Water Housing

I know this is a surfboard forum but if anyone can help me here, I’m interested in making a fiberglass water housing for my camera, an old Nikon with motor drive. I can’t afford to buy a custom housing and I thought it might be a fun project. Any ideas on how to make a nice compact molded housing?

A nice molded one will be quite difficult to mak. A guy here in Coronada(San Diego), Steve Ogles at “Watershot.com” mkes all kinds of housings. Your best bet might be to go on ebay, search “ikelite” and you see what is for auction. I have made video housings for camcorders, they are actually less involved believe it or not. I use polycarbonite sheets and make a basic box, etc. Good luck. PS Even if you had the molded part, then you need lots of other little o-rings and push buttons…

I know this is a surfboard forum but if anyone can help me here, I’m > interested in making a fiberglass water housing for my camera, an old > Nikon with motor drive. I can’t afford to buy a custom housing and I > thought it might be a fun project. Any ideas on how to make a nice compact > molded housing? Hey, Slim, Check out AquaTech at http://www.aqualenz.com/about.html They have rentals and excellent used equipment that you can get ideas from for building your own… and two photo galleries featuring shots taken by surf photographers who use their equipment: Established in 1997, AquaTech was formed to provide a lightweight and durable Camera Housing for working in and around the water as an alternative to the Dive Housing. Their sport housings are designed for a ‘glove fit’ providing a housing that looks, feels and operates like your camera. Some of the activities where AquaTech Sport Housings are used include: Surfing, White Water Rafting, Snow Skiing, Sailing, Water Skiing, Kayaking, Snow Boarding, Ocean Fishing, Wind Surfing, Caving and Sky Diving. AquaTech USA 16613 Silktree Fountain Valley CA 92708 USA Phone / Fax +1 714 4189046 AquaTech Australia PO Box 292 Thirroul NSW 2515 AUSTRALIA Phone +61 2 4229 2711 Fax +61 2 4229 3811 Open 7am to 7pm EST Email

Thanks guys.

Slim…you’ve got a lotta grit, bro…Don’t know if I’d have the beans to attempt this. I’d seriously consider a used housing, though. Leakage is your main concern…If you get a used housing from a reputable dealer, and the housing leaks after your first go-out, you might be covered…the folks might take care of you. this is safer than an experiment/sacrifice. After that, if you’re still gung -ho - access to your controls is king. It depends on HOW you plan to shoot, WHAT you want to shoot…and the type of equipment you’ve got. Since you’ve got a motor drive, you’re covered for the film advance/shutter release. (less knobs, less ports of water entry). Since you inferred that your camera was an oldie, it’s probably a full on manual…in which case you have to get at your focus ring, your aperture, and your shutter speeds.(more knobs {and seals} to deal with). IF your camera was aperture/shutter priority, and auto focus you’d be good for action/surfing shots. (“time” may be an issue with multi-knobs…getting your mits on all the elemental changes about to happen in front of you!). If you really want great shots, you really need the equipment to pull off decent photos. With older, manual cameras, you could get good shots provided that you work within the framework of what you’ve got. (fixed focus, fixed distances, stopping the shutter all the way down for greater depth of field/clarity at a distance, fixed shutter speeds…all little tricks with a manual) But you DO limit yourself that way. Physical building plans? (the real thing)…go to “ASK.com” you will find everything and anything on this search engine. Good luck, bro…aloha, T.

I know this is a surfboard forum but if anyone can help me here, I’m > interested in making a fiberglass water housing for my camera, an old > Nikon with motor drive. I can’t afford to buy a custom housing and I > thought it might be a fun project. Any ideas on how to make a nice compact > molded housing? If your interested i have a water housing that was made for me for my nikon f3 and md4 motordrive, it was made for surf photography. if you have an fm2 and md12 drive you can just add sponge inserts or the like to make it fit more snug. i paid 575.00 and will sell it for 250.00 or best offer if your interested. its in excellent condition. ron

If your interested i have a water housing that was made for me for my > nikon f3 and md4 motordrive, it was made for surf photography. if you have > an fm2 and md12 drive you can just add sponge inserts or the like to make > it fit more snug. i paid 575.00 and will sell it for 250.00 or best offer > if your interested. its in excellent condition. ron I think there was a review of a inexpensive water housing in the back of the new LongBoard mag.

SLIM!!!..ditto the previous guy’s response…as irony and lucky timing would have it, they’ve got a new, cheap housing(40 bucks - even!). just came across this, and I’m gonna get an economical point and shoot camera to go with it, myself! Good inexpensive way to go (not consistantly magazine quality pix, I’ll bet, but with a 35mm format, and with a “cheapo” point and shoot camera w/auto film advance… a “safe” alternative to an expensive nikon system w/motordrive)…Go to “camera shield.com” for further info. If you’re in cali, it’s at 501 west broadway - plaza a-328 - San diego, 92101 . PHONE#…(619)269-8872. now you can save your nikon for land/telephoto shots of the surf. This outta be good for the international travel surf shots where you’re not as worried about your expensive equipment getting ripped-off. good back up system. ALOHA…T.