actually used up my CamOne's sugar-sized battery, shooting 50 clips. I never switch off the camera during a dive, but do have the LCD turn off automatically after 2 minutes, to save energy. Personally, I find the small LCD critical to compose & monitor shots.

CamOne+aquapixs in Chan Hol

Great 90' cave dive in Chan Hol led by Jeff, who carried an extra video light for your visual pleasure. Chan Hol has some really cool tunnels, the perfect place for a staged lighting configuration.

Today I actually trusted my CamOne into my self modified DiveBox, i.e. the one with a flat lens prototype in stead of the original dome lens. This flat lens prototype was kindly sent to me for trial at my own risk by aquapixs, the German company that also makes the GoForFocus flat lens replacement for the popular GoPro. Whether they'll commercially produce flat lenses for the CamOne I don't know?

The two main advantages of this solution are that you don't need to change the CamOne's factory set focus and you can shoot both above and below water in Full HD. More about pros & cons in another post.


For the record: Importing & converting the 25 Full HD clips at only a 1/4 of their original resolution into iMovie 08 took 1h, for about 3.3 GB of raw material I collected this morning. Followed by about 90' of editing. Exporting the quickly cut together 2'48" selection of passages at 960x540 only required 6'. Uploading to & processing by YouTube demanded another 39' of patience for this 82.5 MB teaser.

[ 19.12.2018 ] new 1080p video uploaded to Youtube

Room of Tears

Upon arrival at Aktun Ha, a.k.a. Carwash, we're greeted in watchful silence by a small (<1m) but apparently well fed lagarto, enjoying a warmup sunbath by the cenote's edge.


After taking our time to gear up, Richi and I step straight into the cenote's refreshing 24°C water, perform a mutual equipment check, slowly descent to about 4m for some safety drills, then head for the cavern's entrance, where RIchi starts laying a continuous line towards the cave's permanent main line. About 20' later we pass Luke's Hope, another small cenote, now completely cleared from overhanging vegetation, thus letting in a lot more daylight than before. Then off we jump into a small hole and through a narrow tunnel in order to reach the Room of Tears, still as wonderful as ever. Having almost used 1/3 of my nitrox mix, I give the turn around signal after 37'.


Back in the cenote's entrance pool I tried to find the small alligator but couldn't see it. Maybe later? The good news is that my modified DiveBox remained dry this time, after having replaced the first flat lens prototype with the second one I got. So there's still hope indeed.

Solo check dive in Aktun Ha

Went to Xibalba this morning to set up my gear. To my dismay my backup second stage, a Scubapro S550, is not functioning, despite having been serviced recently by Gerda's Dive Shop. Had to swap it with my R190, brought for stage diving. So much so for german Gründlichkeit. As you can imagine, I'm quite disappointed :o/

After lunch a taxi drove me to Aktun Ha, where to my surprise I got greeted by Miguel surfacing from a photo dive as I was about to splash in. Miguel was my cave guide four years ago. Small world indeed :o)

Friendly surface chat over, I took my time slowly diving around the shallow open water area, still clear of algae, just getting used to being underwater again with plenty of gear all over, before lining my way into the cavern zone to check my lights and also drop a little deeper to pressure check my two DiveBoxes. The original remained dry down to 18m, but the modified housing alas leaked, from the looks of it, through the hand-glued prototype lens :o(

At 4pm my driver picked me up again and brought me back to the dive center for 180 Pesos return, i.e. only 100 more than for mexicans.

DIY lens replacement

Replacing my secondary DiveBox's standard dome lens with a flat lens prototype took 25', carefully following the german manufacturer's step-by-step instructions. Now I just need to test my modified box's waterproofness, before trying it out with a camera inside.


Using a DiveBox with flat lens should allow me to shoot in Full HD (i.e. with a FOV of 127°) both above and below water, without needing to manually re-focus my CamOne infinity for each medium, as would be required with the original dome lens.

Note that this flat lens solution causes heavy vignetting in all photo modes (3|5|8MP) and in 170° videos (480p & 720p), at least in air!

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UPDATE: My modified DiveBox failed its first test, from the looks of it the prototype lens leaked :o( The original remained dry down to 18m.

UPDATE: Yesterday I replaced the first flat lens prototype with the second one I got in about 15'. And today I'm happy to write that this one passed its first 70' submersion down to 18m.

Last day delivery

Twelve days ago I unexpectedly received two flat lens prototypes for trial, upon which I immediately ordered a second DiveBox (30€) for my CamOne infinity directly from ACME, these not being readily available yet in online shops. Today, less than 24h before departure, DPD delivered the box at last, together with a spare battery (25€).

Flat lens prototypes

In my mailbox this morning: an envelope sent by a friendly company with two flat lens prototypes for my CamOne's DiveBox.


To be assembled, tested & used at my own risk. Returnable after review if not wanted. Feedback appreciated. [ to be continued ]