Do underwater housings for digital cameras work? Is it worth it?
I’m thinking about buying an underwater housing for my Nikon digital camera. It’s a pretty expensive camera and I want to know if taking it underwater with a housing for it has any chance of damaging the camera. Where is the best place to buy a good housing? Has anyone had a bad experience with an underwater housing? I really want to take my camera scuba diving but i don’t want to risk ruining the camera.
I have both compact and DSLR underwater housings. I have my Nikon D100 in a Sea & Sea housing, with a compact flat port & extension ring. I also have a Sea Sea YS110a strobe. You will need additional strobe(s) underwater.
I’ve never had a flood, but I know people who have flooded their housings, but its almost always down to user error. It’s rare for a housing to flood otherwise. Housings are manufactured for a particular model of camera & are not cheap. Mine cost nearly £2000 when new! that doesn’t include ports. You need different ports depending on what lenses you mount – a flat port for macro and a dome port for wide angle lenses. As I mentioned you’ll also need a strobe & strobe arm. Total cost around £4,000-5,000. That DOESN’T include the camera & lenses btw.
Most common cause of flooding is not taking care of the O rings. The slightest bit of sand, grit, hair or any nicks, cuts in the O ring can cause a leak. Before every dive session you need to remove & inspect the O rings, clean the O ring channels, grease & correctly seat the O rings back. There are O rings on the main camera body, the ports, the strobe & the sync cord connectors.
Post dive always rinse the housing well in fresh water for a good long time before you open it – a short dunk isn’t sufficient. Make sure when you open it that you don’t drip water into it or onto the electrical contacts.
If the camera floods during a dive DON’T make a dash to the surface – you risk a bend and its probably too late in any case. If you spot a small leak, point the camera lens down (this will keep the water in the bottom of the port where it’ll do least damage) and do a safe ascent.
If you’re worried about your DSLR getting wet then I suggest getting a compact & housing package – they’ll do reasonable shots provided there’s enough light (they don’t perform well in low light) although the shutter lag will be more than a DSLR.
Edit: If you’re in the UK, Cameras Underwater are good dealers;
http://www.camerasunderwater.co.uk/
Underwater Camera Housing Leak Detector – Canon G11 & G10
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