DIY 35mm Camera Housing

[reghers]

Hi, I am trying to build a housing for a 35mm autofocus camera. Wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on how to build the controls, that will have to pass through the housing. Thanks

[cdiver2]

I built my own way back in the 70s and a strobe housing, used all Ikelite controls.

[KYDan]

I've been lurking on the DIY forum for a while, since I find the challenge of building it myself satisfying...whatever the subject.

I have been a stereo photographer for some years. I've found a few UW stereo photos on the web, and those folks are way out of my league. Talent and equipment wise.

I am interested in rigging a housing for my point and shoot Nimslo. An inexpensive starting point for a rig of modest price, and I fear, performance.

Has anybody rigged a UW housing using a large bore PVC plumbing tee? Am I trying to reinvent a bad wheel? From the depth of experience on this forum, I would expect some good ideas to surface.

KYDan

[Burner]

There was a guy in Hawaii selling some camera housings. They were basically what you would want to do for a DIY. Basically you make a box with one side open out of plexiglass or some kind of see through plastic. (His also had ridges on the outside to reduce the chance that you would scratch it)
The lid (on the side) was just plastic with a tight o-ring that clamped down into the case. For controls he just had one rotating thing (not sure how it was made) and on the bar there was an adjustable lever that came down to hit the shoot button.

If you search around you might be able to find his website, and take a look. They are pretty cheap but I thought they were to thin to fit very many different cameras in. (If you make one yourself I'm sure it will fit.

[KYDan]

Burner once bubbled...
(If you make one yourself I'm sure it will fit.)

That's kind of the problem. The Nimslo, though a great idea, was quite expensive when new. After the poplularity of the format waned they got dirt cheap ($20 or less).

It has an odd format. It was once described as the worlds best 4 lens camera. Yep, it has 4 fixed focus lenses in a row covering 2 full frames of 35mm film. That makes the body a bit long to fit most simple housings.

I'd also like to work out a way to use external flash(es). Plus, like I said, the idea of building it myself is attractive. Not necessarily smart but attractive.

KYDan

[Padipro]

reghers once bubbled...
Hi, I am trying to build a housing for a 35mm autofocus camera. Wondering if anyone can give me some pointers on how to build the controls, that will have to pass through the housing. Thanks

I've built two video camera housings (http://groups.msn.com/Divelight/diyvideocamerahousing.msnw?albumlist=2) so far. The first was fairly crude and used home made controls. They worked but were bulky and sometimes hard to turn. The second one was way better and I used Ikelite (http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/control_parts.html) controls. They're only about $25 US each, they are much smoother to operate and look much more professional then the home made ones.

The picture is of a home made control.

Scott

[canuckdiver]

hey scott!

How well do those tube compression fittings work as controls? I'm working on a basic video housin, and I just want to set up a dead-man style record switch, that when I let go, it stops.

BTW, my mag-light canister light is coming along well, thanks for the help!

[Padipro]

They worked great as far as not leaking is concerned. The hardest part in making them was finding the stainless steel rod for the shaft. I was lucky that my Dad was a machinest and had access to several different sizes when I built the thing. You need to remove the compression ring from the inside and add several O-rings and a small brass washer inside the top nut to act as a retainer for the O-rings. Lube everything up real good and screw on the nut to squeeze everything together.

Like I said before the only draw back to building you own is that they can be hard to operate sometimes because everything is so tight and they don't look all that great compaired to the Ikelite ones. Oh ya, threading the SS rod to screw on the knob was a real PITA too. Stainless steel doesn't thread very well because it's so hard.

If all you need is something simple and cheap then it should work just fine.

When your light is finished post some pic's of it on my MSN site so others can see how it turned out.

Scott

[mddolson]

Like Padipro, I built my own control glands.
I machined mine from 302 Stainlees Steel hex bar. The shaft is also 1/4 inch dia SS rod, machined down to 1/8 dia where I needed to bend it inside the housing.

attached is the gland drawing detail.
I doubled up on the shaft orings, to create a space between the orings for grease (silicone) to keep the shafts lubricated.


My housing has 3 glands and controls


Mike D

[mddolson]

Here is the photo of my housing.
I fitted 3 controls for main on/off, stand by, and record.


Mike D