Nikon Fantasea FD-50N manual

Fant asea FD-50N Housing User's Manual[...]

T able of Content s TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 3 INCLUDED WITH HOUSING .................................................................[...]

Introduction Fantasea has upgraded the housing for the Nikon D-50 and the FD-50N is the result. Improved features include, embedded optical view finder, enhanced trigger/shutter control system, new port mounti ng system, zoom lens capabi lity and separate button for On-Off control. Welcome to the exciting world of underwater digital SLR photography[...]

Included With Housing • The FD-50N housing consists of a front a nd back shell that latch together to form the housing body. • A screw in standard flat port is incl uded. This port will accommodate the 18-70mm lens (without a manual zoom control). Other optional ports are available for different lenses ( 5 in ch super wide angle Dome Port, 60 m[...]

A V ariety of Uses The Fantasea FD-50N housing is more than ju st an underwater camera system . It protects the D-50 against damage from such environm ental conditions as rain, snow, dust, sand, and dirt. It is perfect protection for active outdoor sports, where these elements would normally not allow an advanced camera lik e the D-50 to be used wi[...]

Controls Orient ation 8 Top and Front of Housing : • Flash Sync Port 1 • Zoom Port Control 2 • H a n d l e s 3 • Trigger Release Control 4 • LCD Control Panel Illuminator 5 • Light Meter/Exposure Compensation Control 6 • O n - O f f C o n t r o l 7 • Exposure Mode Control Dial 8 1 2 3 4 7 5 6 6[...]

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Back & Right Side of Housing: • Command Dial 9 • AE-L/AF-L Control 10 • Four Way Multi-Control 11 • Delete Control 12 • Playback Control 13 • White Balance/Image Control 14 • ISO Sensitivity/Menu Control 15 • Auto Bracketing/Advance E-mode Control 16 • Latching Buckles 17 • Viewfinder 18 7[...]

Control Det ails The following is a partial list of the most common uses of housing and camera controls. For the full list of camera functions and se ttings accessed by each control, you should consult your D-50 camera instruction manual. Please note that some of the FD-50N housing controls are designed to operate m ore than one camera control. The[...]

LCD Control Panel Illuminator: 5 • Push housing control butt on activates the control panel backlight [LCD Illuminator], allowing the disp lay to be read underwater. Light Meter/Exposure Compensation Contro l: Dual Control Sw ivel Button: 6 • Rotate housing control over camera Light Meter control. o Press button and rotate comm and dial to choo[...]

Four-Way Multi-Control: • Press Up and Down buttons to scroll through Menu options. 11 • Press Left and Right buttons to make m enu settings and confirm settings. • Use Left and Right buttons in Playback mode to scroll through images recorded on memory card. Delete Control: • Press Playback button to turn on LCD Monitor and show last image [...]

ISO Sensitivity/Menu Control: • Rotate housing control over cam era ISO Sensitivity control. 15 • Press button and rotate command dial to choose from ISO sensitivity settings between 200 and 1600. • Rotate housing control over camera Menu control • Use Four Way Multi-Control to navi gate through menus and make setting choices. Auto Bracketi[...]

Prep aration of Housing Before the Dive Make Common or Required Camera Settings: Prior to inserting camera in housing, it is recommended that Menu option settings be made according to the preferences of the user. Mo st of these choices are ones that will remain unchanged for most of the time while diving, and therefore it will be m ore convenient a[...]

 Note 1: The FD-50N lens port uses 2 radial O-rings for a watertight seal. This is a different type of seal than used to seal the two main halves of the housing itself. That seal is a compression gasket. Radial O-rings are affected by friction when closing the seal, as it rubs against a housing wall. Compression gaskets are not affected by frict[...]

Insert D-50 camera and lens in housing: • Mount camera and lens on the remova ble tray, using the tripod screw. • Slide the tray and cam era into the housing tray slot. Make sure it is completely inserted. • Slide the flash sync cord into the D-50’s hot shoe. • Align the housing controls with the corresponding buttons on the camera. Take [...]

Recommended Initial Camera Settings: • Set D-50 on M (Manual) Exposure Mode o This is to keep the built-in flash from trying to pop up in low ambient light. o The Auto Exposure Modes are not always appropriate for underwater photography. • Set camera to AF focus mode • Use menu option to set camera for Focus Priority Release m ode. • Set Ca[...]

Care & Maintenance • Before a dive: o Protect the FD-50N from sun and heat. This will reduce the possibility of fogging due to condensation of the warm, moist air inside the housing when immersed in the colder water. It also reduces the possi bility of sun damage to the polycarbonate. An insulated camera bag is a good means of protection from[...]

o Detach sync cords, arms & brackets f or overnight storage. This will greatly reduce the possibility of electrolysis and corrosion that can build up be tween similar metals on the housing. o Dry with a clean towel or allo w drying naturally in a cool shady place. • Traveling: o Use protective hard case wh en traveling to protect the camera a[...]

Basic Shooting T echniques • Practice handling the FD-50N on land. o Getting familiar with th e location and movem ent of all the controls and how the changes in settings can affect your image is an important part of the process. I t is better to learn the basics of the came ra’s operation on land, rather than when first underwater. It is faste[...]

• Changing Exposure Settings o Using the camera in its Manual (M) Exposure Mode gives you the ability to change either shutter speeds or apertures to control the exposure the way you want. Get used to making these changes while you r eye is in the viewfinder and you are referencing the LCD display for guiding you in the exposure process. The comm[...]

• Get close to you subject when shooting underwater o This will improve the effec tiveness of your strobe in restoring lost color. It will al so expand the sharpness of the image by reducing the amount of backscatter between the lens and the subject. • Begin by choosing subjects o Those that are easy to approach and will not scare of f readily [...]

Camera Lenses and Port s The Fantasea FD-50N has an interchangeable po rt system that will accommodate a wide variety of SLR lenses for use underwater. These ports include: • Standard Flat Port: This port will accommodate the 18-55 mm zoom lens in its wide angle 18mm position. This lens is very popular and is the most common lens first purchased [...]

Fant asea FD-50N W arranty The FD-50N includes a two-year limited warranty for defective parts which the manufacturer will replac e. Flood Insurance: Every Fantasea housing includes a one-year flood in surance policy. Supplied by the Divers Equipment Protection Program (DEPP) , this insurance polic y acts as additional protection to the warranty an[...]