A570IS & Ikelite housing -- buttons not lining up?

[Nemrod]

The tripod screw on mine is kept hardly more than fingernail tight. Is the battery/card door loose or open?

Well, sorry that I cannot figure it out, your camera seems to sit crooked on the mount tray.

Yes, you must turn the tripod screw backwards (as if to loosen it) while pressing down on the camera gently, then after you feel it click, turn it to the right to tighten it just over finger tight.

Yes, for the price I expected more, better fit and an easier mouting system. This is one of several reasons why I reported I was less than happy.

Your camera has some tiny little plastic feet on the base, those should all sit to the tray. Yours do not appear to sit on the tray????

N

 

[SparticleBrane]

The tripod screw on mine is kept hardly more than fingernail tight. Is the battery/card door loose or open?

Battery/card door is sealed as normal. I might be overtightening the tripod screw -- I was using a penny or a dime and tightening it until it stopped. After just using my fingernail plus a tiny bit more with a dime, it seems to be sitting a bit more flat. The little plastic feet still aren't sitting on the tray but it's a bit more flat. If I just use my fingernail it isn't tight enough.

I've now got it to a point where all the buttons work ~90% of the time, after not tightening it so much. When the buttons don't work, I press down on the top selector and back towards me with the zoom selector. Seems to help reposition the camera but it isn't perfect.

Yes, for the price I expected more, better fit and an easier mouting system. This is one of several reasons why I reported I was less than happy.

Definitely -- this isn't exactly a cheap housing. I was expecting perfection...


Nemrod, thanks for taking the time to talk about it. I figured it anyone had an idea what was going on it would be you.

 

[Nemrod]

I suspect the two little position fingers on the tray are to close together to allow the camera body to "scrunch" down all the way. You might---gently---adjust those a touch if they seem to be preventing the camera from seating down all the way. Could the plastic sleeves on them be to thick?

N

 

[SparticleBrane]

I took both the sleeves off -- they don't seem to be causing the issue. Maybe I just have a defective camera/housing combo, hehe.

I actually think I see what Ikelite did. I would appear that they designed the rear buttons to touch the small tactile 'tabs' on the camera buttons rather than the entire button.


I'm going to avoid messing with the fingers for now -- they'll be a last resort. As of right now I've got it so that I can use all the functions on the camera 95% of the time.


Going to try it out in the pool on Tuesday during an OW class and see how it does.

 

[Beatlejuice]

Just to throw in my two cents, I got the same setup a couple of weeks ago and have the same issue, although the buttons do seem to work. I started to make a shim to raise the camera up a little, then realized I really needed to lower it. But, like I said, it works.

I think my biggest problem with the setup is the size of the housing. It's rather bulky for a guy who been certified for a couple of months now, and just wants to snap a few pictures. BUT, I have gotten some good pictures! Just don't loose the flash diffuser. I seem to have lost mine after the first dive and the lens opening really blocks the flash, but the diffuser really helps to spread it out. I was able to call Ikelight and got a replacement for $17.00 with shipping.

Good luck!

 

[Nemrod]

Only other thing I can think of is that the tripod screw receptacle is not square to the camera or it has been cross threaded causeing the rh side to want to sit high? I hope this is not the case as it would require a repair. One other thing, check that the tripod screw in the Ikelite tray is vertical.

I don't have any other guesses as to why your cameras (both of you) are not sitting square. When I install mine I press it gently with my fingers downward as I draw the tripod screw snug. Mine then sits square and secure. All of my buttons work 100% of the time and the lens is dead center in the port--best I can tell by eyeball (and my eye is pretty good at such things).

I guess perhaps call Ikelite up and see if they have a suggestion or offer an adjustment. The shimming up under the tripod screw is a clever idea but to my thinking it does not need to go up there, it needs to go down on the rh side??

Hope it works out, please let me know what you find out. I know it will finally be resolved and will serve you well with great enjoyment is my wish.

N

 

[kadleck]

I think my biggest problem with the setup is the size of the housing. It's rather bulky for a guy who been certified for a couple of months now, and just wants to snap a few pictures...

I recommend that you take an underwater photography course (preferably from an instructor who is himself a decent photographer). You will discover some very useful techniques and will (probably) find that the bulkiness issue goes away.

A useful prerequisite (OK not really a pre-req, but probably should be) is Peak Performance Buoyancy, as this will help you keep the camera still.

... and the above two courses are 2 fifths of the way towards Advanced Open Water.

Great photo by the way.

 

[Ikelite Staff]

Sorry for your problems with the housing. The best guess is that the tripod mount of the camera has been crossthreaded, preventing it from being tightened to the tray and aligned properly.

Our housings are all designed to operate properly when the camera is firmly tightened on the tray. In some instances the pushbuttons will not hit the direct center of the buttons on the camera due to space restrictions. However all pushbuttons are placed so they should activate the correct controls 100% of the time.

Please return your housing and camera for evaluation and repair. Include a brief letter of explanation and full contact info and send to:

Ikelite Underwater Systems
Attn: Repair Dept.
50 West 33rd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Sorry again for the trouble.

Regards,
Jean / Ikelite
IKELITE Underwater Systems

 

[Nemrod]

One other thing, sometimes the tripod screw in my tray jams up and sits high in the tray not allowing the camera to sit down to the tray.

Concerning cross threading, when installing a bolt of any sort (or screw) turn the screw backwards until you feel it click. This "click" means the screw has found the threads and it is now safe to turn it in.

N

 

[SparticleBrane]

Sorry for your problems with the housing. The best guess is that the tripod mount of the camera has been crossthreaded, preventing it from being tightened to the tray and aligned properly.

At this point I'm fairly convinced that I was overtightening things. Now that I'm just tightening the tripod screw 'fingernail tight' I'm able to hit all the buttons about 95% of the time. Yes I crossthreaded the tripod screw into camera a few time but you can tell when it's all flat, so that isn't an issue anymore.

Our housings are all designed to operate properly when the camera is firmly tightened on the tray. In some instances the pushbuttons will not hit the direct center of the buttons on the camera due to space restrictions. However all pushbuttons are placed so they should activate the correct controls 100% of the time.

It looks like that is the case for this particular model. The buttons are close together on the camera, so on the housing, the buttons press the 'tactile nub', at least the buttons on the 'circle' of buttons.

Please return your housing and camera for evaluation and repair. Include a brief letter of explanation and full contact info and send to:

Ikelite Underwater Systems
Attn: Repair Dept.
50 West 33rd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Sorry again for the trouble.

Regards,
Jean / Ikelite
IKELITE Underwater Systems

Hey I haven't even gotten this thing wet yet. Let me at least do that! If I'm not satisfied from a dip or two in the pool (which I have access to on Tuesdays and Thursdays) I'll be more than happy to mail out the housing. You also mentioned mailing out the camera -- you want both, or just the housing?

Thanks for the response!