I cannot get focus underwater. My settings are: - Ikelite iTTL housing 6807.1 - 18-70mm kit lens with doom port 5503.55 - +4 diopter. Confirmed all buttons are not accidentally pressed under water but still unable to focus. Wondering if +4 diopter is not working. Please tell me if anyone is using the same system and work perfectly?

I don't know the Ikelite system that well, but I would say that most people don't bother with a dioptre with this lens. I am not saying that the majority are right - just that they don't.

So the first thing to try is experiment without the dioptre. You can easily test if it is dome dioptre combo by seeing how it focuses in a pool or a bath etc. There is no need to go diving to check this. So you should be able to solve it yourself.

Alex

p.s. Also make sure that you are not knocking the camera into Manual focus when you are putting it into the housing.

According to my experience this lens/Ike's port combination work very well with the +4 diopter.
Its worth trying without it but I don't think this is the problem.

Hi -

I used to shoot with that exact system and you should be able to focus within 10 inches of dome with the 18-70 and +4 diopter (which is needed with the smaller, ikelite dome). Is this a close focus problem?

M.

Rodney,

Have 4-5 buddies using this exact set up with no problems. Double check focus selection (not on self timer) and also it's pretty easy to bump the lens AF / M switch as you're sealing up the port and zoom sleeve. I've done this myself (bumping my lens off AF to MF) and caught it after re-surfacing during disassembly.

Only other thing is how close are you trying to focus? Nikon 18-70mm lens has a minimum focus and you will not get an AF focus lock if you are right on top of something, even with the +4 diopter. The +4 only allows the lens to "see" the apparent image a dome port creates underwater. Minimum range of the actual lens (i.e. - 18 inches or whatever) still applies!

Hope this helps!

David Haas

I've been using this set up since Christmas and the only AF problems I have had have been described above, the AF/M Switch has caught whilst putting the camera in the housing.

Does the camera AF topside out of the housing?

Also try without the Diopter and see if you can focus.

I'm pretty sure theres a "restore factory Default" option in the menu, try that I case you've inadvertently changed something.

I can duplicate the problem by connecting the hot shoe to the camera with any lens AND NOT connect the housing to a turned on strobe i.e. if the iTTL circuitry is not powered up by a strobe it appears to hang the camera.

The symptoms are that when you first turn on the camera you will see the data display in the viewfinder. But when the data display turns off to save power, it will not power on again with a 1/2 press of the shutter release. And it will not do any thing else including focus.

As to your specific problem, do you have a DS 125 or DS 50 strobe attached with the proper cable and turned on to power the iTTL circuitry? If yes it should work fine.

Or if you don't have strobes attached, don't connect the hot shoe. That should work also.

And finally, no need to dive to test these conditions as they can be duplicated topside.

Let me know what you find out.

Response from our knowledgeable type: If rodneyko is having the problem as described by Peter Schulz, he needs to set the meter to turn off after 30 minutes. Then when he gets a chance he should send the housing in to have the green wire moved in the adapter. He must have one of the earlier housings. 

Technology, ain't it a wonderful thing?

Thanks guys. I have tried in the bath tub yesterday and it works fine to focus the spoon at the bottom with the hotshoe on but no strobe. So maybe it's not the problem Peter mentioned. However, can any help me on this. I find that the AF function in D70 is far less sensitive than my Cannon A80 when using them underwater. Is this normal? If so, the problem should be my technique rather than any malfunction.

I had the same exact problem and lost some wonderful shots of some large bat rays. When I took my camera and housing into my local U/W photo pro, he told me to switch the AF-Assist Light from "Off" to "On." While I don't understand all the technical apsects, this seemed to solve the problem. Hope this helps!

From "off" to "on"? It is 100% opposite to other recommendations!

I used the recommendations from Splashdown Divers.com (Intermediate User Settings) that recommended the AF Assist Light be switched to "Off." It was in that mode that I could not get the camera to lock on many easy subjects (with the 18-70 mm lense and a +4 diopter).

When I was directed to change the AF Assist Light to "On" at my local SCUBA shop, the D70 was immediately able to lock onto a subject (at least in the pool). During my next dive trip, I happily got the same results and my problem has been solved ever since.

Please give it a try to see if it works for you also. Good luck!

Jim

Re Auto Assist Light, On or Off; Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D70 lists 7 reasons not to use it and concludes "turn it off". So I turned mine off on day 1 and have never experienced a problem with having it turned off.

Also, I reran the test described above with the hot shoe connected but no strobes on my Ikelite iTTL housing and got the same results with the Auto Assist Light On or Off.

Thus, I continue to believe that Off is the correct setting. However, if turning it on solves a problem for some users then turn it on. But don't count on the problem it fixed staying fixed as I know of know reason it can fix any underwater shooting problem since the light is blocked and dispersed by the housing and the ports.

Re "I find that the AF function in D70 is far less sensitive than my Cannon A80 when using them underwater. Is this normal? "

My experience with the D70 is that it focuses fast with good lighting, however some lenses focus better than others. In particular, the 18-70 and the 12-24 require a high contrast edge to lock focus whereas the 10.5, Sigma 15, and 60mm lenses don't seem as fussy.

The D70 AF should easily outperform the A80 autofocus. Do you have the D70 firmware upgrades? They make quite a difference in the performance of the AF. Do you have the same problem with the modeling light on? It could be that the camera AF is malfunctioning.

Rodney,

As Ike indicates, maybe AF is simply not working due to a few toher possibilities:
* Dirty rear or front elements of 18-70mm lens?
* Dirty contacts on lens to camera body?

Just another idea of stuff to check off in search of a solution.

YMMV

David Haas

Thanks for the advice. But my D70 performs perfectly well above water. So AF function is working. It seems that I need to point at straight edges or high contrast area in order to get in foucs which seems not necessary when using my A80. As my D70 can focus UW but only depends on the area, don't think it is the diopter problem, if so, it should not be able to focus at all. So I think I may need to brush up my skill instead. I wonder if the AF successful rate could increase if I use dynamic area instead of single area settings.