corrosive sea conditions?

[djanni]

good advice, so I want to ask an opinion. Here in Hawaii, we have seperate big rinse buckets on the boat for cameras. Usually my monster is in there and maybe a couple baby ones. (I use the neoprene port cover if anybody is in the bucket with me). The seas are pretty big here and the ride can be rough and bouncy. I always felt that this was the best place for my camera, as it does not get the jar of the impact and is cusioned by the water, stays cool, etc. Recently, a knowledgable photog said "you do WHAT?" and said that this would cause my camera to flood, she has seen it many times. While I respect her opinion, this does not seem logical to me. thoughts?

I too have been told that more housings flood in the rinse bucket before a dive than while diving. Why, pressures at depth improve the seal. I'm sure that's true but I wonder... at what depth does this become a factor? Does one hold their housing out of the water while waiting to submerge? If there's a bad seal will it hold until I reach 20,30,40,50,60 feet? So I'm not sure I totally agree with the primise than it's best not to put your camera in the rinse bucket.

If the above were true why would some 80-90% of dive boats offer a rinse bucket? Surely it's not to increase your odds of flooding the housing. I've been told the primary purpose of the camera bucket is so that the housing and it's contents can start acclamating to the water temp and secondairly, to see if it leaks. If you submerge the housing in the bucket and give it time for the trapped air to excape from around the latches and etc you'll see water seeping in if it's not sealed. I've actually done that and got my camera out before any damage was done. Once under water, if you have a bad seal the water is going to gush in because of the pressure and then it's too late.

Putting a big rig into a small bucket and having other peoples equipment bumping into it is a separate subject. One of good behavior. One board member speculated a jostle was enough to break a seal and although I doubt that, if it happened I would imagine it would be very temporary.

My housing is on the large side but I don't have a strobe. I've seen people with larger rigs put their camera in a bucket leaving no room for anyone elses. That's a bit unthoughtful. I've had my camera in a bucket and seen people drop their camera a couple of feet into the bucket. That too is very unthoughtful.

No doubt rough waters make life in the bucket more troublesome.

So.... for now I think I'll keep putting mine in the rinse bucket when I can.

 

[maractwin]

The primary purpose of the rinse bucket is to get the salt off the camera after the dive. If you let salt water dry on the housing, it will eventually corrode even stainless steel, and will lead to seal surfaces not being smooth and so produce leaks. Testing the housing for leaks before the dive is a secondary consideration.

I've been on crowded dive boats where the only place to leave the camera without risk of someone sitting on it was in the rinse tank. If there's another place to leave the camera, I don't keep it in the tank.

And I'm one of those people who will gently chastise divers who rinse their gear in the camera tank. Ideally the camera rinse tank is as close to pure water as possible, so that it tends to clean the housing rather than add a film to it.

-Mark

 

[djanni]

The primary purpose of the rinse bucket is to get the salt off the camera after the dive. If you let salt water dry on the housing, it will eventually corrode even stainless steel, and will lead to seal surfaces not being smooth and so produce leaks. Testing the housing for leaks before the dive is a secondary consideration.

I've been on crowded dive boats where the only place to leave the camera without risk of someone sitting on it was in the rinse tank. If there's another place to leave the camera, I don't keep it in the tank.

And I'm one of those people who will gently chastise divers who rinse their gear in the camera tank. Ideally the camera rinse tank is as close to pure water as possible, so that it tends to clean the housing rather than add a film to it.

-Mark

So do you subscribe to the theory that it's more likely to flood in the rinse tank?

 

[Cacia]

hmmmm....not enough pressure and could jarr a leak. i can see that i guess. yes, i always dunk before i dive to check for leaks. Actually, i bring my own big tub with handles..but i thought it better not to mention that. Holding my camera would seriously cramp my fun on the boat. They are some longer rides to some sites and i don't prefer to sit. The camera on the floor under the bench takes a bit of a beating. maybe i need some foam rubber in the bottom of the collapsable cooler....

 

[Tortuga Roja]

I used to use a collapsable cooler when I had a system that would fit. Now I have a wet towel or tee shirt to keep it cool and wet if there is no shady camera place cuz I haven't found a cooler that will take the Ike dSLR housing and 2 strobes. The more camera friendly boats I have been on have a nice safe cool place for cameras and that is best but I would never use a rinse tank for any longer than it takes to rinse or pre-dip. I know of a few rinse tank floods and one would be enuf for me.

<Does one hold their housing out of the water while waiting to submerge?>

No, but one doesn't beat it against hard sufaces at any depth.

And on that line of thought, when I shore dive and walk thru small breakers I DO hold my camera above water. Ever notice that often the instructions on "houseless" UW cameras say not to rinse with running water even tho it is rated for 100' ? That's because the seal isn't as tight topside and lateral pressure could cause a leak.

 

[CompuDude]

I concur re rinse tanks... they are for rinsing, not storage. Dunk it, swish it, remove it, and put it somewhere safe. If there isn't somewhere safe on the boat, invest $50 in a Pelican case and stop worrying.

As for using nice, sensitive electronics in a wet, salty environment, well, let's look at things realistically for a moment.

At one point in history, it would not be unusual for have a camera in service for 10, 15, 20 years or so. For instance, my fathers fully manual Minolta 35mm, which he still uses on occasion. In that time span, the electronics (or in this time period, mechanical bits) would indeed have taken a beating from the elements.

In today's fast paced digital world, however, you are not very likely to keep a digital camera for 10 years without it being woefully outdated. I'd say as long as you take reasonable care of your camera, just as you would on dry land (don't handle it with dripping wet hands, keep it dry and don't drop it, etc.) you are likely to replace the camera due to being outdated FAR sooner than you would be forced to on account of internal corrosion due to salt air exposure.

 

[Gilligan]

I use a soft cooler at all times for my camera/strobe setup. It not only pads the setup but insulates it from the topside heat in tropical locations.
I add some sponge like material to the bootm of the cooler for extra padding.
I have placed this cooler on the decks of dive boats and never had a problem with anything breaking.

I try to be the last diver in the water from my group and let a crew member lower me my rig on an 8' leash that I carry with me. I unhook the rig and the crew member retrieves the leash.

Cathreine; Walmart sells a "Hawaiin" brand soft cooler that is shaped so that it has a wide opening at the top yet only about 10" high. It is easy to lay a setup rig in, but not Tortuga's huge rig
That cooler has extra pockets which I use for defog, sunscreen etc.