Scuba related sensor dirt/damage

Hi All,

I have just started to use a Nikon D40x in an Ikelite housing. The Camera is 2 years old and up until now I have never had any problems with dirt on the sensor. I took the camera on my honeymoon and used it on several dives, very happy with all the results. When I got back to the UK I took a few shots with a lot of sky in and noticed what I though was some dirt/dust on the sensor.

Luckily I work at a camera shop and asked around for some help with sensor cleaning. I tried rocket blowers and sensor swabs but nothing worked. A colleague put me in touch with a company specialising in sensor cleaning and they have confirmed that the marks are not on top of the "sensor" they are infact between the low-pass filter and the sensor. So it is inaccessible to cleaning with swabs.

I believe it may have been caused by pressure/heat changes during diving, possibly condensation. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Does anyone have any suggestions to prevent it re-occuring?

All help and opinions are appreciated.

Thanks

Alasdair

Nope. Not heard of this one. Assuming you went somewhere warm on honeymoon - your camera wouldn't have been exposed to any unusual temperatures underwater.

And as long as your housing is not leaking - the atmospheric pressure inside will remain at 1 atmosphere (the same as the surface) when you dive. Plus it will remain no more humid than the air you closed inside.

I suspect that this problem may be related to manufacturing - rather than taking the camera underwater.

Alex

I'm with Alex on this one - if you were in a humid environment and took the camera from an air conditioned room to the outside humidity then you would have condensation all over AND inside the camera. That would be my guess for where the problem came from.

When you dive, you actually have a SMALLER reservoir of humid air to condense inside the camera.

Cheers

James