Proper duration for soaking your camera

Hi,

I was wondering how long should I soak my camera in fresh water after a dive? I hear it's important to get the salt water off before it crystalizes so a quick dunk should sufficient until you get home and do a more thorough rinse. Is the removal of that initial salt water crutial?

Here's my situation: I usually pull my camera out of it's housing BEFORE I let it soak. Normally I might let it soak overnight and then dry it off. This time, I found about 2 inches of water sitting on the bottom of my dome port. I've always heard that you don't want to leave your camera in the housing in the event of a partial flood. Thankfully I removed my camera the night before and there wasn't much damage...only a BIG SCARE!!!

So I wanted to get some recommendations on how long it should soak after a weekend of diving?

Also I read some where that the dome port has a tendency more than other lenses. Is that true?

Thanks alot

Vance

I also get the camera out first, clean the seats, lub the o´rings and let it rinse in a plastic case full of fresh water with a flat port overnight...

Initial salt removal is very important, but in some cases this is just not possible.. what you can do is soak a towell in salt water (assuming you have no fresh water available) and put it around the housing, this prevent salt to dry until you reach fresh water.

Pushing all the buttons several times and move all levers is very important too, because salt will dry inside the buttons and levers joints getting rusty with time.

HI,

I always rinse my housing after each dive. But when I get home I

assemble my rig & leave it in fresh water over night pressing all

the buttons/levers etc. After this I dry as much of the water off

& remove the main O ring clean out the grooves & clean the O ring

till the next time I use it. I would also read your housings instructions

for any other maintainance it may require.

Andy

Since it's mostly buttons and knobs you're actually concerned about, Try this:

-dunk your housing for about 15 to 30 seconds

-pull it from the rinse tank

-then use a plastic spray bottle to gently flood each of the buttons and knobs while you work them

Also, avoid using compressed air to blow out the water remaining around the buttons and knobs. You can easily blow water past the first o-ring which means possible corrosion trouble.

The number one rule of underwater photography on a boat is:

_Never_ leave you housing in the rinse tank unattended.

(if the next UW photog rinsing their housing is not paying attention, they'll bash the stuffing out of your housing, strobes, etc.)

Take Care,

Chris

warm water is good, keeping in mind that water can easily be above the mfr maximum operating temperature or storage temperature for a camera.

Thanks everyone for the responses, it sounds like I'm on the right track. Good point about not putting it in the boats rinse tub, I'll keep that in mind.

So it sounds like you can have water enter the housing from time to time in the rinse tub and it's not the end of the world (assuming your camera's not in it or electronics to fry)

Hi Vance,

What a great topic you've brought up. It reminds me of a series of artices written by Bob Warkentin about the Nikonos V camera a few years back. Although the articles discuss the Nikonos V specifically, there are many generalities that apply to our beloved DSLR's It's worth the time to read, here's the link: http://www.southern-nikonos.com/WorkShop/N...hap3/Chap03.htm

-Jim

I'm also won't recommended over night in the water.

I have done it in the past until one of my SB 105 was flood over night.