vkire

After some googling I found out there is a microswitch on the right side of the hoe shoe. I looked in there and mine looks depressed. I tried using a toothpick to depress it but it's not working - looks like it's stuck. :-(

I had my external flash (Speedlite) on my camera and after I removed it my camera refuses to engage the internal flash. When I press the flash button, nothing happens. When I go to full auto mode and I try to shoot in dark conditions, once again, the flash does not engage. If I try to go into the built it flash menu, I get a message that says that the menu is not available because I have an external flash attached. I tried reinstalling the external flash and removing it, reset the camera settings, power cycled multiple times, even replaced the battery. Any idea how I can get the camera to see that there is no longer an external flash attached? Things worked just fine just before I used my external flash (which I have used many times before).

Unless there is an air-conditioned cabin and a long surface interval to give you plenty of time to do things right, I wouldn't do it. The two times I did it I had two different problems - first time I forgot to remove the lens cap off the lens while I was rushing to switch lenses/ports (!) and discovered that when I was 50 ft under water. :-) The second time the port fogged up due to humidity.

Has anybody on this forum been to the Bahamas on JASA's Shear Water in January? I am considering a trip and I am curious as to what the diving conditions are usually during that part of the year. Since it would be winter, I imagine higher chance for rough seas? What about water temperature, visibility and shark sightings? Thanks! KV

I am surprised you were able to use your strobes at all. I talked with an operator yesterday and he told me that the new rules include 1) no strobes and 2) no weight belts and that they are being aggressively enforced.

I will be diving there this Saturday, so, would love to join you. Sent you a PM. Cheers, Kiril

Jack's Diving Locker. Highly recommended. The divemaster on Jack's Diving Locker let me stay in the water alone long after everyone was back on board, so, as long as you are good on air consumption, you should be set. In addition to the Dusk/Night Manta Dive combo, ask for the Black Water dive. I did it with Big Island Divers but Jack's Diving Locker has a superior boat (hot shower, etc.). Kiril

Here is my version made of parts bought at Home Depot: a 4" to 3" rubber coupling, followed by a 3" to 3" one (just so that I can extend and then further tighten), a 3" to 2" coupling, a grey 2" to 1.25" and a white 6" long and 1.25" wide plastic pipe taped with black electrical tape. Worked decently for something I threw together literally on the way to the airport.

I'll be there. :-) Looking forward to meeting you in person. Cheers, Kiril

I have a bunch down to 1 mm but nothing smaller than that. Thanks for the pointer. Couldn't find anything at Home Depot or Lowe's. Never heard of these guys above but looks like they have some pretty exotic stuff on their web site. :-) Kiril

I just got my new Sea & Sea housing for my Canon 7D and it looks like one of the shafts (that's used to control the top dial button) needs adjusting. I need a small hex key to loosen the shaft so I can adjust it. Does anybody by any chance know what size hex key I need? It looks like it's submillimeter. Worst case I will lug my housing to the hardware store but would be nice to avoid that. Thanks, Kiril

Yeah, 7D. When you say it doesn't work, do you mean the flash does not open or you can't find the option in the menus? I see it in both Av and P mode. Should be there in the other modes as well. Again, hit menu, first tab on the left, Flash Control (on the bottom of the screen in Av mode) -> Built-in flash func. setting -> Test flash firing (on the bottom; shows that you have to hit the Picture Style button for it. Kiril

I used to do that but found that especially with a (fast) macro lens, it's pretty hard to get the flash to pop up. There is a better (easier) way to do it. Just go to the Flash Control menu (first tab in the menus) -> Built-in flash func. setting -> Hit the "Picture Style" button to "Test Flash"; this will automatically pop up the flash and do a test flash fire. Kiril

There is a bit of a wobble when carrying it on land and making sudden/strong motion, but I haven't noticed any "oscillations" underwater. They still feel very solid, though.

Actually, I think I may have found it. I think it's a Redspotted sandperch.

Hi, I took these on Oahu in Hawaii. I think it may be a goby, but I can't find it in my books. It was lying in a sandy patch and darted quickly after I got close. Thanks! KV

I bought mine a month ago from San Jose Camera & Video (http://www.sanjosecamera.com/). I found it by just randomly calling every camera shop I could find in the SF Bay Area. Kiril

Thanks Ryan and Chris for your responses. I do have the Inon L-shape connectors but the oval part of the (cable side) connector is hitting the port, so, unless Nauticam comes up with connectors that have a lower profile, I think the bulkhead itself would need to be modified. The workaround I have is ok for now, but I am worried that even with a single twist I can damage the grooves on the Inon connector, so, it would definitely help to get a real solution for this. Here are a couple of photos to illustrate the problem better: Thanks! KV

Will do after my dives. Meanwhile, I tried again and I definitely cannot push the port in once the connector are screwed in; if I apply too much pressure, I am pretty sure that either the port or the connectors will get damaged (most likely the port from my pushing it too hard; the connectors seem pretty sturdy). However, I realized that I can install the connectors after the port is in place simply by doing a single turn/twist into the bulkhead. It's not fully screwed in, but hey, it's fiber optics - it just needs to get a bit of light, and I tested it with one of the strobes and it fired just fine! So, it's not really fully screwed in (since it's at an angle), but it gets sufficient lighting from the flash and it's firing just fine. KV

Erm... I'll try again. :-) Interesting. Are they easily user-replacable/installable? Will I be able to replace them by myself? Thanks! Kiril

Hmm... two things: 1) I tried that, but the port would not go all the way in and I could not lock it. And in fact the connectors started getting a bit bent, so, I immediately removed the port so that they don't get damaged. 2) My (Inon) connectors are already L-shaped.

Howdy, My Nauticam housing for my Canon 7D arrived on Friday and tomorrow morning I am doing my first dive with it. I am new to DSLR housings, so, it took me a while to figure out how to put everything together (arms, fiber optics, strobes, etc.). Despite the lack of (some) manuals, I've found the process pretty straightforward and the Nauticam + Inon Z-240 combo is looking stellar (more on my impressions after I actually go diving with it :-). However, I am finally stumped. When I install my compact port (+base) for my Canon EF-S 60 mm macro, I have no problem attaching the Inon Z240 strobes. When I install the dome port for my Tokina 10-17 mm, though, the port is hitting the fiber optics jacks that are plugged into the bullkheads. I can have either the dome port or the fiber optics connectors, but not both. Do I need an extension ring? The Nauticam port chart (http://nauticamusa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Nauticam-Canon-port-system.pdf) says "Port base = not required" for the Tokina 10-17 mm, so, I am confused what's going on. I know that there are only a handful of people with Nauticam housings, but I am hoping someone can give me an advice. My dive is in 6 hours! Thanks! Kiril

Thanks everybody for your responses. Keri, have you had any issues with the ports or leaks, or anything like that? Do they have all the accessories that you need? KV

Nauticam says they have adapters for most major brands including Subal. They claim that everything works: ports/domes, zoom gears, etc.

After many years of using P&S, I am about to make the jump into the dSLR housing world and I am in the process of putting together a Canon 7D based rig. I was planning on getting the Aquatica housing, but the more I read about the Nauticam housings and look at the photos of their housings, the more I feel they may have dramatically better ergonomics. I am especially impressed that their video controls and playback controls are fingertip accessible; even though my emphasis is on still, I am increasingly shooting more video underwater, so, the video controls are important to me. I spent quite a bit of time searching for articles/reviews/opinions on Nauticam housings and there aren't that many to be found. Are there any Nauticam housing users here that can maybe post more information about how they like their housings, the ergonomics, if there any drawbacks to using their housings, any experience with their customer support, etc.? Given how much $$$ would go into this setup, I really want to make sure I get the best possible setup. Thanks for any feedback! KV