Sigma AQUATICA A300 Digital Camera User Manual


 
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Of the housing:
After each and every salt water dive, your housing system should be soaked or rinsed in fresh water. The housing
system should soak in fresh water for at least 30 minutes. During this soaking period reach into the water and
operate all the controls several times.
Be sure to remove the housing's main o-ring and clean it after every use. Refer to Maintenance: Of the O-rings. To
ensure that the hand grips won't fuse on to the housing due to the exposure to salt water, it is also a good practice to
occasionally remove the hand grips. Clean and lubricate the bolts with a small amount of WD-40.
WARNING: Use WD-40 carefully, sparingly and only on metal to metal surfaces. WD-40 can damage the acrylic
on the ports, the optical surfaces on lens as well as the O-rings.
Of the Ports:
Care should be taken with the Dome Port and Macro Port to avoid scratches on the lens surface. The acrylic port is
softer than glass so minor exterior scratches are often unavoidable. However, since the indices of refraction for
acrylic and water are almost equal the scratches will not seriously impair image quality. Internal scratches (air side)
must be avoided as they do not fill in with water and will affect the quality of the image.
Clean the dome using only products recommended for cleaning acrylic such as Mirror glaze #17 Professional Plastic
Cleaner and a soft lint free cloth. Dust on the interior surfaces of the port can be removed with a soft camel hair
brush or a blower brush. Caution must be taken when using aerosol devices as not to spray the lens material with the
liquid propellant as this may seriously affect the optical properties of the port. The ports should be removed and
serviced after every dive.
Of the Latches:
The two latches of the AQUATICA A300 are designed to have a locking action to prevent accidental opening.
Always ensure that the locking mechanism is secure. Watch for the build-up of corrosion or salt residue around the
latches. This will appear as a white material. Lubricate the latches with a small amount of WD-40 to remove the
corrosion or salt residue build-up.
Of the O-Rings:
The O-rings that need to be maintained on a regular basis are the main housing O-ring and the O-ring on the lens
port.
The main O-ring should be cleaned on a daily basis and the port O-ring should be cleaned daily or each time the port
is changed.