Shannon Larratt is Zentastic

OK, this is very “version 0.5″ but it does appear to be done. Here's how I made it (not that you can't figure it out yourself because it's about as basic of an underwater enclosure as you could make):

From the side view you can see that the handle is just held on by those closing wire-clamps (I don't know what their official name is hose clamps). I did it that way so that it would be easy to play with different handle configurations, and so it could be used in different ways (ie. holding it off the edge of a boat, swimming underwater, whatever). You can also see the mounting screw which goes up through a rubber grommet. It should be waterproof, but I see this as the main weak point of the design.

This is the rear view, where you insert the camera itself, which sits snugly on a plate inside (made of the leftover lexan) to keep it stable. The back plate screws on and is sealed with a rubber gasket.

The front has an almost identical endpiece to the back, but the metal has been replaced with lexan (which has a couple of stress marks on it but I think is still fine) and permanently sealed in place. The camera mounting is such that the lense sits flush with the lexan.

It's really basic, and it should work. Later tonight or in the morning I'll do a test of whether it's actually waterproof (it should be). Just putting it together I've already got three five things that I'd do quite differently next time:

1. The front (clear) plate would just be expoxied into place without any screws to hold it there (going with the theory that since the pressure is inward, it doesn't need to survive major internal pressure; just external pressure).
2. The rear plate that has to be taken off to access the camera should be “quicker” to remove, especially since there are no control buttons (you turn the camera and put it on).
3. I wouldn't do a mounting screw at all that penetrates the main body. Instead, I'd put the plate that the camera sits on on rails so you attach the camera to the plate, and then slide the plate into the camera. This would be significantly more effective.
4. I'll put a “container” on the bottom of the camera that can be weighted, so I can make it completely buoyancy neutral.
5. (c/o wlfdrgn) I'll add a “lip” around the front to give the front a little more protection for the acrylic.

Anyway, if it goes on Clive and Jon's fishing trip, hopefully they'll get some good footage, and if not, I'll take it for a swim and post a quick proof-of-concept video before I build another one (assuming I don't drown my sister's camera testing it, haha).