RX100 V underwater housing recommendations

starbase218 wrote:

kelpdiver wrote:

.

$230 to protect 2-5000 in gear is cheap insurance. Much cheaper than those policies, which do little for you if you're 300 miles off the Costa Rican coast.

Well, my RX100 V has cost me 630 pounds in total (350 when I bought it used and another 280 for the repair after I found out the aperture was broken). Not cheap but I wouldn’t spend thousands of pounds for a compact camera, and I wouldn’t take my DSLR under water.

But I get what you’re saying. And after having to invest 630 pounds to get a working used RX100 V, I wouldn’t be too happy if it would get destroyed on the first dive.

For the first dive (esp if you don't have a moisture detection system - like Gopros) -  pull the camera out, stuff tissue paper inside the housing, take it on the dive. Push all the buttons at the bottom.

For a compact system, the cost of the vacuum can seem excessive. However, they tend to be transferrable (like the Nauticam units are viable throughout the line), and pointing again to the potential annoyance of the port fogging up.

If your camera model is no longer common - the risk of a flood is both the loss of the camera and of a viable housing if you can't get another. I would say this isn't terribly common - ebay offers most anything - but if you were on say the II or III generation, I think I'd want to track down a good buy before they disappear entirely. Or just be prepared to move onward if you are unlucky.

All this talk of failing O-rings reminds me of a friend of mine who once said he disliked them, because they cause accidents. “It’s always O-rings”, he said.

they're the failure point because they're the point of user interaction. That's why I subscribe to the notion of touching them as little as possible. Those who grease them every dive seem to be most prone to dirt or hair compromising the integrity. You can go days without redoing the lubrication. Just wipe the full length to catch any hairs.

Deadlines? I’m not a pro. But yeah I do want to swap out batteries in particular.

Dive boats do 4 or 5 dives per day. LCD based cams (compacts and mirrorless) go 2-3 dives per battery set, so usually makes sense to swap at lunch. (I imagine the safety protocols now on battery charging, and no overnights will increase this time pressure) And dive briefings are typically 5-20 mins before start time. You might get information that makes you want to change the lens and/or port.