>> Ask Steve <<

1. Dear Stephen - When I got to Indonesia I couldn't open the latch on my SEACAM D1X housing, and the black little registration pins inside the housing were broken. I'll send you the housing when I get home. Help! Jamie.

Dear Jamie - Received your housing, but as I suspected, the problems were very insignificant. No reason to lose a photo opportunity over something like this.

1. Latches
The handles got bent. This is a common problem and you can either remove handles when shipping on airplanes (preferred solution), or bend them out of the way if they happen to get bent. I use the flat handle of a big crescent wrench wrapped in a towel so as not to scratch the housing. Then I simply use the leverage of the wrench to bend the handle back far enough so the latch swings freely. The problem is that the weight of the housing slams against the handle when the case is dropped hard on its end by an airline. So, be prepared to take preventative measures when shipping, or know how to fix on location.

2. Shear pins
The delrin pins are meant to break off. It relieves the pressure by eliminating something that can easily be replaced instead of something more serious. Actually, I consider this a very clever solution. SEACAM could have used metal registration posts and this would not happen, but I've seen housings fall off a high camera table, with absolutely no problem other than a broken shear pin. By design. You should always have spare shear pins with you when traveling.

To remove broken shear pin, use a small screw, tap it into the broken off piece remaining in the housing, screw into broken pin (slightly), and then use pliers to pull out the broken piece. Then install the replacement shear pin in the housing. NEVER glue shear pin into place. It is intended as friction fit.

We will fix both for you, but you need to know how to do this on location. As rough as the airlines now handle our gear, you must be prepared.

2. With the advent of digital cameras being housed, new questions have arisen. The digital camera gives one the opportunity to make multiple custom settings. Have you discovered what custom settings that feel would work best for the housed digital SLR? Mark

Dear Mark - Every digital camera will be a bit different, but yes, the custom settings are very important to optimize the ergonomic ease of the camera within a housing. The Canon EOS1Ds will have menu settings than the Nikon D1X or Fuji S2 for example, but in general terms, here are some changes from the factory default settings that work for me with my specific camera (D1X):

Custom Setting #:
1. Image Review
Set to 1-2 so that the images are displayed in the monitor as they are being recorded to the memory card. Very important as this is one of the primary advantages to using a digital camera ... immediacy of review.

6. Focus Area Select
Either 6-0 (factory default) or 6-1 will work with the housing, but I like the wrap-around effect of 6-1 as it allows my to work more quickly in either a vertical or horizontal axis.

Note that the zone of AF select is a problem with some housings (not SEACAM) as either O-ring compression or the back flexing at depth makes buttons that work topside disabled at depth. Shooters with those other brand housings should be prepared to lock this function topside, thereby losing the ability to choose AF zone. The best choice is to lock it in the center zone and use single servo auto-focus to lock in focus and then shift for optimal composition. Or use the AF lock control on the housing to the same end.

12. Assign Command Dial
The factory default (12-0) gives shutter speed control on the command dial and aperture via subcommand. I like 12-1, command dial controls aperture and subcommand controls shutter speed. Why? Aperture will change far more often and more critically that shutter speed underwater, and the command dial is easier to access with your finger on the shutter release lever.

Note that this refers to "D" series lenses only, which I highly recommend for ease of use with this housing. If you are using older style Nikon lenses you will have to use an aperture gear and set custom function 22 at #1. But you won't be able to see the actual F-stop setting through the camera LED and will be reduced to counting the F-stop clicks to know where you are. I had an old style 18mm lens that I used in my SEACAM N90S housing, but it was a constant hassle. I upgraded to an 18mm "D" lens and gained auto-focus plus the ability to use all the F5/F100/D1 camera functions.

18. Monitor Off Delay
I find twenty seconds (18-1 default) sufficient for review and don't want to have the greater battery consumption that goes along with a longer display. Note that the batteries in a D100 are so much better than they are in a D1X, you may have the luxury of choosing a longer monitor delay time. Such as 18-2, giving a full minute for review and/or delete. Plus the monitor can be manually turned off by pressing the shutter release part way, or hitting the monitor button again. So, this is indeed a viable option for some shooting styles.

22. Aperture Setting
I like 22-0 (default), aperture adjusted using subcommand dial so we don't have to use manual aperture rings. This is a huge advantage with the F5/F100 and D1/D100 series cameras.

27. Display Mode
Working quickly underwater I don't think we will have time to study histograms or image highlights, so the default setting of 27-0 makes sense to me. Other shooters I know do like the histogram option, particularly to avoid blowing out the highlights, so consider this personal choice.

28. NEF (RAW) Image Save
This control can be accessed via the function/subcommand dial, but I doubt whether anyone will need to change this often underwater. Decide what your preset should be according to personal preference.

35. Rear Control Panel Display
Again personal preference, but you may find the ability to review frame count on the rear control panel (option of 35-1) more significant than the factory default of 35-0 showing ISO equivalent (sensitivity).

White Balance - The choice of white balance setting is personal of course, and if you are shooting RAW it almost doesn't matter because you can change it later in either Nikon Capture or Adobe Camera Raw software. But I choose the "cloudy" setting for my underwater use. It slightly warms the color balance, offsetting the cyan bias of tropical waters and is far more consistent than using the "automatic" setting which will change color temperature setting as a function of depth. Remember, much of your underwater work is influenced by a strobe with a constant color temperature of about 5200 degrees Kelvin. Having the background influence the overall color temperature setting can be a problem. Setting it on "cloudy" or some other custom preset eliminates that particular variable.

3. What spare parts should I carry for my SEACAM housing? Liz

Dear Liz - Aside from your personal tool kit (which should include at the very least a metric Allen wrench set, jeweler's screwdrivers, pliers, O-ring picks, small crescent wrench, flashlight, extra O-ring grease, small vise grips, and pocket knife), SEACAM shooters should carry:

* Delrin shear pins
* extra mounting screws for D1X housings (or any future housings that have screws rather than mounting knobs as in F100)
* extra springs for shutter release, monitor/delete switch, and mode functions
* spare O-ring kit

Note also it is best to use the SEACAM grease as it is more "sticky" than other brand O-ring grease. This viscosity difference is intentional, and it will help the O-ring lay in the groove more reliably.

4. Why won't my strobe fire with my digital housing? David

Dear David - I have covered this in my D1X Field Journal, http://www.stephenfrink.com/seacam/D1Xjournal.shtml, but as a quick review:

The submersible strobes you have been using with your Nikonos or other housed cameras will not fire in TTL with the D1X. In fact, they may not work at all.

I've tried an Ikelite 200 and standard TTL cord for example, and with it attached the D1X won't even fire. It will work with a manual synch cord, however. Other strobes may not work either, but you'll need to do your own testing. For example, an SB105 does fire, but not in TTL. Since the old manual synch cords are no longer in production at with most manufacturers since the world has gone TTL in the latest film era. But Ikelite for one has now created a special synch cord to address this D1X issue. See http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/sync_cord_d1x.html

But if you are in the field and don't have the right cord, a simple piece of electrician's tape over the contact as in the diagram to the right will do the trick.

5. Hi Steve:
Last Summer I was on a boat with a person who mentioned that he had gotten an insurance which for a few bucks would cover any accident on the camera, including flooding! I'm soon to go on a diving trip and I'd like to have this type of insurance with me.
Do you know off hand, where to find this type of insurance? Thank you in advance!
Salvador Cortes

Salvador - I use DAN insurance for my cameras. https://www.h2oinsurance.com/. I haven't had to use it, but when a whole case full of gear went missing for a day on my last trip, it was a great comfort to know I was insured.

The other insurer for camera gear is DEPP. http://www.equipmentprotection.com/programs/depp.html

I think either one is reliable, and would help you sleep better knowing you are covered.

6. Steve -
What lens and port do you suggest for macro work? I have the SEACAM EOS1DS housing - remember that I have the dome port for the 16-35mm f 2.8 lens - would appreciate staying with that dome if at all possible - decreases packing problems for transport. Looking at the Canon Telephoto MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Manual Focus Lens for EOS as well as the Canon Telephoto EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Autofocus Lens.
Please advise - thank you.
Thomas

Thomas - Be advised that to shoot the Canon 100 and 65mm macro lenses, you'll need flat ports. The issue is the virtual image with the 100, see http://www.stephenfrink.com/sf-tips/overunder for more details, but the short story is that unless a lens can focus close enough to focus on the virtual image behind a dome, it can't focus at all. You'd need to be able to focus on a subject about a foot away given the dome diameter.Even with a lens that gives 1:1 magnification, unless the focus point happens inside the virtual image distance, focus is impossible underwater. It will work topside, but once you slip beneath the sea, the formula changes. The 100mm macro USM closest focus is a little over a foot and angle of view is 24 degrees - 1x magnification (note 105 Nikon lens has 23 degree angle of view to compare, closest focus 1 foot).

The angle for the 65mm is 18 degrees, but focus is VERY close to the front of the lens. No doubt it is inside the port unless the lens is essentially touching the port glass, which it will not do with your existing dome.

That leaves only the 50mm f-2.5 compact macro to consider. It will work with either a dome port (thereby restoring the topside angle of view for the lens) or behind a flat port. Unlike the 60mm Micro-Nikkor which offers 1:1 reproduction, this lens is only 1:2.5 reproduction ratio. You may wish to add a MacroMate from Backscatter (external wet close-up lens, see MacroMate) to get greater magnification.

7. Dear Steve - I've been researching all I can find about SEACAM housings, but I still don't have a clear idea of the view finders choices (S180 Vs S45 Vs Pro). With the Swivel-45 it seems like a 45-degree gooseneck that can rotate 360 degrees at the attachment point, but the Sport 180 looks like s straight in view, no matter how the viewfinder swivels. Is this right?

Also, I have better vision (20/20) than budget. Do I really need the S180 or S45, or can I get by with the Pro viewfinder?

Thomas

Hi Thomas – As you note, there are three viewfinders available for the SEACAM Silver housings, although the Nikon F5 also offers the option of using the DA-30 Action Finder. They are:

The Pro viewfinder, the S45 (for swivel 45-agree) and the new, S180 (for Sport-180). See this direct link for illustrations of the viewfinders: http://www.stephenfrink.com/seacam/EOS1Dsjournal.shtml#swivel45

Both the S45 and S180 offer magnified 1:1 viewing and +/- 3 diopter correction for customizing to the shooter’s personal vision. The S180 views straight into the camera's viewfinder, effectively functioning much like a DA-30 action finder on an F5. I like the pro viewfinder for quickly moving subjects like sharks and dolphins. For those with 20/20 vision, like you, maybe this is good enough.

However, the elegant magnified viewfinders are a significant innovation with SEACAM housings, and many buy the systems specifically for this advantage. The S45 is my choice for over/unders since it allows me to shoot without actually putting my head underwater or wearing a dive mask. However, it was actually designed for macro shooters who wanted to work close to the bottom without craning their necks all the time. Some very skilled shooters prefer the S45 as their primary viewfinder, while I use it more as a specialty tool. Clearly it is a personal preference, but in either case, the bright, enlarged view is an incredible advantage over any other housing viewing system.

All viewfinders are equipped with double O rings and are held in place by a delrin split-ring. No tools are required for installation. Simply slip the retaining ring off from inside the housing and push out to remove. The S45 and S180 viewfinders come with a small spring loaded bearing that fits in an indent on the housing. This in turn engages one of four indents on the viewfinder to give confirmation of the 90/180/270/360-degree position. This is for convenience only and is not a necessary part of the viewfinder. (Actually I misplaced the spring on my N90S housing and used it for several years without bothering to replace it.) The spring is for the S45/S180 is not to be used with the pro viewfinder.

You should fine-tune the S45 or S180 for your personal vision. To do so, mount the S45 or S180 on the housing and pick a lens that will demonstrate fine focus (like a 60 or 105mm macro lens). You could use a wide angle, but small deviance in precise focus may not show up as easily. Focus the lens (manually or AF) on a stationary subject like a soda can. Obviously the housing has to be stationary as well. Now remove the black knurled end-cap on the viewfinder by turning counterclockwise. You'll see this is a threaded delrin piece with an O ring seal. Inside you'll see the viewfinder optic, which you can adjust by gripping the black aluminum bezel around the glass and turning right or left. If you run it all the way through the range you'll achieve a +3 to -3 diopter correction. Make sure it is exactly focused for you, but remember to hold your eye far enough away from the glass to simulate wearing a facemask. Screw the end-cap back on and you're ready to shoot. By the way, you'll notice that the glass viewfinder wobbles inside once the end-cap is off. This is normal. When you put the end-cap back in place it will be held firmly in position.

Note on S45 for over/unders - The S45 is terrific for over/unders because it allows you to keep your head above the water and you won't even need a facemask. I've used this while laying on my belly on the swim platform to shoot white sharks in South Africa, while kneeling on the shallow sand for photographing stingrays at Grand Cayman's Sandbar, and for shooting fashion over/unders for the Victoria's Secret swimwear catalog. It is a very productive weapon in your creative arsenal, especially when used in conjunction with the 9" Superdome.

As an aside, the Superdome spreads any surface chop over a wider area, thereby making over/unders possible in rougher seas than is possible with a 6" or 8" dome from other manufacturers. Also, water sheets off glass quicker than Plexiglas, so those annoying water droplets on the topside portion of the frame are less likely to appear.

Note on S45 for fish photography - Warning ... The first few times you try the S45 for moving fish you probably won't like it. Your instincts of aiming will need to be relearned. You will have spent years shooting through a SLR with what is essentially a straight-on viewing system. The eyepiece might be a few millimeters above the lens, but you are essentially looking through the camera with your eye and your subject on the same plane. With the S45 you need to bend your head forward slightly and look into the viewfinder. If you keep your head upright and bring the viewfinder to your eye, you'll probably instinctively aim above your subject. In my experience it will take three or four dives for this to feel right. With greater familiarity the S45 will become instinctive as well, and you'll come to appreciate the magnified field of view and precise focus.

Preferences:

S45 - In my opinion, the S45 is perfect for macro, fish photography, wide-angle reef scenics, and over/unders. I don’t like it for open water pelagic work, as it is not as instantly intuitive as the Pro or S180 viewfinders.

S180 – All-purpose viewfinder. Great field of vision, nicely magnified. If you loved your Action-Finder on your Nikon F3/F4/F5, you’ll love the S180.

Pro – The Pro viewfinder has the advantages of ergonomic streamlining and economy. For shooters with good vision or a corrected facemask, this may be all you need. Both the S45 and S180 will add weight and bulk to the SEACAM housing package. There is a lot of glass to make the magnified optics accurate, and no substantial air pocket inside to provide buoyancy. This might be a small concern when shooting in the open sea, or breath-hold diving with spotted dolphins or humpbacks for example. The S45 and S180 can also obscure a bit of the LCD screen with digital cameras where the LCD is directly adjacent to the viewfinder. So far the Nikon D100 is the only camera where I’ve seen that to be a problem, and in this case about the top 20% of the LCD screen is blocked.

Here are examples of the Pro and S180 viewfinders, mounted on a D100 to illustrate the view of the LCD:

The fact that viewfinders can easily be changed before the dive, on the boat, without any tools of any kind, is one of the beauties of the SEACAM system. Of course, alternative viewfinders can be added at any time as your personal imaging needs change.

8. Dear Mr. Frink,
My name is Kerry, and I was wondering if you could give me some suggestions for a camera setup. During the year I became very involved in shooting underwater video, and stills as well, but with my video camera, which only delivered 1.5 megapixel stills. I have now decided to take the next step and invest in a still digital camera and get moving on my career path. I really want to get involved in marine communications. I am leaning strongest toward the Nikon D100, and was wondering if you had any advice for me as I look toward purchasing a professional SLR digital camera. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope that this finds you well!
Take care,
Kerry

Kerry - The choice of the right digital SLR is dictated by many factors, including your personal budget, needs in terms of file size, camera ergonomics, TTL issues, and perhaps most importantly, housing availability. Fortunately there is a wonderful online reference for questions like this. Please visit www.wetpixel.com, especially the reviews and forums.

You'll note that there is a forum dedicated to digital SLRs, and many before have wondered which camera was best for them, and had good advise from knowledgeable shooters. See direct link at wetpixel.com for some answers to your question.

Starting from scratch I might be more inclined to go with a Fuji S2 over the D100 just for TTL compatibility, but again those are the kinds of topics that are discussed in this lively online forum.

9. Dear Steve - What's the point of the black fuzzy cloth-like material all around the inside of my housing. Is that just to keep light from bouncing?
Julie

Dear Julie - Allow me to tell you a SEACAM "hero" story. I was on a commercial shoot in the Turks and Caicos with my SEACAM Canon EOS1DMKII housing. There was a lot of time and money invested in me to get underwater product shots of dive gear. On a remote shipwreck, more than an hour from shore, I heard the unsettling sound of a "beep/beep/beep". Everyone checked their computers and miscellaneous gear to find out the source ... it didn't even occur to me it could be coming from my housing. But sure enough, I soon determined it was my housing's moisture alarm!

I swam back to the boat with the housing in an upright position to keep whatever water trapped on the bottom and away from the camera. Once I opened the back I saw there was water, about the equivalent of a mouthful. But that black flocked material you speak of absorbed the water and wicked it towards the moisture alarm (both audible and visual alarm by the way). Of course I then found a black hair lying across the green O-ring of the port extension.

Clearly user error. Even SEACAM housings are susceptible to carelessness on the part of the operator!

I used a scuba tank to blow dry the inside of the housing and was back working 10 minutes later. Contrast that with my Nikonos RS that suffered a pinched O-ring on the main door and took a total flood the next day. The SEACAM housing is so much more robust and forgiving than anything else on the market, and that black flocked material has saved my butt more than once.

There is nothing quick or easy about applying that material, which is why other housings probably don't do it. It is cut by hand for each housing and painstakingly glued into place. Yet, it is one more remarkable advantage to this housing. To answer your question, yes it does prevent light from bouncing around the inside of the housing, but the ability to trap moisture and pass it to the alarm sensor by osmosis is the benefit.

10. Hi, I remember reading in this forum a month or two ago that the 1DMKII works in the 1D/1Ds MK1 SEACAM housing, but without the use of the 3 buttons below the LCDs.

So, I was wondering if anyone knows if the 1DsMKII is the exact same body as the 1DMKII? ie: will a 1DsMKII fit in a SEACAM 1Ds MK1 housing and work properly except the 3 buttons below the LCDs?

Many thanks to anyone who can help with this information!
f10ab1b - Starfish - Question from wetpixel.com forum

Yes, the 1DsMKII is exactly the same body as the 1DMKII. I have both and they can be used interchangeably in my SEACAM 1DMKII housing.

Now, your next question requires a bit more explanation: "will a 1DsMKII (camera) fit in a SEACAM 1Ds housing and work properly except the 3 buttons below the LCDs?".

1. The new housing has a much improved lever to accommodate the * button when using CF 4-1 (see below). All things considered, the second generation MKII housing is preferable. Whether you have a 1Ds or a MKII/1DsMKII, if you don't already have a housing, buy the MKII housing.

It is part of the new machining and can not be retrofit to an old housing. If I had to trade-off the buttons at the bottom of the LCD (when using a 1Ds camera) and the * functionality, I'd opt for the * and use the MKII housing.

2. For those with a 1Ds camera wanting to use the new MKII housing, it can easily be fit to that camera at the factory. Primarily it is the two forked levers at the top of the camera that need to be bent according to which camera is inserted.

3. For those with a 1Ds housing wishing to use the new 1DsMKII camera (which I assume is the point of your inquiry), we can fine tune it at our studio by replacing the forked levers and doing fine adjustments on a few other controls (on/off, main wheel). As there are small differences between each camera, we prefer to have your housing and camera. However, we can tune to one of my MKII cameras and it will very likely work with yours as well.

So, the short answer is for MKII/1DsMKII, assume they are identical. 1Ds is not identical to MKII but close enough to make it work. The thing we don't want to do is change the camera platform so we are always certain to maintain the exact optical center , just as it came from the factory. This is very precise positioning and wide angle performance requires it be unaltered.

11. Dear Steve - It seems every camera manufacturer wants you to use their own very special O-ring grease. With the Nikonos RS I had to use Nikonos grease, my Sea and Sea strobes required the Sea and Sea grease with the BLUE cap, and then when I went to Ikelite strobes I had to use their grease. Now I bought a SEACAM housing and have yet another tube of grease to have to keep track of. Do I have to use SEACAM grease on my SEACAM O-rings? Help!
Jose

Dear Jose - I realize it seems a conspiracy designed to force you to buy OEM branded O-ring grease, but there is a method to the various madness. If you use a silcone-based grease on the orange Nikonos RS O-rings they can swell up and get pinched outside the groove when the camera door shuts. These specific O-rings are designed to be used with a petroleum-based grease like the standard Nikonos issue. Likewise, use the wrong grease on an Ikelite 200 and the O-ring will, over time, expand and no longer seat efficiently.

However, using the wrong kind of grease on the SEACAM O-ring will not necessarily cause issues like this. These are very robust O-rings, don't tend to absorb the grease, and consequently hold their shape for a long time. However, there is something very special about the SEACAM grease that justifies its use. It is sticky. This particular grease helps keep the O-ring in the groove.

This is not so much an issue on the ports, where it is a bore seal and all the O-ring grease has to do is facilitate lubrication of the O-ring as it slides into place. But the main O-ring on the housing has to stay securely in place until the housing back is latched down. While this might seem a small issue, using the relatively slippery Nikonos grease, for example, might allow the O-ring to pop out of the groove and extrude outside the housing. This can mean a calamitous flood that even a moisture alarm and black-flocked water absorbent material can't forestall.

Actually, this happened to me once long ago with my first N90S SEACAM housing. I used whatever O-ring grease happened to be on the camera table, and was in a hurry to get back in the water. Just by luck, I put the housing in the fresh water rinse on the way to the back of the boat and the screaming moisture alarm immediately got my attention! Sure enough, the O-ring was protruding from the bottom of the housing. That's where it will most likely pop out, and that's where you are least likely to notice it.

Fortunately no water got to the camera and I was able to blow out the inside of the housing with a scuba tank and quickly get back in the water to finish the shoot. But, it taught me several lessons:

1. Only use SEACAM grease on SEACAM O-rings.
2. Do a 360-degreee check of housing before getting in water to make sure all looks right.
3. SEACAMs are easier to pull back from user-error than my Nikonos' ever were.
4. Carry a spare set of O-rings, for if I crimp or dent the main O-ring by accidentally closing the housing with it outside the groove, I'd like the security of replacing with a new one.

All housings come with a spare set of O-rings and additional SEACAM grease by the way.

12. Hi Steve,
I have a SEACAM housing for my Nikon D2X. I'm working (for macro) with the normal flat port for the 60mm and with an extension for the 105mm Micro-Nikkor. (It's a standard port without any knob on the port).

I always worked only in autofocus. But with the diopters, "sometimes" manual focus is better. Of course, I know the M-S-C on the D2X. Is it possible with the "auto-manual shift gear" to switch during the dive from autofocus to manual focus? Is this only possible with SEACAM's manual-focus port or also with my normal flat port?

I'm only interested in switching underwater from autofocus to manual focus working with the 105mm Micro-Nikkor.
Randall

Dear Randall,
On the left side of your housing you have 2 knobs. Sometimes they function with zoom gears, sometimes as focus, and sometimes as AF/MF shift. It depends on the lens, and the various configurations are very clever.

On a 60mm and 105mm Micro Nikkor the silver button on the lens has to be depressed and then the lens shift control can go to either AF or MF. That actually trumps the M-S-C control. In other words, if the camera is in Single-servo (S) the choice of either AF or MF is determined by the position of the switch on the lens. If the camera is on manual (M), then the lens will not auto-focus, no matter how it is set on the lens.

Therefore, the right way to be able to choose AF or MF on a Micro-Nikkor and SEACAM is to:

1. Install a focus gear on the lens
2. Install an AF/MF shift gear on the lens
3. Leave the camera set in AF (I prefer S over C for use with macro)
4. Decide whether subject is right for AF or MF and use the knob on left side of housing to shift accordingly. Note that the shift gear is two parts, one to depress the silver knob on the lens, and an outer piece with a gear to engage a matching gear on the housing.

The manual-focusing port you refer to, the Systemport, is useful for a lens like the 70-180mm macro zoom where you need focus + zoom + AF/MF shift, and of course the housing can only accommodate two of the three functions without this specialized port and the extra control that comes from the knob on the port.

The 60mm lens focuses quickly, accurately, and works under most situations with just auto-focus. So, an AF/MF shift gear is more or less optional with that lens, but I think the 105mm requires it. We have never sold a SEACAM housing for use with a 105mm Micro-Nikkor without also selling a focus gear and an AF/MF shift gear ... it is that important.