Waterproof housing?

[BradsOcean]

I found waterproof housing for this camera online for over $100...
is there any way people have made 'home-made' housing or some way so i can get better pics of my corals?
I have the Casio Exilim btw.

thanks in advance!

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

The problem with a DIY water proof housing is that you have to be able to press all of the buttons on the camera underwater. Just making a housing to press the shutter button water proof would be no easy task. Quality housings for my DSLR cost thousands of dollars.

 

[RokleM]

I doubt it will be easy to make a homemade housing. Most top down pictures you see are taken with a camera box (top is open). If you're looking to do some diving or using it for other purposes other than the aquarium, the housing is probably best. If you just want some top down shots, a DIY or camera box is a lot less expensive.

 

[bmwardo]

Housings for your type of camera are certainly on the cheaper end of the spectrum. The only way I see that you could make your own would be if you can find some high quality clear bags (and more than one for safety). Using bags you would have access to all of the cameras functions. Of course I would test out multiple bags multiple times to find the most water proof setup.

Essentially you could make something like this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/278286-REG/Ewa_Marine_EM_D_LIM_D_LIM_Underwater_Housing.html

The good thing about doing this for your tank is that you can so easily and quickly pull it out if you get into trouble, but personally I would just save up for a housing built for it.

 

[BradsOcean]

What is a camera box? and how do you make one?

I assume is a box that the bottom goes under water to eliminate the ripples in the pic?

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

Yeah something like that. I think Melev has some good experience with them.

 

[sphelps]

A camera box is just a clear box with an open end to especially simulate the same thing as a glass bottom boat. People, including myself, usually make them from acrylic.

With a compact style camera couldn't you just put it in a ziplock bag? Don't go too deep and try to remove all the air, I don't see why that wouldn't work for aquariums.

 

[Recty]

Ziploc bags arent the most see through, you'll definitely have a haze look through all your pictures.

 

[BradsOcean]

well, how do you make a camera box then?

 

[bmwardo]

All of the ones that I have used and seen are simple 5 sided acrylic boxes. The bottom being clear and the sides black acrylic to help block glares and reflections.

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14118198#post14118198 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BradsOcean
well, how do you make a camera box then?

The same way you make a nano tank lol

 

[BradsOcean]

Do you guys use silicone to hold the acrylic together? and i could just get acrylic from home depot right?

 

[hummermaniac88]

As mundane this sounds, I have heard and seen alot of people on other forums that I visit using un lubricated condoms over their point and shoots with a used tape roll (The plastic ring) around the lense then fit the condom over it. Tie it up and maybe have an elastic ban for extra caution. And voila!

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

You can't (alright shouldn't) silicone acrylic together. Silicone is for glass. Two pieces of acrylic are bonded together to form 1 piece through a chemical reaction.

 

[BradsOcean]

So how would i make a camera box out of acrylic? where do you get the acrylic pieces? (home depot?) and how do you get them to hold together?

 

[TWallace]

Use Weld-On to bond acrylic pieces (I've forgotten which number of Weld-On does what). I don't know where you'd get precut pieces of acrylic. In my experience it's not very easy to cut with cheap tools (like a jigsaw). It cracks easily during cutting and melts with very little heat, resulting in already cut parts sticking together.

 

[Dino]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14121461#post14121461 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BradsOcean
So how would i make a camera box out of acrylic? where do you get the acrylic pieces? (home depot?) and how do you get them to hold together?

Just do a search in the DIY forum for DIY acrylic tanks. As that is essentially what you're making is a really small nano tank.

You can buy acrylic a number of different places, most hardware stores sell small sheets of it in different thicknesses but you'll have to cut it yourself. I've always got mine at my local glass shop (we don't have any places that specialize in plastic around here) where they cut it to whatever size you want.

 

[bmwardo]

If you don't feel all that comfortable with a DIY job, you can lookup a local plastic shop that will perfectly cut it and put it together for you. They may have scraps that you can pick through at a cheaper price and they may charge you per cut and a weld-on fee but you will be good to go. If you are not sure where to start, I am sure that your local reef club in SoCal can direct you to a shop, and some local hobbiest may be willing to help you do it as well.

 

[BradsOcean]

thanks guys!