Services

Are you fascinated by underwater photography? That’s great! Now you have to decide for yourself how important this hobby should be. If you just want to take a few snapshots on vacation, you’ll get by with a small, inexpensive system. If you want more and have high image quality requirements, you should choose a system right from the start that meets these requirements and can be flexibly adapted and expanded. Don’t overwhelm yourself at the beginning and start with macro photography. This will give you the best results and presentable images right from the start. SEACAM offers everything you need for this and will be happy to advise you on that.

silver, the unique surface technology was developed by us here at SEACAM. Manufactured in complex mechanical and galvanic steps, this surface defies the toughest attacks by seawater and mechanical stress. The scratch-resistant and corrosion-resistant surface does not need paint or solvents and is pure aluminium. This makes our housings easy to find again if they are discarded or lost by mistake. silver has been our quality standard for over 25 years and will keep your case looking new even after many years of use.

For more than 25 years, our ports and viewfinders have been manufactured in the same dimensions. This consistency allows for easy and unrestricted use of the full range of viewfinders, ports and accessories on all of our housings.

All SEACAM housings are tested to a diving depth of ‑80m. The SUPERDEEP design for housing, ports and flash units allows diving depths of up to ‑200m.

When traveling, it is best to transport your system in a carry-on size backpack from brands like ThinkTank or Lowepro. These flexible pieces of luggage are light, weight-saving and can be packed individually thanks to the practical compartments — camera and laptop included. All batteries always belong in hand luggage to avoid unpleasant surprises on site. If you prefer to check your camera equipment as checked in baggage, we recommend the robust hard-shell cases from Pelicase.

When heading to the dive site or boat, use our paracord lanyard to conveniently carry your gear like a tote or even more gently slung over your shoulder. Neoprene protective covers for the ports and flashes should definitely be included. If you go into the water from the boat, have your housing delivered to you later. If this is not possible, jump into the water as gently as possible, keeping the housing close to your body.

If possible, you should have the housing handed to you. If this is not possible, you can lower your housing to the water on a stable rope, secured with a carabiner and do not forget to retrieve it after the dive. If jumping is the only possibility, adjust the flash arms so that the devices do not hit each other. Hold the camera tightly to your body and jump into the water with your back towards the water.

Securing the housing under water is a personal preference and can be done using the hand strap supplied as standard, with our paracord lanyard or a flexible safety line on the jacket.

After your dive, put your case in a safe place. Make sure that the ports are protected with the neoprene protective caps. Cover your devices with a towel or, if possible, store the devices in the shade.

Soak your equipment thoroughly with fresh water in the containers provided or with a water hose. Operate the controls to remove dirt and water. Then dry your gear with a soft towel, or use a blow-off nozzle on your regulator. In order to prevent glass corrosion, it is particularly important to remove the wet neoprene protective cap from the port, dry the glass and only attach it again when fully dry.

You can find more info below under “Maintenance”.

All of our operating instructions have been carefully prepared so that you can enjoy your high-quality devices and operate them without any problems. You should read the manual and all related instructions thoroughly before use and familiarize yourself with both your camera and the housing. This is the only way you will be able to use all the functions of your devices and avoid malfunctions. If you follow all the instructions carefully, nothing stands in the way of your successful underwater photography.

The most important thing is to familiarize yourself intensively with your camera on land and to get to know its functions. Only those who know how to use their camera on land can work with it underwater without any problems. Before the first installation, read our operating instructions carefully and then install the camera in the housing according to our instructions. Be sure to check the condition of the battery in advance and whether you have inserted a storage device in your camera.

Always follow the instructions in our operating instructions. The neck strap must always be removed from the camera before installation in the housing. We also recommend this for the rubber viewfinder protection of the camera, unless the camera does not allow this and the viewfinder protection is firmly attached to the camera.

Due to the ever larger lenses and associated gear rings, it is much easier to put the lenses into the housing from the front after the camera has been installed. This system makes it easy to change lenses, even under difficult conditions, without having to open the housing completely. The necessary lens release button is standard on every housing.

All our housings are equipped with 2 x S6 or N5 flash sockets as standard. Depending on the model, the connections for vacuum, remote, HDMI, LAN and external power connection are provided. There are 2 T‑pieces for attaching flashes, an M8 thread on the housing roof and a 3/8″ tripod thread connection on the underside of the housing.

Both focus and zoom transmission are available on all SEACAM silver housing models. With SEACAM compact housings, you have the option of either zoom or focus adjustment due to the smaller size of the housing. There are front ports with an additional drive for special applications.

In order to protect your valuable camera from water, we only use grease and oil-resistant precision O‑rings of the highest quality. The robust and hard-wearing housing O‑ring is particularly strong and, thanks to its soft quality, ensures perfect safety. The front ports and controls are reliably protected against water ingress with up to 4 seamless O‑rings.In order to protect your valuable camera from water, we only use grease and oil-resistant precision O‑rings of the highest quality. The robust and hard-wearing housing O‑ring is particularly strong and, thanks to its soft quality, ensures perfect safety. The front ports and controls are reliably protected against water ingress with up to 4 seamless O‑rings.

The halves of the housing close with 2 safety locks with a clamping force of 60 kg each. Sealed with multiple O‑rings, these locks remain dry and protected from any contamination. High grade titanium paired with the highest quality stainless spring steel guarantees an unlimited service life. Despite the high closing force, the latches are easy to operate, even with smaller hands.

Our vacuum system is combined with the optical-acoustic leak detector. Within 4 minutes after activation, the vacuum system checks whether the housing has been correctly closed and whether it is leak-proof under water. After a successful test, an acoustic signal sounds and the visual display flashes green. The electronics then switch off to save battery. The leak detector in standby mode always remains active and provides additional security.

SEACAM already pays attention to a good balance in the water during the construction and design of the housing. Due to the many equipment options and accessories, it may be necessary to mount additional buoyancy aids for even better buoyancy. We offer these in 2 different sizes for easy mounting on our flash arms.

We also offer special handles for small hands, which ensure easy and ergonomic operation of all housings. The distance between the handle and the housing has been reduced for an ergonomic operation of the most important functions. These can be ordered directly upon purchase or retrofitted at any time.

We have a number of housings in our range that fit several cameras. However, in order to guarantee the full functionality of the camera, adjustments inside the housing may be necessary. Therefore, please ask us or your partner in advance which cameras are compatible with which housing model.
Examples:
Canon 5D MKIV – MKIII – D S
Sony A7III – A7IV

You can only shoot what you can see through the viewfinder. Different lenses enable a wide variety of shots, which in turn require adapted viewfinders in order to be able to realize them. We therefore offer you various viewfinder systems that you can adapt quickly and on site to changing requirements. The possibility of removing all of our sports viewfinders from the housing for transport and being able to stow them separately has proven to be particularly practical. Ultimately, it is also very cost-saving if you can take not only the ports but also the viewfinder with you in the ever shorter life cycles of digital SLR cameras.

Depending on the shooting situation, four matching viewfinders allow for an excellent perspective and comfort. If your focus is on filming or you mainly use the camera monitor, our G‑PRO viewfinder will suffice. For wide-angle photography, we offer our S180 sports viewfinder with a straight view. For fans of macro photography, we have had our legendary S45 sports viewfinder with a comfortable 45° view (which is also great for splitshots and wideangle…). For use with both macro and wide-angle, we offer our S10 sports viewfinder, which perfectly supports both types of recording. The view is a universal 10° and thus also enables shots close to the ground.

All of our viewfinders are very easy and quick to change. All viewfinders are securely fixed in the housing with the help of a locking ring and are sealed several times. The viewfinders snap into predefined positions for quick adjustment of portrait or landscape format.

All of our viewfinders are double O‑ring sealed at the connection to the housing. The optical elements are also multiply sealed and hermetically sealed on the water and camera side.

This spring positions the viewfinders in preset positions to quickly switch from portrait to landscape format. This is ensured with a small spring and plastic pin, which engage accordingly. Forgetting or missing this spring does not affect the tightness.

Dried water stains or glass corrosion on the viewfinder lenses are almost impossible or very difficult to remove. For this reason, please dry your viewfinder with a soft cloth after each dive. If water stains are already present, they can only be professionally removed in the factory.

We suggest you remove them for transport. This not only saves unnecessary volume in your luggage, but also protects your gear during transport. When you ship your system to us for a service, remove all sports viewfinders and pack them separately – the small G‑PRO can remain on the housing.

“The closer to the object — the better the pictures!” Don’t even bother with objects that are further away from you than the outstretched hand — with the exception of landscapes — that is the rule of thumb. Water is not air and contains an abundance of particles that lead to scattering, diffraction and reflection. Moreover, the photographically correct shooting distance corresponds to a third of the visual range perceived by the human eye. Due to these circumstances, lenses that can be set very close are particularly suitable for underwater photography. Lenses with a minimum focusing distance of 15–25 cm are ideally suited. The basic equipment of every ambitious underwater photographer therefore includes a macro, wide-angle and fisheye lens.

Pay particular attention to a good readjustment option of the lenses you want to use. A maximum focusing distance of 30cm and a good light intensity of around 2.8 guarantee perfect results right from the start.

Every lens is different and has very specific properties in order to provide the appropriate imaging performance. For this reason, different ports are necessary for the different lenses. You can find the right port for your lens in our port list. We use plane glasses for standard lenses up to 35mm. Our specially calculated dome glasses are used with wide-angle lenses from 24mm. This improves the image quality enormously, as each image ray passes through the glass unbroken. The angle of view of all lenses is fully preserved even under water.

In the field of macro, standard and wide-angle optics, fixed focal lengths achieve the highest image quality with the best light intensities. In addition, there are enormous advantages in the viewfinder brightness. Dome glasses can only be calculated exactly for fixed focal lengths and thus offer excellent brilliance and corner sharpness. Despite these facts, zoom lenses are becoming more and more popular because of their versatility. Since front ports can only be used for one focal length, compromises have to be made in the optical implementation of zoom lenses. We adjust our ports to the shortest focal length in order to be able to offer optimal results here. So in conclusion, fixed focal lengths are part of the basic equipment of every underwater photographer — zoom lenses can complement the system but never replace the fixed focal length.

SEACAM silver bodies are fitted with manual focus and zoom adjustment transmissions as standard. SEACAM compact body with zoom adjustment only, due to their compact size. In order to be able to set these functions on the housing, special rings are available that enable this function. Each lens has different dimensions and therefore requires different rings. Just ask — we also have the right one for your lens.

All SEACAM silver housing models have this option installed as standard in addition to the zoom adjustment. As with zoom lenses, different types of toothed rings are required for adjustment. In principle, all lenses work with very good autofocus systems, so that manual adjustment is not necessary. With macro lenses and correspondingly low-contrast objects, manual adjustment can be done more efficiently. Manual focusing is also essential in the wide-angle area, especially in the case of splitshots.

The port is the part of the camera body that contains the lens. These are used either separately or in combination with the port extension, we call them PVL (short for the German word for port extension). Camera housing, port and PVL are connected to each other with the bayonet connection.

The special port connection was developed to enable you to install your ports and port extensions in a particularly safe and simple manner. The SEACAM bayonet is the unique combination of secure screw thread and bayonet in one unit. Simply, automatically and powerfully, the bayonet thread pulls the O‑ring, which is responsible for the secure seal, into the housing sealing surface with just one turn and positions the port precisely at the stop. The connection has a 360° overlap — conventional bayonet connections are just 30° or 45°; so it is not uncommon for a port to be disconnected and lost unintentionally. A second O‑ring provides additional protection against dirt and fine-grained sand. SEACAM front ports have been standardized for more than 20 years and have an enlarged lens passage to also be able to use large, fast lenses.

The correct position of the lens to the port glass is essential and determines how good the optical performance is under water. Finding this correct position is not that easy and, in addition to extensive knowledge of optical calculations, also requires years of experience. The right port extension for your lens always corresponds to the port that is used and can be found in our port list.

When light passes from one medium to another, it is refracted at the interface. This happens several times in modern cameras before the light hits the sensor. This means that optical distortion of the image field occurs as the recording angle of a lens behind a plane glass pane increases. However, light rays that strike the interface between the two media perpendicularly are not refracted. With the dome glass you take advantage of this and can thus use the full angle of the lens. SEACAM dome ports are precisely calculated and therefore guarantee you perfect image quality and the highest corner sharpness.

Widely used plastic glasses made of polymethyl methacrylate are light, but also scratch quickly due to their low hardness. The glasses are cast from granules or formed from sheet material. This causes differences in the wall thickness and the resulting optical errors. Although a plastic lens can be easily polished, over time it tends to develop micro-cracks and yellowing, so that undesirable clouding occurs, especially in backlight. The chemical name of the mineral glasses is silicon oxide SiO2 and are refined by adding other oxides such as aluminum oxide or boron oxide. Although mineral glasses are somewhat heavier, they are significantly harder than plastic glasses, do not scratch as easily and cannot yellow. Only hardened mineral glass, precisely ground, finely polished and optically coated meets the requirements of the highest image quality.

Light is reflected at the boundary between air, water and glass layers. Even on a simple pane of glass, the loss of light is approx. 4%. Reflections depend on the difference in refractive index between air, water and glass. For a high image quality, it is important that all elements of the optical system have maximum transmission. In order to achieve largely reflection-free transmission of the light, a highly developed layer system is applied to the inside of the front glass. This optical coating ensures a 3–5% higher light output, up to 70% reduced reflections and an excellent contrast.

When you shoot with a dome glass, it acts like a lens. This lens creates a virtual image that is focused on. The smaller the radius of this dome glass, the closer it has to be focused.
In order to achieve good image quality, the size of the dome glass essentially depends on the factors of the close-up limit and the aperture used. If the close-up limit of a lens is small and you use small apertures, the dome port can also be small. With the high-resolution cameras of the latest generations, this can be achieved with a higher ISO setting via the aperture. For this, SEACAM has been offering the CP Compactport for some time, which takes these facts into account and is ideal for travel. If you want to take perfect half-half shots, you can’t get around our SD Superdome, as only this guarantees a very long waterline.

We have designed our dome ports in such a way that close-up lenses are only necessary if lenses have too large a close-up limit. For this and to keep the actual close-up focus under water, we recommend only high-quality attachment lenses if necessary. In general, however, these should be avoided, since additional optical elements always impair the imaging quality.

The size of the dome glass determines the imaging quality when the aperture is open. The larger the glass and the smaller the close-up limit of the lens, the better the imaging performance in the corners of your images. For the many different applications and lenses, we therefore offer different dome ports that differ in size.

Fisheye macro shots show macro objects in the foreground and the wide-angle character in the background. These recordings are always quite spectacular. Only lenses that can be set very close (15–20cm) and are small to fit into the very small dome port are suitable. Very small apertures are necessary to ensure that your images are sharp in both the foreground and background. We can help you with the selection of the lenses in question.

We call our special ports for macro photography “micro ports”. These differ from conventional ports in their design, which is conical, has a front glass with a small diameter and thus enables better illumination of the motifs directly in front of the port. These ports are suitable for the most common macro lenses. Furthermore, all MIP are equipped with a mount for our wet achromats and swivel mechanism.

An achromat enables you to increase the imaging performance of your macro lenses and thus get larger imaging scales of up to 1:4. It corrects chromatic aberration and annoying color fringes at the edges. Our achromats for the scale 2:1 and 4:1 are so-called “wet lenses” and can be mounted on your microport or swiveled forward if required.

There are 2 ways to mount our achromats. They can be transported with a holder on the housing or flash arm and, if necessary, plugged into the microport under water. The other variant is our swivel adapter, which is mounted on the microport and, with a swivel mechanism, can swivel one or two achromats forward if required.

The biggest enemy of glass ports is water stains and glass corrosion. Dried water stains are almost impossible or very difficult to remove. Glass corrosion can be recognized by cloudy spots, mostly on the entire dome. This can only be professionally repaired by the manufacturer. For this reason, please dry all glasses with a soft cloth after each dive. For internal cleaning, use a lint-free or optical cloth. An existing optical coating cannot be damaged by this. Leave the wet neoprene protection on the glass after use or remove it?

All our ports have a brake and sand protection O‑ring. This additional O‑ring on the ports prevents fine particles or sand from getting to the green main O‑ring of the port. This O‑ring is also used for better fixation, especially of the larger dome ports, thanks to its braking effect. However, should it happen that you notice underwater that something is wrong with the sunshade of your port — the correct position is up/down — you can also correct it in the water — but not at a depth greater than ‑3m. If you are deeper, ascend using all safety precautions and rotate the port to the correct position. After that you can easily continue your dive. Correcting position at greater depths may flood your housing.

If your dome glass is scratched, check whether the damage is noticeable in your pictures. If this is the case, you must send the port to the service. We will then check whether a repair is possible or whether the glass needs to be replaced if the damage is deeper. If the dome port has received a heavy impact, check whether there is any major damage and the stability of the glass is endangered. In this case, stop diving with it and send us the port for inspection and repair.

Glass corrosion can be recognized by cloudy spots, mostly on the entire dome glass. This cannot be removed yourself and can only be professionally repaired by the manufacturer

Underwater shots without a flash are altered by the properties of the dense medium of water. The warm tones such as red, yellow and orange disappear at a shallow depth and are filtered out by the water. Even green and blue disappear with increasing depth. The solution to this problem is artificial light or underwater flash.

The performance requirement of an underwater flash unit always depends on the intended use. Macro shots do not require a large beam angle, but high performance to enable small apertures and a large depth of field. If you are more interested in wide-angle images, a large illumination angle and an appropriate colour temperature are important criteria. Many years of experience show that flash units with 160Ws have sufficient power to fully cover both areas of application.

The power of a flash unit is defined by the specification in Ws (watt seconds) from which its guide number is derived. We give the measured UW guide number at 100 ISO at 1m distance at full power. Since not all manufacturers adhere to this definition, the specification for the power of the flash in Ws (watt seconds) has become established.

The abbreviation ‘TTL’ stands for the term “through the lens”. The camera and flash unit communicate with each other and regulate the amount of light required for the subject situation during the recording. This communication is camera-specific and only works with specially prepared flash units. e‑TTL stands for Canon’s system — i‑TTL for Nikon’s.

The important feature of the flash for photographers is the high image quality. The short burn time enables extremely sharp recordings and even the finest details are reproduced brilliantly. Our Seaflash 160D offers synchronization times of up to 1/8000 and the option of strobe adjustment. The flash also allows low ISO values, which improves the image quality considerably. If you’re shooting with slower shutter speeds, wide open apertures, and higher ISOs, steady light is an option. If you also want to film underwater, use our LA-VS continuous light to supplement the flash.

In cooperation with the Swiss company Keldan, can offer you the Seacam LA-V‑S LED continuous light in the proven silver design with a precisely calculated high-performance diffuser and dome glass for particularly homogeneous image illumination. The compact light impresses in the water with its high performance, and balanced, neutral and ergonomic behaviour.

Of course, flash units from other manufacturers can also be used on your housing. This must be prepared accordingly and the flash sockets fit. In order to ensure the manual function of the connected flash unit, it is necessary to remove contact pins on the camera hot shoe of the housing, to use a manual flash cable or an adapter cable. We explain in detail how to do this in our operating instructions.

All of our housings are equipped with 2 flash sockets, allowing the use of 2 flash units. However, dual operation always depends on the flash units used. Our flash units have offered dual TTL control for many years. This makes it possible to ensure shadow-free illumination of your motifs in TTL mode.

The large amount of electronic data between the camera and flash unit is exchanged via connection sockets and detachable sync cords. With the robust and functionally reliable S6 connector system and particularly hard-wearing spiral or straight cables in various lengths, we offer you a particularly robust cable system. SEACAM flashes can also be used with fibre optic cables. Here we only use cables from well-known manufacturers.

Precise data transmission must be robust, easy to handle and absolutely reliable. For these reasons, SEACAM developed the 6‑pin data connection many years ago. With 6 robust, hard gold-plated pins, an absolutely plug-in-proof system and the 4‑fold O‑ring seal, there has been a perfect connection for many years. The superior performance of the S6 system is a must in the digital world and it is evident in practical use without any interference.

In addition to an electrical cable connection, there is also the option of synchronizing flash units using optical impulses. Your camera must have a built-in flash and the camera body must have a properly positioned port window. There is also the possibility of converting the electrical impulse of the camera into an optical signal with a module if your camera does not have a built-in flash unit. The signal is then transmitted from the camera body to the flash unit with a flexible fibre optic cable, thus triggering the flash.

In addition to synchronization in TTL and manual mode, our SEAFLASH flash units offer very complex functions such as synchronization up to 1/8000, strobe, follow-up function and much more. This requires a transmission of complex data. This is only possible with a solid electrical connection to ensure proper function. Fibre optics are suitable for a simple manual function. Nevertheless, it is important to ensure that the connections are not accidentally pulled out of the sockets when adjusting the flash arms, or that the sensitive cables are not kinked and irretrievable images are lost.

Always store your NiMH battery fully charged. Train this regularly every 2 months through charging and discharging cycles. This is easy and can be done using the pilot light of the flash unit. To do this, let your flash unit burn at the highest pilot light level until the automatic switch-off. Then let your battery pack cool down and charge it again. Repeat this process 3 times every 2 months.

If the performance of your battery pack decreases and the training is no longer successful, we will be happy to replace the used NiMH cells for you, provided the electronics are in order. Please contact your retailer or contact us directly.

Only well-maintained electrical connections work properly and reliably. Therefore, check the flash sockets and cables regularly for flawless O‑rings. Keep the contacts dry and lightly grease the O‑rings. You can lightly oil both the gold-plated contacts and the threads with the maintenance oil that we have supplied. From time to time clean the bulkheads by blowing them out with compressed air. If you notice water in the bulkheads, rinse them sufficiently with fresh water and then maintain them as before. Leave the cables and sockets open after you disconnect them — any moisture that may be present can dry out as a result.

In order to be prepared for emergencies or to be able to use third-party flash devices on your housing, you have the option of connecting a third-party flash with an N5 flash connector to your housing with the S6/N5 manual flash cable adapter.

Flash arms carry the flash units, set them quickly and easily to any position and allow them to be fixed in any situation. It is important to be able to rely on the chosen position both in the macro area and in demanding drift dives and movement underwater. SEACAM flash arms are characterised by the enormous, continuously selectable holding power of 0–12 Nm and the low weight. The patented brake disc technology makes it possible to keep flash units in position even on land. Underwater, the arm can be sensitively, quickly adjusted and reliably fixed using adjustable joints.

Our standard flash arms are composed of 2 extension arms and the base part and are available for a wide variety of applications. In addition to the extension arms in lengths of 50/150/300/400/500mm, there are also extendable telescopic arms, which can be preset to the desired length on land.

SEACAM flash arms are characterized by the enormous, continuously selectable holding power of 0–12 Nm. The patented brake disc technology makes it possible to keep flash units in position even on land. Underwater, the arm can be quickly adjusted and fixed powerfully using levers. In contrast to wheels, our arms offer the possibility to securely tighten the arms and proofing them against unintentional movement and readjustment.

SEACAM patented locking system is made in a friction joint construction. A friction lining clamps the aluminium balls to a greater or lesser extent depending on the setting of the locking lever. With this adjustable arm, you can continuously adjust the firmness from soft to firm. If the friction lining no longer holds the balls, there is definitely grease in the friction joints or on the ball. Therefore, clean the balls of the system regularly with alcohol.

After each dive, rinse your flash arm system sufficiently with fresh water and move it around. To prevent the friction lining from sticking to the balls after use, tighten the joints only moderately or not at all when they are wet! Clean the joints from time to time. Carefully grease the threaded bolts and disassemble the arms annually to clean and maintain them.

A remote system enables and facilitates the recording of motifs that would otherwise not be possible. Dangerous or shy sea creatures can be staged and photographed in a safe and skilful way. Also, when taking pictures in sports pools or in places where diving or snorkelling are not allowed, the SEACAM Remote System is the ideal opportunity to take pictures.

The system is used with a pole or a tripod within sight. Securely fixed, the housing is released by means of a remote release when you think it is right. A socket is installed in the camera housing and connected to the remote connection of your camera.

Since the camera is triggered at sight, it makes sense to choose the length of the cable so that you can also see the object you want to photograph. On a pole, the cable is equal to the length of the pole. If you work with a tripod, depending on the visibility, 3–10 m is realistic.

We take the picture manually with the remote shutter release. The trigger has 2 stages: First, it focuses and then takes the picture.

There are several ways to carry your case and flash units overland. Our paracord lanyard is very practical for carrying your equipment comfortably like a bag or even more gently hanging over your shoulder. You determine the length of the lanyard yourself with the flexible attachment loops.

All our housings are equipped with an M8 top thread. This allows, among other things, the attachment of a carrying handle in a T‑shape. This handle is also available with convenient ball connectors for attaching accessories. Each housing comes with a strong belay loop for hand or BC attachment.

No — your SEACAM system is complete when you purchase it. To close and protect openings on ports, viewfinders and housings, we supply you with the appropriate protective caps as standard. All ports are of course delivered with removable neoprene protective caps. Standard accessories, viewfinders and flash arms are packed in practical neoprene bags with Velcro fasteners.

This particularly depends on your personal maintenance and care. In general, we recommend a service interval of around 300 dives or after 3 years at the latest. O‑rings age, especially when exposed to the sun, and as a result, lose their suppleness and sealing ability. With a complete service, everything is really professionally maintained, and all O‑rings are replaced. We will also bring your silver piece back into shape optically so that you can continue to have fun with your housing.

It’s definitely time when bulkheads or levers can no longer be moved properly or are completely stuck. This is a clear sign of a lack of care and an urgent need for action. Despite multiple O-ring seals, the corrosion has obviously progressed so far that there is no longer any tightness.

The costs for a complete maintenance always depend on the condition of the system and what really has to be done in the end. The housing is completely disassembled, cleaned, all O‑rings and, if necessary, defective parts are replaced, the outside is also repaired and finally mechanically, electrically and in the water pressure tested. £ 380.00 to £450.00 + Shipping to/from SEACAM would be the ballpark.

Regular maintenance and care after each use are essential for the safe and problem-free operation of your system. This maintenance relates to the application and use of the housing and accessories. From professional assembly of the components to regular greasing of the O‑rings and cleaning, you can and should do everything yourself. Proper service should be entrusted to professionals after the recommended deadlines.

O‑rings require regular maintenance. However, one should not overdo it. O‑rings should be kept supple with silicone grease. Grease has no sealing function, too much of it is only harmful, attracts dirt and sand and can therefore cause leakage.

SEACAM silicone O‑ring grease is specially designed for the care of your devices. However, by using O‑rings made from high-quality rubber compounds, you can also use other acid-free silicone greases.

For the daily use of the housing you will find in the accessory bag, O‑ring grease, maintenance oil, O‑ring lifter, spare O‑rings for the housing and port. A small reserve set with small parts is also included, as is a complete Allen key set for all common screws on your housing. There is also a wrist strap that can be used to secure the housing.

In order to keep your SEACAM silver beautiful over the long term, treat the surface from time to time with SEACAM care oil. To do this, put something on a cloth and spread it over the surface. In addition, the oil is used to care for all external threads and for the care of plugs and sockets. Use the oil sparingly on bulkheads and blow them out with compressed air after servicing.

It’s almost unbelievable, but even the most expensive cameras have tolerances. In order to be able to compensate for this with our non-adjustable pressure pins, the small white plates are included. If a pressure pin does not work properly, pull the black rubber cap off the pin and place one of the plates under the pressure pin. The pin is lengthened by the small plate and the function then works perfectly. The black rubber caps are attached to the end of the pressure pins and levers of the transmissions to protect your camera. Should such a cap ever be lost, you have a replacement on hand

Only use the enclosed plastic O‑ring lifter, the black plate with SEACAM logo on it. Metal jacks can permanently damage the housing and port O-ring grooves and lead to costly repairs.

Dried water spots or glass corrosion on the port glasses or viewfinder lenses are almost impossible or very difficult to remove. For this reason, please dry your viewfinder with a soft cloth after each dive. Do the same for all ports, regardless of whether they are flat or dome ports, and always remove wet neoprene protective caps and let them dry separately. Water stains or glass corrosion can only be professionally repaired in the factory.

Ports and port extensions should always be well greased. It is important to grease this part well, which accommodates and seals the port O‑ring. Both parts should only be screwed together for diving and then separated again. O‑rings can “stick” to sealing surfaces quite well and then become difficult to detach unless they are regularly separated. If this happens, you can help yourself by heating up part of it (hot water, hair dryer) and then trying to unscrew both parts with two people. An oil filter wrench can also be helpful. If you are not successful and the parts can no longer be separated, you must send them to us.

Rinse your flash arm system sufficiently with fresh water after each dive and move the joints while doing so. To prevent the friction lining from sticking to the balls after use, tighten the joints only moderately or not at all when they are wet! Clean the joints of the system and make sure that no grease gets on the ball or joint. Carefully grease the threaded bolt and dismantle the construction regularly. It can be completely dismantled with the help of a screwdriver and can also be cleaned and maintained on the inside.

Store your case in a safe, dry place after you have properly cared for it and prepared it for storage. Even during longer breaks, you should close the housing and not remove the main O‑ring. O‑rings are built for such tasks and do not need to be removed for protection. You don’t remove the O‑rings from the bushings either. Always store the case completely closed, otherwise it may happen that you take the case out of the closet and one of the two halves falls on the floor because you have forgotten that the case is open.

Before any service, contact your local dealer. They will help you get the replacement part, ship the case for service, or do it on their own, if they’re authorized to do so. If you do not have a contact person on site, please contact us directly at our main office in Austria before each shipment to avoid problems with customs. We will be happy to help you and tell you what you have to consider.

We only ship within the UK, the price is generally around £15 + VAT for cameras, lights and systems, and £6+ VAT for small accessories.

Perfectly packaged and insured, we will ship your package with DHL or UPS Express on large or high-value items, small or low-cost accessories can be shipped by Royal Mail, DHL or UPS Express, depending on the urgency.

As the UK distributor, we are obliged to respect other distributors’ regions. So, we can only sell to UK clients, but we can ship the goods anywhere in the world, we use DHL Worldwide, FedEx and UPS Express.

If the delivery is delayed or your package does not arrive, please contact us as soon as possible. We will immediately determine the whereabouts of your shipment via package tracking and inform you accordingly.

Always check the condition of the packaging and the contents upon receipt of your shipment. If the package arrives damaged, take a photo immediately and complain to the relevant delivery company. In order to claim an insurance benefit, we need a damage certificate from the responsible transport company. In any case, contact us as soon as possible.

Before you send your equipment in for service, please get in touch with us, we can arrange secure collection of your equipment, or if you prefer to send or deliver in person, please contact us and we will provide contact and service procedure.

Did you install your camera according to our operating instructions? First check that the camera is placed correctly in the housing. Make sure that it sits straight on the camera table and that the tripod screw is tight.

Even professional devices have tolerances. For this reason, there are small white plates in your accessory kit. Pull the appropriate rubber foot from the transmission and place one of the plates underneath, then check the function again.

Some transmissions on your housing are designed as friction wheels. In most cases, an incorrectly positioned camera is the cause of this. Grease can also be the cause if they do not grip properly. Therefore, carefully clean both the rubber wheels on your camera and the housing with alcohol.

First off: Do you have the right gear ring for your lens? When ordering, it is important to state the complete lens data, since, especially with zoom lenses with the same designation, it is often only differences in letters or numbers that define a completely different lens. When installing, always pay attention to the information in our operating instructions — the teeth of the toothed rings must point towards the camera body. Never use force during assembly — you can damage the toothed ring or your lens. Ask us, and we’re happy to help.

In order for your zoom or focus adjustment to work correctly, you must have the correct ring ready and position it correctly on the lens. How best to do this can be found in the respective operating instructions. Then fix the lens with the IS screw and check the corresponding element in the housing. If it does not fit, or if the toothed ring engages in both transmission wheels on the housing, this can be easily corrected by shifting the longitudinal axis.

If buttons or levers can no longer be moved properly or are completely stuck, this is a clear sign of an urgently needed service. The corrosion has obviously progressed so far despite multiple O‑ring seals and blocks the mobility of the transmissions.

Even if you take care of your equipment and cherish it, there may be times when that happens. But not to worry. Rinse the case thoroughly with fresh water and dry it. Clean the flash joint under the housing roof, camera shoe and leak detector with alcohol. Were you able to determine the error yourself? Dare the 2nd attempt — this time without a camera. If you are not sure, send us the device for checking.

As you probably already know, identifying the problem of flash unit malfunction is complex and not always easy. Take a look at the user manual and check that everything is set correctly. Please always check in advance whether you have connected everything correctly, your cables are ok and the battery is fully charged. If you can control the automatic pilot light from your camera, things are looking pretty good and the cables are okay at least. Does the flash work when you set it to S.O.S.? Are your flash socket and plug all dry?

It is easy to check whether the camera communicates correctly with the flash unit and calculates the necessary amount of light. The best way to do this is to use a macro lens and take a picture to test whether the exposure of the test images is the same with a small aperture (32) and a large aperture (8). It is best to set your camera to manual, 200 ISO and the shutter speed to 1/100. Place the flash parallel to your camera. Now take the sample pictures. When the aperture is closed, the power output must increase for the same object and object distance. If this is the case and the images are almost identical, the TTL is working properly. Small deviations can be compensated with a +/- correction.

ATTENTION: Never flash directly into the camera sensor, this can damage your camera!

Lighting cables can also be checked without the appropriate test device. Set your flash unit to low power in manual mode and pull the trigger. If it flashes at least manually, everything is fine. You can check whether the cables also work in TTL by connecting one of our flash units. The automatic pilot light must be activated on both the camera and the flash. If the pilot light switches on and off again when the lens is darkened, the cable is also OK.

Frequent use combined with a lack of care can result in a white coating on the gold contacts of both the cables and sockets. Clean the contacts with vinegar, rinse, dry and oil the contacts with a little care oil.

Make sure your connectors are dry when disconnecting. It is best to blow off both parts with compressed air before separating. Otherwise, residual water can get into the socket or plug. If you discover moisture on the sockets or plugs, it is best to clean them with alcohol and then dry them. Treat these connections to a drop of contact oil from time to time — corrosion is reduced and contact reliability and service life are significantly increased. Leave sockets and cables open for a while — moisture can then evaporate. Only dry contacts guarantee perfect TTL control.

This indicator clearly shows that the battery is empty. Charge your battery and try again by turning on the pilot light on the flash. If the pilot light only lights up for a very short time, the battery is very likely defective and must be sent in for service.

It is easy to check whether batteries still have a satisfactory capacity or not: You charge them up and let them burn down the pilot light over the high level. If the burning time is around 3 hours, the capacity is very good, if it is less than 2 hours, you should send it in for service or try to train your battery (see next question).

We only use selected NIMH batteries of the highest quality. If used batteries are stored for a long period of time, they will discharge themselves. For this reason, batteries must be cared for if they are not used regularly. This care is also called “training” — just like muscles have to be trained to stay strong, you also have to train your battery regularly. To do this, charge and discharge the battery via the highest pilot light level and charge it again after a cooling phase. Repeat this process 3–4 times in a row at intervals of at most 2 months when not in use. This keeps your battery fully functional and fit for a very long time.

Carefully check your device for mechanical damage first. Pay special attention to the front dome and the rear cover plate. If you notice cracks or even a little splintering, DO NOT put the device back into the water and immediately send it in for service.