Difficulty of half-pressd focus of PT015

[Diver ABC]

Hi PT series users,

I know it could only be feedback without solution. Perhaps diving more with it is the only way?

I feel it is quite difficult to have half-pressd focus of PT 015 underwater, is there any way to improve it? It always fires at gentle pressing. The distance to have focus is long but distance between focus and fire is very short.

Sometimes good chances of great picture were gone due to miss fires....

 

[PompanoDiver]

I feel your pain. I get it right about half the time.

I've found that if I press it down very slowly, I can make it. It's not a bad habit anyways considering how pressing the button hard can jiggle the camera.

Maybe someone with more skill than I has the answer for both of us. After looking at the pictures here, I'm almost embarrassed to post my pictures. But here's one anyhow. Nice parrot fish on the Ancient Mariner wreck in South Florida.
http://www.knight2remember.com/scuba/Parrot fish 062803s.JPG

Have you had any luck finding add-on weights for it?

 

[Dee]

Didn't the PT-015 come with a counter weight? My PT-010 did. I have a friend who had a piece of stainless steel flat bar cut and he screws in into the tripod screw hole (what's that thing called?) Seems to work just fine for him.

 

[uwdigital]

I feel it is quite difficult to have half-pressd focus of PT 015 underwater, is there any way to improve it? It always fires at gentle pressing. The distance to have focus is long but distance between focus and fire is very short.

I think you can adjust the PT-015's shutter lever spring tension.


try this....

take out the screw that holds the PT-015 shutter lever.

the shutter control button will be exposed once the shutter lever is removed.

turn the control button clockwise to add tension on the spring and counter clockwise to reduce tension on the spring.

pay attention to the distance and make sure the shutter control pin is not engaged with the camera's shutter button. factory setting distance of the shutter control pin to the camera's shutter button is 3mm. I think 1.5mm or 2mm is better. half shutter depress is more predictable.

hope this helps...


Allan

 

[Bomber]

uwdigital once bubbled...
turn the control button clockwise to add tension on the spring and counter clockwise to reduce tension on the spring.

pay attention to the distance and make sure the shutter control pin is not engaged with the camera's shutter button. factory setting distance of the shutter control pin to the camera's shutter button is 3mm. I think 1.5mm or 2mm is better. half shutter depress is more predictable.

hope this helps...
Allan

Allan,

Which way do you turn it - clockwise or counter - to go from 3mm to 1.5-2mm? and is that looking down on the lever?

I'm going to do that.

Hope all is well
Jerel

 

[AliKat]

I've had this problem as well.

Dee, how will the counter weight help with this?

 

[uwdigital]

Which way do you turn it - clockwise or counter - to go from 3mm to 1.5-2mm? and is that looking down on the lever?

Jerrel

turn it clockwise to go from 3mm to 2mm or 1.5mm distance. Yes, that's looking down on the lever with the camera inside the housing. You can see the distance of the shutter pin on the right side of the housing.


give it a shot.... i think it's worht giving a shot


Allan

 

[Dee]

AliKat once bubbled...
Dee, how will the counter weight help with this?

PompanoDiver asked "Have you had any luck finding add-on weights for it?"

I was asking him if the weight came with his PT-015. and if not, how a friend made one.

 

[Diver ABC]

Dear Allan,

Thank you for your reply. Mine is PT015. After taking out the plastic shutter lever, I saw the button which was not like a screw with thread. The distance was unchanged no matter I turned it in either direction, do I miss something?

 

[Diver ABC]

What weight (whole system bouyancy) underwater is most ideal?

Slightly negative, pure neutral or slightly positive?

After adding tray, strobe, arm, is it really necessary to put the "wieght plate " come with the housing into water? I found it was a bit heavy as a result I reduced my lead weight by half kg.

Please kindly share your experience to newbies like me....thanks!