Ikelie and Canon S95 Selector knob problems

[Manow]

On a recent 3 week vacation to Thailand, I used my newIkelite & S95. From the start, the function/selector knob didn't work. I'm referringto the knob that you use to select between: Auto, P, TV, AV, M C Video, etc.There is a little sponge type disc that appears to make slight contact with thecamera's selector knob, but not tight enough to move it. On the outside of the Ikelitehousing, there's a little Allan screw on the housing's function selector knob.So, using my "save a dive kit" Allan wrenches, I attempted to adjustthis up or down to take up the slack. Nothing worked. I removed it (thehousing's control arm) completely, and noted the two (2) little o-rings. Icleaned everything, and put a dap of ikelite's lube on it, and put back the wayit was. So, for 21 dives, I set the camera on "P", and adjusted thewhite balance manually. My photos turned out nice. It would have been nice tobe able to switch to Video from time to time, but I couldn't switch to anythingwhile in the water. I did shoot in manual mode a few times, but again I had toselect the setting before I went into the water. I've emailed Ikelite a fewtimes, and I've even sent photos of the Housing. Ikelite's response is thatnothing appears to be missing (no missing parts). That's good. They asked forphotos of the housing with the camera installed. I'm not sure what that willreveal, the sponge just doesn't make contact. Above the sponge is a thin blackplastic washer. My gut tells me to add a few more washers to push the spongeout a bit. I'm not the only person with this issue. Check this site for otherswith the same problem. One guy even suggested putting a few O-rings above thesponge to take up the slack. http://scubasg.com/index.php?topic=3147.0Overall, I was pleased with the Housing. My camera didn't flood, which isalways nice. The photos were good. Those plastic covers: diffusers anddeflector...busted on the first dives that I used them on. Simply snapped. Why?I have no idea. Little sharp pieces of plastic with 10 LB fishing line draggingbehind me until the dive was finished. That's great. Maybe I just need anothersponge or a bigger sponge? Well, I'm at a FOB in Afghanistan, and it will beanother year before I can get back in the water. I don’t have out-going mail, so it will bethat long before I can ship this back to Ikelite. Mail comes in, we just don’t have a postoffice to send things out. This littleproblem didn't destroy my vacation, but I'd really like to shoot video and trydifferent settings next time. Funnything is, the selector functioned before I went to Thailand. I generally like puzzles, but not when I’mon vacation. Any suggestions?

[Ikelite Staff]

Manow,

Until you are able to return the housing to Ikelite for analysis, try locating and placing one or two thin washers underneath the gray hub (sponge type disc). This should move the hub farther down on the hub shaft resulting in better contact with the camera mode dial, as you had suggested.

If this does not resolve the issue, please refer to the "Returning Products for Service" section of your general instruction manual.

Regards,

Brett Foster - Ikelite

[Manow]

Perhaps I will send it back to Ikelite, or I might just "live with it" the way it is. Thanks for your help.

[Manow]

I believe I've found a solution! I just returned from another 2-week dive trip, and again I was frustrated with the Ikelite Housing. I did try to place washers, and then o-rings in the stack above the gray hub (sponge type disc). Nothing seems to work, because the gray hub just didn't have the strength, and would smash against the camera selector knob, and the foam bulges out the sides. Basically, the gray hub wouldn’t stay stiff enough. After putting the o-rings in the stack, I had to seriously work the camera into the housing. And, it just didn’t work! The sponge collapsed! So, I placed two (2) o-rings around the grayhub (sponge), and this seems to give it the strength, and keeps the gray hub from bulging out the sides. I also tried taking the control arm out, and I placed a single o-ring on the control arm to shorten the range. This worked better, but, I was again forced with the situation of wedging the camera into the housing. It did work better this way. However, I opted to remove this last modification (the o-ring that I placed on the control arm). Now I simply press down firmly on the selector, and the gray hub (sponge) has enough strength, and doesn’t bulge out the sides. From reading posts on different boards, I've noticed that this is not a new problem, and I really hope that in future, Ikelite providesa “hub” firm enough to resolve this issue. Good Luck and be safe.