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OPERATING MANUAL
FOR THE AQUATICA PRO DIGITAL
HOUSING FOR THE NIKON D300s
PRODUCT # 20064
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FOREWORD Thank you for having selected the AQUATICA Digital Camera Housing System for your underwater photography. The AQUATICA Digital Housing is the result of a long and continuing relationship with the most demanding underwater photographers in the world. Each housing is machined from solid aluminum, handfinished, quality checked and pressure tested to a 90 meters/300 feet equivalent by a small group of specially trained individuals, each of whom takes the utmost pride and satisfaction in
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1- Shutter Release lever 2- Sub-Command Dial knob 3- Power Switch/Illuminator lever 4- Optional Hydrophone 5- Nikonos type bulkhead connector 6- Optical type connector 7- Flash Mode/Exposure Compensation and pop-up knob 8- Flash pop-up lever 9- Flash Mode/Exposure Compensation lever 10- Focus/Zoom Control knob 11- Focus/Zoom Control pinion gear 12- Lens Release knob 13- Lens Release knob lever 14- Focus Mode Selector lever 15- Focus Mode Selector fork 16- Removable Camera Tray 17- Hot shoe conne
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CONTROLS IN DETAIL 1. SHUTTER RELEASE LEVER: Pulling the shutter release lever back part way activates the camera meter and auto focus. Pulling the lever back all the way fires the camera. 2. SUB-COMMAND INPUT / APERTURE KNOB: Rotates clockwise and counterclockwise. Use alone or in combination with other controls to select or set various camera functions or modes. In “Manual” the exposure mode controls the aperture settings (see camera manual). 3. POWER SWITCH / ILLUMINATOR KNOB: Rotate to
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CONTROLS IN DETAIL, CONTINUED 27. LATCHES: Two heavy duty latches with safety locks to protect against accidental opening. 28. MOUNTING HOLE FOR ACCESSORY: a 1/4”-20 TPI hole is supplied to accept a TLC accessory or TLC base ball for mounting a strobe arm or a modeling light. 29. REMOVABLE VIEWFINDER: A full view of the illuminated camera viewfinder displays all necessary information. This viewfinder can be removed and replaced with the optional Aqua View Finder (# 20054) for a larger displ
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FEATURES The Aquatica Digital housing serie is issued from the world’s most technologically advanced underwater housing lineage, ergonomically designed to place all the essential camera controls under your finger tips and features the following: A. A port locking mechanism to prevent accidental rotation of the port or extension mounted on the housing B. A Lens Lock Release control that will activate the lens release button of camera from the outside of the housing. C. A quick release tray, al
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PREPARATION OF THE PORTS 1. Select the correct port: Depending on whether you’ve decided to shoot macro or wide angle photography, you will be installing either a flat Macro Port (product # 18426 or 18428), or a Dome Port (Product # 18405, 18407,18409 or 18410). See lens chart for the suggest port and accessories. Macro Port Extension Rings: the Macro Ports will accept the AF & AF-S Micro-Nikkor 60mm lens without extension. If you intend to use a longer lens you will require an additional exte
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CAMERA PREPARATION AND INSTALLATION 1. Set the Focus Mode Selector to the M position on both the housing and the camera. 2. Important Note: prior to installing the camera in the housing, remove the camera strap, “D” Clips and/or any object that might obstruct installation, third party camera strap hookup should be removed or tucked away 3. Make sure the ON / OFF /ILLUMINATOR knob (key # 3) is in the ON position and that the lens lock lever is in the proper position 4. Remove the saddle fro
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LENS INSTALLATION With the camera inside the housing, install the lens prepared with its gears (if needed) through the port opening in the front of the housing. if using a gear make sure that it is properly installed and aligned on the lens. Rotate the focus / zoom control knob to ensure that the gears are properly meshed, that their rotation is smooth and that it does not do not grind or bind. Note: To avoid damaging the auto-focus mechanism of the camera when using standard AF type lenses,
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MOUNTING AND ATTACHING FLASHES Depending on which strobe system you are using, you can mount the necessary shoes or brackets or Base Ball onto the threaded holes on the top of the hand grips. Use of the Aquatica TLC Strobe Arm System is recommended. There are also three 1/4”-20 threaded holes on the bottom of the housing that can be used for various mounting applications. For example, A mounting tray can be fitted on the bottom of the housing. A 1/4”-20 threaded hole on top of the rear half of
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TAKING A PICTURE Following are the basic techniques. For more information and advanced photography please study the Nikon D300s instruction manual. NOTE *The command and sub command function can be inverted, refer to the “CSM” section of your menu, select “ f Controls”, select “f8 Customize command dials”, select “change Main/Sub” or “Reverse Rotation” , select On and confirm by selecting OK. this allow the aperture to be selected by the command knob in the rear and the shutter speed by the
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FOCUSING MODE NOTE : Select the proper focus mode M / S / C with the focus mode selector (key # 14) on the housing. For more detailed information concerning the operation of the different focus modes consult the Nikon instruction book for the D300s. USING THE HOUSING Whenever changing ports or O-rings, it is highly advisable to perform a simple seal test without the camera inside. Strapping a weight to the housing and lowering the unit to a depth of 30 to 50 feet of water for at least 10 minut
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Of the Latches: The two latches of the AQUATICA Digital are designed to have a locking action to prevent accidental opening. Always ensure that the locking mechanism is secure. Watch for the build-up of corrosion or salt residue around the latches. This will appear as a white material. Lubricate the latches with a small amount of WD-40 to remove the corrosion or salt residue build-up. Of the O-Rings: The O-rings that need to be maintained on a regular basis are the main housing O-ring and the
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FOCUS / TARGET LIGHT SET UP Technical Lighting Control 17509 www.aquatica.ca 17508 17752 17753 17754 17757 17758 17887 Ikelite Knob Ikelite DS200 Nikonos SB-105 8mm knob UK Aqua Sun Inon Strobes 17853 17854 17504 17503 17501 17506 17510 17889 For Sea & Sea strobes 17682 17658 17666 17671 17675 17679 17507 17800 17511 17512 17513 Focus/target light 17681 For Ikelite Grip 17667 17673 17677 17681 17853 17677 Sea
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WARRANTY PLEASE READ CAREFULLY One year Limited Warranty. Thank you for purchasing an AQUATICA manufactured product! Your AQUATICA housing is handcrafted by a small group of specially trained individuals - each of whom takes the most pride and satisfaction in offering you the best underwater camera housings in the world. All AQUATICA products are guaranteed against defects in material or workmanship for (1) one full year from the date of purchase for consumer use. these same products when us
