How to attach Oly case to BC?

[aymanme]

I recently purchased the Olympus case (pt-006) for my wifes digital camera. We are going on a trip in a few weeks. I finally took it out of the box to test it and make sure that it didnt have any problems (sans the camera naturally). Out of the box, it had a small wrist lanyard attached to a tiny connector on the side of the latch.

How do people attach this thing to a BC? My first thought was to use a regular retractor and attach the end to the camera with a nylon zip tie. Perhaps somebody here as a more elegant solution. During a search I found somebody had mentioned that a weight exists for the camera, but I could not find a place to purchase it. I had planned on milling one out, but if somebody already has one that is much easier.

thanks
- ayman

 

[Dee]

I use a coiled lanyard similar to this one only mine has a brass clip...

You can usually find them in dive shops from different suppliers...Cetaesa, Innovative Scuba, Prinseton Tech, etc.

The best $20 insurance I ever bought!

My Pt-010 case came with a rubber coated counter weight that screws into the tripod mount on the bottom of the case.

 

[Mike Newman]

I use an identical clip to the one pictured by Dee, but I have a second, retractor clip fastened to another ring on my BC.

Why? Because the instructor who introduced me to underwater photography suggested that it was worth protecting a major investment with two points of attachment. It's a good point, especially if you're aiming to counter the normally positive buoyancy of your housing.

(I was interested to read of Dee's screw-in counterweight - my PT005 didn't come with one. It does seem a good idea to have one outside the case, rather than potentially causing mayhem inside amongst the controls. Mmmm!)

Mike

 

[aymanme]

Thanks for your tips. I'll grab a lanyard or two when I am at the shop today to pick up my stuff for our trip.

As for the counterweight, I never did find one. Instead, I measured the density of the camera + housing. I then calculated what it would take to make it neutral. Of course the water temp and salinity make a difference, but I just needed to be in the ball park. I found that for the pt006 and camera, a stainless weight of about 270g was required. I found a nice square piece of stainless that was slightly heavier (about 280 iirc). I found a convenient spot, drilled a hole for a quarter 20 and then countersunk the bolt.

I tool dipped the stainless (didnt have to) to give it a pretty red finish. With the countersunk bolt, the camera now can sit on a table flat on its base. Overall I am satisfied with the weight. It would have required less lead than stainless (11g/cm3 vs 8.8g/cm3), but stainless is significantly more human friendly.

Here are a couple of pictures, the first is after countersinking the bolt, the 2nd is after the rubber coating.

- ayman

 

[Dee]

Ayman....

Here's a pic of the counterweight that came with my PT-010. I didn't take one of it by itself but it's a smidge over an inch wide and you can see the length. It's also been rubber coated.

The black cord you see is my cable lanyard.