ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
General Angling Topics => DIY Forum => Topic started by: SAfish on February 04, 2012, 06:02:43 PM
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D.I.Y - Waterproof Camera Housing by SAfish
Please note: you will do this at your own risk. Neither Ultimate Angling nor myself can be held responsible for damaged equipment.
After numerous discussions about waterproof cameras I decided to browse around to see if I can find a way to make my own waterproof housing for my digital camera. There are loads of information on the internet and some projects looked good but I could not find one that I really liked. I took a couple of ideas from these articles and built on them. I took my time and did a lot of thinking. Some ideas were chucked quickly while others were developed until I was happy with the end result. The sizes given are only a guideline and will depend on the size of your container and camera.
1. Material List:
1.1. Perspex - I got an off-cut piece for free at a local sign manufacturer
1.2. Plastic container - I got this one at Pick-n-Pay for about R50
1.3. 3.5mm thick Hard Plastic - I can't remember where I got this from
1.4. 10mm thick Polypropylene - this is the same material chisel nose plugs are made of
1.5. Scissors
1.6. Hacksaw
1.7. Drill
1.8. Cork Gasket Material - I got this from Midas and it is sold in sheets
1.9. File and Sand Paper
1.10. Hole Saw
1.11. Sealant
1.12. Screwdriver
1.13. Various sizes stainless steel nuts, bolts and screws
1.14. Car Tube
1.15. Thin Flexible Plastic
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Tools4.jpg)
2. Front Lens:
2.1. Cut 2x95x95mm Polypropylene (10mm) squares.
2.2. Cut 2x95x95mm square seals/gaskets from the Cork Gasket material.
2.3. Use the hole saw to cut a 55mm diameter hole in the centre of the squares (4x).
2.4. Cut a 95x95mm Perspex square. Be careful not to scratch the surface of the perspex.
2.5. Measure the position of the front lens on your container and cut a 55mm diameter hole in it. Remember this will be at the
bottom of your container.
2.6. Drill 4x5mm holes in all the squares.
2.7. Sequence from outside to inside - 1x Polypropylene square
1x Cork seal
Perspex lens
Container
1x Cork Seal
1x Polypropylene square
2.8. Fix everything together with 4x5mm stainless steel bolts and nuts.
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/FrontLens3.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/FrontLens6.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/FrontLens7.jpg)
3. Camera Mounting:
3.1. Cut a 25x40mm Polypropylene (10mm) rectangle.
3.2. Measure the position of your camera very carefully. The hole at the bottom of my camera is not in the centre but slightly offset to the left. Adjust the position of the camera mounting accordingly. Position your camera in the centre of your front lens. Try and get the camera as close as possible to this lens to avoid reflection in the perspex lens.
3.3. Fix the mounting to the bottom of the front inner Polypropylene with 2x countersunk screws.
3.4. Drill a suitable sized hole it the mounting and use a bolt to fix the camera in position.
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Mounting4.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Mounting2.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Mounting1.jpg)
4. Back Lens:
This is basically a repeat of the front lens except the lens will be offset to the position of the LCD screen of your camera.
I used 65x65mm squares with a 45mm diameter hole in the centre.
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/BackLens1.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/BackLens4.jpg)
5. Shutter Mechanism:
This was the thing that had me thinking for a very long time. It is not a problem if you are going to use a video camera. You simply switch it on and start recording. It becomes a big challenge when you want to take still photos. After numerous attempts I got it sorted out, but it took a lot of careful measuring and adjustments.
5.1. Measure and cut a suitable sized flexible plastic.
5.2. Measure the position and attach it to the top of the front inner Polypropylene square with a stainless steel screw.
5.3. Measure and drill a 5mm diameter hole in the flexible plastic directly above the shutter button.
5.4. Cut 2x35x55mm Hard Plastic (3.5mm) rectangles.
5.5. Cut a 18mm diameter hole in the Hard Plastic rectangles.
5.6. Cut 2x35x55mm Car Tube pieces.
5.7. Cut a 18mm diameter hole in the container directly in line with the shutter button of the camera and the 5mm hole in the
flexible plastic.
5.8. Sequence from outside to inside - 1x hard Plastic rectangle
1x Car tube rectangle
1x Container
1x Car tube rectangle
1x hard Plastic rectangle
5.9. Fix the above with 4x4mm stainless steel countersunk bolts and nuts.
5.10. Insert a 5mm diameter bolt into the hole in the flexible plastic. The head of the bolt should sit on top of the camera's
shutter button. Measure the distance from the shutter button to the underside of the tube. Cut the bolt down to size so
that there are at least 2mm play between the bolt head and the shutter button.
5.11. Screw 2x nuts and a lock nut onto the 5mm bolt. Use the 2x nuts to adjust the height of bolt head above the shutter
button. Use the lock nut on the top to prevent sharp edges of the bolt thread from damaging the tube.
Tip: First screw a nut onto a bolt before you cut the bolt. The cutting of a bolt always damage the thread slightly. When you remove the nut it will "mend" the thread to a certain degree thus making it easier to screw on a nut later.
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Shutter1.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Finished3.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Finished2.jpg)
Test your housing first without the camera inside. If it is leaking seal all the joints with a suitable sealant. I did not use any sealant on my housing and I took it down to just over 2m. Put a Silica packet inside the housing to prevent the lens from fogging up. Ad some weight in the form of lead to the housing to help with the buoyancy.
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Silica.jpg)
Testing the housing for leaks in the sink.
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Test1.jpg)
The finished product.
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Finished4.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Finished11.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Finished12.jpg)
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/Finished13.jpg)
It may not be the best design in the world but I think it works pretty good for something that had cost me less than R150 to make.
"Eureka, it works!"
(http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/oo87/SAfish_01/DIY%20Camera%20Housing/S3000018e.jpg)
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Fantastic Stuff :corrct:
Amazing what you can do with a bit on Tuppurware...
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Thanks. My DIY skills are not good and I don't have a garage or a workshop. Everything was done in our lounge and my wife was not too happy about it. :hehe:
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I have just messed up my R14000 Nikon. Hermann I will pm my bank details :-)
lol...well done, I have an old Kodak and might try this
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There are some alternative out there as well.
(http://www.diyphotography.net/files/images/under_water_housing_intro.jpg)
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:hyst: :hyst:
I am not sure about the quality of your photos but at least your camera will not get HIV. :hehe:
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Hope that is not Goverment issued as they tend to break alot :hehe: :hehe:
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Great project Hermann!
Something I've always wanted to do but at the final moment a tummy shiver always prevented me from drowning my camera! :hehe:
Really liked your solution for the shutter!!!
:+ cred: for a cheap, yet simple and genius solution! Now you can take cool underwater pics of your releases!!!!
Just one advice: make sure you never, ever get a single grain of sand in the o-ring! For our underwater work, I usually check 3 times before locking the camera!
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Proposed for post of the month!
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:tkx: :+ cred:
I've been thinking about this for a long time but a means of reaching the shutter mehanism from the "outside" baffeled me. I actually bought this "watertight" plastic container for this purpose but my wife thought I was a bit nuts. Another advantage is that the camera will float if it falls off the ski.
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Wow. Amazing work Hermann!! (clap)
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dont forget you get cheap disposable cameras
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Very impressive Hermann!
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Thanks guys and thanks JohnF for the advice and nomination.
I am using my old old camera and it would not be the end of the world if it gets damaged. I am still taking all the precautions to try and avoid it. I want to test how deep it can go. I am thinking of attaching a line to it and putting enough lead inside to take it to the bottom of the lagoon (without the camera).
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Next up... SAFish's roving underwater robot camera!!
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Next up... SAFish's roving underwater robot camera!!
:hyst: :hyst: I don't think so, it will take too much of my fishing time. :hnthnt:
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Thanks guys and thanks JohnF for the advice and nomination.
I am using my old old camera and it would not be the end of the world if it gets damaged. I am still taking all the precautions to try and avoid it. I want to test how deep it can go. I am thinking of attaching a line to it and putting enough lead inside to take it to the bottom of the lagoon (without the camera).
You can do that, but seriously when are you ever going to dive down over 5m to take pics :-)
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:hehe: I am not going to go down that deep, it is just to test it. Maybe I should build a sub? :hyst: :nuts:
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Nice Stuff. SAfish (clap) (clap) (clap) :+ cred:
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Nice one Herman have some cred.
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Well done Herman!! Very impressed! Some great ideas there! :+ cred:
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yes, i reckon build that sub... just wait for tupperware to have a sale 1st :rotfl
im actually gonna try this ingenius method out. i recently purchased a spearo setup. would be nice to take pics :shre:
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Thanks all.
yes, i reckon build that sub... just wait for tupperware to have a sale 1st :rotfl
im actually gonna try this ingenius method out. i recently purchased a spearo setup. would be nice to take pics :shre:
Good on you, I am looking forward to see some :clfoto:
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We went snorkelling yesterday morning an I took this photo of a Zebra fish.