Thank you for purchasing the GDome Mobile Pro Edition
Please ensure you go through the following instructions from start to finish.
Warning! ⚠️
It is the users responsibility to ensure the GDome Mobile Pro Edition is properly sealed and waterproof before use in or around water.
The GDome Mobile Pro Edition is waterproof to 5m / 15 feet do not exceed this depth.
Do not use the incorrect sized bolts and do not over tighten any bolts. Do not torque ANY bolts to more than 10 in-lb.
TheGDome Mobile Pro Edition suction lens protector has been designed for your dome, do not allow sand, salt or any other debris to get inside this as it will scratch your lens.
Please rinse your GDome Mobile Pro Edition with fresh water immediately after every use.
If you do manage to scratch the lens, it is not a big problem as they polish out extremely well.
Take a look at our YouTube channel with videos showing how to polish your lens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEvTGpF2QHU
The rear screen is made with an extremely flexible rubber material, this material has little to no memory meaning that it will stretch and come back to it's original position.
While it may seem extremely thin, it is extremely strong with remarkable stretch ability without tearing.
Do not use the wrong length screws when changing domes or using the flat lens element or extension port!
Please take extreme care with sharp objects or anything that could puncture or damage the screen membrane.
We have been using and selling the GDome Mobile in some seriously rough and tough environments for close to 3 years now and do believe that there should be no way for the membrane to break during normal use.
Important note a damaged membrane will result in the dome not sealing so please treat it with care and inspect the screen before use.
Spare screens are available from our online store if you ever need a replacement.
https://getgdome.com/collections/spares/products/replacement-spare-gdome-mobile-pro-screen-membrane
Unboxing the GDome Mobile Pro Edition
Awesome, this means you have got your GDome Mobile Pro Edition!
Open up the box and remove the unit
Take the unit out of the box place it on your lap or on a table (ALWAYS KEEP THE SUCTION COVER ON). Place the GDome with the lens facing up on a micro fibre cloth.
Go through the rest of the contents in the box to familiarise yourself with what exactly is included.
Next up is a basic pressure test.
Open the back of the GDome, remove the blank foam insert.
Check to ensure the membrane is clear from any obstructions and always try to keep the outer sealing ring and opposing wall lubricated with silicone spray, Vaseline or O-ring lubrication (AND ALWAYS FREE OF DEBRIS AND OBSTRUCTIONS).
Close the backdoor with a little bit of speed (this will cause a slight convex shape to form on the screen. There should be no substantial force required, the top lid (with the screen and seal) should slide into the backplate. All holes should line up perfectly and you can hold the backplate down in order ensure that the unit remains closed and sealed.
You can now start putting the thumb screws in place and begin to tighten them up (finger tight) there should be no large gaps between the cover and backplate. AGAIN you do not need to over tighten this (do not torque ANY bolts to more than 10 in-lb) you just need to ensure that the seal is completely compressed all the way around the unit. You can tighten the screws in any order.
Once all the screws are tightened and you can no longer see any gap between the back plate and the housing and you have a slight convex shape on the membrane, you know that you are all closed up.
Now take the palm of your hand and push down onto the membrane. The unit should not suck any air in, it should hold its shape and once you remove your hand it should return to the exact same state as before you pressed down on it. The membrane should still have a convex shape.
If in the extremely unlikely situation that you see the convex shape change at all when you push it down. You need to check that all screws have been tightened correctly (do not torque ANY bolts to more than 10 in-lb) if they have been centred correctly to start. If you have any questions about this, send us a message on our live chat on our website www.getgdome.com or drop us a mail at sales@getgdome.com
Alright so the first test has been passed and you are ready to get your GDome Mobile Pro Edition wet!
Grab your foam insert.
Open up the dome, remembering to keep the dome on a cloth or towel if you want to put it down.
Put the foam insert into the dome housing.
Take a pen and mark the center of your phones or action cameras lens to the center of the precut circle hole in the foam (this is the centre of the lens window).
You can now take the foam insert out of the housing.
Push the pen through this mark and double check you have got the center.
Place your phone or action camera on the foam and stencil the outline, make sure to mark the side buttons so that you can add in extra space so that you finger can get to the side buttons if need be. The foam is there to hold the phone or action camera in place. If you would like you can also cut a space out for a Bluetooth remote (not needed) you can.
Grab a very sharp blade or craft knife and start lightly cutting out the outline (RATHER CUT IT TOO SMALL THAN TOO BIG - There is no going back from too big), this is called scoring, don’t try to cut to the bottom in one go, take your time and make it neat. Once correctly cut out you will be able to place your phone in and it should hold your phone in place without activating and buttons.
For your phone: We suggest cutting out a small area that will allow you to get to the screen lock button, this makes it easy to reach in and activate the screen lock or to unloock the screen when you want to start using your phone.
Don’t throw any of these cut-outs away, they are still useful to make lens covers ect.
You will notice that we include some double sided velcro tape. You can stick this to the back of your phone and onto the housing if you are going to be using the device in conditions that the foam will not be strong enough to completely hold the phone in place.
Open the back of the GDome up, insert the foam into the housing with the cut-outs (they will act like your phone), it’s time for your first water test!
Check to ensure the membrane is clear from any obstructions and always try to keep the sealing area lubricated with a touch of silicone spray or vaseline or O-ring lubrication (it must not be wet or dripping, the smallest amount just to reduce friction will do the job and yes it will seal and work without it, but using it will extend the life of your seal).
You can now close up the housing like mentioned before.
For the first use (DO NOT USE YOUR PHONE) try to take the unit to the maximum depth you plan on using it to (up to 5m) for as long as possible. The dome should take in absolutely no water!
You are now ready to put your phone or action camera in to the housing!
Make sure the GDome is perfectly dry and open it up taking care to not get moisture in the housing (this will result in the dome fogging up). You can now place your phone or action camera in and get shooting!
SOME PRO TIPS BEFORE YOU GET GOING!
On your phone find “Guided Access” in settings, we use this to lock the phone in a certain apps. We find this extremely useful. One this is activated you will triple -click the side button in the app you want to use. Make sure you keep the volume button activated as it is what fires the shutter with the Bluetooth remote. We like this as we can lock in all the setting we want to use when in the water.
The latest Android phones (specifically, handsets running on Android 5.0 "Lollipop" or better) make it easy to lock—or as Google puts it, "pin"—an app onto the screen, disabling the Home, Back and multitasking controls until you tap the right combination of buttons.
Please remember to turn off all functionality other than the volume button (this must be turned on!) You can play around with using different camera apps our two favourites are Moment & Lightroom available for IOS and Android.
Using applications to maximise the use of your phone
We have written a comprehensive blog post detailing the features of this amazing application HERE
The moment app is another great App for your smartphone
With Moment you get the following:
The filmmaker features we need, not the ones we don’t. We rely on manual controls, color profiles, crisp audio and settings you can change quickly. And with Anamorphic support this is the cleanest way to shoot video on your phone.
COLOR PROFILES
- Select from default, flat, or log color profiles.
WAVEFORM MONITOR
- Evaluate brightness and exposure across your video.
RGB HISTOGRAM
- Dial in your video color, balance, and exposure.
MULTIPLE BITRATES
- Get precise control over your video quality.
TIMELAPSE
- Manual controls for shooting 4K time-lapses.
We have also played with the Watershot and DiveHelper app - feel free to give these a try.
FEEL FREE TO USE A BLUETOOTH REMOTE IN YOUR HOUSING!
There are many options available online for you to choose.
HOW TO PREVENT REFLECTION
There are several shooting tips you should keep in mind to help you get that perfect eye-catching split shot!
Avoid shooting into the sun. We love capturing light rays, but any dome housing is prone to reflections.
The GDome has a matte finish on the front to prevent reflections, but occasionally I'll see the reflection of the camera lens(s) in the center of your shots with certain angles and light conditions. Always try to shoot with the sun directly behind or above.
When shooting directly into the sun, we suggest using your subject to block out the light source.
You can also make a custom matt sticker or use a water based matte paint that will prevent reflection from your cameras reflective surfaces.
If you have a white phone with a glass back, we highly suggest getting a black silicone cover that blocks out the high gloss white of the phone and lens area.
These two are great options as you can see they completely remove the white back of the phone and lens area. We do suggest trying to cover the silver reflective circle around the lens in order to maximise the reduction of any reflective parts on the phone.
With the GDome Mobile Pro Edition, some clients have drastically offset their camera lens away from the centre point of the dome, this can actually drastically reduce reflection when shooting in non ideal light conditions.
IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE:
Do not allow any gap between the phone / action camera and the foam - this is a sure way to get reflection in your footage. Other than these tips, you will need to play with angles if you want to shoot directly into the sun or in poor lighting conditions.
PHONE OVER HEATING
In some tropical destinations your phone can overheat in the sealed off housing, we suggest keeping the GDome out of direct sunlight (wrapped in a towl) until you are ready to put it in the water, if yoou are struggling with over heating, we suggest that you close all apps and turn your phone onto flight mode.
AVOIDING FOGGING
There is nothing worse than your dome fogging up and ruining all of your content! Fogging occurs if you get moisture inside the housing and/or due to large differences in temperatures (warm air/cold water). If you are somewhere in the tropics or anywhere where you suspect that the fogging might occur it is best to assemble the dome somewhere dry (inside the car, in your hotel room). If there is air conditioning available turn it on and pump it directly into the housing before closing it up as the AC will take most of the moisture out of the air.
There are always times that you might be unable to do this. In this case you we suggest using "Anti-Fog" inserts. They are designed to suck the moisture out of the housing. To use Anti-Fog inserts, you can place them into the housing, just make sure that the inserts will not be visible in the photo. Remember that you will be able to reuse most inserts by baking the moisture out of them in a oven. Some cheaper alternatives to these inserts are chamois leather pieces, silica gel bags and even tissue paper
BEST SHOOTING MODES
Some essential shooting modes for the GDome Mobile Pro Edition are Slow-Mo, Burst Mode and Portrait Mode, make sure you are using your wide angle lens to capture the perfect split shots over and under the water.
If you are struggling with focus we suggest using a mobile capera app like Moment that will allow you to focus both over and under the water at the same time.
It is all about playing around with your GDome Mobile Pro Edition, learning what works, what doesn’t for the shots and video you are trying to achieve.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
You will notice that we have added internal grooves to the grip area, you will also see that we added ribs in the backplate. In case of an emergency, if you spot any moisture in the dome, you can turn the unit dome facing downwards with the grip low. The ribs have been designed to keep the phone away from the surface of the backplate and to allow water to run and get trapped in the internal grip grooves.
If you have any questions please send us a mail sales@getgdome.com
