Taking care of my Sony RX100 Nauticam housing

[jamjam]

Hi all,

So after I flooded my Canon s90 in it's polycarbonate housing (completely through my own neglect - massive dent in O-ring that I didn't pick up on), I upgraded to the Sony RX100 and the Nauticam housing. Absolutely loving it! I'm also trying to take MUCH better care of it than I did the S90.

A few questions on that score...

- What bag/case are people using to transport the case? I'm using a makeshift lunch box bag with additional foam padding as it's too large but it's hardly a long term solution for me. Seems there aren't specific cases for the housing. I'll go check a regular photography store once I have a chance but was wondering what other people were using.

- I have 20 dives on the camera and the moisture alarm seemed to stop working very soon after the very first few dives. (I tested by removing and replacing the battery - usually an alarm goes off as an alert. Also, touched the two wires with a damp cotton bud but no alarm). Does the moisture alarm battery die that rapidly? I wouldn't have thought so...how often do these batteries typically need to be replaced?

- I feel like I want to dive with the lens cap tied to the camera. When not shooting, I'd rather cap it. This does mean that underwater the cap is floating around and can (often) be annoying if it floats in front of the lens or the lcd panel. Am I being a bit paranoid about capping it underwater when not shooting (e.g. if current gets too strong). Or is there another underwater solution?

- How often (if at all) do these cases need to be manufacturer serviced?

- How long to soak the camera in fresh water after use?

Sorry if the questions are basic. Loving the new camera and housing but none of my dive buddies are UW photographers so don't have anyone to ask the silly questions of

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

hey JamJam, congrats on your new setup

- it sounds like the leak detector has a problem, not the battery. Battery will last for a long time.
- I personally only worry about capping dome ports, not flat ports / standard ports like the one on the RX-100 housing
- I soak my gear for about 60 seconds, right after each dive if possible.

Let's see some photos soon! - Scott

 

[Larry C]

Nothing wrong with an insulated lunchbox. I pack my DSLR rig in one of those $7 Costco "Stay Cool" zippered cooler bags. It works great at keeping the direct sun off on deck and I've had my cylinder/bc fall on it in the boat and the padding prevented any dings. My little Olympus had a tethered lens cap for the port and it drove me crazy. I can't tell you how many pictures were ruined by the stupid thing floating in front of the port. I took it off and never looked back. I don't cap my dome either, but I've had some really nasty scratches from the camera getting whipped around in big current while rock hopping to keep from flying away. Best prevention for that is a secure tether system that keeps you from having to hold the rig in one hand while attending to important business. I use two now and shorten them up for hands free hanging during critical activity. I can still shoot that way if necessary, but the rig doesn't whip around or require me to constantly switch hands for buoyancy control or deployment of SMB, etc.

 

[jamjam]

Thanks, Scott. Trying to upload some pics right now. A little daunted by the quality of some of the pics uploaded by members - I'm still learning my camera and using my UK Light Canon as a strobe The plan is to get better and to find the money to buy the strobes and lenses I am drooling over

---------- Post added January 6th, 2013 at 01:26 AM ----------

Done! First shots with Sony RX100 - Philippines - - ScubaBoard Gallery

 

[Interceptor121]

- What bag/case are people using to transport the case? I'm using a makeshift lunch box bag with additional foam padding as it's too large but it's hardly a long term solution for me. Seems there aren't specific cases for the housing. I'll go check a regular photography store once I have a chance but was wondering what other people were using.

I use a lowepro backpack for travel and then once on the boat or location pretty much bring it around by hand and cover it as necessary

- I have 20 dives on the camera and the moisture alarm seemed to stop working very soon after the very first few dives. (I tested by removing and replacing the battery - usually an alarm goes off as an alert. Also, touched the two wires with a damp cotton bud but no alarm). Does the moisture alarm battery die that rapidly? I wouldn't have thought so...how often do these batteries typically need to be replaced?

Sometimes those watch style batteries have been sitting around a while and they discharge, try putting a new one in and test the damp alarm, in storage is better to remove the battery as there are parasite currents draining it

- I feel like I want to dive with the lens cap tied to the camera. When not shooting, I'd rather cap it. This does mean that underwater the cap is floating around and can (often) be annoying if it floats in front of the lens or the lcd panel. Am I being a bit paranoid about capping it underwater when not shooting (e.g. if current gets too strong). Or is there another underwater solution?

No lens cap it is more an annoyance as others say, just don't leave the camera dangling against your gear because this is when you scratch it. on boats tell the crew how to handle it and bring a towel to repair it from condensation and scratches

- How often (if at all) do these cases need to be manufacturer serviced?
Never serviced one including plastic. Always do a pre-trip visual inspection and soak in the bath tub at home with tissues it so you don't take something with you that is not working

- How long to soak the camera in fresh water after use?

Usually 1 minute after each dive push all buttons controls, never leave the camera in the rinse tank as someone will dump something else and potentially damage your gear
then a proper 24 hours soak at home. Sometimes residue does build up this can be removed with a soft brush or an old soft toothbrush to reach crannies where sediment may build up

 

[ivakdiver]

Very nice first shots, jamjam! So nice to see. I'm sitting up here in Canada with my Rx100 and no place to go for a while, so it's good to see what results people like you are getting. One question. We're you using a close up lens? I would imagine you were as I've heard the close up capabilities of the Sony Rx100 Are not as good as other cameras.
Keep on posting, please!

 

[jamjam]

Thanks, Ivakdiver. Yes, the advantage of living in the Philippines is that you can make a quick day trip down to some fantastic sites to check out new gear

On the camera, no, no macro lens, no strobe. Just the camera itself, the Nauticam housing and my UK Light Canon for extra lighting. Can't wait to get proper lighting and a macro lens, though. Not sure in comparison with other cameras, but in comparison to my old Canon s90, the macro capabilities on the Sony are far superior. When compared to dSLRs, I'm sure there is a lot wanting - but then again, that's a price range I'm not willing to go into.

I think you'll have a lot of fun with it once you make your way out to some diving

 

[Interceptor121]

Interesting you say that about the s90 I still have an s95 and outbid the box I would say it is better
Once you add diopters thought the superior optics and chip of the rx100 comes out
Well done on your first shots!

 

[jamjam]

Really? That's interesting - for underwater, I could never get my s90 (for four years!) to perform the way the rx100 has on it's first few dives out (my photography skills have not improved in the meanwhile ). On the other hand, I know the s100 is much better than the s90 so perhaps the s95 onwards, the macro capacity improved? The housing wouldn't make a difference would it? I had a Canon housing for the s90 and a Nauticam for the rx100. But I feel like that only makes a difference once you have the add-ons, like lenses, etc.

 

[Interceptor121]

There were some reports of focus problems with the S90 but I never heard an example from UW
All in all than happy days?