Canon powershot question "countdown display"

[fencingfish]

I have an issue with my Canon powershot hat I was hoping someone could help me with. My next step is to call Canon directly, but I thought I'd see if I could get any help here.

I have a Canon Powershot SD630 and the Canon underwater housing that is specific to it. I have taken this camera and housing to the Spiegel Grove max depth ~90fsw no issues. Recently I was in Key Largo/Key West, hadn't had any problems with the camera all week. Dove the Vandenberg (max depth 95fsw and 73 degrees F) no issue. The next day we dove the Spiegel (84fsw max depth and 75 degrees F) and when I turned on the camera, the screen was black with white cubes displaying a countdown timer _ _:_ _:_ _ with something like 11hrs:21min: and some seconds. I found that if I toggled it from viewing mode to shooting mode, I could get out of the timer and take a picture, but if I turned off the camera and turned it back on, I was faced with the same screen and issue. All subsequent dives were shallower and I did not experience that problem again.

Flash forward to Saturday, I went diving in New England. The housing manual said nothing about a limit for cold water, just a limit for warm water as a potential for warping the plastic, so I thought I would give it a try. The water was 36 degrees F (16fsw max depth) and as soon as I turned on the camera underwater I was confronted with the same countdown timer. (9hrs and some minutes/seconds). I don't know if this timer is a function of the camera not being happy at depth or in cold, though why I wouldn't have a problem one day at a greater depth and I did the next day, I don't understand.

I am wondering if anyone has seen anything similar to this? I don't think that I changed any settings on my camera between dives.

 

[Nemrod]

Is it the self timer possibly being activated by a stuck button or a button that pushes at depth, typical of Canon housings, possibly the one pressing the shortcut button?

Also try a new SD card or possibly reformat the one you have.

N

 

[fencingfish]

Thank you, I am purchasing a new SD card (this one was previously dunked) and I will look closely at the buttons on the housing. I will also try resetting all the original settings on the camera to see if that does anything. Not sure when I will next be able to bring the camera diving, but hopefully this will help.

 

[vondo]

It's not a timer, it's the clock, I suspect. Your manual will tell you how to activate it, but I suspect you just have a stuck button on the housing and you need to exercise the button a bit to loosen it up.

 

[fencingfish]

Thanks so much! I pulled out the manual, it was the clock and I found the culprit sticky button (function/set button) on my housing.