Why use a dome port for underwater photography?
Domes are ideal for underwater and split-level (half over/under) photography, because they correct for aberrations that occur as light travels at different speeds above and below water. Outex ports, including domes, are made of optical glass.
Optical Dome Applications
In the optical field, the application of an optical dome lens is mainly divided into two categories, one is military manufacturing and the other is ordinary optical systems.
Military manufacturing mainly refers to the infrared dome, mainly ZnSe and sapphire materials.
An optical system, mainly used for imaging and detection measurement system. It is mainly used for deep-sea imaging in imaging. The glass material can withstand sufficient water pressure and does not deform due to the acrylic material. Furthermore, the light transmittance of glass, the bubbles and stripes of the material itself, and the smoothness and hardness of the surface of the material itself make more deep-sea exploration keen to choose the glass material dome. Also used for atmospheric detection, pyranometer. The two almost parallel surfaces prevent the light from being significantly refracted when passing through the component, thereby ensuring that energy is not lost and improving the accuracy of the measurement.
Optical domes are hemispheric windows which provide a protective boundary while allowing a clear field of view between two environments. They are typically made of two parallel surfaces. DG Optics manufactures optical domes in a wide variety of substrates, suitable for visible, IR, or UV light. Our domes are available in sizes from 10 mm to over 350 mm diameter, with custom sizes possible on request.
BK7 or fused silica is a good choice for an optical dome that will be used in situations where only visible light must be transmitted; for instance, on camera sensor or for meteorology applications. BK7 has good chemical durability, and provides excellent transmission for the 300nmto 2µm wavelength range.
For UV- range light transmission, UV-grade fused silica is available. Our fused silica domes can withstand high pressure and are ideal for underwater application. This optical glass provides over 85 percent transmission for wavelengths up to 185 nm.
1, Substrate: IR material (Fused Silica JGS3, Sapphire) , BK7, JGS1, Borosilicate
2, Dimension: 10mm-350mm
3, Thickness: 1mm-10mm
4, Surface Quality: 60/40, 40/20, 20/10
5, Surface fringe: 10(5)-3(0.5)
6, Coating: Antireflection (AR) Coating