Sealife SL961 User manual

DIGITAL
PRO FLASH
Instruction Manual
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2
Contents:
I. Safety Warnings...........................................................3
II. Introduction ................................................................4
III. Preparing your camera ................................................5
IV. Preparing your flash ....................................................6
V. Testing your camera and flash ...................................21
VI. How to adjust your camera and flash........................22
VII. Maintaining a waterproof seal ...................................28
VIII. Pre-dive checklist ......................................................30
IX. After each dive..........................................................31
X. Care and maintenance ..............................................31
XI. Great pictures made easy..........................................32
XII. Troubleshooting Guide..........................................35
XIII. Specifications.......................................................38
XIV. Parts and service...................................................39
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3
I. Safety Warnings
Always discharge flash before opening the waterproof door, by moving
the power switch to the “TEST” position, and then to the “OFF” position.
This will discharge the high-voltage electricity stored in the flash.
If foreign objects or water has entered the flash, discharge and turn off
flash. Continued use in this state may cause fire or electrical shock.
Contact the SeaLife service center for repairs.
Do not attempt to access the electronic circuitry for any reason. The
internal electronics uses high-voltage components that may result in
severe electrical shock.
The On/Off/Test switch contains a powerful magnet. Keep away from
compasses and electronics to avoid magnetic interference.
Do not expose flash to heat or direct sunlight for prolonged periods of
time.
Observe all SCUBA dive safety rules and control your buoyancy at all
times. Consult your dive instructor for dive safety questions.
Visit www.sealife-cameras.com for updates to this manual and
techniques on underwater photography. Check out the online guide
called Great Pictures Made Easy.

4
II. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the SeaLife Digital Pro Flash. Novice
and experienced divers alike know that the deeper you dive, less
light penetrates the water. While this descending drama adds to
your excitement as a diver, you will find that it also challenges
you as an underwater digital photographer.
The water filters out red and yellow so everything looks blue. The
fact is that reefs and fish are bursting with color. A powerful
underwater flash system is the best way to restore the lost colors.
Without Digital Flash With Digital Flash
This instruction manual will guide you through all the essential
information on how to operate and care for your flash, and tips
on capturing some of the best underwater pictures of your life.

5
III. Preparing your camera
Become familiar with how to operate your camera. Refer to your
camera instruction manual for information on how to adjust the
settings described in this manual. Here is the basic camera set-up for
SeaLife and most other popular digital cameras and their housings.
1. Insert blank memory card. It’s good practice to regularly
format memory card, but be careful, because this will erase
all images on the card.
2. Make sure your camera battery(ies) are new or freshly charged
before each dive.
3. Set SeaLife digital cameras to External Flash mode
4. For Non-SeaLife camera’s, do this:
a. Set ISO to 100 (or less if available) but not Auto.
b. Set White Balance to “CLOUDY” for better color.
c. Set camera’s flash to FORCE ON.
d. Select the highest image resolution.
e. Some camera offer manual shutter and aperture controls,
which is recommended for advanced photographers only.
5. Inspect and clean camera housing and main O-ring in
accordance with the camera/housing instructions.
6. Insert camera and seal the housing.
7. Take a test picture to make sure the camera’s flash fires.

6
IV. Preparing your flash
Unlock the latch by sliding
down the safety lock.
Lift the latch and open the
waterproof door to access the
battery compartment, pre-flash
setting, and auto mode setting.
Important:
• Make sure the flash and you are perfectly dry before opening the
waterproof door.
• Open the waterproof door with the door pointing down, so any
water trapped around the o-ring does not drip inside the flash.

7
Insert 4 new or freshly charged AA batteries. Open the battery
compartment cover and insert batteries according to the polarity
markings above the battery compartment.

8
Set the Pre Flash switch to the “0” position for all SeaLife cameras.
For non-SeaLife digital cameras, set switch to the #4 position to
start. More information will be provided later in this manual on
finalizing the Pre Flash Setting for your non-SeaLife camera.
What is a Pre-flash?
Most digital cameras have one or more pre-flashes to assist in
autofocus/auto-exposure setting of the camera. The Pre-Flashes
occur before the camera’s primary flash fires. The Pre-Flash
Setting switch tells the external flash how many pre-flashes to
ignore before firing. For example, if your digital camera has 2
pre-flashes, you would set the Pre-Flash Setting switch to 2. The
external flash will now ignore the two pre-flashes and fire on the
third primary flash. SeaLife cameras do not have a pre-flash when
the camera is in External Flash mode. More information on how
to make the correct pre-flash setting for your non-SeaLife cameras
will be described later in this manual.
Pre Flash Switch

9
Pre-flash cancellation settings (continued) :
Switch position Description of setting
0 Cameras with no pre-flash
For all SeaLife cameras
[Camera set to Ext Flash mode]
1 Camera with 1 pre-flash
[and cameras with rapid-fire pre-flash*]
2 Camera with 2 pre-flash
3 Camera with 3 pre-flash
4 Camera with 4 pre-flash
*Note: The #1 pre-flash setting works with cameras that use 1
pre-flash or a rapid-fire pre-flash system because it has a built-in
50 millisecond delay between the first pre-flash and the primary
flash.
More information on how to calibrate the pre-flash setting for
your non-SeaLife cameras will be described later in this manual.

10
Set the Auto mode switch to the “1” position for all SeaLife
cameras and “4” position for all Non-SeaLife digital and film
camera’s. More information will be provided later in this manual
on how to make the correct Auto mode setting for your camera.
What is the Auto mode?
Auto mode will automatically control the brightness of the
external flash and help you to achieve optimal image exposure.
When the external flash fires the light sensor located in the front
of the flash will instantly measure the light reflecting from the
subject. If it senses too much light, it will quickly stop the flash
and prevent the image from being over-exposed. There are 4
possible Auto mode settings. settings. One of the four settings will
be best depending on your camera type. The #1 setting will result
in slightly less powerful flash brightness and #4 will result in a
more powerful flash brightness. More information on how to
calibrate the Auto mode setting for your non-SeaLife camera is
discussed later in this manual.

11
Close and seal the waterproof door. Make sure the O-ring is
perfectly clean and undamaged. Carefully close the waterproof
door to make sure nothing gets trapped near the o-ring and make
sure o-ring slips into position and does not get pinched. Make
sure the waterproof door is completely closed. Lock the latch by
sliding the safety lock upwards.
Important:
Refer to Maintaining a Waterproof Seal in section VII of this manual on
how to inspect the O-ring for cuts, tears, dirt or other damage. Clean or
replace as necessary. Do not grease O-ring. Wipe the O-ring and contact
surfaces with a damp cotton cloth to clean. Never stretch the O-ring.

12
Attach camera (housing) to the flash’s mounting base. Carefully
hand-tighten the mounting screw. Do not over tighten!
Important:
Only attach the flash to cameras/housings with minimum thread
depth of 0.250” (6.4mm) and using standard 1⁄4-20 tripod type thread.
Never force or over-tighten the screw, or you may damage the
housing seal and threads.

13
Attaching camera/housing to two flashes. You can easily add up to
two flashes to your underwater camera. Using dual flashes helps
avoid shadows and will further intensify brightness and color.
Remove the smaller mounting screw (0.625” / 15.9mm, item
#SL96025) from each flash unit. Attach the larger mounting
screw (1” / 25.4mm, item #SL96022 - not included) through both
flash mounting trays and into the camera housing. Rotate each
flash head so they are aiming in the forward direction as shown.
Note: A longer mounting screw is required when mounting
two flash units. Item #SL96022–for two flashes. Contact your
local SeaLife dealer to order a longer screw.

14
Connecting Flash Link optical cable to the external flash
The Digital Pro Flash includes the Flash Link optical cable (item
#SL962). The optical cable is used to transfer the light from the
camera to the light sensor under the external flash head. When
the flash light sensor senses the light coming from the end the
cable, the external flash will fire.
The external flash should come with the optical cable already
attached to the flash head, but it is good to know how the cable
can be removed and attached.
1. Turn the cable locking screw counter-clockwise by about 2
rotations to loosen the clamping effect of the lock. Do not
remove the locking screws.
2. Insert the optical cable into the hole of the cable lock until the
cable stops [make sure cable is pushed up all the way].
3. Turn the cable locking screw clockwise to lock the cable into
place [finger tight only – Do not over tighten].
1. 2. 3.

15
Connecting Flash Link optical cable to SeaLife cameras
For SeaLife cameras:
Attach the other end of the optical cable to the camera adapter
included with your SeaLife camera. The following example
shows the optical cable being connected to the SeaLife
DC500/DC600 camera adapter.
1. Loosen one of the two set screws of the camera adapter with
the small Allen wrench provided.
2. Insert the optical cable into the hole with the loosened screw
and push the cable as far as possible without the cable
sticking out on the other side of the adapter.
3. The end of the cable should be pointing at the camera’s flash.
4. Carefully tighten the set screw until you feel it makes contact
with the cable then give it another 1⁄4turn. Gently pull at the
cable to make sure it is secure. Do not over tighten the set
screw or you will damage the optical cable.
1. 2. 3.
End of Cable

16
Connecting Flash Link optical cable to NON-Sealife cameras
For NON-SeaLife cameras:
Attach the other end of the optical cable to the universal camera
adapter provided as shown below.
1. Remove the tape backing of the hook-and-loop tape provided.
2. Stick the tape over the flash window of your camera housing.
1. 2.

17
Connecting Flash Link optical cable to NON-SeaLife cameras
(continued)
3. Loosen the set screw of the universal
adapter with the small Allen wrench
provided.
4. Insert the optical cable into the hole as
shown above and push the cable as far
as possible without the cable sticking
out on the other side of the adapter.
5. Carefully tighten the set screw until
you feel it makes contact with the
cable then give it another 1⁄4turn. Gently pull at the cable to
make sure it is secure. Do not over tighten the set screw or
you will damage the optical cable.
6. Press the cable adapter onto the housing as shown above.
3. 4. 5.
6.

18
Secure the Flash Link optical cable to the flash arm
Use the two Velcro ties provided to secure the optical cable to the
top and bottom of the flash arm.

19
Finalize Pre-Flash setting for non-SeaLife digital cameras
Follow these steps to determine the correct Pre-Flash setting for
your non-SeaLife camera:
1. Set the pre-flash setting to #4.
2. Power on the camera and flash.
a. Make sure the camera settings are set as described in
section III of this manual.
b. Turn the flash brightness power knob on the back of the
flash to 9 or 10 position. (Not Auto position)
3. Wait for the red flash-ready light to turn on.
4. Take a test picture of an object about 3ft/1m shooting distance.
5. Review the picture on your camera.
6. Is the picture dark or very bright (possibly overexposed)?
a. If the picture is a dark picture, move the pre-flash setting
switch down by one (For example, from #4 to #3) and
repeat steps 3 to 6.
b. If the picture is bright (possibly overexposed) the pre-
flash setting is correct. You have now finalized your pre-
flash setting.
Note: Once you have determined the correct pre-flash setting for your
camera, you should not have to change it again. This will become
your permanent pre-flash setting unless you change cameras.

20
Finalize Auto mode setting for non-SeaLife digital cameras
Follow these steps to determine the correct Auto mode setting for
your camera:
1. Set the Auto mode setting to #4.
2. Power on the camera and flash.
a. Make sure the camera settings are set as described in
section III of this manual.
b. Turn the flash brightness power knob on the back of the
flash to “A” for Auto. (All the way counter-clockwise)
3. Wait for the red flash-ready light to turn on.
4. In a dimly lit room, take a test picture of a flat non-reflective object
(like a painting on the wall) at about 5ft/1.5m shooting distance.
5. Move the Auto mode setting switch down by one (For
example, from #4 to #3) and repeat steps 3 to 5 until you have
taken 4 pictures, one picture for each setting.
6. Review the pictures on your camera or computer and determine
which of the 4 pictures have the best color and exposure.
7. Set the Auto mode switch to the position which matches the best
picture taken in the above test. For example, if the second picture
is the best of all four pictures, set the Auto mode switch to #3.
8. You have now finalized the Auto mode setting.
Note: Once you have determined the correct Auto mode setting
for your camera, you should not have to change it again unless
you change cameras. Most SeaLife cameras will perform best in
the #1 position).