I flooded my camera

[Xizang]

Whats a good intermediate level Canon camera? How about Olympus cameras? I had 2 friends who have flooded their olympus and am quite bias on my views about them based on this but would like to hear also others opinions on them.

 

[alcina]

I adore my Oly 5050s and won't let them go. The new 350 is getting some good feedback, too, but I haven't used one.

The most popular Canon's seem to be the A620, A95 (has the old chip, but the housing with the round port so you can use Inon add on lenses...with the A620 you have to go to the Ikelite housing to use the Inon add ons). They also have a G series and a S series - the 70 has RAW, the 80 is newer but doesn't have RAW. None of the A series have RAW.

 

[Twomixdiver]

Lubing the ring everytime you open the housing does not necessarily prevent flooding. Keeping the O ring clean and nick free does. Keeping the parts of the housing that touch the Oring clean and smooth also helps.

I once had a $4000 dollar U/W video set-up and not once did it leak in the five (5) years I used it; and I took it down regularly to depths of 50 meters or more. I only lubed the Orings on the start of the trip; and never on every film change; and never every day. And I never stored the Oring installed on the camera after the trip.

When in doubt, I would free dive an empty housing to at least 15 feet to check the seals .When I changed film and when I was ready to close the housing, I would lick my thumb and run it over the Oring and visually inspect the groove the Oring will contact.

Lubing is to keep the O-ring pliant and to extend its life. Use too much lube and you risk getting it dirty and risk a flood.

 

[shugar]

Whats a good intermediate level Canon camera? How about Olympus cameras? I had 2 friends who have flooded their olympus and am quite bias on my views about them based on this but would like to hear also others opinions on them.

my IMHO would be a 610... it's 5megapix and retails nowadays for 19k, the 7.1mp A620 is 25k... the only diff between the 2 are 2 megapixels (0% interest pa)

or check this ebay link out if you want... http://www.ebay.ph/viItem?ItemId=4439103555 it's for an a620 but at the price of the a610 (bwisit nga e)

i love (imee's) A620 though... amazingly powerful camera with very professional manual and semi-manual features in a compact case... even the digital zoom takes clear photos... can't wait to get a housing and try it out u/w

Jag

 

[clgsamson]

can't wait to get a housing and try it out u/w

Jag

and maybe that'll be the start of your problems pards

 

[jonix]

sorry to hear jai! makes me really have second thoughts on bringing the cam every dive...as alcina posted in the UW photography thread and i quote (on cam flooding)..."it's not if, it's when..."

i do what caloy/carlo & gordon posted...inspect, inspect, inspect, test in the tub etc...then inspect again...never had any problems so far.

canon A95 with WPDC50 housing...am starting to doubt the o ring though.

btw, i don't store the cam with the o ring mounted

 

[midwestdvr]

Sorry to hear about the flood. Hopefullly there's still a chance to fix it. I always set-up my UW cam either the night before or several hours before the dive. I never open it up again. If I had to open it up, I go through the routine all over again. PITA but well worth it.

@caloy: what strobe you getting? The ikelite?

 

[Halthron]

Sorry to hear about the problem you had. I know I like my a620, the a610 is a lower cost model that does pretty much everything the same with the exception of 5mp vs 7mp. One of the cool features is its quickness. It can go from "off" to having taken a picture in 2 seconds.

 

[CLA]

Jai, what do you think caused the flood? Could it have been a factory defect?

You know it helps to be OC when you own a housed camera. My instructor and his DM also flooded their Oly cameras but in the DM's case it ws due to very obvious fibers in the O-ring groove. You'll have to clean the housing grooves too and for that I use a small piece of chamoise cloth (the one for cleaning cars). Chamoise is great for drying the housing since it's lint-free, absorbent, and can be cut up into small pieces for tight spaces.

There have been many reports of flooding with the oly housing I use (Oly PT-020 for 5060) but I've had no major problems with mine - and it's already more than a year old. Among the Olys in this series I think the 7070 is best and there's a thread in the UW forum about the PT-027 (for 7070) being sturdier. Ike housing might be better and is availabe locally (diverspoint). However, Ike housing also costs twice as much as Oly so you should really like the camera you buy for it. You probably will-- check out the amazing galleries of gilligan, calypsonic, alcina, justleesa, woverine, ishie etc. I think they are all using the 5050/5060/7070/8080 series (or at least they were before shifting to dslr). Canon is popular but the old olys are good too.


Cathy

 

[Marek K]

My (late) Nikon Coolpix 4300 had a Fantasea housing and my GF ordered the casing from Singapore

Hey, if it was only your third dive with the camera, how old was the housing? And did your girlfriend keep the receipt?

Because Fantasea gives free one-year flooding insurance. I have no idea what their registration requirements are...

--Marek