Positive buoyance of the u/w housing of the S1IS

[desperoadie]

Hi everybody,
so I bought a S1 IS with its dedicated housing.
I admit the learning curve is high, at least u/w...
The set is positively buoyant and I wonder what can be done about it?
First of all, I needed 1 k more in weigth (2 lbs) and second: the minute you don't hold on tight to the camera (e.g. if you let it float with the strap) the set shoots up to the surface. I bought a slave flash from Sunpack but that doesn't make a big difference.
Does anybody have a solution for this one?
Thanks a lot.

 

[alexoki]

I have been using the S1 for some time and I am surprised you think you need to add an extra 2lbs of lead to your weight. The S1 is positively buoyant but if you attach it to your bcd when not in use this isnt a problem. You can also attach small weights to the underside of the cam if you so wish, Canon sell them and they screw into the tripod mount, (or make your own) but I personally have felt no need.
In my opinion it is better to have a positively buoyant cam as it is much easier to retrieve from the surface then the bottom of a 200ft. wall.

 

[the_cat_keeper]

I also have the S1. I used to dive with as little as 4 lb (some dive operators provide 2lb weights, some 1 kg weights, some 1.3 kg weights) until I floated to the surface during my safety stop when my tank pressure was low and I happened to hold the camera by the strap. After that, I carried as many as 4 kg (8.8 lb).

However after I bought the strobe (also Sunpak G-flash) with a long extended arm, I went down to 3 pieces of weights (around 6 to 7 lb), and the camera no longer shoots to the surface. Also, the camera finally sinks in the bucket (typically fresh water) when I do the leak checks.

 

[desperoadie]

I have the Sunpack G flash slave as well. With the flash attached, the camera is still positively buyoant. I had the same experience, where at the end of a dive I could not stay down. So I added more weight. I need a lot of weight anyway, as I drink too much beer
I'll also need to practice more, as I have been fiddling a lot

 

[hamilton]

There is a school of thought that in the case of "emergencies", minor equipment such as camera gear is dispensable... if your kit is tied into your bcd in a "not easily releasable" manner, AND it is negatively buoyant, you might want to think a little harder about that.
i.e. keep _your_ buoyancy, and the _camera_ buoyancy, as completely separate items.

Having a camera that is releasable and +ve buoyant is a ´non issue´´
having a tied-on camera that is -ve buoyant is a problem waiting to happen.....

I don´t know the figures, but I can´t think that the S1 in its case contributes much upward buoyancy.... and it certainly isn´t going to change as much as an aluminium tank on a long, shallow dive....

having had the pleasure of diving in a lot of different locations in a relatively short space of time (and certainly not being a dive expert, as I´ve only logged about 60 dives), I´d say that the depth, salinity, warmth (and thus how much neoprene you wear) has a BIG impact on your buoyancy.... and if (like me until the start of this year) you only dive on a couple of holidays a year, this difference may not be apparent.....