Camera housing

[captain]

About 1960 I started dabbling in underwater photography, my first attempt was with a homemade plexiglass housing for a Kodak Brownie. Later it was another homemade plexiglass housing for a Canon 35mm viewfinder camera and a homemade housing for a Kodak super 8mm movie camera.
About 1970 my brother in law was stationed in Thailand and I had him buy me a Canon F1 35mm single lens reflex and 3 Canon lens for about a third of the cost in the US at the PX.
Having expended my cash assets on the camera and lens I planed making a housing for it but didn't want to use plexiglass. I had a free supply of aluminum plate and tubing and designed an built this housing using one of the commercially available housing as a guide. I vacuum formed the dome port for it and fabricated the handles from plexiglass. the control glands came from Ikelite. It has a battery pack and light in the housing to help supply light to the see the light meter reading in the viewfinder.

Alast the camera is gone and digital has replaced film so I am left with a nice paperweight.

[8dust]

WOW, you surely are quite the fabricator, Tom... that's a beautiful job!

Two questions: 1) Is your main rear seal from just the compression of the o-ring let into the back cover? or is there some additional interlocking surface I'm not seeing? If it's just the 4 buckels pulling the plate flat against the edge of the housing, I'm surprised it creates enough uniform pressure not to get leakage between them...

and 2) I've done a little vacuum forming but only with really thin material... really neat process and really useful tool in the kit-bag. I imagine the front dome is at least 1/4"... was forming it so that there is no optical distortion any different than it would be otherwise?

again, absolutely top-notch work, at least from here. VERY impressed, and thanks for posting!

Fred

[sitkadiver]

I thought the photo was going to reference a commercially bought unit. Outstanding work.

[swimjim]

1st class job Tom! That housing looks like a production piece.

Jim

[captain]

WOW, you surely are quite the fabricator, Tom... that's a beautiful job!

Two questions: 1) Is your main rear seal from just the compression of the o-ring let into the back cover? or is there some additional interlocking surface I'm not seeing? If it's just the 4 buckels pulling the plate flat against the edge of the housing, I'm surprised it creates enough uniform pressure not to get leakage between them...

and 2) I've done a little vacuum forming but only with really thin material... really neat process and really useful tool in the kit-bag. I imagine the front dome is at least 1/4"... was forming it so that there is no optical distortion any different than it would be otherwise?

again, absolutely top-notch work, at least from here. VERY impressed, and thanks for posting!

Fred

Just the o ring against the edge of the tubing. Once you get a few feet deep water pressure becomes the force making an even seal.

[antique diver]

Tom, that is one fine looking housing!

I made a bunch of housings over the years for still, movie and video cameras, starting in 1965, but they sure didn't look that professional!

[crimediver]

Very nice housing. Impressive work! About 20 years ago I picked up an Ikelite housing new in the box at a surplus sale. It had a dome lens as I recall. When I bought the housing I did not know what camera it was for. A little research and I found out it was for the F-1. I figured I would pick one up for 50 bucks or so at a pawn shop and have a nice UW camera.

I ended up getting sticker shock and learned the F-1 body was selling new for about a grand. They were even pricy second hand. I thought about changing the levers a bit and putting in a Canon AE-1 camera but I lost interest.

Since then I picked up a few of F-1 cameras as the prices fell due to the shift to digital cameras. I have not done anything with mine yet as the housing was missing the plate to bolt the camera to. It is an easy job to make one but I just have not had the time. Seeing yours has rekindled my interest in this project.

[captain]

The F1 was a great camera. With the large screen sports finder it was perfect for underwater use. I sold it and all the lens and accessories for it about 5 years ago. I still have a Nikonos II with a Sea & Sea 18 mm lens, Sekonic Marine Meter II and Toshiba strobe sitting unused in the closet. You can't even give that kind of stuff away.

[couv]

Beautiful.

[Nemrod]

You are the original "Maker."

Is that rear seal an X seal?

So, where are some photos? Probably all slides that would need to be scanned, oh well.

I hate digital driven obsolescence.

Nem

[captain]

No it isn't an X ring and yes most all are slides.

[EricQ]

I feel moved to post a comment. This would have to be the most impressive DIY housing ever.

[1969ivan1]

I believe we saw that housing in action at one of the sand dogs in Alexander Springs. It is unbelievably well made and looks like a production piece not home made at all. Great work Tom.