Functions issue on housing

Hello to all,

My name is Jim Grady. I have been diving since '79 and have been shooting underwater for around 6-7 years. I get some good pics, but still have lots to learn! I am shooting with both a Nikon D-7100 and most recently, a Nikon D-500. 

I have been happy, up until recently, with housings from Sea & Sea. My MDX-500 housing has had issues from the start though. When the housing is assembled, all controls appear to function fine. However, as soon as I vacuum seal it, I loose functionality of the rear panel controls. Last week, on a Socorro Island trip, I even dove the housing without the vacuum seal. Worked until I got to any depth. Then I lost the rear panel controls again. Seems like a pressure thing? This has been an ongoing issue since day one, and its been back to Sea & Sea twice now. Maybe the third time will be the charm ..... or I just got a lemon. Is anyone else out there shooting with the same system, and experiencing these problem?  Any input would be great.

Best Regards,

Jim 

58 minutes ago, JSB4 said:

Hello to all,

My name is Jim Grady. I have been diving since '79 and have been shooting underwater for around 6-7 years. I get some good pics, but still have lots to learn! I am shooting with both a Nikon D-7100 and most recently, a Nikon D-500. 

I have been happy, up until recently, with housings from Sea & Sea. My MDX-500 housing has had issues from the start though. When the housing is assembled, all controls appear to function fine. However, as soon as I vacuum seal it, I loose functionality of the rear panel controls. Last week, on a Socorro Island trip, I even dove the housing without the vacuum seal. Worked until I got to any depth. Then I lost the rear panel controls again. Seems like a pressure thing? This has been an ongoing issue since day one, and its been back to Sea & Sea twice now. Maybe the third time will be the charm ..... or I just got a lemon. Is anyone else out there shooting with the same system, and experiencing these problem?  Any input would be great.

Best Regards,

Jim 

Hey Jim

This sounds very much like a positioning issue of the camera in the housing. There is, I suspect, a control which is getting pressed slightly without you realising which is preventing the rear panel from working.

You could try seeing if you can create this situation outside the housing. Press gently on each button whilst operating the rear panel controls. Does one of them recreate the same situation as in the housing? If you can find that, whatever control on the housing activates that button is pressing too firmly on the button itself and needs a small adjustment. This is generally easy-ish to do but it's finding which button is the culprit is trickier. But it certainly sounds like that is the issue. Not common but not unusual either. 

If you can't identify it, can you take the camera and housing to a dealer? They should be able to set it up for you to avoid the problem, again, by a minor adjustment.

On 12/19/2020 at 10:49 AM, TimG said:

Hey Jim

This sounds very much like a positioning issue of the camera in the housing. There is, I suspect, a control which is getting pressed slightly without you realising which is preventing the rear panel from working.

You could try seeing if you can create this situation outside the housing. Press gently on each button whilst operating the rear panel controls. Does one of them recreate the same situation as in the housing? If you can find that, whatever control on the housing activates that button is pressing too firmly on the button itself and needs a small adjustment. This is generally easy-ish to do but it's finding which button is the culprit is trickier. But it certainly sounds like that is the issue. Not common but not unusual either. 

If you can't identify it, can you take the camera and housing to a dealer? They should be able to set it up for you to avoid the problem, again, by a minor adjustment.

Tim,

Thank you for the input! I will check into this. It would be great if this solve the problem. Currently, I have an email in to Mark at Bluewater Photo Store. That's the shop I have bought all of my underwater photo gear from. They are a great group, that I can't say enough good about. Later this week when I take the housing over to them, I will start trying to track down the potential culprit. Thanks again.

Jim 

13 hours ago, JSB4 said:

Tim,

Thank you for the input! I will check into this. It would be great if this solve the problem. Currently, I have an email in to Mark at Bluewater Photo Store. That's the shop I have bought all of my underwater photo gear from. They are a great group, that I can't say enough good about. Later this week when I take the housing over to them, I will start trying to track down the potential culprit. Thanks again.

Jim 

Hey Jim

If you bought everything from Bluewater, they are the ideal folks to sort it out for you. I'm sure they do the same thing, as, for example, Reef Photo will set up your housing for you if you supply them with the camera body - precisely to avoid the problem you're having.

Hope you can get it solved quickly.

Jim: Bill here. If Bluewater can't get it fixed, bring it the next time we do the Giant Stride and I can help you with it.

BVA
 

All the above are most helpful suggestions.  I just sent you a PM 

Sadly a common problem on mdx d-500 housings that sea and sea are well known of and still they don't fix from factory. You will either need to send it in for fix or ask if they could send you the kit for fix it. As info every one i know in Sweden using  d500in sea and sea housing (7 housings) had a faulty version that had to be sent in to be fixed 

12 minutes ago, Martinhanell said:

Sadly a common problem on mdx d-500 housings that sea and sea are well known of and still they don't fix from factory. You will either need to send it in for fix or ask if they could send you the kit for fix it. As info every one i know in Sweden using  d500in sea and sea housing (7 housings) had a faulty version that had to be sent in to be fixed 

Wow, that is pretty awful. What does the "kit" consist of? If it involves replacing a part that would seem to indicate a design our manufacturing flaw rather than a simple adjustment.

i sent my with camera to sea&sea as mine was one of the first they shipped, so it's mine that's moddel for the fix. i think it was some of the rubber nobs and some adjustments that has to be done. the thing i think is a little sad is that mine was one of the first and they still ship faulty ones.