Aquatica Digital A7RIII User manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Product #20085

2 | A 7 R I I I I N S T RU C T I O N M A N UA L T a bl e o f c o n t e n t s
Thank you for purchasing your Aquatica A7RIII housing. Before you start to use
your new housing, please read these instructions carefully. Keep this manual
in a safe place for future reference.
This instruction manual assumes that the camera user is already familiar with
the Sony 7RIII camera. If not, please read your camera instruction manual
before attempting to use the housing.
Please visit the Aquatica Digital website for further information.
AQUATICA PRODUCT NUMBERS
20085-NK
Aquatica housing for Sony 7RIII
Including dual Nikonos bulkheads
20085-OPT
Aquatica housing for Sony 7RIII
Including dual optical fiber ports
20085-KT
Aquatica housing for Sony 7RIII
Including dual Ikelite bulkheads
20085-NK-VC
Aquatica housing for Sony 7RIII
Including dual Nikonos bulkheads + Surveyor kit
20085-OPT-VC
Aquatica housing for Sony 7RIII
Including dual optical fiber ports + Surveyor kit
20085-KT-VC
Aquatica housing for Sony 7RIII
Including dual Ikelite bulkheads + Surveyor kit
NOTE: Shown housing illustrations may differ from your actual housing depending on the
ordered version. General pictures are mostly showing the 20085-OPT version of
the housing.

T a bl e o f c o n t e n t s 3 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
Table of contents
Table of contents ......................................................................................... 3
Safety precautions........................................................................................ 4
Product specifications.................................................................................... 5
Package contents ......................................................................................... 6
Housing schematics ....................................................................................... 7
Housing components .............................................................................7
Housing functions.................................................................................8
Housing preparation ..................................................................................... 10
Camera installation...................................................................................... 11
Port mounting ............................................................................................ 14
Port removal.............................................................................................. 16
Housing closing........................................................................................... 17
Housing opening.......................................................................................... 20
Accessories ............................................................................................... 21
Surveyor sensor ................................................................................. 21
Vacuum pump................................................................................... 24
Flash triggering ................................................................................. 28
Aqua View finder ............................................................................... 30
Care and maintenance .................................................................................. 32
Housing components ........................................................................... 32
Sacrificial anodes............................................................................... 32
O-rings ........................................................................................... 33
Storage and transportation ............................................................................. 34
Warranty .................................................................................................. 35

4 | A 7 R I I I I N S T RU C T I O N M A N UA L S a f e t y p r e ca u t i on s
Safety precautions
Please carefully read and follow the following precautions and recommendations:
Improper transportation, handling or use of this housing might cause a flood or a
malfunction. Follow all recommendations stated in the next sections of this
manual.
Never remove, change a port or open the housing in a location where sand or
similar foreign material might come in contact with an O-ring. Be wary of strong
winds as they could potentially be carrying sand or other harmful particulate
matter.
Always perform a simple preventive seal test without the camera inside after doing
maintenance on the housing.
Non-authorized use of third-party accessories, as well as modifications and/or
alterations not specifically authorized by Aquatica may affect performance, cause
poor functioning of the controls or impair the sealing integrity of the housing.
Always handle the ports carefully. Protect them when not in use to avoid scratching
the acrylic or glass surface of ports and windows.
Always confirm that the ports remain properly attached before rinsing the housing.
When rinsing without a wired strobe, confirm that the bulkhead strobes connectors
are sealed with their plug.
Never jump into the water with the housing. Have the system handed to you after
you have made your entry or have it lowered to you on a rope.
Never handle the housing by grabbing the port, or if using one, the Aqua View
finder.
Make sure that boat staff are familiar with these procedures and advise them to
manipulate the housing by using the grips provided with the housing.

P r od u c t s p e c i f i c at i o n s 5 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
Product specifications
Construction
Housing body
6061-T6 Aluminium
Surface treatment
Anodized + powder coated
Windows
Optical acrylic
Grip handles
Black PVC
Physical
Dimensions WxHxD
(w/o grips)
250mm x 163mm x 127mm
9.8” x 6.4” x 5”
Width (w/ grips)
350mm x 163mm x 127mm
13.8” x 6.4” x 5”
Weight (w/o camera)
2.6 Kg / 5.7 lbs
Buoyancy
Slightly negative
Depth rating
100 msw - 330 fsw
Features
Ergonomic control
placement
Facilitated access to following
controls:
Locking saddle
Safe locking of the saddle
inside the housing using our
proven locking system.
Saddle is easily released by
pressing the locking tab.
Aqua View finder
compatibility
Aqua View finder 45°
Aqua View finder 180°
Moisture/vacuum
alarm
Supplied with the Surveyor moisture
and vacuum sensor alarm.
Flash capability1
Compatible with the following
depending on flash option:
Optical triggering
Nikonos-style bulkhead
Ikelite-style bulkhead
1
Note that all of the A7RIII flash triggering options are not TTL compatible.

6 | A 7 R I I I I N S T RU C T I O N M A N UA L P a ck a g e c o n t e n t s
Package contents
A7RIII housing
Handle grips (2) with screws (2)
A7RIII instruction manual
Lens chart
Spare housing seal O-ring
CR 2032 coin cell battery (for Surveyor)
Aquatica O-ring lubricant container
Set of Allen keys
Optical flash trigger
(for 20085-OPT and 20085-OPT-VC kits)
CR 2450 coin cell batteries (2)
Vacuum pump
(for 20085-NK-VC, 20085-OPT-VC and 20085-KT-VC kits)

H o u s in g s c h e m a t ic s 7 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
Housing schematics
Housing components
2
All mounts are using ¼-20 UNC threads.
3
Nikonos bulkheads shown.
1
Handle grips (2)
2
Closing latches (2)
3
Ball mounts2(2)
4
Top ball mount
5
Tripod mount
6
16mm ports (2)
7
½’’port
8
Flash bulkheads3(2)
9
Zinc anodes (2)
10
Rubber pads (4)

8 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R U C TI O N M A N U A L Hou s i n g s ch e m a t i cs
Housing functions
(See table on next page)

H o u s in g s c h e m a t ic s 9 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
1
ON-OFF lever
2
Mode dial
3
Zoom-Focus Wheel
4
C1 lever
5
C2 Lever
6
Record lever
7
Rear dial wheel
8
AF-ON lever
9
Expo comp dial
10
Shutter release lever
11
Front dial wheel
12
Port release lever
13
Lens release button
14
Menu button
15
C3 button
16
Playback button
17
Alarm LED window
18
Multi-selector
19
AEL button
20
DISP button (up)
21
Select button (center)
22
ISO button (left)
23
Down button
24
Drive button (right)
25
Delete button (C4)
26
Fn button

10 | A 7 R I I I I N S T RU C T I O N M A N U A L H o u s in g p r e p a r at i o n
Housing preparation
Follow these steps to prepare your A7RIII housing for use:
STEP 1: Assemble the grips onto your housing using the provided screws (2) and Allen key.
STEP 2: If you are adding any shoes, brackets or ball mounts onto your housing, mount
them using the intended ¼-20 UNC threaded holes. You can use the threaded
holes on the handle grips (#1,#2), the top one (#3) or the bottom ones (#4) for
your tripod.

C a m e r a i n s t a l l a t i o n 11 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
STEP 3: Mount your strobes and their arms onto the housing. For details about optical flash
triggering and wired bulkheads, refer to the Accessories, Flash triggering section
(page 25). Follow your strobe manufacturer manual and its recommendations.
STEP 4: Before use, remove the main O-ring seal from its groove on the front half of the
housing and carefully verify that the O-ring and its groove are free from scratches
or foreign matter. Lubricate the O-ring with a light coat of silicone grease.
WARNING: For proper handling of O-rings, follow the detailed instructions outlined in the Care
and maintenance, O-rings section (page 31).
STEP 5: Insert the provided CR 2032 coin cell battery in the Surveyor alarm (rear half of
housing) as described in the Accessories, Surveyor sensor section (page 21).
Camera installation
Follow these steps to prepare your Sony A7RIII camera for use with your housing. It is also
advisable to set your camera shooting preferences before inserting the camera into the housing
in order to save valuable time underwater.
STEP 1: Remove the saddle from the housing by pressing the saddle locking tab and pulling
the saddle out of the housing.

12 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R U C TI O N M A N U A L C a m e r a in s t a l l a t i o n
STEP 2: Tilt the camera monitor screen up.
STEP 3: Install the camera on the saddle by aligning the positioning hole under the camera
and tighten the bottom screw with either a flat screwdriver or a coin.
NOTE: If you are using optical flash triggering, install your flash trigger on your camera
by following the procedure outlined in the Accessories, Flash triggering section.

C a m e r a i n s t a l l a t i o n 13 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
STEP 4: Tilt the camera screen down until it is resting on the saddle rear stoppers.
NOTE: Camera is not shown in this view.
STEP 7: To avoid interference with the camera pull the mode dial away from the housing
and turn it in any direction to lock it in place. If you have a lens with a gear installed
on the camera pull the zoom-focus knob and turn it to lock it in place as well as
shown in the figure below.

14 | A 7 R I I I I N S T RU C T I O N M A N U A L P o rt m o u n t i n g
STEP 8: Slide the camera and saddle assmebly inside the housing using the two guiding pins.
Push it all the way through until you hear the locking mechanism click in the
housing. Perform a check by pulling on the saddle to ensure it is firmly attached to
the housing.
Port mounting
The A7RIII housing is equipped with a bayonet locking system that firmly attaches compatible
ports and extensions.
STEP 1: Before mounting the port, remove the O-ring seal from its groove and carefully
verify that the O-ring and its groove are free from scratches or foreign matter.
Lubricate the O-ring with a light coat of silicone grease. Also check that the O-ring
mating surface on the housing is clean and free of any physical damage.
WARNING: For proper handling of O-rings, follow the detailed instructions outlined in the Care
and maintenance, O-rings section (page 31).
STEP 2: Place the housing on its back on a soft and steady surface.
STEP 3: Place the port or extension ring inside the housing bayonet. Align the bayonet using
the four alignment notches in the housing.

P o rt m o u n t i n g 15 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
STEP 4: Push with even force on both sides of the port or extension ring until you feel it
snap into place. Make sure the bayonet is completely inside the housing.
STEP 5: Rotate the port clockwise until it stops. Do not force it. If there is too much
resistance, take the port off, check the O-ring and see that the port or extension
ring is properly seated before attempting to rotate it again.
STEP 6: Confirm that the port or extension ring is safely locked in the housing by gently
trying to rotate it counter-clockwise. The bayonet lock should prevent any counter-
clockwise rotation.
WARNING: If you are using older lenses, never attempt to manually focus the camera if it is
set to autofocus mode with a mounted focus gear engaged. This will strain the focus
mechanism motor and might damage your lens.

16 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R U C TI O N M A N U A L P o r t r e m o v a l
Port removal
STEP 1: While pressing the port release lever, rotate the port or extension ring counter-
clockwise until it stops.
STEP 2: Carefully pull the port or extension ring out of the housing.

H o u s in g c l o s i n g 17 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
Housing closing
STEP 1: Before closing the housing, remove the O-ring seal from its groove and carefully
verify that the O-ring and its groove are free from scratches or foreign matter.
Lubricate the O-ring with a light coat of silicone grease. Also check that the O-ring
mating surface on the housing is clean and free of any physical damage.
WARNING: For proper handling of O-rings, follow the detailed instructions outlined in the Care
and maintenance, O-rings section (page 31).
STEP 2: Perform either a Surveyor moisture alarm test or a vacuum check if you are using
a pump. Refer to Accessories, Surveyor sensor and Vacuum pump sections (from
page 21) for a complete procedure.
STEP 3: Be sure that the housing is free of any foreign object that could interfere during
closing.
STEP 4: Be sure that both locking latches on the rear section of the housing are unlocked.
If unlocked, latches should be able to rotate freely, if they cannot rotate freely,
unlock them by pressing the locking tab and pulling them out.
STEP 5: Pull the latches out so they don’t interfere with the front section hooks upon
closing.

18 | A 7 R I I I I N S T RU C T I O N M A N U A L H o u s in g c l o s i n g
STEP 6: Align the rear section of the housing with the front one using the two guiding pins.
STEP 7: Close the two housings shells together.

H o u s in g c l o s i n g 19 | A 7 R I I I I N S T R UC T I O N M A N U A L
STEP 8: Once both sections of the housing are pressed against each other, rotate each latch
towards the front until it catches the front hook then pull back on both latches
simultaneously until they lock into position.
WARNING: In the event that you should feel any unusual resistance when attempting to close
your housing, do not force closure. Reopen and inspect carefully for any potential
obstruction before trying again.
STEP 10:Verify that both latches are locked by trying to pull them out without pressing the
locking tab. If properly locked, you should not be able to open them by simply
pulling them out.

20 | A 7 R I I I I N S T RU C T I O N M A N U A L H o u s in g o p e n i n g
Housing opening
NOTE: If your housing is under vacuum, you won’t be able to open it directly with the
following procedure. See note in Accessories, Vacuum pump section.
STEP 1: Unlock both latches by pressing the locking tabs and pulling them out.
STEP 2: Rotate both latches to free them from the front hooks and pull out the rear section.