Establishing and Overseeing Your Submerged Photography Equipment: A Comprehensive Guide
Setting up your brand spankin' new underwater photography rig can be a right bloody pain in the arse, bouy. With all the new gadgets and gizmos, it's easy to get overwhelmed. We've got your guide to maintenance and setup for underwater camera systems, posh, with helpful tips to keep your kit in tip-top shape.
First things first, let's talk maintenance boss. It's not the most exhilarating bit of diving life, but it's bloody important—especially since your housing's main job is to keep water away from your camera, and you don't want a flooded camera, do ya?
Get things moving quickly with our top-notch maintenance kit.
Here are our top tips for maintaining your underwater housings:
- Rinse and Soak: After every dive, give your housing a good rinse in fresh water, and if you can, find a freshwater hose to clean the dome port. At the end of the day, remove your camera from the housing (worst case scenario: camera flood) and let it soak for at least thirty minutes. Soaking is the best way to get salt out of those nooks and crannies. Be sure to waggle the buttons with your fingers while soaking to remove any sand or grot from these areas.
- Cover those dome ports: Between dives, always keep your dome ports covered to keep your housing cool and protect your camera from melting if the glass glares like a lens in the sun. But, if you've got a glass port, remember never to put a neoprene cover on a wet glass surface. That can damage the port and cause permanent burn marks. Wash the dome with fresh water and dry it before covering it.
- Lubricate your O-rings: Give those O-rings some TLC and apply a pea-size dollop of appropriate grease at least once a day whilst on a longer trip; however, a quick smear before every dive is always smart.
- Instructions for lubricating O-rings: a. Remove the O-ring by using an O-ring pick and pushing it out. b. Clean the O-ring groove using a microfiber cloth, clean room swab, or make-up remover eraser. c. Clean and dry any excess grease, dirt, or sand from the O-ring. d. Run the O-ring through your fingers to remove any remaining grease, dirt, or sand. e. Apply a small amount of O-ring grease to the O-ring and run it through your fingers until it looks wet—not greasy. f. Reapply the O-ring to the O-ring groove. Try not to stretch the O-ring, and run your fingers along the groove from both sides until they meet to place the O-ring. g. If your O-ring appears stretched, nicked, or brittle, it's time for a new one. Replace your O-rings every 1-2 years.
- Sources for O-ring Grease: a. Ikelite O-ring grease b. Sea & Sea O-ring grease c. Nauticam O-ring grease d. Aquatica O-ring grease e. Marelux O-ring grease
- Store with O-rings Removed: If you've got no diving plans for a few weeks or months, take your O-rings out, put them in a zip-lock bag, and increase their lifespan. They'll thank you.
- Service Every Two Years: If you're using your housing regularly, we recommend servicing it every two years or so. The manufacturer will replace the O-rings in hard-to-reach areas of the housing and fine-tune your controls.
Putting your underwater camera system together can feel like a jigsaw puzzle mixed with an IQ test. Don't worry, though, we're here to help. Let's move on to setting up your underwater housing:
With all underwater camera systems being different, we'll cover the basics. For more specific details, do stay tuned for videos from the Underwater Photography Guide and Bluewater Photos. If you're using a Nauticam setup, grab a cuppa tea and check out the video above.
Step 1: Unlock and Open Your Housing: Unlatch the back panel of your housing, lift it off, and remove any trays. If you're using a compact camera, you'll only need to open the housing door.
Step 2: Attach the Camera Tray: Slide the camera tray out of the housing and screw it into your camera's 1/4-20 screw mount. Ensure that it's tight and lines up correctly with the camera, with no gap between the camera and camera tray.
Step 3: Place Your Camera: If you've got a compact camera, place it in the housing and close the latch. If you've got a larger camera, insert it into the housing after removing any controls on rods that may hinder the insertion process.
Step 4: Put Your Port Together: The port is the interface between your lens and the water—the window to the underwater world. Connect your extensions to the port, then attach the port to your housing. The process varies by brand, so consult your manual or watch our upcoming setup videos.
Step 5: Attach Your Focus/Zoom Gear: For lenses that zoom or have a manual focus ring, attach a focus or zoom gear. The process depends on your individual lens, so consult your manual.
Step 6: Attach Your Port to Your Housing: Depending on the brand, you may push the port down into the housing, lock it, or screw it into place. Consult your manual for details.
Step 7: Connect Your Sync Cord, Flash Trigger, or Lift Your Flash: If your camera has a built-in flash, lift it up so that the flash travels through the fiber optic port when you take a photo. If you've got a flash trigger or hot shoe for a sync cord, connect it to the appropriate port on the housing or your flash. Remember to turn on the flash trigger before closing the housing, or you won't be able to use it!
Step 8: Attach Your Vacuum Valve (if applicable): If your housing uses a vacuum system for a leak test, attach the vacuum valve to the housing, if applicable. Consult your manual for this process, as it can vary.
Step 9: Close the Housing and Vacuum: After turning on your vacuum system (if applicable), close the housing by latching the back of the housing. Lock the vacuum if necessary and pump the housing to the manufacturer's specified level.
Step 10: Attach Your Strobes or Video Lights: Once your camera is ready, it's time to add artificial lights (strobes or video lights) to enhance your underwater photos and videos. Attach your strobe arms to the housing handles with clamps, then attach the strobes to the arms. Next, connect your fiber optic cable or sync cord from the fiber optic port or sync cord bulkhead to the appropriate port or optical port on your strobe. Video lights usually don't require fiber optic cables unless you're using the burst mode.
Bonus Step: Take a Test Shot: Before diving, it's crucial to take a test shot to ensure everything's functioning correctly, including your strobes. Trust us—you'll be glad you did.
- Maintaining your underwater housings is crucial for their longevity, and our top tip is to rinse and soak them after every dive in fresh water, allowing them to soak for at least thirty minutes to remove any salt.
- Between dives, remember to keep your dome ports covered to protect your camera from melting in the sun, but avoid putting a neoprene cover on a wet glass surface to prevent damage.
- Regularly lubricate your O-rings with appropriate grease at least once a day during a longer trip, or before every dive, by carefully following our instruction guide for lubricating O-rings.
- For long periods without diving, store your camera system with O-rings removed to increase their lifespan.
- Service your underwater housing every two years, or as needed, by allowing the manufacturer to replace the O-rings in hard-to-reach areas and fine-tune your controls.
- Setting up your underwater housing can feel like a puzzle, but following our steps (1-10) will help you get started. For more specific details, check out videos from the Underwater Photography Guide and Bluewater Photos.
- To enhance your underwater photos and videos, attach artificial lights (strobes or video lights) to your housing, connecting them to your camera or strobe arms with fiber optic cables or sync cords, and take a test shot before diving to ensure everything is functioning correctly.
