Congratulations on your purchase of an Ikelite Digital Camera
Housing. Ikelite has over 30 years of experience in the underwater
photographic and lighting market. Our products are designed and
built in the USA by Ikelite for both the professional and amateur
photographer.
The clear housing permits instant visual inspection of the camera
and all sealing surfaces as well as complete monitoring of controls
and camera LCD screens.
Ikelite Digital Housings are slightly negative in salt water for
stability. This housing has been water pressure tested at the
factory. Housing is pressure tested to 200’ (60m).
2
OOppeenniinngg tthhee HHoouussiinng
Lid Snaps have a
LLoocck
g
k
.
To open, push Lid Snap
Lock forward and lift as
shown. Keep pressure
on the Lid Snap so it
does not fly open
quickly.
Some lid snaps have a
lot of spring tension
once they go over center, have a firm grip on the lid snap. Lid
Snaps may be opened one at a time.
IInnssttaalllliinngg tthhee CCaammeerra
Install a fully charged battery
a
into the camera before
camera to the housing’s mounting tray.
Remove the back from
the housing. The
mounting tray for the
camera is secured to the
housing back. Position
the camera
and secure it with the
mounting bolt which
threads into the camera's
tripod socket.
CCAAUUTTIIOONN:
on the tray
:
Some camera tripod
socket threads
cross thread or over tighten as you may damage the camera
tripod socket threads.
are plastic. The mounting bolt is metal.
3
securing the
Do not
FFllaasshh CCoonnnneeccttiioon
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When using an external strobe connect the housings Hot Shoe
Connection, slide the connector into the hot shoe of the camera
from the back as shown. Slide the connector forward until it
stops. This can be done after the camera is mounted to the
mounting tray.
Only remove the External Strobe Connector's waterproof cap
when a sync cord is going to be connected.
When installing the camera into the the housing, pull up on the
CF Control in the housing front so it clears the camera. You may
have to turn the CF Control to clear the Mode Dial on the top
of the camera during installation.
4
Shutter Release
LCD
Zoom
CF Card
Power
Jog Dial
CClloossiinngg tthhee HHoouussiinng
1. Place housing face down in your
lap.
2. Check to see that there is an
o’ring on the housing back and
hat it is clean and in its proper
t
location.
. Guide the back onto the housing.
3
The o’ring should touch the
housing all the way around. There
should be an even gap all the way
round between the housing and
a
the housing back.
4. Lift the lid snaps so they are
extended and place the lid snap
into the hook on the housing
back.
. To close the housing push
5
down on the lid snaps until
they snap into place . Lid
snaps on opposite sides of the
housing should be closed at the
same time. Be sure they are down
far enough to engage the lock.
DDoouubbllee cchheecck
Check the gap between the housing back and the housing, it
should be even all the way around.
Look through the clear plastic back at the o’ring. You should see a
darkened area where the o’ring is compressed against the
housing back. If you do not see an even black compression seal
all the way around the back, open the lid snaps, reseat the
housing back and close the lid snaps. Visually check the seal again.
k
- Once the housing is closed, check the o’ring seal.
g
housing back
o’ring
housing
housing back
even gap
all 4 sides
o’ring
housing
CChheecckkiinngg CCoonnttrroolls
Once the housing has been closed, push the controls back into
place. Make sure they line up with the camera’s controls.
TTuurrnn CCaammeerraa OOn
Turn the camera on and operate each of the housing controls to
get a feel for using the camera in the housing. Take a few
pictures above water with the camera in the housing.
JJoogg DDiiaall CCoonnttrrool
The housing’s Jog Dial
Control has a small bump
n the inside face of the
o
control for depressing the
Jog Dial on the camera.
The small bump is in the
ame location as the
s
white dot on the control
knob. To use, rotate the
control knob until the
white dot is in the 6
o’clock position. In this
position the small bump will depress the Jog Dial.
To select an item turn the jog dial to the item you want to set.
Then pull out on the control slightly and position the white dot
over the jog dial and depress. This will set the item you selected.
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Back of Housing
5
LLuubbrriiccaanntts
1. Ikelite provides silicone lubricant with the housing. We
recommend that you use only Ikelite lubricant on Ikelite
products as some other brands may cause the o’ring to swell
and not seal properly.
2. Use only enough lubricant to lightly cover control shafts and
o’rings. Wipe off any excess lubricant with a clean cloth.
Lubricant is not a sealant, it is used to reduce friction. Excessive
lubricant can collect sand and dirt which may interfere with
proper sealing.
O'rings last for several years if properly maintained.
(See Maintenance) Always carry a spare o'ring in case
the housing o'ring becomes damaged or lost.
UURR//PPrroo FFiilltteerr ##66444411..441
The UR/Pro underwater color correcting filter is designed to
restore some of the warm colors filtered out by the water. For
available light use only, not recommended for use with flash.
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.
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1
6
CCaammeerraa’’ss BBuuiilltt--iinn FFllaassh
The camera’s built-in flash cannot be used to illuminate subject
underwater.
EExxtteerrnnaall FFllaassh
CCaammeerraa SSeettttiinnggs
When using an external flash
you must turn external flash on
in the camera’s menu. See
camera instruction booklet.
The Ikelite EV-Controller
provides 10 manual power
settings in half-stop increments
with the DS51 or DS125
Substrobes. The EV-Controller
must be triggered by the
optional #4103.51 sync cord
attached to the housing
bulkhead.
External strobes expand lighting
options to achieve the best
lighting for different subjects. A second external digital strobe
package can be added to fill shadows and produce more realistic
photographs.
Any Ikelite Substrobe, Substrobe 50, Substrobe DS51, Substrobe
100, Substrobe DS125 or Substrobe 200 can be connected to the
housing and used in the manual mode with the #4103.51 sync cord.
h
s
.
h
Substrobe
DS51 or
DS125
SA-100Q
Arm
-Contr
EV
#4103.51
Sync Cord
.
oller
7
8
MMaaiinntteennaanncce
he Ikelite Digital Housing should be given the same care and
T
e
attention as your other photographic equipment. In addition to
ormal maintenance we recommend that the housing be returned
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to Ikelite periodically to be checked and pressure tested.
DDoo NNoot
t
.
1
eave the camera and housing in direct sunlight for
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prolonged periods. Heat may damage the camera.
DDoo NNoot
2.
3. Before using the housing, always check the tightness of the
t
ship the camera in the housing.
ssccrreew
w
in each control knob.
heck each
C
ccoonnttrrooll ggllaannd
d
enetrating the housing to make sure
p
sseet
they are tight. There is a slight chance that either could vibrate
oose during travel.
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4. Keep the back o’ring clean and lightly lubricated. To lubricate
remove the o’ring from the back. Put a small amount of lkelite
lubricant on your fingers. Draw the o’ring through your fingers
to apply a light coating of lubricant. Only apply enough
lubricant to make the o’ring feel slick.
DDoo NNoott ssttrreettcchh tthhee oo’’rriinng
This light coating of lubricant will help to keep the o’ring from
drying out and will help to show a dark sealing line when the
housing back is properly sealed.
5. Keep the area where the o’ring fits and the sealing surface of
the housing clean.
6. Rinse the housing exterior thoroughly in fresh water after each
salt water use. Dry with a soft cloth. Dry lens port to eliminate
water spotting.
After several uses in salt water soak the housing in a mild soap
solution, rinse and dry before storage. When storing the
housing, remove the back o’ring, lightly lubricate and place in a
plastic bag. Place the plastic bag with o’ring inside the housing
for safe keeping.
Ikelite controls are designed to provide years of reliable service
with minimal maintenance.
1. Push button controls require no maintenance other than rinsing
in fresh water after saltwater use. If a push button control
becomes difficult to push or if it sticks when depressed, soak the
housing in luke warm fresh water. After a few minutes operate
the push button. If this does not correct the problem, return the
housing to Ikelite for maintenance.
2. Some of the controls have long shafts. These controls can be
lubricate shaft
housing
pull out to
expose shaft
pulled out, exposing the shaft (see drawing).
To lubricate the control, gently pull on the knob until the
stainless steel shaft is exposed. Lightly lubricate the shaft, then
move the shaft in and out several times. This will lubricate the
x’ring in the Ikelite control gland. This should be done before
using the housing after a prolonged storage period, or once a
week when the housing is in use.
3. Some of the controls have a short shaft and cannot be pulled
out exposing the shaft for lubrication. In the unlikely event one
of these controls sticks or becomes difficult to operate you can
remove the control from the housing and lubricate it, or return
the housing to Ikelite for maintenance. To remove the control,
loosen the set screw in the knob (allen wrench required);
remove the knob. If there is salt or dirt build-up on the exposed
control shaft, clean the shaft. Open the housing and gently slide
the control shaft out of the control gland. Clean and lightly
lubricate the shaft, including the end of the shaft. Slide the
shaft back into the control gland and gently slide it back and
forth a few times without fully removing the shaft from the
gland. Replace the knob, NOTE the flat area on the shaft, the
set screw in the knob should tighten down against the flat area
on the control so the knob does not turn on the shaft.
ol
contr
shaft
Tighten set screw down
against this area when
eplacing the knob
r
Flat
housing
Lubricate end of shaft
.
befor
gland
e r
einser
gland
Loosen set screw
(allen wrench required)
ting into
10
11
PPhhoottoo TTiipps
1. The number one rule in underwater photography is eliminate as
much water between camera and subject as possible. Get as
close as you can to the subject, then use the zoom. If you are
using flash, subjects beyond 6 feet (1.8m)will not have much
olor.
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2. If the camera’s built-in flash is being used it is very close to the
amera lens. The flash will light up any suspended particles in
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the water and they will be recorded in your picture. This effect
is called backscatter. To eliminate as much backscatter as
possible, photograph close. Photograph in clear water; do not
tir up the sand or silty bottom. If backscatter becomes a
s
problem in the environment you are photographing, an external
flash will help eliminate much of the backscatter.
3. Digital cameras have a slight lag time between when you press
the shutter release button and the camera actually takes the
picture. Hold the camera steady a second or two after pressing
he shutter release button.
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4. Do not shoot down on subjects as they will quite often blend
into the background and be difficult to see in the photograph.
Shoot subjects straight on or shoot up at a slight angle using
the blue water as a contrasting background.
5. Underwater flash is used to restore the warmer colors filtered
out by the water as well as to illuminate the subject. When
photographing underwater, set the camera to use flash on
every shot. If the camera’s flash is set to AUTO and the sun is
behind your subject, the camera may see enough light that it
does not fire the flash. With the sun behind the subject the
subject is shaded (dark) and needs flash for a good exposure.
s
PPhhoottoo TTiippss CCoonntt.
6. Since opinions vary on what is the correct exposure you may
want to adjust your camera for what you like exposure wise.
Many cameras allow you to adjust both available light and flash
exposure with the EV control in the camera’s menu.
7. Many photographers transfer their images to the computer
here they can fine tune the appearance of the image. Many of
w
the image manipulation programs make you think you can
magically correct any image taken and make a good picture.
One thing to remember when using image manipulation
rograms, if the image is overexposed much of the color is
p
missing. If the color is missing you cannot adjust it. If images
are underexposed some color and detail may be there, it is just
dark and you can adjust it to some degree. So if you error in
exposure it is better to have the image slightly underexposed
than over exposed.
.
12
GGeenneerraall TTiipps
1. Due to the power required to operate the camera, flash, and LCD
screen it is a good idea to start each dive with a fresh batteries.
2. Some cameras reset their flash to AUTO when the camera is
turned on. If you prefer another setting be sure to select it.
3. As soon as you enter the water, take a moment and check the
housing to see that it is properly sealed.
4. Next, check to see if there are any bubbles on the face of the
lens port. If there are, take your finger and remove them. If
there are bubbles on the lens port they can produce soft focus
spots in your photographs.
IIkkeelliittee LLiimmiitteedd WWaarrrraanntty
All Ikelite products are warranted against any manufacturing
defects for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase.
Defective products should be returned prepaid to Ikelite. Ikelite
will, at its discretion, repair or replace such products, and will
return to customer prepaid. All other claims, of any nature,
including but not limited to bulb failure are not covered. Except as
mentioned above, no other warranty expressed or implied, applies
to this Ikelite product.
Ikelite is most interested in preforming any service to assure that
all products perform as intended. For repair or service, return
the product to the address below with your name, address,
phone number and a brief description of the problem. Evidence
of purchase date must be provided to obtain warranty service.