The Sealife DC500 Camera: A League of Its Own


Time magazine has selected the Sealife DC500 underwater camera as one of "The Most Amazing Inventions of 2005".

"The Sealife DC500 captures ultrasharp, high-resolution pictures and overcomes underwater photography challenges including poor light, waterborne particles and quick-moving subjects. And it's good for a deep dive. The camera is waterproof down to 200ft and also has six modes for land."


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Reefmaster SL159 DC500 5.0 mp Digital MAXX Underwater Camera Set



SeaLife has created the ultimate digital dive camera system - the new SeaLife DC500 Digital MAXX.

This system includes everything you need to take professional quality, underwater digital images.

The MAXX inner digital camera is SeaLife's 5 mp DC500 that includes exposure programs for Land and Sea including; External Flash Mode, Auto, Sports, Night, Macro, Portrait and Landscape Modes. The New "Shark Mode" feature allows for faster and sharper pictures of moving objects underwater by setting the shutter to virtually no shutter lag.

The SeaLife SL159 MAXX Set also features the two SL960D external flashes which provides additional light for underwater pictures. With a flexible arms extending the flashes unit over the camera, this advanced strobe system allows divers to aim the flash at most any angle.

SeaLife Reefmaster DC500 Camera Features:
100% waterproof in housing
High resolution 5.0 megapixel camera takes very sharp pictures
Virtually no shutter delay with Shark Mode photo system
More compact than any underwater camera on the market today
12X mega zoom (3X optical zoom / 4X digital zoom)
Super close-up macro pictures auto focus to 2.3” (0.06m)
Rechargeable lithium battery for extra long battery life
Big 2” LCD display for easy on-camera viewing
Rubber-armored housing for extra durability and non-slip grip
Depth rated to 200 ft (60m)
Camera capabilities include video mode with sound - add comments to shots on the spot!

Innovative, Compact & Easy to Operate

This new waterproof digital is not only more compact than any underwater camera, but SeaLife’s designers have put a high priority on ease of use, allowing one-button operation, a large 2” LCD, and ergonomic button designs. The shirt pocket size DC500 is a two part unit; a shock-proof tough rubber armored housing with a tacticle non-slip grip and a removable inner camera that has been expertly designed for the light conditions underwater. The removable inner camera snaps beautiful pics indoors and on land when switched to land mode.

Focus as Close as Two Inches with 12x Mega Zoom

The DC500 auto focus macro system is able to focus on subject matter as close as 2.3 inches. The 12x zoom, (3 x optical / 4 x digital) lets a diver take close-up pictures of sea creatures that are either dangerous or shy from a safe distance. The flash brightness can be easily adjusted on the camera for close-up or far distances.

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Ships with the following free accessories:


DC500 Instruction manual
Photo Express and Photo Explorer software on CD with camera driver
Docking/charging cradle for easy photo import into PC or Mac
Lithium ion rechargeable battery
USB cable
Video cable
AC adapter
International plug adaptors
Care kit with anti-fog desiccant cartridges
Padded case for inner camera
Wrist lanyards for both inner camera and housing

Special MAXX free items:
(2) Digital External Flashs (SL960D)
(2) Flash Links optical cable connections included (SL962)
(2) NiMh battery charger sets with 8 AA rechargeable batteries and international travel adapter plugs (SL190)
24 mm Wide Angle Lens (SL970)
Wide Angle Lens Dock (SL972)
Large waterproof Pelican hard dive travel case
Sharp Pictures Of Moving Objects Underwater With Virtually No Shutter Lag

The inner camera that ships with the SL149 MAXX set features SeaLife’s exclusive new "Shark Mode" camera system has been developed based on input from underwater photographers. Underwater, in diving or snorkeling, everything moves. The diver as well as sea creatures are in constant movement. Many divers using land cameras in an underwater housing reported fuzzy pictures or missed pictures due to "shutter lag", the time between pushing the shutter button and the camera actually taking the picture. Since there is less light and less contrast in water, most land cameras, not specially made for underwater, have a long shutter lag resulting. This has been observed to be a particular problem in photographing sharks, which are grey and lack contrast, and also move along fast. Hence the term Shark Mode.

Shark Mode is activated by simply pushing the camera’s OK button which focuses on the intended subject. The camera will now remember that focus range and take sharp pictures with virtually no shutter lag. In addition to Shark Mode, the automatic Sea exposure mode will shorten the exposure time underwater for sharper pictures.

Inner Camera Specs:
Image Sensor: 5.0 mega pixel CCD
Image Resolution: 2560x1920, 2048x1536, 1280x960, 640x480
File format: JPEG
Movie Resolution: MPEG4 - VGA / 30 frames per second (FPS)
File format: AVI
Lens: 3X Optical Zoom
Aperture (f-stop): Wide: f/2.8
Tele: f/4.8
Focal Length: f= 5.4 ~ 16.2mm (film equivalent = 32 ~ 96mm)
Focus: Auto Focus Land and underwater
Wide - 0.06m (2.3”) to infinity
Normal - 0.50m (20”) to infinity
Tele - 0.35m (14”) to infinity
Zoom: 12X Total zoom
Optical- 3X
Digital - 4X
Playback: Up to 8X zoom
Shutter speed: Mechanical shutter
Land mode - 1/10 to 1/1000 second
Sea mode - 1/60 to 1/1000 second
External Flash mode - 1/90 to 1/500 second
ISO: Auto, 100 and 200 speed
Flash: Auto, Fill, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Scene
In External Flash mode: Normal, Far and Macro Flash
Exposure programs: Land modes: Auto, Sports, Night, Macro, Portrait, Landscape, Backlit
Underwater Modes: External Flash Mode, Sea Mode
Exposure adjust: Auto, Manual (0.3 EV step, -1.8 ~ +1.8 EV)
White Balance: Auto, Manual, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Tungsten
Self-Timer: Yes: 3 second or 10 second delay
Continuous: Supports 10X continuous shots.
LCD: 2.0” color LTPS TFT LCD
Memory: Internal: 16 MB NAND flash memory (non-removable)
External: SD card up to 512mb (and MMC card support)
PC camera: Yes
Video Output: Yes (NTSC and PAL support)
Audio Output: Yes (mono, 1x speaker)
EXIF Format: EXIF 2.2
USB: Version 2.0
Pictbridge: Yes, supported.
Operating Environment:
 PC: Windows 98 / 98SE / 2000 / ME / XP
MAC: OS 8.6 or up
Software:
 Driver: USB Mass Storage for Windows 98/ 98SE and Mac OS 8.6 or 9.0
Photo Express, Photo explorer
Language Support:
 On-Screen Display: English, German, French, Spanish,
Instruction manual: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (T-C
and S-C) and Japanese
Connector: Docking Stations with USB connector, AV connector, AC power
adapter
Power:
 Battery: Lithium rechargeable included (3.7v, 650 mAh)
AC power: Switchable AC input: 110 – 220v, 50 – 60 mHZ Output DC 3.7V
Battery life: Approx. 200 pictures
Certification: CE, FCC, VCCI
Weight: 139 grams (5 ounces) with batteries and SD card.
Dimensions: 2.3”H x 3.6”W x 0.9”D
58mm x 91mm x 22.5m
Warranty: 1 year limited manufacturer's warranty

Underwater Housing Specs:
Depth: Individually depth tested to 200’ (60 m)
Buoyancy: Slightly negative in Fresh Water
Controls: Control buttons for power, Shutter, Zoom, LCD, Menu, Mode, 4
navigation buttons, OK and Delete buttons
O-ring: Silicone
Lens port: Optical glass lens port with snap-on ring to adapt accessory
lenses
LCD: Optical grade polycarbonate window
Tripod mount: Standard 1/4-20 tripod threads to adapt accessories
Lanyard: Padded lanyard with swiveled attachment clip
Hardware: 316 Stainless Steel metal hardware
Material: Rubber overmolded polycarbonate housing
Weight:
 333 grams (11.7 ounces) Housing only without inner camera
472 grams (16.6 ounces) Housing and inner camera
Size: 3.5” H X ” 5.5W X 3.4” D inches 8.9cm X 14cm X 8.6cm
Operating temp: 33 degrees F to 110 degrees F
Storage temp: -20 degrees F to +140 degrees F
Shock resistant: Tested to 10 G’s (Equivalent to a 3’ drop)
Warranty: 1 year limited manufacturer's warranty


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