ChipBPhoto

Hey Alex - thanks for the great info and tips! Egypt has been the top of my bucket list all my life. Diving in the Red Sea will be it even more amazing! Hoping it is more Cayman like this year for sure. There’s a reason I live in warm South Florida. Looking forward to it!

Hi all - Just as an update, I took the rig for another dive today. All functioned as it should. I’ll reach out if I see any other developments or irregularities worth reporting. I definitely have some ideas to trouble shoot real time should it happen again. Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions!

Terrific news! I’ll def look it up. Thanks Tim

Thanks Mike for the awesome info! It’ll be an adventure for sure. Good call about Cairo. I’m hoping the new museum will be open by then, but it’s a moving target for sure. I was told about the Valley of Whales (or something like that) where there are giant whale skeletons in the sand. Sounds cool.

I agree it’s a terrific product; that’s why I bought it. It does not, however, negate the very real, head-scratching challenges I have experienced. This seems to be unique to me for some reason. If I didn’t connect it correctly, the batteries were dead, etc., etc., etc. would be completely understandable and something we all could do at some point. The fact I tested it pre-dive, for no apparent reason it did not function during the dive but the camera was still able to otherwise fully function, and then once returning home and without opening the housing it once again functioned is nothing short of baffling. Especially since this has happened several times with large numbers of dives in between with no issues. Head scratching for sure….

Yes - thats why it’s such a huge mystery. There has been no change in the camera rig parts. This happened with both the original trigger and the replacement trigger. I exclusively use authentic Energizer brand batteries; never generics. I have an idea to test, hopefully tomorrow. I’ll let all know.

I’m definitely good about both firmly inserting the shoe plug and testing/verifying once sealed before I leave my house. I do not open again until I am back in my home or hotel room. The frustrating part is it is extremely intermittent. I have gone months and roughly 100+ dives with no issue since the last occurrence. I’ll try with no vacuum pressure, continue to monitor, and let you know. Thanks again to all!

Outstanding! I was there Sun as well, but didn’t find the cool critters your group found. There’s always tomorrow….

Everything functions correctly with the exception of the trigger firing. Even yesterday when the trigger did not function, I still captured images, adjusted settings, reviewed images, etc. just as normal.

Thanks all for the good comments and attempt to assist. The upside is it is a head scratcher for others as well. At least I haven’t missed the obvious. Attached are images of the hot shoe. No corrosion apparent. I have also inspected the board and it also is corrosion free. This trigger is less than a year old as it was exchanged in an attempt to test if there was an issue with the first trigger. The shutter does function correctly, both in manual and electronic, when the trigger does not fire. This is verified by reviewing the images immediatly following each shutter actuation. The shutter speed is 1/160 or less which is within all parameters. It would seem that if the shutter is functioning every time, external pressure could not be partially depressing a button that would interfere with the flash trigger firing. I checked the 2 bolts holding the board and found they were simply finger tight to hold in place. I keep circling back to perhaps the extra 1/4 - 1/2 pump of the vacuum after the leak indicator light turns solid green may be contributing? @Pavel Kolpakov Any thoughts on this?

Thanks Dave - I’ll give these a try. Really appreciate it!

Good suggestion. Actually I remove the cable underwater and see the trigger itself inside the housing is not firing.

Hmmm…Interesting hypothesis. With that in mind, theoretically creating a greater pressure inside by pumping the vacuum an extra pump could create a similar result as external pressure on the buttons.

All good questions. Yes, when it fails at the beginning of the dive, it’s out for the entire dive. Turning the camera off/on has no impact. I too questioned the pressure aspect, but it’s an aluminum housing at only 10’. I articulate the shutter, press various buttons, but nothing changes. I’ve even left it off for 15 mins + and then turned the camera on again. No change. I did not test it again in the parking lot before I left. (I was just a bit frustrated). When I got home I simply turned on the camera did it worked fine. The housing was still sealed/pressurized. I also checked the battery spring arm and it is very tight against the batteries. When I use the vacuum pump, I vacuum until the light turns solid green and then about 1/4 of a pump more. I do use this body almost exclusively for uw work. It’s really a very bizarre mystery.

Hi @DreiFish - thanks for sharing. Interesting comparison.

Hi Mike - thanks for the great info. I’m on a liveaboard. I do like wrecks which is why I chose it. I’ll also do some touristy things around Cairo, etc. which will be more comfortable at that time. Bummer about no big schools, but just means I’ll have to go back again. What did you see for both water and air temps?

I have been scratching my head on this one so I am reaching out to the global brain trust. Equipment: Sony a1, UW Technics flash trigger for a7RIV/a1, Nauticam Housing, Inon Z-330 strobes, Fiber connection Issue: Flash trigger and strobes fires fine in test at home. Submerge in water (only 10’) and trigger periodically no longer fires. Housing is holding seal with no leaks. Return home and trigger fires correctly. -This has happened 3 times with no pre warning.- No difference in camera, strobe, or trigger settings, pre-dive prep, etc. Trigger is set to “0” for manual. Strobes are not the issue - the trigger is not firing as verified by removing filter cable and viewing housing flash windows. Batteries were recently changed and are authentic Energizer batteries. (No generics). Again, fires correctly in pre-dive tests and then fires correctly in post-dive evaluation, just not underwater on rare occasion. I have used this exact setup for 200+ dives, but have had the failure 3 times total. This most recent failure is today, 7 months and roughly 100+ dives since the last failure. I have also replaced the UW Technics trigger with a new one to make sure it was not a defective unit. I have reviewed with other local photo pros and we are all drawing a blank. They all love theirs and have no issues. UW Technics claims have never heard of this. In frustration I’m even considering replacing my a1 in case it is an obscure short with the hot shoe, but am trying not to go to that extreme. Any ideas or has anyone heard of this weirdness elsewhere? #uwtechnics @uwtechnics

In the SoFL dive community, S&S are considered the least dependable. Unfortunately, due to this they are not recommended by leading uw photography stores. Inon is considered the most dependable / best quality at a reasonable price. I personally have gone through the evolution of the Inon S-2000s, Z-240s, and now Z-330s. If you can find a clean used set they will be an even better price. Just make sure you change the main battery cap o-ring every year or 2 and don’t over tighten the cap. Those are the only 2 considerations I know of to make them last. The Retras are of course the high water mark, but come with the matching price tag. I have not heard any complaints at all regarding their quality. Could be a good investment. Hope this helps.

Loving the episodes @Alex_Mustard ! You and Matthew have a nice chemistry and flow. Great info; look forward to seeing more!

Truly outstanding work @bghazzal ! Fascinating to see the development of the eggs. Keep them coming!

I wasn’t a fan at all when the subscription came to be. With that said, they’ve held up there end of the bargain by making a pretty solid system with frequent, mostly positive regular updates. For both Sony and Fuji, I looked in to Capture One. The normal purchase price (off sale) would equal almost 2 years of payments for LR and PS. I know there are cheaper alternatives, but I’ve been happy with LR and all they have done to support the mostly seamless flow between mobile and desktop editing. This allows me to literally travel with an iPad and SSD drive while still being productive. That’s a big win for me! Mileage may vary for others.

Great images @KevinLee ! I loved my Fuji X-T cameras, especially for travel. I never put them in a housing, but clearly they are solid tools in that world as well. Nicely done!

Terrific images @Pooley ! Thanks for also sharing info on the EMWL. I’m planning to do the Northern Red Sea this November. Question - How is the fish life overall that time of year? I’ve heard the big schools of fish are in the May-Aug time frame.

Great frames @MrChen! Between the recent schools of eagle rays and manatee, it’s tough to decide between macro and wide. Hoping to get there in the AM.

Good question - I found the a1 a tiny bit faster in focus due to the stacked sensor. It was night and day over the RIV. Between the a1 and the RV, is it a deal breaker? Not really. The RV is very close in real usage. If you didn’t do a side-by-side comparison most would never notice. I have a friend that just bought an RV rig and loves it. You should see a big improvement using the Sony 90 with either. It still hunts a bit, but is much better than what you’re probably experiencing now. I found the 28-60 with the WACP-C focused similarly between them, but again most likely faster and more accurate than you’re seeing now. For what it’s worth, Alex Mustard faced the same questions and ended up with the a1. The sole reason was the 1/400 sync option. He is also a Retra user so gets the HSS benefit. (I use Z330s, so no HSS for me) The a1v2 is the unicorn many are chasing. While various rumor sites keep the dream alive, there is no real feel for when we may see an update. Honestly, either would be a great choice, especially with the lens options you’re using.