Although I have some experience with Nikonos III and V rigs, my venture into the housed dSLR realm was a new learning experience for me. When the 8" dome port arrived, I was anxious to try it out and sprung a leak the first time in the pool. Quick action inverting the rig (dome down) and removing the camera (I had a table set up next to the pool with dry towels) saved the camera and lens. The fact that I had a UV filter on the lens kept water from entering and the front of the lens was partially immersed.
The school of hard knocks taught a few lessons to me. First, learn how to assemble the rig on kitchen table. My problem was an improperly seated dome port. I had nobody to blame but myself. A lot more indoor practice would have helped me develop the skill of proper assembly. Second, test the assembly several times in a pool WITHOUT THE CAMERA IN IT and with the strobe connection capped. Seems obvious to me now. Third, add the camera after you are confident in your ability to repeatedly assemble and dunk a dry (on the inside) rig. Finally, get comfortable with the rig in the pool before you jump into the brine. Start with the housed camera and cap the strobe connection, and add the strobe(s) once you are comfortable with the camera and housing. Finally, I suggest a fresh water dunk test of the assembled rig immediately before diving it. At least I followed the last steps. Oh yes, I bot insurance BEFORE the rig ever got wet.
Now my thanks to Ike Brigham. I had a number of technical questions before making my purchase and I sent Ike a PM with my email address. As an owner he has responsibilities beyond answering customer questions, and I only asked him to refer my inquiries to his customer reps. With the exception of one tech question, Ike chose to respond to me personally. Not necessary but greatly appreciated. When it turned out that my misadventure had damaged the strobe control in the housing, and this may have caused the failure of one of the strobes, Ikes repair department gave me a quick turn around and got me back in business promptly. The repairs were made under warranty which Ike did not have to do since no warranty covers customer negligence. I have had good prior experience with Ikelite products and service, and I remain a loyal customer. Ike has gone above and beyond as far as I am concerned.
Bob
The school of hard knocks taught a few lessons to me. First, learn how to assemble the rig on kitchen table. My problem was an improperly seated dome port. I had nobody to blame but myself. A lot more indoor practice would have helped me develop the skill of proper assembly. Second, test the assembly several times in a pool WITHOUT THE CAMERA IN IT and with the strobe connection capped. Seems obvious to me now. Third, add the camera after you are confident in your ability to repeatedly assemble and dunk a dry (on the inside) rig. Finally, get comfortable with the rig in the pool before you jump into the brine. Start with the housed camera and cap the strobe connection, and add the strobe(s) once you are comfortable with the camera and housing. Finally, I suggest a fresh water dunk test of the assembled rig immediately before diving it. At least I followed the last steps. Oh yes, I bot insurance BEFORE the rig ever got wet.
Now my thanks to Ike Brigham. I had a number of technical questions before making my purchase and I sent Ike a PM with my email address. As an owner he has responsibilities beyond answering customer questions, and I only asked him to refer my inquiries to his customer reps. With the exception of one tech question, Ike chose to respond to me personally. Not necessary but greatly appreciated. When it turned out that my misadventure had damaged the strobe control in the housing, and this may have caused the failure of one of the strobes, Ikes repair department gave me a quick turn around and got me back in business promptly. The repairs were made under warranty which Ike did not have to do since no warranty covers customer negligence. I have had good prior experience with Ikelite products and service, and I remain a loyal customer. Ike has gone above and beyond as far as I am concerned.
Bob
