DC800 Locked Up

[SeaLife Joe]

Grover48,

I am not trying to discount your question on the upgrade as it is a very common question we get whenever we introduce a new camera. Sorry though at this time there are no upgrade programs.

What we actually find sometimes is that the card can cause these lock-up. As with any electornic devices, it is how the two communicate together and it can happen that they are not compatible. We have seen the issue go away when another card is used or as ORB56 puts it, reboot the whole system.

 

[Grover48]

OK let me get this straight. I am a fireman and they don't give us coffebreaks because it takes too long to retrain us.

It is standard and acceptable to buy a brand new camera and strobe to take underwater photos and have it lock up. The "fix" is to remove the battery to reboot the system. I abort a dive or just can't use the camera until I remove it from the housing and remove the battery.

This is not the quality I expected after paying hundreds of dollars for what I believed to be a quality camera.

I have a class this Saturday on underwater photography in Catalina and had hoped to use this camera for the class. I already lost photo ops in Maui due to a malfunction.

Is this the best you can do to help a customer out?

 

[SandyUT]

Grover48,

I am not trying to discount your question on the upgrade as it is a very common question we get whenever we introduce a new camera. Sorry though at this time there are no upgrade programs.

What we actually find sometimes is that the card can cause these lock-up. As with any electornic devices, it is how the two communicate together and it can happen that they are not compatible. We have seen the issue go away when another card is used or as ORB56 puts it, reboot the whole system.

I bought the size and type recommened by Sealife and also one that is a higher end for sure. If there is a compatability issue Sealife shoudl be telling buyer this!

 

[SandyUT]

Another thought - this is clearly an issue. Why cant Sealife offer some solution beside wait till it happens again?

 

[SeaLife Joe]

Grover, it is not that it is acceptable at all, just that it sometimes happens once and then when rebooted it never rears it's head again. We have had numerous cases that when a camera has been sent back for this issue, we test here and nothing happens and never does again. We do have on our website, tech advice of this nature when it comes to lock ups. Another thing you can do that is if it locks up while diving, press and hold the hold the power button for 5 seconds and that will reset the camera.

SandyUT - with all our other cameras, wehn something becomes an issue we do place it on our website and int he techs and tips for each camera. With regards to the DC800, we have not gotten cameras back where wehave been able to duplicate the lock-ups. Almost all have been compatiability issues with the cards.

 

[SeaLife Joe]

On another note, I hope that I did not come off as being defensive on my last post. It is just a little difficult sometimes to translate into writing clearly my points.

 

[Grover48]

Grover, it is not that it is acceptable at all, just that it sometimes happens once and then when rebooted it never rears it's head again. We have had numerous cases that when a camera has been sent back for this issue, we test here and nothing happens and never does again. We do have on our website, tech advice of this nature when it comes to lock ups. Another thing you can do that is if it locks up while diving, press and hold the hold the power button for 5 seconds and that will reset the camera.

SandyUT - with all our other cameras, wehn something becomes an issue we do place it on our website and int he techs and tips for each camera. With regards to the DC800, we have not gotten cameras back where wehave been able to duplicate the lock-ups. Almost all have been compatiability issues with the cards.

Numerous problems and returned cameras - compatibility issues with the card? Perhaps many customers would expect your company to provide a fix for this issue. If a new and improved card would correct the problem, do you plan to include this in your customer service plan, or we just have to dive with a camera that locks up and the we press the on button for 5 seconds and let it reboot.

Just looking for an easy and non stressful way to take a camera along on a dive to record memories.

Grover

 

[gypsyjim]

Quote: Just looking for an easy and non stressful way to take a camera along on a dive to record memories.

Couldn't say it any better. Explains my attitude exactly towards my recurring DC500/strobe failures!

 

[Grover48]

One week and no further reply.

I am disappointed in the after sale service from SeaLife.

Bad thing is I bought this from a LDS and now it becomes their problem as well. Other prospective customers will also hear the tale of SeaLife quality and customer service.


caveat emptor!!

 

[SeaLife Joe]

Grover48, The only additional thing I can add is that you send the camera in to us for evaluation. In cases where there is any issues with the inner camera, we ask that the card being used gets sent back as well so we can test the complete system with all original components. If you contact our sevice dept. at 856 866-9191 they will give you an RMA # to return all the goods.