Just got your Outex waterproof camera housing gear ? Fantastic, now lets put it on your camera but wait you have questions. I have had a few people ask me for some tips to set up a camera for underwater photography or harsh environments; also to help stop any potential damage to Outex as you put it on.

So here are a few things you can do to get started, of course these are just my preferences so use them as you see fit. If you have any questions or have some more tips then drop me a message at the bottom of the post.

If you do not know what Outex is, its a soft easy to use protection barrier for your camera, can be used underwater to 30ft and stop sand, rain and other elements causing havoc with your prized electronics. However since you’re here you may already be in the know.

You will be using the rear screen, and pretty much all the time when you are submerged under water. If you are using the Outex for things like sandy conditions, high water environments then these tips settings would also apply.

Of course these are just preferences but I found the less time trying to turn something off with the Outex on your camera the better.

Turn off the “auto” eye sensor on the EVF, in some cases the camera will think the Outex cover is actually someone attempting to look through the eye piece. I had this issue on the Lumix S1R but to a lesser extent on the Nikon Z. You can add more air to the Outex to prevent this from happening but I found turning it off fixes the issue from ever occurring in the first place.

Turn off any touch screen features, I found them to be very hit and miss in their ability to work.

For underwater users I would recommend turning the rear screen brightness up to its most bright or close to it. You will be working through the Outex which may make viewing a little difficult if you have a screen with poor brightness.  If you have the pro version with the rear glass then this isn’t so much of an issue at all.

Most of the time I am looking down onto the screen at a slight angle (this is especially the case when scuba diving). If this is your style too then you will want to stop having to pull the screen out each time as it naturally goes back against the camera. This applies mostly to the Entry Kit rather than the Pro Kit with the glass in the back.

To stop having to correct the screen you can tape a wine bottle cork behind the screen to stop it from flapping back into the camera. You can also cut it in half if you need a smaller pitch or you have less space cut as needed. Using a cork is also easy on the camera and won’t cause any damage if you are careful. If you find putting on the Outex difficult with the screen kicked out, you can always drop the cork into the Outex first and apply it afterwards. This does get a little tricky but stay with it, it works.

You can then push back with your thumbs on either side of the screen when you want to view the screen while you hold the body. It’s a super good way of not having to change your shooting style because of the cover.