Fuerte Cases - The Waterproof Case Company - Underwater Dive Camera System

Can I use my digital camera with the Camerashield?

What do I need to know about underwater photography?

Do you have a video housing?

What's with the the camera thickness and diving depth?

Is the CS100 housing different from the CSC100?

What is the best film for UW photos with the CSC100?

How does the Camerashield work?
The most difficult thing to explain is how simple the Camerashield really is. With the premise that most divers are primarily busy staying alive underwater, no one needs a complicated underwater camera with a lot of buttons and adjustments. Time is usually of the essence for underwater photography and between the time allotted by the Clown Fish that is posing for you and the challenge of combating drift and buoyancy while diving, all you really want is to point and shoot. That is exactly and only what you can do with the Camerashield. You can only take the picture by pushing the external actuator lever. Any other features of a camera are not accessible with the Camerashield.

Will my camera work with the Camerashield Housing?
We couldn't say without knowing the actual dimensions of your camera. You can compare the Camerashield housing specs to your camera dimensions. The actuator arm is fully adjustable to align with any shutter button found on the top right half of a camera, so if it physically fits it will work. Included are several closed cell foam pieces to wedge and prop the camera in the housing. Do consider any zoom lens that extends when the camera is turned on. You may also consider the CSC100 (with 35 mm Camera) to get comfortable with the Camerashield and later use it with other cameras. Additional foam pieces may be required.

Does it float?
The Camerashield will float with up to 2 and 1/4 pounds (1 Kg.) inside. It has a positive buoyancy that will overcome the weight of any camera. If it were to get away, you can be certain that you will find it again by going to the surface. It can be attached to your BC with a lanyard and left to float above you until needed. Our customer Gary, from Florida, purchased a CSC100 (with 35 mm camera, wide angle) and a CS100 (housing only) in which he used a digital camera set at Macro. For less $$ than one regular dive camera he had both ideal underwater photo settings close at hand. One floats on his left side and the other on his right side. With other adjustable cameras he had to always remember what the camera was set at before taking that great shot. Many great shots have been lost while fumbling around with complicated cameras.

How deep can I go with the Camerashield?
Camerashield has a certified depth rating of 100 feet (33 Meters). Camerashield housings are regularly tested at our molding facility to pressures that equal 145 feet. The Camerashield has been diver tested to as deep as 185 feet by Water Education Training, in San Diego.

Will my zoom lens work in the Camerashield?
We recommend that you disable your zoom lens and if possible set your camera to wide angle as these take the best UW pictures unless you plan on only going after small critters and then set at macro for that dive. Ideally you want your camera lens up against the Camerashield glass to prevent the flash from reflecting within the housing causing, what we call, light scatter. Zoom is not practical underwater since what your eyes see is not the same as what the camera sees. Fish have a tendency of not posing for very long and you have to get what you can when you can. The camera will take pictures of water itself and depending on clarity, debris and organisms floating around. No such thing as panoramic underwater pictures as a rule, and 4 to 10 feet gets the best results. Lighting is really your main concern so always use your flash and take advantage of natural lighting as much as possible by shooting upwards. Here you can take pictures of other divers or fish profiles. Below 6 feet the red color disappears first and has to be reintroduced with the flash.

What happens if it gets scratched?
The housing has a lip at its perimeter to prevent scratches when you set it down. For the most part, small scratches will disappear underwater as the density is similar. If you were to accidentally manage to gouge it somehow, like on a reef, you still may not have a problem if it does not coincide with the exact location of your camera lens. Depending on your camera size you may also be able to set it up differently to re-align it away from a major scratch. Even then, not all is lost. The Camerashield is designed in such a way that you can flip the cover over and use the other side of the housing the same way, as both sides are identical. To protect your Camerashield when transporting it or in storage, we offer a protective Neoprene sleeve that can be attached to to the Camerashield with a ring and becomes a lanyard and wrist strap while diving.

Is that a replacement O' Ring seal on the latches?
NO, it is NOT a replacement O' ring Seal for the Camerashield lid. It is only to help keep the latches in place in case you were to accidentally snag it on something. The Rubber Safety Ring will spring the latches toghether again. The Safety Ring is about 1/2 the diameter size of the O' Ring Seal.

Can I use a digital camera?
Assuming that you have already confirmed that dimensionally it will fit inside the housing, it will work. There are however, some things to consider when using a digital camera with the Camerashield Housing. Most digital cameras have an auto shut-off after (3-5 minutes) feature to save battery life and you need to be aware, especially when going diving that you will not be able to access the power button in the event that your camera turns itself off.

We find that most, if not all digital cameras available today can have this feature turned off or the time lengthened before it automatically turns itself off. You will be able to confirm this from reading your camera owner's manual to learn how to change this setting. Even with earlier model digitals that cannot have the shut down setting changed, this can still be overcome by intentionally sacrificing a few pictures during a dive to keep the camera turned on. Most digital cameras can store in excess of 100 pictures so even if you ultimately have to sacrifice (and later delete) 15 pictures you have bought yourself 30 to 45 minutes of 'ON' time. (Most dive times last 45 to 60 minutes.)

We also recommend that you always start off with a fresh set of batteries to avoid a shutdown because your batteries ran out during a dive.

What do I need to know about underwater photography?
Here are a couple tips to help you get the best possible underwater pictures:
(underwater, most photography rules change, practice makes perfect)

1. Always use your flash, this will dramatically improve picture quality by introducing the red color that is lost underwater.
2. When possible, fix the focus to fixed or wide angle.
3. Set camera with the lens all the way up against the glass to avoid the flash reflecting inside the housing into your picture.
4. Take advantage of natural lighting by taking pictures upwards (towards surface) rather than downwards, away from light.
5. Get as close as possible to your target. Four feet is ideal for wide angle. Closer, use Macro.
6. As you dive, the housing will flex slightly inward, and since you placed the camera forward against the glass (#3 above) it will move it backwards a bit. Keep this in mind when setting up the shutter actuator so that the camera movement does not miss the button when you get to 100'. At this depth we are only talking about 2 mm, but if you start way off center you chance missing the button at certain depths.

Do you have a video housing?
Sorry, nothing for a video yet.

What's with the the camera thickness and diving depth?
We did find that with a really thick camera the dive pressures at 125 feet (exceeding our rating) on the housing could begin to squeeze the camera to the point of preventing the motor from advancing the film. This did not cause any permanent damage to the camera. When surfacing, the camera started working again at about 120'. Never seen a problem with a digital and any 35 mm that can allow for the deflection will also be okay.. At 145' (as far as it has been tank tested) we can establish a deflection on the center of the housing of 2.5 mm (nothing really). We anticipate that it will handle in excess of 200 feet without any problems and we are currently testing for that. Loss of lighting becomes a problem after a while and we find that the best pictures are mostly at no deeper than 60 feet anyway. As far as the actual mechanisms in a camera, we have not yet found one that will cause any problems at any of the depths we recommend. The actuator arm of the Camerashield is one of the features that makes it unique. All other dive housings duplicate the buttons of a camera and are therefore prone to sticking and malfunctioning because they rely on a spring to overcome the pressure in the same direction of the shutter button. With Camerashield this problem is non existent.

Is the CS100 housing different from the CSC100?
Same housing. The CS100 includes foam supports that make it somewhat more versatile for setting up different cameras. The CSC100 also has foam supports and a couple plastic inserts that are designed to specifically hold our 35 mm camera. These inserts can be turned around and still be used with other cameras if found to be a good match. Some cameras, depending on shape and dimension may require additional foam pads to properly support a camera and prevent it from shifting.

What is the best film for UW photos with the CSC100?
ISO 200 down to 40 feet, ISO 400 below that.