Sealife SL961 Instruction Manual Download Page 1

Page: 1 / 40

DIGITAL

PRO FLASH

Instruction Manual

www.sealife-cameras.com/onlineguide/manuals.html

Español - Deutsch - Français

Italiano - Nederlands - Türkçe

Summary of Contents for SL961

Page 1: ...DIGITAL PRO FLASH Instruction Manual www sealife cameras com onlineguide manuals html Español Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Türkçe ...

Page 2: ...djust your camera and flash 22 VII Maintaining a waterproof seal 28 VIII Pre dive checklist 30 IX After each dive 31 X Care and maintenance 31 XI Great pictures made easy 32 XII Troubleshooting Guide 35 XIII Specifications 38 XIV Parts and service 39 www sealife cameras com onlineguide manuals html Español Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Türkçe ...

Page 3: ...o access the electronic circuitry for any reason The internal electronics uses high voltage components that may result in severe electrical shock The On Off Test switch contains a powerful magnet Keep away from compasses and electronics to avoid magnetic interference Do not expose flash to heat or direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time Observe all SCUBA dive safety rules and control your bu...

Page 4: ...s you as an underwater digital photographer The water filters out red and yellow so everything looks blue The fact is that reefs and fish are bursting with color A powerful underwater flash system is the best way to restore the lost colors Without Digital Flash With Digital Flash This instruction manual will guide you through all the essential information on how to operate and care for your flash ...

Page 5: ...sure your camera battery ies are new or freshly charged before each dive 3 Set SeaLife digital cameras to External Flash mode 4 For Non SeaLife camera s do this a Set ISO to 100 or less if available but not Auto b Set White Balance to CLOUDY for better color c Set camera s flash to FORCE ON d Select the highest image resolution e Some camera offer manual shutter and aperture controls which is reco...

Page 6: ... waterproof door to access the battery compartment pre flash setting and auto mode setting Important Make sure the flash and you are perfectly dry before opening the waterproof door Open the waterproof door with the door pointing down so any water trapped around the o ring does not drip inside the flash ...

Page 7: ...7 Insert 4 new or freshly charged AA batteries Open the battery compartment cover and insert batteries according to the polarity markings above the battery compartment ...

Page 8: ...era The Pre Flashes occur before the camera s primary flash fires The Pre Flash Setting switch tells the external flash how many pre flashes to ignore before firing For example if your digital camera has 2 pre flashes you would set the Pre Flash Setting switch to 2 The external flash will now ignore the two pre flashes and fire on the third primary flash SeaLife cameras do not have a pre flash whe...

Page 9: ...re pre flash 2 Camera with 2 pre flash 3 Camera with 3 pre flash 4 Camera with 4 pre flash Note The 1 pre flash setting works with cameras that use 1 pre flash or a rapid fire pre flash system because it has a built in 50 millisecond delay between the first pre flash and the primary flash More information on how to calibrate the pre flash setting for your non SeaLife cameras will be described late...

Page 10: ... external flash fires the light sensor located in the front of the flash will instantly measure the light reflecting from the subject If it senses too much light it will quickly stop the flash and prevent the image from being over exposed There are 4 possible Auto mode settings settings One of the four settings will be best depending on your camera type The 1 setting will result in slightly less p...

Page 11: ...n and does not get pinched Make sure the waterproof door is completely closed Lock the latch by sliding the safety lock upwards Important Refer to Maintaining a Waterproof Seal in section VII of this manual on how to inspect the O ring for cuts tears dirt or other damage Clean or replace as necessary Do not grease O ring Wipe the O ring and contact surfaces with a damp cotton cloth to clean Never ...

Page 12: ... tighten the mounting screw Do not over tighten Important Only attach the flash to cameras housings with minimum thread depth of 0 250 6 4mm and using standard 1 4 20 tripod type thread Never force or over tighten the screw or you may damage the housing seal and threads ...

Page 13: ...ng screw 0 625 15 9mm item SL96025 from each flash unit Attach the larger mounting screw 1 25 4mm item SL96022 not included through both flash mounting trays and into the camera housing Rotate each flash head so they are aiming in the forward direction as shown Note A longer mounting screw is required when mounting two flash units Item SL96022 for two flashes Contact your local SeaLife dealer to o...

Page 14: ...ill fire The external flash should come with the optical cable already attached to the flash head but it is good to know how the cable can be removed and attached 1 Turn the cable locking screw counter clockwise by about 2 rotations to loosen the clamping effect of the lock Do not remove the locking screws 2 Insert the optical cable into the hole of the cable lock until the cable stops make sure c...

Page 15: ...a adapter with the small Allen wrench provided 2 Insert the optical cable into the hole with the loosened screw and push the cable as far as possible without the cable sticking out on the other side of the adapter 3 The end of the cable should be pointing at the camera s flash 4 Carefully tighten the set screw until you feel it makes contact with the cable then give it another 1 4 turn Gently pull...

Page 16: ...cameras For NON SeaLife cameras Attach the other end of the optical cable to the universal camera adapter provided as shown below 1 Remove the tape backing of the hook and loop tape provided 2 Stick the tape over the flash window of your camera housing 1 2 ...

Page 17: ... above and push the cable as far as possible without the cable sticking out on the other side of the adapter 5 Carefully tighten the set screw until you feel it makes contact with the cable then give it another 1 4 turn Gently pull at the cable to make sure it is secure Do not over tighten the set screw or you will damage the optical cable 6 Press the cable adapter onto the housing as shown above ...

Page 18: ...18 Secure the Flash Link optical cable to the flash arm Use the twoVelcro ties provided to secure the optical cable to the top and bottom of the flash arm ...

Page 19: ...ready light to turn on 4 Take a test picture of an object about 3ft 1m shooting distance 5 Review the picture on your camera 6 Is the picture dark or very bright possibly overexposed a If the picture is a dark picture move the pre flash setting switch down by one For example from 4 to 3 and repeat steps 3 to 6 b If the picture is bright possibly overexposed the pre flash setting is correct You hav...

Page 20: ... about 5ft 1 5m shooting distance 5 Move the Auto mode setting switch down by one For example from 4 to 3 and repeat steps 3 to 5 until you have taken 4 pictures one picture for each setting 6 Review the pictures on your camera or computer and determine which of the 4 pictures have the best color and exposure 7 Set the Auto mode switch to the position which matches the best picture taken in the ab...

Page 21: ...flash brightness power knob on the back of the flash to A for Auto 2 Wait for the red flash ready light to turn on 3 Take a series of test picture while viewing the external flash at an angle Don t look directly into the flash 4 The camera s flash and the external flash should be firing together 5 If the external flash is not firing at the same time as the camera s primary flash review the instruc...

Page 22: ... best picture color and brightness Make sure you become familiar with these basic adjustments before you dive with your new external flash Overexposed picture Properly exposed picture Contrast and Colors are Good contrast with vibrant colors washed out You can adjust your camera setting and or external flash settings to achieve the best image exposure and color ...

Page 23: ...starting with AUTO scene mode If your non SeaLife camera has an underwater scene mode don t use it These underwater modes are not intended for cameras using an external flash Read your camera s instruction manual to learn more about your camera s scene modes Experiment to find the best setting for you ISO setting The term ISO International Standards Organization relates to the ability or speed of ...

Page 24: ...mode and leave the EV Compensation at 0 Your SeaLife camera is pre programmed to automatically select the optimal EV value for underwater flash pictures For non SeaLife cameras start with an EV value setting of 2 and make adjustments as necessary to achieve the best results Avoid using EV values White Balance The camera s White balance setting will match your camera s sensor to the color temperatu...

Page 25: ...Remember your external flash will only fire if your camera s flash fires Manual exposure controls Some digital cameras include manual aperture and shutter speed controls which requires advanced knowledge of photography principles These controls are too advanced for this instruction manual For SeaLife cameras set the camera to Ext Flash mode The camera will automatically select the best aperture an...

Page 26: ...ed out colors turn the power adjustment 1 or 2 bars clockwise to reduce the flash brightness and take another picture Do this until the image exposure satisfactory If the test image is under exposed dark turn the power adjustment 1 or 2 bars counter clockwise to increase the flash brightness and take another picture Do this until the image exposure is satisfactory Remember that the flash will only...

Page 27: ...nks covered by foam rubber sleeve You can bend the flexible arm in any direction but if you force it beyond the point of resistance the links will separate If the links separate you can reconnect it by pushing the links together until they snap in Using two external flashes Adding a second external flash will allow you to illuminate the subject on both sides and prevent shadowing You will follow a...

Page 28: ... sealing surfaces and maintain this waterproof seal Always perform these inspection procedures before using underwater How to inspect the o ring and sealing area 1 Do not remove the o ring or gasket If o ring or gasket is damaged and needs to be replaced please contact the SeaLife service center in your country See the end of this manual for service information 2 Carefully inspect the o ring and g...

Page 29: ...ith the waterproof seal Contact the SeaLife service center for repairs if the sealing surfaces are damaged Important warnings for underwater operation 1 Do not lubricate the o ring or gasket 2 Do not exceed operating depth of 200ft 60m 3 Do not open waterproof door in wet environment You and the flash must be dry before opening the waterproof door 4 Do not expose flash to direct sunlight for prolo...

Page 30: ... flash fire Remember to power off the camera and flash to preserve battery power 5 Perform a quick waterproof test before you enter the water Hold the camera and flash underwater If you see a steady continuous stream of bubbles coming from the camera or flash sealing area remove the camera and flash from the water Dry off the camera and flash and inspect for any leaks Note It is normal that some a...

Page 31: ...f door If you can wait keep your camera and flash sealed until you are in a dry location IMPORTANT When opening the waterproof door make sure to hold the flash with the door facing down This will prevent water drops from entering the inside of the flash X Care and Maintenance 1 Remove batteries before storing the flash 2 Allow flash to thoroughly dry before storage 3 Never use any detergents clean...

Page 32: ... cause low visibility and small spots to appear in your picture commonly referred to as backscatter Your external flash will help you reduce the backscatter effect because the flash only illuminates the outer rim of the floating debris As a general rule limit your shooting distance to 1 10 of the water visibility 2 Limit your shooting distance to 6 ft 1 8m Water is 800 times denser than air and qu...

Page 33: ...h controls There is no better way to learn than from your mistakes Become familiar with your camera controls so you can make quick adjustments depending on the conditions Take the time to practice and experiment with different settings Review your pictures and learn from your mistakes 5 Learn how to compose a good picture Once you have mastered how to control the brightness level exposure of your ...

Page 34: ...ded into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines The four points formed by the intersections of these lines can be used to align features in the photograph Professional photographers claim that aligning a picture with these points creates more energy and interest in the photo than simply centering the subject 6 Always observe dive safety rules ...

Page 35: ...ted above but does not fire when triggered by camera a Make sure the power switch is set to ON position and the red flash ready light is on b Take a test pictures and make sure your camera s inner flash fires c Check that your camera settings are correct i For SeaLife digital cameras set to External Flash mode Make sure camera s ready light is on ii For other camera brands set camera to Flash ON M...

Page 36: ...ed in this manual b Check that your camera settings are correct i For SeaLife digital cameras set to External Flash mode Make sure camera s ready light is on ii For other camera brands set camera to Flash ON Make sure the camera s flash setting is not set to Auto or Red Eye reduction Refer to your camera instructions for problems related to the camera 4 The recycle time is very long a This is norm...

Page 37: ...d The reflectivity of your subject will cause some areas to appear brighter than other areas For example dark coral needs more light than would white coral Adjust flash intensity accordingly 6 Flash arm is loose and does not maintain correct aiming position a Soak the arm in warm fresh water and flex the arm until all links are clean and free of detergents or lubricants b Never use detergents when...

Page 38: ...ery life 100 flashes Recycle time Instant recycle time when power setting is less than 1 2 power 7 seconds recycle time at full power fresh batteries Buoyancy positive Housing material Rubber armored polycarbonate Hardware marine grade stainless steel Flash arm 71 2 rubber coated flexible arm Flash Base Universal base with 1 4 20 threads Weight 25 ounces 711 grams w head arm and base Dimensions He...

Page 39: ...com for updates on troubleshooting and technical tips and advice The website also includes detailed information on how to get repair service If it is determined that the product requires servicing a return authorization number will be issued Please contact your local SeaLife dealer or the importer in the country where the product was purchased for return information Your local authorized SeaLife D...

Page 40: ...Item SL96154 3rd edition Revised May 1 2008 Pioneer Research 97 Foster Road Moorestown NJ 08057 USA www sealife cameras com ...

Search results

Summary of Contents for SL961

Reviews:

Related manuals for SL961

Brands by name

Popular brands

Sealife SL961, Instruction Manual

Search results

Summary of Contents for SL961

Reviews:

Related manuals for SL961

Brands by name

Popular brands