Camera Preperation

[adamsh]

Hi Guys,

I will be taking my Stylus 400 on its first underwater adventure at the end of this month, I will be doing 2 dives a day and need some advice.

Do you guys prepare your camera before you go or while on the boat, if I set it up before I go im worried that the batterys will run down on the way to the dive site.

I will be taking a spare battery and Media card with me, is it wise to change both media card and battery on the boat while on the way to the second dive site or should I not chance it and just use the camera on the 1st dive, my main worry here is a boat full of wet divers might cause some problems for me when the case is open. If i do change the battery and media card would I need to re-grease the oring?.

cheers
Adam

 

[cdiver2]

I am not a digital user but do film, the way I do it.
Prepair camera before dive. After the 1st dive put the camera in a fresh water rinse bucket, then dry myself especially my hair ( no drips into the camera ).
Dry the camera with one of the artificial chamays ( spelling ? ) I then lay another another leather on my work surface, this soaks up any water on the work surface. Open the camera face down (if there is any water beads still on the camera they dont run inside) . Dry again, do your work, inspect and seal again. Put the camera back into the fresh water bucket check for leaks and keep the camera there untill next dive.
Do not allow people to wash there masks in the camera bucket defog will mess up a lens.
Hope this has been of some help.
David

 

[Dee]

I assume you're using rechargeable batteries? They aren't going to lose any appreciative strength overnight. When on a dive trip, I prepare my camera and housing the night before. I have time to take my time to do it properly and carefully rather than in a rush the next morning.

Also, your batteries should last at least 2 dives. If not, try turning off your monitor on those long waits between shots. I hardly ever open my housing on a boat. Seems no matter how careful I am to dry myself, there's either someone nearby flinging water or just the sea spray in the air. If I do need to change batteries or card on the boat, I dry myself and the housing as well as possible and place a towel over me and the camera like a tent. Under there I change things as quickly as possible, making sure sand, hair, etc. isn't on the o-ring. If the o-ring is still clean, I don't re-grase it. But if I can tell there's sand or anything on it, instead of trying to clean it on the boat, I'll just leave the camera on the boat. Alot also depends on whether I'm on a small 6-pak boat or a large one with camera table.

 

[slowhands]

My housing maker recommends only opening the housing in a clean room. A boat with wind-blown grit, droplets and blowing hair is not a good place to open the housing for preparation. One of the reasons I went digital is to avoid the need to do preparation on the boat, since I can always shoot more than 36 images per dive.

I try to open the housing only once a day, in the evening after 2-3 dives. Then I put fresh, high capacity NiMH batteries in and a fresh memory card (1GB). For me the limit is usually batteries running out, caused by leaving the view screen on too much, so turn it on selectively.

I realize you are shooting film and this may not be the answer you want to hear, but I know too many people who flooded their cameras. It's too great a risk to take on the typical boats I'm on.

 

[ChrisM]

Do you guys prepare your camera before you go or while on the boat, if I set it up before I go im worried that the batterys will run down on the way to the dive site.

Like others, I prepare the night before (or if leaving later, if I have time in the a.m.), but NEVER RUSH. The nite before, I've got lights, a clean place, time to make sure I have it all. just set it up and turn the camera off. Batteries wwill be fine . 1800 -2100 NiMHs should last you two dives.

I will be taking a spare battery and Media card with me, is it wise to change both media card and battery on the boat while on the way to the second dive site or should I not chance it and just use the camera on the 1st dive, my main worry here is a boat full of wet divers might cause some problems for me when the case is open. If i do change the battery and media card would I need to re-grease the oring?.

Like I said, you will probably get two dives out of the batteries, depending, and for media, all depends on your card size. You will not need to regrease the oring for between dives, just check it for hair, etc.

But remember, while on a boat, EVERY time you open your housing you are risking a flood. So the less you open it during a dive day, the better.

Chris

 

[justleesa]

Hi Guys,

I will be taking my Stylus 400 on its first underwater adventure at the end of this month, I will be doing 2 dives a day and need some advice.

Do you guys prepare your camera before you go or while on the boat, if I set it up before I go im worried that the batterys will run down on the way to the dive site.

I will be taking a spare battery and Media card with me, is it wise to change both media card and battery on the boat while on the way to the second dive site or should I not chance it and just use the camera on the 1st dive, my main worry here is a boat full of wet divers might cause some problems for me when the case is open. If i do change the battery and media card would I need to re-grease the oring?.

cheers
Adam

Aloha Adam!
I have a stylus 400 and in this link I wrote a few tips.
http://www.scubaboard.com/t45062.html

I set up my stylus at around 7AM, get in the water at about 9 and can take pictures, using the flash, on both dives.

While you are moving about and NOT taking pictures, after about 5 minutes, the camera will turn to standby mode to save energy and you have to push the quick view button to turn the screen on again. You can also push the shutter release but then it will only turn on for the picture and then turn off again. You won't seeing what you are taking.

It all depends on the boat. If you are on a dive boat like most dive boats here in Hawaii there is no safe place to do so while you're out there. If you are on a dive boat like those in the Red Sea or an Agressor type dive boat there will be a spot where you can change media and battery if needed. And I would clean the o-ring and the groove and re-grease it.

Questions: Will you have a computer with you to DL the pictures? What size xd media do you have?
Hope this helps,
Lisa

 

[adamsh]

Thanks for the feedback ,

My main media card will be 256mb with a 128mb backup, I wont be taking a Computer with me so will have to be selective on what pictures I want to keep, ill also be using the Olympus Li-10B battery.

 

[justleesa]

Thanks for the feedback ,

My main media card will be 256mb with a 128mb backup, I wont be taking a Computer with me so will have to be selective on what pictures I want to keep, ill also be using the Olympus Li-10B battery.

I'm guessing that you can get about 260+ pictures on the 256mb (set to HQ) On an average I do about 100 +/- pictures on a two tank dive....Don't know how much diving you'll be doing but with what you have you have room for about 400 some pictures. Might just be enough.... Just had a thought...take a CD and the data transfer cable with you, who knows the Dive Shop might be able to DL them for you.
Where are you heading??

Aloha,
Lisa

 

[adamsh]

off to the red sea for a weeks diving , cant wait.

 

[justleesa]

off to the red sea for a weeks diving , cant wait.

shuck-rahn! lol
Hurghada or Sharm?