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Fantasea FD-50N
Housing
User's Manual
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Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 3 INCLUDED WITH HOUSING ....................................................................................... 4 CAMERA MODEL ..........................................................................................................
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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 mounting system, zoom lens capability and separate button for On-Off control. Welcome to the exciting world of underwater digital SLR photography. Your purchase of the FD-50N housing for the Nikon D-50 digital camera will set you apart from other photographers. With this system, you
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Included With Housing • The FD-50N housing consists of a front and back shell that latch together to form the housing body. • A screw in standard flat port is included. This port will accommodate the 18-70mm lens (without a manual zoom control). Other optional ports are available for different lenses ( 5 inch super wide angle Dome Port, 60 mm macro/close up port and 105 mm super macro port) • Two housing handles are attached to the camera body and the base plate. These handles are m
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A Variety of Uses The Fantasea FD-50N housing is more than just an underwater camera system. It protects the D-50 against damage from such environmental 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 like the D-50 to be used without danger of damage. The lightweight, compact housing and handles make it easy to hold and use while sailing, fishing, kayaking, backpacking,
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Controls Orientation 8 6 1 5 7 4 3 2 Top and Front of Housing: • Flash Sync Port 1 • Zoom Port Control 2 • Handles 3 • Trigger Release Control 4 • LCD Control Panel Illuminator 5 • Light Meter/Exposure Compensation Control 6 • On-Off Control 7 • Exposure Mode Control Dial 8 6
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10 18 9 17 11 12 16 13 15 14 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
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Control Details The following is a partial list of the most common uses of housing and camera controls. For the full list of camera functions and settings 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 more than one camera control. The command dial and sub-command dial will perform multiple functions when operated in conjunction with other camera/housing controls. Flash
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LCD Control Panel Illuminator: 5 • Push housing control button activates the control panel backlight [LCD Illuminator], allowing the display to be read underwater. Light Meter/Exposure Compensation Control: Dual Control Swivel Button: 6 • Rotate housing control over camera Light Meter control. o Press button and rotate command dial to choose Matrix Metering, Center Weighted Metering, or Spot Metering. • Rotate housing control over camera exposure compensation control o Press butt
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11 Four-Way Multi-Control: • Press Up and Down buttons to scroll through Menu options. • Press Left and Right buttons to make menu settings and confirm settings. • Use Left and Right buttons in Playback mode to scroll through images recorded on memory card. 12 Delete Control: • Press Playback button to turn on LCD Monitor and show last image recorded on card. • Use the Four-Way Multi-Control to scroll through images on card until you find the one you want to consider for deletio
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15 ISO Sensitivity/Menu Control: • Rotate housing control over camera ISO Sensitivity control. • 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 navigate through menus and make setting choices. 16 Auto Bracketing/Advance Control: • Rotate housing control over camera Auto Bracketing control. • Press button and rotate Sub-command dial to choose betwe
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Preparation 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. Most of these choices are ones that will remain unchanged for most of the time while diving, and therefore it will be more convenient and less time consuming to make the settings prior to diving. Mount Housing Port: Clean & Lubricate Port O-ring [for Port O-ring only]
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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 friction as there is no Note 1: movement or rubbing against any wall. It is a direct face-to-face seal. Therefore a radial O-ring, such as the O-ring on the
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Insert D-50 camera and lens in housing: • Mount camera and lens on the removable tray, using the tripod screw. • Slide the tray and camera 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 caution to insure the flat sync cord does not get caught in the housing seal by storing the slack alongside the left side of the camera. • Place hous
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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 mode. • Set Camera to Single Advance Mode • Choose Matrix light meter. This will provide the most sophisticated light meter for evaluating complicated and fa
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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 possibility of sun damage to the polycarbonate. An insulated camera bag is a good means of protection from overheating. o Protect the FD-50N from accidental impact damage. Secure the housing and camera in a safe location on the boat or in any vehicl
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o Detach sync cords, arms & brackets for overnight storage. This will greatly reduce the possibility of electrolysis and corrosion that can build up between similar metals on the housing. o Dry with a clean towel or allow drying naturally in a cool shady place. • Traveling: o Use protective hard case when traveling to protect the camera and housing from impact damage. o If possible, do not check camera and housing case on airlines. Use a hard case that can fit under the seat or
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Basic Shooting Techniques • Practice handling the FD-50N on land. o Getting familiar with the location and movement of all the controls and how the changes in settings can affect your image is an important part of the process. It is better to learn the basics of the camera’s operation on land, rather than when first underwater. It is faster to operate the camera out of the housing and you will not have the limited time frame as you would if you were underwater. • Focusing and Shutter
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• 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 your eye is in the viewfinder and you are referencing the LCD display for guiding you in the exposure process. The command dial is set to change shutter and aperture settings. Practice operating each of these controls so they become instinctive in operation. •
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• Get close to you subject when shooting underwater o This will improve the effectiveness of your strobe in restoring lost color. It will also 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 off readily when you approach. Choose subjects that will result in a large image size. This will make a more dramatic image. • Change F/Stops and shutter s
