vkalia

The housing underwent a full service in 2023, so it shouldn't be general degradation (although that's no guarantee of something going wrong). But yeah, as of now, I am leaning towards the water in the case and the blue/red being separate issues. Gonna take it into a deep pool next week and see how it holds up to all the buttons being mashed there. As for no vacuum - I flooded my old Aquatica system 3 times in the 12 years I had it. User error each time (and also why I have not gotten a CCR, despite being seriously tempted). Now I just like the peace of mind of the vacuum alarm as a safety need against my own carelessness. @jlaity yeah, good advice. I admit to get a bit lazy and leaving my O-rings in place. Time to remove it and give it a proper cleaning. Thank you for that timely reminder.

So for me, it never flashes red/blue when I turn it on: only solid blue. Then when I pump it, it slowly turns yellow and then green. At the end of the dive, when I re-pressurize it, it flashes to yellow and then red. This is the table that Nauticam has and it matches my sensor: https://www.nauticam.com/blogs/news/learn-vacuum-valves As for the water drops - initially, that was my assumption too: that some water droplets had fallen in when I had opened the housing, and caused the first problem I had with the sensor (in Egypt). After that, I have taken pains to open the housing in a way that water doesn't go in and the location of the drops (way inside) also feels too far in - but yes, it is possible. I am going to try the napkin trick on the next dive to see if that makes a difference.

Ok, I feel like a muppet now. I checked the Nauticam site after Chris's timely reminder to RTFM, and apparently, with the current set of sensors, flashing red/blue means low battery. I had initially ignored that as an option, b/c I had changed the battery in July 2023 and then again in September 2024, and not dived much with it between those 2 periods or between Sep and now. The water drops inside also threw me off. Have swapped batteries and re-vacced the @#$er. Let's see how it holds up.

So this sordid story of saturated sensors just had another twist: the housing was lying sealed on the dining table for the last couple of days, and the sensor went blue/red again. So I am inclined to think it is an issue with the sensor. So in my case, until today, the sensor only starts to flash after a while. A few times, once I take it in the water and a couple of times on land. I will try clipping off one of the wires and see if that makes a difference. Hmm, good idea. I will try this. I dont know if the drop is going to be large enough to offer a proper taste - each drop is about the size of the condensation droplets that form on bottles, and there are only one or two of them This is a great idea!! Oh, that is super helpful. I have always thought that the flashing red light was loss of vacuum (as that's what happens when I release the vacuum at the end of the dive) and red/blue light was moisture. You are correct - the actual leak alarm doesn't go off, only this red/blue light. As for the water drops - there is usually one drop or so inside the rear cover, in one of bottom metal folds - this could be something that has fallen in when opening the case. But I noticed one drop of water inside the front part of the clamshell, way further inside than one would expect from an O-ring. I also made a big effort to dry the case thoroughly before opening, just to prevent this. Based on the most recent incident, I can think of 2 possible explanations: 1). A slow leak that is enough to set off the vacuum seal alarm, but not enough to re-pressurize the housing immediately 2). A faulty sensor The only argument against #1 is the fact that there was a period between the various incidents when the housing worked flawlessly. I am going to set up the housing again, and leave it for a week or so, to see if this repeats - and then leave it flashing for a few more days, to see if it does lose the vacuum entirely. If there is indeed a loss of vacuum, I will repeat with the 4.33" dome port which was working properly. On a separate note - are there third party sensors that are worth looking into, which might be more robust?

Hmm, that's a good point. And it is possible that the initial drop of water in the alarm may have made it more sensitive to humidity. And yes, please, feel free to edit the title. Sorry about that - usually am more descriptive, not sure where my brain was when I wrote this.

I'd like to get some opinions on the probably cause for an issue I have been having with my Nauticam housing for Olympus mirrorless. As a preface - I generally set up my camera the night before, including pumping the vacuum, so that in case of any slow leak or other issues, there is a full night for said issues to make themselves known. In Egypt, I was using a new 7" port (one I had picked up from a fellow member here) for the first time and I think I got a drop or two of water into the housing when I opened it, causing the moisture alarm to start flashing blue/red whenever I turned it on. I let it dry out and it seemed to work well enough. Then in Raja Ampat last October, with the same 7" port, I had the same issue, this time while diving. The light went from green to flashing blue/red on the second dive of the day. There wasn't any visible water in the housing, so I kept diving and did a third dive without any issues. There was still vacuum inside - I had to release it for quite a bit before I could open the case. But there was a drop or two of water inside. After that, the housing was acting up for a while even on land: it would turn green after vacuum sealing for a bit before going back to flashing blue/red (no leaks though). Changing the battery didnt help. So I sent the housing off to a dealer to check - but he was unable to replicate the problem. The housing was holding a vacuum perfectly for a couple of weeks - all green. When I got it back, I took the housing into a pool and pressed a bunch of buttons - seemed to be working fine and again no issues. I then took the setup to Maldives in Feb, this time with my original 4.33" fisheye port. No issues whatsoever - got 15 dives without any issues. So I attributed this to a glitch/temporary demonic possession and moved on with my life. Last week, I attached a macro port to the housing and took it in the water in Philippines - after the first dive, we were back to the flashing blue/red light. I dried up the housing thoroughly and opened it - again, a couple of drops of water inside. Came back home and left the case open for a few days, and now it seems to fine. I have come up with the following possibilities: 1). Faulty moisture sensor: this is ruled out by the fact that I did have a drop or two of water inside. 2). A leak caused by the port: unlikely for 2 different ports to have the same issue 3). A leaking button: possible but what are the odds this button would cause an issue right away on one dive but let me do 15+ dives earlier without any issues? 4). Condensation from humidity forming inside the housing and triggering the alarm: but is there enough humidity in the air inside a housing to do this? I wouldnt think so. Has anyone encountered something like this?

I feel so low tech - I just turn the computer on my wrist, so that I can see it when I am holding my camera handle. :)

Test paste from Office for Mac to Waterpixels on Safari END PASTE ^ Works for me

The TT is 2.5kg with all the inserts, so yeah, not much of a savings to be had compared to your bag. The Supes do indeed add a massive amount of weight. But the massive battery life and the need to charge only once a week make them worth it (I am not a high volume shooter but even then, the Inons would last a day, tops). What I am thinking of is moving either the strobes or the main housing to something else (a smaller "personal item" bag for the latter, or a couple of lens cases for the former) and sticking the batteries, etc into a pair of cargo pockets. Or do the full Dress of Shame and wear a photographer's vest and stick lenses, etc into it. If I can get the main bag down to 9-10kg, and have the rest go in a small inconspicuous bag, that solves the issue. Need to drag my carcass over to a shop with a lot of camera bags and check out some options, I guess. Weight, mainly - and also distribution across multiple bags

Thanks! My previous MFT system was super compact - Nautical housing, 2x Inon Z240s and a 4.33" fisheye port. I used to fit that into a very small Lowepro backpack that no one ever bothered to check. For the APS-C rig, I am using the same bag I use to carry my wildlife gear - a Think Tank Airport Accelerator, which weighed in at 14kg as shown below. Just camera gear and batteries, and nothing else - and that too, a single port. While it is quite small and I casually sling it on one shoulder while checking in (while wincing on the inside), i am trying to find a way to shave a couple of kg off it, along with separating some of the items into 2 bags.

Does anyone use an Osprey or similar backpack with a camera insert added in, for carrying their underwater rig? If so, what size are you using, and can you share some photos?

Oh lovely! I sold my TG6 system a while back but am thinking of adding a housing for the G7X III to have a secondary camera system. Looking forward to being inspired by what can be done by compact cameras.

Thank you for the info, everyone. Picked up a couple of Sea&Sea 613-core cables and the strobes are firing jes fine. Had an interesting week in Tubbataha - no megafauna sightings but lovely hard coral, lots of reef sharks and generally, very enjoyable diving. Really enjoying shooting with the Marelux and R7 combo!

Thanks, folks. Stride&Stroke has Sea&Sea cables (thanks @Barmaglot for that name) and as per S&S’s website, those are 613 cables. Those should work, right? Someone I know is coming to Malapascua tomorrow and bring it for me, if it does.

awesome - thank you. I have someone coming into Cebu City day after tomorrow. Will see if they can pick this up for me. Or failing that, I will collect on the way back, before I head to Tubbataha. Thanks a ton!