Balancing a photo rig

[Timmyjoe]

I've got a Nikon 1 WP-N1 housing on an ULCS tray with handle + ball, double ball arm, couple of clamps, and a Sea & Sea YS-D1. Also got a mounting ball on the cold shoe, another clamp, and a Sola 800 focus light. When I extend the YS-D1 out to the side and angle it back in (to avoid backscatter) the rig gets a little unruly.

Is there some method folks use to balance their underwater camera rigs? It's better in the water than out, but it's still kind of lopsided.

Thanks,
-Tim

 

[jmartel]

If you want to know exactly, you can fill up a garbage can full of water, and hang the whole rig assembled in it so it's fully submerged. If you can hang it from a scale, you know exactly how negatively buoyant it is. You can then use that information to look for float arms or floats that will make it neutral. Remember to multiply by 1/1.025 if you are going to dive in saltwater and fill the garbage can with freshwater.

Or, you can buy some floats and keep adding them until it is how you want in the water if you don't have a scale.

 

[fmerkel]

Just like scuba, there is buoyancy and trim. I got a couple med-lg fishing net floats. They happen to fit right over ultralight arms. My rig is now near neutral in the water, depending on the lens and port. But, it wants to be lens up depending on where I have the strobes since all the float is concentrated in only 2 places.
You have to figure out how much float, then where to put that float to trim out your system. With a single strobe extended it has the potential to be more awkward.

 

[ColoDale]

Is your question about neutral bouyancy or gettng a balance with one strobe arm extended? Or both?

There are all kinds of floats - belts, rings (around port), tubes (around strobe arms) for bouyancy. It also depends on the port. My wide angle dome port changes the bouyancy and tipping compared to the smaller macro port. I also use two strobe arms so side to side tipping can be compensated by mirroring the arms which is usuall possible. I prefer to use arm floats so the camera hangs below and keeps it upright. The handles (x2) and the arm balls generally keeps the floats above the housing or at least it's center of gravity.

One strobe arm and a float might balance it side to side depending on where the arm is located. I move my strobe arms underwater all the time but if I had one arm it would change tipping balance. If you leave it in one place and it's balanced then your set. Again I move mine all the time especially when shooting macro. WA alot less moves.

With different ports and arm movement, I just deal with it using the same floats. It may get a bit tiring but I would say not unruly problably due to overall bouyancy.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Thank you everyone. Really helpful suggestions. I do have a big garbage can that I use for a rinse tank, I'll fill that up and see how the rig balances, then go looking for some floats.

Best,
-Tim

 

[jmartel]

Styx make foam floats that are "affordable" compared to buoyancy arms. Depending on your setup, you might need 2 packs. I use 8 full jumbo floats on my rig. But that's with 2 strobes and a focus light in a metal housing.