Scuba related websites

(Mostly stuff I keep tabs on)

news:rec.scuba

Taking the Elph underwater:

Most everything on this page is pretty old. More current info is on the Sole Searchers Dive Club page (link below).
However, here is a project of note for anyone owning a Canon Digital Elph S110 who wants to take it underwater. There is no underwater housing designed for this camera so I modified one to work.The housing I used was a Canon DC600 housing which is designed for the Elph S200 and S300 series. They can be bought on http://www.Amazon.com for about $150. This housing is depth rated to 100ft though I've had it deeper.

The housing is designed for a camera that is slightly smaller than the S110. In order to fit the camera, the side brackets need to be widened and the depth stops need to be deepened. I used a nibbler, available from Radio Shack, and a sharp wood chisel. Once the camera sits in the housing with the correct depth, the rear buttons can be modified to activate the Elphs.

I will descibe the modifications for each button in sequence from left to right as shown in this picture.

1. Remove the rubber tire from the Play/Record rotator and notch the plastic to clear the camera. I was not able to enable this function. I simply make sure the camera is set to record before closing the housing. Had I thought about it more carefully before I started, it may have been possible.

2. ON/OFF, Zoom, and Shutter (shown in the other photo) do not need modification to function if you clearanced the housing properly.

3. DISP button. I used the button on the housing marked Macro/Scene to activate the DISP on the S110. Swap the pin from the topmost rear button (with a blue offset arm) labeled with a focus square. Now you must find a piece of flat plastic which you can cut that has an upward curve on one end. Shape an arm that reaches to where the DISP button is on the camera. This is the hardest step of the job and I went through several iterations until I found the correct piece.

4. MENU button. Remove the rubber bumper from this pin and shorten the pin down to the indentation where the rubber bumper grabbed the pin and file the pin flat. Find an old 3.5" floppy disk and remove the aluminum gate. Cut a section from the gate near the edge where the gate folds in two 90 degree angles. You will end up with a U shaped piece which is about 1/4" square on the faces. Bore a hole through one face so you can insert the pin through it and reattach the C-clip inside the U. Make sure the offset puts the 90 degree bends next to the case's plastic stop. This will create a lever to push the menu button.

5. ARROW RIGHT button. Just remove the rubber bumper from the blue arm.

6. ARROW LEFT button. Remove the rubber bumper and shorten the pin down to the indentation where the rubber bumper grabbed the pin and file the pin flat, like in step 4.

7. SET/FLASH button. Remove the rubber bumper and shorten the pin down to the indentation where the rubber bumper grabbed the pin and file the pin flat, like in step 4.

Check the tolerances, clearances and distances with your camera often. Measure twice, cut once and make sure to keep things clean. Make sure there is adequate clearance between the buttons on the back of the camera and the camera itself. At depths below 30ft the case becomes compressed enough to activate and hold down buttons if they are too close.

This camera takes wonderful photos underwater. I often set the camera to manual and turn on the macro mode. I set the exposure to "Cloudy Day" and set the flash to always on. I use the LCD display to frame shots and since the camera is so small, it allows me to move the camera right up next to fish. The camera is set is a 2 second review so I can see if I got the shot. The housing is top quality and being able to access virtually all menus and functions underwater is really nice. For macro, the housing comes with a flash difuser plate that slides in and out while staying on a lanyard. It tends to float into the frame when off. Always make sure the eye of the subject is in focus and the rest will follow.

Try to shoot upward whenever possible and make sure your background is varied and interesting. Generally you need visibility that is 7 times the distance from the camera to your subject. If you are diving in a 10ft vis day, you'll be shooting macro only. The beauty of a digital camera, of course, is that you can through out pictures at will so snap away and experiment some. If you own a program like Photoshop, you can color balance your pictures after the fact by using the Auto Levels or other similar functions. This really helps bring out the colors that the small flash can't portray. As far as printing your digital photos is concerned, spare your $89 inkjet "photo printer" the trouble and upload them to YahooPhotos or the like and order prints from your favorites. The quality will be much better than even the best home inkjet and will probably be cheaper. 4x5 prints are only 19 cents each from the web and look as good as a film camera. Actually, the Elph produces better pictures than my previous Reefmaster by far.

Do you own a Reef Master camera?

Click here

Back to My Home Page