Date: January 2004 - Location: Thailand

Introduction:

The Canon EOS1Ds camera is the current state-of-the-art in digital imaging, and so it makes sense that the world's finest digital SLR should be housed in the world's finest housing. This trip to Thailand is my first real immersion with this camera system, coming from 25 years of shooting with housed Nikon cameras. Allow me to share my insights and observations from this trip, in the hopes you may get up to speed quicker with your own EOS1Ds system.

Camera table, Ocean Rover , January 2004.
Seacam EOS1Ds in foreground, photo © Mark Strickland

First Look

The housing is finished in the same "Seacam Silver" as all of the new generation housings, from N90* onward. This is significant in that this particular surface is incredibly resilient. For those used to having their previous “brand-X” housings chip and corrode, the Seacam Silver finish will be a revelation.

Current line of Seacam Silver housings include:

Film

•  Nikon N90S

•  Canon EOS1N

•  Nikon F100

•  Nikon F5

•  Canon EOS1V

Digital

•  Nikon D1X/D1H

•  Nikon D100

•  Fuji S2

•  Canon EOS1D/1Ds

* Note that the original Seacam housing, from the “Minicam” versions through the N90s, used screw mount ports that are not interchangeable with the new housings. The viewfinder fitting is the same and is interchangeable with later version housings, but the port now utilizes a unique combination screw and bayonet fitting. The orifice is wider now also to accommodate the newer lenses with wider barrels like the Canon 16-35 and 17-40mm, or Nikon 17-35 and 14mm. With the ports and viewfinders functional on any of the new housings, as upgrades are necessary due to digital evolutions or personal preference, these crucial components of the Seacam system remain the same.

Once you open the housing, familiar touches are evident. The new housing has the same wonderful black flocked material coating the inside to reduce light reflection and trap errant drips of water. This material is cut and applied by hand in Austria and is incredibly time consuming as compared to simply painting the inside of the housing with a flat black paint. But if you've ever made a mistake and left a hair on an “O-ring and water seeped into your housing, you'll appreciate the logic of this material. Not only does it trap small amounts of water so it can't slosh around and damage the camera, but osmosis drags the water to the moisture alarm, giving a shrill audible signal, as well as a bright red LED visual cue.

Note - The EOS1Ds housing has about 3/4inch space between the bottom of the housing and the camera tray. This generous space keeps the camera off the bottom of housing, purposely to allow the flocking and alarm to do their job. But, should moisture alarm ever sound, get out of the water as fast as your personal safety will allow.

The moisture alarm is standard on this housing, as are dual 5-pin Nikonos, Ikelite, you may specify your preference at no additional charge. There is also a 6-pin synch ports available, but at a slight surcharge. There is no Manual/Continuous/Single Servo (MSC) switch on this housing because the control does not exist as such on the camera body. Unlike the Nikon D1X and Fuji S2 housings that use a ¼ x 20 stainless steel Allan screw to attach to the camera tray, the EOS1Ds uses the familiar knurled nut from the F100 series housing. This allows the user to easily slip the camera in and out of the housing without tools.

I. Setting up the camera:

Adjust the diopter control on the camera's prism to your own vision.
This is crucial when using the pro viewfinder, but also important when using an adjustable viewfinder like the Swivel 45 or S180. With these two magnified viewfinders you have +/- 3 diopter adjustment in the viewfinder, so regardless where the diopter is set on the camera; you could optimize it for your vision. But if the camera diopter is zeroed in for your own vision first, you can use the camera topside without adjustment, and reassure yourself the diopter settings won't have changed when you put your EOS1Ds back in the housing.

Because there is so much custom control for viewing correction of this S45 and S180 viewfinders, someone else's housing might not appear in focus to your eyes, just as you might find it difficult to read through someone else's glasses. When properly calibrated to your eyes, the groundglass will be visible corner to corner, the focus incredibly sharp, and the LED display easy to discern.

Set the personalized custom preferences on the EOS1Ds
Here is an area where personal taste is a determining factor. I'll just suggest the custom settings that I have found make the camera work a bit easier for my workflow and use in the Seacam housing. These are only general guidelines, and typically topside and underwater custom settings remain the same. I'll concentrate only on those settings that deviate from the factory default:

1. Set the lens to AF – Unless of course you have a focus gear and intend to shoot manual focus, always make sure your lens is set to AF. You will not be able to access that control underwater with the Canon system.

2. Set camera main switch off, set housing switch to “L” – Unlike other housings you might have used where multiple systems have to be in registration before you close the camera back, really only the lens gears and the main switch have to be synchronized with this housing. This is as close to “plug-and-play” as I have ever seen on any underwater housing. Odd considering the sophistication of the camera and the housing, it is extremely simple to set up and operate.

3. Insert fresh battery – The camera has to come out of the housing to change batteries, so you might as well start your dive with a fresh one. However, anyone who comes from the frustration of minimal battery life on a Nikon D1X will have tremendous appreciation for the number of frames a fully charged EOS1Ds battery will deliver. Like the Nikon D100, the battery technology on this camera is terrific.

4. Insert CF card – This can be accessed without taking the camera off the tray. I like using a 2 GB card for this camera just because the RAW files are big. Having more space per dive is more efficient than taking time to review and delete underwater. Of course the housing will allow review/delete operation, but still it is nice to have enough capacity so you don't have to.

Menu Options (personal):

•  Color temperature – 5500K

•  Parameters – Standard

•  Color Matrix – 4

•  RAW + JPEG – RAW only

•  Review – On (Very important for underwater use)

•  Review Time – 4 seconds

•  Noise reduction – on

5. Set white balance – If you capture in RAW, this almost doesn't matter because you can change to your preference in computer. But I like to use cloudy day.

6. ISO – I use ISO 100. There is an ISO 50 as a custom function, but I see no specific enhancement by using it, and modern strobes with multiple power settings should allow correct lighting even when working at near strobe-to-subject distances. ISO can be changed underwater with the same functionality as topside.

7. One shot AF for most subjects – There is a generous AF 45-point ellipse that will cover most set-ups.

8. AI servo for moving subjects – Good in theory, but I've not found this to be a compelling advantage in most imaging scenarios, other than perhaps active shark feeds. However, this is an area I intend to experiment further.

9 . Alternate AF options – See camera owner's manual. The housing allows all the controls possible via the camera.

10. Metering Mode – My personal preference is for Evaluative Metering.

11 . Exposure Control – This is a significant issue, and probably too broad for this context. But in simplistic terms, for most underwater imaging scenarios I leave the camera set in Manual and choose a shutter speed appropriate for the subject. Note - The ambient light meter is located along the right side of the viewfinder, with the center point indicating the proper average exposure, underexposure to the bottom and overexposure to the top of the scale.

•  Fish and Macro – Shutter speed range of 1/60 to 1/200 works fine for this as the level of ambient light in the background is typically not a big issue. Far more important is strobe-to-subject distance and the reflectance of the subject. But this is where the immediacy of review of the digital LCD is so important. If the strobe light is too bright, turn down the multiple power setting on the strobe or use a smaller aperture. Conversely, too dark, kick up the strobe power or open the F-stop. The rapid learning curve of digital capture is most powerful when shooting fish and macro. Shoot, see, correct.

•  Wide Angle – Here the shutter speed is a far more significant variable as it controls the exposure of the background element of the composition. Generally slower shutter speeds work better here, perhaps 1/60 th of a second in shallow water to maybe as slow as 1/30 th at depth. Note that the slow shutter speeds you used to be able to hand-hold with film may not work with digital. I generally feel that anything much slower than 1/30 th of a second will introduce some motion blur from the ambient lit portions of the composition. There is a certain challenge to blending the strobe light that illuminates the foreground with the available light of the background, but again the information communicated by the camera's LCD is empowering.

•  When does auto exposure work? - Rarely does automatic work properly in a programmed mode underwater. The camera doesn't know how fast the fish is swimming or how much strobe power you have dialed in for the foreground. Underwater, forget about the “P” setting. However, for over/unders or shallow water available light shots, shutter speed priority, Tv (abbreviation for “Time Value”), is very useful.

•  What about strobe TTL? – I think very soon independent amphibious strobe manufacturers will “crack the code” and offer Canon's E-TTL (abbreviations for “Evaluative-Through-the-Lens”) in their products, but for now the only way to get true TTL is to use Canon's speedlight 550EX in a Seacam Systemflash housing. While this is viable for fish and macro photography, I do not recommend it for wide angle. This issue is evolving as I write this Field Journal and should you have questions about current state of the art; feel free to write me at info@stephenfrink.com .

12.  Setting Exposure compensation – If your available light exposures are consistently light or dark, you may elect to dial in some corrective exposure compensation. There is a rocker switch at the top right front of the housing. Turn the switch one way and it illuminates the LCD panel on top of the camera. Turn it the other way and it engages the +/- exposure compensation button on the camera. Once the button is engaged, moving the Quick Control Dial effects the change.

Note – Be careful about placing too much faith in the exposure you see on your LCD screen. You can adjust your LCD brightness in the set-up menu, and try to make it match the image you see later on your computer screen. Hopefully that will be a calibrated monitor and you'll be close to getting it right. But ultimately studying your histograms in your RAW processing software is a far better way to assure exposures are dead-on.

Using LCD review function on boat the view results from previous dive

While digital exposures are forgiving, overexposure will obliterate highlight detail that probably can't come back. Underexposure may render noise. There are post-production software solutions that may help cure some these anomalies, except for gross overexposure of course, but there is no substitute for proper exposure for ultimate file quality.

13. * Button – This button serves a dual function for the underwater photographer. In the normal mode you'd focus on a subject, press the * button and it essentially locks in the exposure at that point in case you want to recompose and hold that available light exposure value. In the diffused light of underwater scene, I can't see this as having much utility. Far more effective is setting Custom Function 4-1, which then changes things. CF4-1 makes the * button effectively an auto focus lock. You then focus with the button, and it removes the shutter release from the auto focus function. Seacam housings offer a control to enhance access to this control, and some shooters use it almost exclusively to control their auto focus. Personally, I find it useful for sedentary macro life, but prefer conventional single-servo auto focus for most wide angle and mobile marine life.

II. Setting up the housing

•  Remove shoulder strap

•  Remove the viewfinder protection

•  Set camera "on/off" to off and housing "on/off" to off. This is the only control between the housing and camera that have to be in synch.

•  Open housing back and remove back plate

•  Either set the housing down on the flat port, or perhaps you'll be more comfortable seated, with the housing port between your legs pointing down. Don't rest an unprotected dome port on any hard surface … ever.

•  Unscrew the ¼ x 20 set screw until the top of the thread is flush with the camera mount tray.

•  Set the camera on the tray with tripod screw lined up with the 1/4x20 set screw

•  Tighten the screw

•  Close the back

•  Go take pictures

Of course there is more to using the housing, but setting it up truly is a very straight-forward and hassle free operation.

III. Setting up the lens:

Zoom lenses - Mount the gears in order: first the zoom, then the focus. Most wide angle zooms are fine when used in auto focus, in which case only a zoom gear is necessary. Should one wish to shoot manual focus with a Canon zoom lens, it needs to be set to MF on the lens above water as this control is NOT available through the housing.

17-40 zoom @ 17mm setting, fisheye port + PVL35

Zoom gear - Turn the zoom to the shortest focal length. Then push on the lens from the back with gear teeth facing to the left side of the camera body. There is a white dot on the gear that needs to be placed exactly on the registration marker for the zoom. The space between the camera body and the lens gear should be approximately 10mm. Attach the gear via the set screws, taking care not to over tighten. Make sure the gear on the housing mesh with the gear on the zoom throughout the entire zoom range before closing the housing.

Important - When shooting AF, make sure the focus gear is either off the lens, or moved forward enough so the gears do not mesh. If you keep the gearing engaged with operating in AF, the resistance manual gears could damage your lens or camera body.

V. Swivel 45-degree and S180 viewfinders

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. The Pro viewfinder, the S45 (for swivel 45-agree) and the new, S180 (for Sport-180). 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, 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.

S180 and S45 Viewfinders, on Seacam Housings

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. When you reinstall the viewfinder you'll notice the retaining ring is very slightly concave. Make sure the curved surface faces into the housing.

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.

Remember to 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 the 100mm USM 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.

Victoria's Secret shoot, Exumas Bahamas
Seacam F100 with 16mm and S45

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. 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 an 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.

In my opinion, the S45 is perfect for macro, fish photography, wide angle reef scenics, and over/unders. What is not good for is blue water photos of swiftly moving pelagics. If I'm shooting sharks or dolphins, anything where the action may be happening fast and furious, I prefer the pro viewfinder. (Also, the S45 will add weight to the housing package since there is a lot of glass and aluminum, with no substantial air pocket inside to provide buoyancy. This too might be a small concern when shooting in the open sea, or breath-hold diving with spotted dolphins or humpbacks for example.) 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.

The S180 and Pro viewfinders are very intuitive for almost any imaging scenario. Point and shoot.

VI. Miscellaneous housing controls

You may not use all these controls, in fact for sure I don't. But the camera has them, and therefore the housing does as well.

LCD Light - Used to illuminate the LCD.

+/- Comp – Move the rocker switch one way and you get the LCD illuminator. Move it the other way and it engages the exposure compensation mode. To effect changes, press button and turn Main Dial. Changes are visible in viewfinder and on top LCD.

AE Select – Strobe Compensation – This is a beveled wheel that engages one button. Once engaged, turning the Quick Control dial changes the strobe compensation (for E-TTL) and rotating the Main Dial changes the Auto Exposure pattern between Evaluative, spot, and center weighted meter patterns. Note that this is not spring loaded however. It is possible it can get bumped and engage a button when you don't mean for it to. This is significant only in that it is telling the camera a command is coming and it won't accept other commands at the same time. So, if you have a good battery, a CF card in place, and for some unexplained reason your LEDs don't light up and the camera won't fire, check to make sure the lever is in the center (neutral) position.

Shutter release - Diagonal lever at housing right.

Synch ports - Two Nikonos TTL synch ports will be installed at the upper right and left corners of the housing unless otherwise specified. Ikelite and S-6 pin connectors are available by special order.

Quick Control Dial – Knob at upper right (rear) of housing. Extremely easy to navigate. Controls aperture.

Main Dial – Knob at lower right (front) of the housing. Extremely easy to navigate. Controls shutter speed.

Main Switch Control – Basically just the on/off switch.

White Balance Function – Used in conjunction with Quick Command Dial, scrolls between white balance settings.

Four Pushbuttons next to LCD window (from top to bottom):

•  Menu

•  Select

•  Display

•  Trash

These buttons merely access the buttons on the back of the camera and function exactly as they would topside. If you can navigate your options on the surface, the housing allows you to do the same below the surface.

Zoom knob – Engages the zoom gear attached to the lens and allows full range of zoom.

Focus Knob – For lenses equipped with a manual focus gear, this allows manual focus control.

Mode – AF Mode – Press the lever up and it engages the Mode control. Mode selection is then done via the Main Dial. Press the lever down and it engages the AF select via the action of the Main Dial. Choose either “one Shot” or “AF Servo” in this manner.

AF Field – AF/AE Lock – There are complex options for choosing specific fields of auto focus (see EOS1Ds owner's manual for details) but this lever engages the AF select button, which is then used in conjunction with either Quick Command or Mail Dial. Push the lever forward for AF Field, pull lever back to engage AF/AE Lock via * button. See #13 above for details.

VII. TTL Strobe Photography with the Canon EOS1Ds Camera

The submersible strobes you have been using with your Nikonos or other housed cameras will not fire in TTL with the EOS1Ds. 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 EOS1Ds would not even fire. It will work with a manual synch cord, however.

Since the old manual synch cords are hard to come by from any manufacturer, Seacam has created a clever way to customize the housing's hot shoe utilizing user removable pins. The housing comes with 5 brass pins installed to contact the five pins on the camera's hot shoe . This configuration is for E-TTL with the Canon speedlight and the Seacam Systemflash, and may be utilized by other amphibious strobe designers. But, with no tools required … merely pull out the pin with your fingernails … you can choose the contacts that will work with your strobe. You CAN reinsert he pins later if you chose, again with no tools required.

I know for a fact that removing the two forward pins, as per photo below, will allow normal 5-pin Nikonos synch strobes to function with the EOS1Ds in the manual mode. I make no promises or guarantees for other strobes, and testing will be at your own discretion. NOTE THAT THESE ARE ISSUES OF CAMERA AND STROBE COMPATIBILITY AND ACTUALLY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE HOUSING.

The way the get TTL with the Canon EOS1Ds is to use Canon's dedicated TTL speedlight, the 550EX. Seacam offers”Systemflash" housings for dedicated TTL speedlights from both Nikon and Canon. The Systemflash has a cast aluminum housing finished in Seacam Silver, a slightly amber tinted (for color correction) glass dome port, and a built-in rechargeable model light. The strobe sits in a hot shoe, extended full length instead of its normal 90-degree position.

It works very well for fish and macro photography, but I think a conventional submersible strobe is generally much better for wide angle. I have added a diffuser to the front of a Systemflash to help spread the beam, but still I much prefer a conventional underwater strobe with its multiple power settings and native wide beam. Particularly since TTL isn't all that effective for wide angle anyway.

VIII. Popular Lenses for UW use with EOS1Ds

•  Wide angle zoom – The 16-35mm or 17-40 Canon zooms are probably a primary component of the EOS1Ds system. Actually, despite the fact that the 17-40mm is less expensive, I find it renders better optical performance in the corners than the 16-35, both topside and underwater. My port preference is either the Fisheye port or Superdome and PVL35 with either the 16-35 or 17-40. No diopter is necessary with these ports.

•  Fish photography – The Canon 50m macro lens is certainly a contender, but is hindered by a magnification ratio of only 1:2.5. Half life-size isn't really good enough for a lot of things, giving the 60mm Micro-Nikkor the clear advantage in this focal length range. While I don't personally have experience with the Sigma 50mm macro, it does go 1:1 and may be a consideration. Additionally, there are wet diopters that can enhance the close focus capability, available through Nexus dealers, and Backscatter has sourced one as well. These fit over the end of the flat port and can go on and off underwater as needed. The 50mm Canon macro can be used with the P90 flat port, although Nikon shooters who may already own a P105 macro port can used that instead. Also, this lens can be used behind a dome port in order to get a slightly wider field of view without the refraction of the flat port. The fisheye port with no extension works just fine.

50mm Canon macro lens with
Fisheye port, no port extension

•  100mm – This is a special use tool, extraordinary for small skittish critters, and obligatory for any shooter seeking to cover the whole range of reef denizens. On this trip I had occasion to do side-by-side comparison with the Canon 100mm USM macro lens and the Sigma 105mm macro lens. I was surprised how much faster the Canon lens achieved auto focus and how much more responsive it was for AF in low ambient light. This can be used with a P190 flat port.

Shooters migrating from Nikon, and who might already own the PVL25 extension ring and the P105 macro port, this too will work. In terms of focus, conventional AF will work, as will AF by means of Custom Function 4-1. However, probably the easiest way to cover most 100 macro subjects with the Seacam Canon housing is in manual focus. The lens will have to be set to MF before going underwater, and a focus gear will have to be used. Given the shallow depth of filed and flat contrast of many macro subjects, manual focus with the magnificent magnified field of view from the S180 or S45 is very versatile and efficient.

Important note regarding use of the 100mm Canon macro USM underwater – Set the camera in custom function 4-1 and use the AF with the * button. Then, so long as you have a focus gear installed on the lens, you can have the best of both worlds. Keep the lens set in AF, use the * button to achieve AF, but this lens will focus manually as well by turning the lens focus gear. Hence, both AF and MF are accessible underwater. The 50mm lens does not work this way, but for the 100 macro, this is the most versatile and accurate way to shoot. All Canon USM lenses offer this capability.

100mm Canon macro USM

•  15mm – The 15mm is for extreme wide angle, a 180 degree fisheye lens. This would be used with a Fisheye port or Superdome without any port extension. I used this lens for over/unders with the S45 viewfinder, or underwater for special applications like shipwrecks or large creatures.

15mm with Superdome, no port extension

IX. Maintenance and Service

As with any new housing, even though it will have been pressure tested at the factory, make the first dive without a camera inside. I take a 2 pound weight and wrap in a small towel so it can't scratch or damage the housing interior or ports, and then I dive to a depth of at least 30 feet. The rinse bucket or a swimming pool really isn't deep enough. The factory hydrostatic test will take the housing to a much greater depth, but testing in a pressure pot can not actually operate controls while under pressure. My routine with a new housing is to sit on the bottom and operate all the controls while watching things through the port. If there are bubbles coming out, there is water coming in.

However, in the four Seacam housings I have owned so far, I've never had a leak. Except once (with my very first Minicam housing for my N90S) I was careless reassembling a camera after a dive and had the main O ring pop out of the groove. I put the housing back in the rinse tank for a final rinse and immediately heard the moisture alarm shrieking. I took the housing back out and found most of the fresh water had been absorbed by the black flocking material on the inside of the housing, and fortunately no water ever touched the camera or lens. It did teach me to be more careful about greasing and placing the O rings properly in position, and also reinforced my desire to always have the optional moisture alarm on all my housings.

Obviously the best maintenance will be a thorough fresh water rinse after every dive. Unscrew the handles if you don't intend to use the housing for a long time, just to assure the screws don't seize. Also, use Seacam grease. It is not that other kinds of O-ring grease would not work, but the viscosity of the factory grease helps keep the O-ring more securely in the channel. Call me superstitious, but after that one O-ring popped out of the groove I began using the Seacam grease and never had a problem again.

Note also that O rings do stretch over time. Too many cycles of remove-and-lube can make them less form-fitting to the channel. Annual replacement of the main and port O rings is cheap insurance and only slightly anal retentive in terms of housing maintenance.

Zincs
You'll note there are two small plates, one under each handle. These are sacrificial anodes. They are just like zincs on the bottom of a boat. Any corrosion will purposely attack here first, and not the housing. Seacam recommends changing the zincs every year, but that will depend on your amount of in-water time with the housing. Inspect them occasionally and if the metal is eating away, replace them.

Electrolysis
Note that electrolysis can occur at the synch port when dissimilar metals are used. Combine the aluminum of the Seacam port with a stainless steel threaded connector, add electricity, and electrolysis can happen in only the course of a few days. If you use the new Seacam or Ikelite delrin connectors, no problem with corrosion. If you use the Nikonos connectors, you'll have aluminum to aluminum so electrolysis is minimal. But the old Ikelite stainless steel connectors, or stainless E-O connectors like I use, are a problem. You must disconnect and clean the fittings regularly. Actually, it should be done daily to minimize the corrosion.

The factory suggests that "the main O-ring and the port O-ring should be replaced every year. One O-ring set, lubricant and contact oil for the plug will be delivered with the housing. The O-rings at the shaft glands require no maintenance and should be replaced every 3 to 5 years. When adhering to the required operating conditions we recommend a factory service every 3 to 5 years depending on how often the housing is used."

X. Depth of operation
80 meters

XI. Guarantee

The Seacam guarantee, as per owner's manual and with original translation, is as follows: "For the housing delivered we shall give a year's guarantee for function and tightness from the date of invoice. This guarantee shall not apply in the event of accident damage, negligence, improper handling, damage to cords, water entering at improperly screwed front ports and plugged connections, capacity loss of batteries, disregarding of operating conditions and operating instructions, as well as unauthorized repairs or changes. Seacam shall not be liable for indirect damage, or damage to built-in cameras, and reserves the right to make technical changes and replacements." Stephen Frink Photographic Inc. assumes no liability beyond the manufacturer's warranty above.

For further information on the operation of your housing, contact:

Stephen Frink Photographic
PO Box 2720 , Mile Marker 102.5 Overseas Highway
Key Largo , FL 33037 USA
800-451-3737 · 305-451-3737
fax (305) 451-5147
E-mail: info@stephenfrink.com

www.seacamusa.com

Seacam U.S.A. - A division of Stephen Frink Photographic
Exclusive North American and Caribbean distributor for Seacam housings.