The V1.09 firmware update fixes a lock-up bug related to using the Shortcut mode.  The firmware version installed on your camera will be displayed on the lower right side of the LCD display when powering on the camera.  More information about this firmware update and downloading instructions are available on the SeaLife website at http://www.sealife-cameras.com/firmware

The original Fuji Electronics SL-B10 OEM battery for the DC2000 is discontinued.  SeaLifePartsDirect.com sells compatible after-market batteries.  Please note: We have tested many aftermarket batteries and found one that the “Kastar” brand SLB-10A battery works with the DC2000.  The other SLB-10 batteries we tested fit inside the camera but are slightly undersized and do not make a reliable contact.  Website links: sealifepartsdirect.com

There are various causes for the camera not powering on or charging.  Please do the following in the order list below:

a) Test the battery voltage using a voltmeter. If it reads 0 volts (or near 0), the battery will not charge and needs to be replaced. Please see section # 2 for information on replacing the battery. Please dispose of the battery in accordance with your local recycling regulations.

b) Visually inspect the inside of the battery compartment to ensure it’s clean and dry. Contact our local authorized SeaLife dealer or service center in your country if there is evidence of corrosion or water damage to the contacts.

c) Thoroughly clean the contacts on the battery and inside the battery compartment with a clean cotton swab slightly moistened with isopropyl alcohol. Be careful cleaning the contacts inside the battery compartment – use a cotton swab moistened with alcohol and wipe along the face of the contact to clean.

d) Many aftermarket batteries advertised as “works with DC2000” are not compatible with the DC2000. Please see section # 2 for information on replacing the battery.

e) If the above does not resolve the issue, the battery contacts inside the battery compartment may have become misaligned with the battery. In this case, contact your local authorized SeaLife Service Center for repair.

If this information does not fix the issue, please contact your local authorized SeaLife dealer or the distributor/service center in your country for further advice or possible repair service.

Here are the known causes and solutions for camera locking-up.

A. Update your camera’s firmware to version V1.09. This fixes a lock-up bug associated with using the short-cut mode.  Please visit the SeaLife website at http://sealifecamestg.wpenginepowered.com/firmware for instructions on downloading and installing the firmware update.

B. Use of a non-compatible memory card.  We recommend using a micro SD, SDHC, SDXC or UHS-1 card with memory capacity up to 64GB.  Using a 128GB or high memory card may result in a lock-up issue.  We also recommend memory cards with 10MB/s read/write speed, which are marked with ,  , or . Using a card with faster read/write speed  will not make the camera operate any faster and may result in compatibility issues.

C. The memory card has not been formatted and/or has erroneous files saved on the card. We recommend formatting memory cards before initial use. It’s also advised to format the card and perform system reset (“Reset All”) every couple of months in order to maintain optimal performance. Important: Formatting will erase all files saved on the memory card, please make sure to download your images/videos before formatting the card. The “Format” and “Reset All” functions are located in the camera’s system settings menu.

When recording video, the camera’s auto focus and auto exposure system may cause some audible clicking noise and visual “jumps” that you can detect when playing back the video.

The solution is to utilize the camera’s auto focus lock (AF-L) and auto exposure lock (AE-L) while recording video.  This setting allows you to lock and unlock the camera’s auto exposure and/or auto focus by pushing the up [focus] button.

The AE-L and AF-L setting has many useful applications.  For example, when recording video with continuous AF enabled, the camera frequently checks and adjusts focus throughout the recording, even if the shooting distance has not changed, which can be disruptive.  Now you can lock the focus while recording and only unlock it when you are making significant changes to the shooting distance.

The same applies to auto exposure – the camera constantly monitors and adjusts exposure during video recording when moving from brighter areas to darker areas.  These auto exposure adjustments are noticeable “jumps” caused by the lens iris changing, resulting in some disruption when playing back the video.  Locking the auto exposure eliminates these steps and creates smooth video footage.

The AE-L and AF-L setting is a new feature included with firmware updated V1.08 (and also included with V1.09), which is a free download on the SeaLife website Tech Support page.

The AE-L and AF-L settings is located in the main menu and has also been added to shortcut setting for easy access and quick enabling/disabling when pushing the OK button. The AE-L, AF-L and AE-L & AF-L settings apply to still images as well as during video recording.   The AE-L is not available in manual, shutter priority and aperture priority modes.

Note: When AE/AF Lock is enabled, the focus button is used to lock and unlock the exposure and/or focus, so you temporarily won’t have access to focus settings.  For faster access to both Focus and AE/AF Lock settings, we recommend setting the Shortcut to AE/AF Lock.  The Shortcut setting is located in the System menu.  This way, you can easily disable the AE/AF Lock and regain access to the focus setting.

To set AE-L, AF-L and AE-L & AF-L:

1. Go to the AE/AF Lock setting in the main menu and select among the 4 options – Off, AE-L, AF-L or AE-L & AF-L.
2. Push the up [focus] key to lock the focus and/or exposure. A lock icon will appear on the left side of the display.
3. Push the up [focus] key again to unlock the focus and/or exposure. The lock icon will disappear from the LCD display.
4. For faster access, we recommend setting the Shortcut to AE/AF Lock. The Shortcut setting is located in the System menu.

The DC2000’s auto focus system requires sufficient lighting and contrast to focus on a subject.  If the subject is in low light or blending in with foreground/background (i.e. low contrast), the camera will have a difficult time focusing on the intended subject. Another possible cause for out-of-focus pics is shooting in low visibility conditions.  The camera may try to focus on the debris suspended in the water.  Here are some tips for capturing sharp pictures:

1. Make sure you have the correct focus setting:
   Auto Focus:              6” to Infinity (15cm to infinity)
   Macro Focus:            3.5” – 20” (9cm to 50cm)
   Super Macro:            3.5”-20” (9cm to 50cm)
   Infinity:                       3ft – Infinity (90cm to infinity)
2. For still images, pushing the shutter button halfway will set the camera’s auto focus.  Focus squares will appear on the LCD to indicate what subject the camera is focusing on.  Green squares indicate the camera has found a subject to focus on.  Red square indicates the camera could not find a subject to focus on.
3. For videos, the video start/stop button does not have a halfway point. Pushing the video button will set the camera’s focus and begin recording.  The Auto focus setting only applies to pictures and not to video. You may turn on the Continuous AF Video setting, so the camera will check and adjust focus while recording videos very few seconds.  This setting is better used for close-up videos where you know that the shooting distance throughout the video clip will change.  Shooting video beyond 3ft (90cm) with Continuous AF enabled may be disruptive as the camera constantly refocuses when it doesn’t need to.
4. When taking pictures beyond 3ft (90cm) shooting distance, set the camera to Infinity focus setting.  This locks the auto focus to infinity and objects beyond 3ft (90cm) will be in focus.   This setting is also ideal when shooting larger moving subjects, like sharks and mantas.
5. Use one or two photo-video lights to illuminate the subject
6. The default AF Area setting is “Wide”, which applies to most shooting scenarios. You may set AF Area to “Center” when the subject you want to focus on is positioned in the center of the image frame.

Important notes about auto focus

• When shooting video, the camera’s focus range is 3.5” (9cm) to infinity when set to regular AF, Macro, Super Macro or Infinity focus. Firmware update V1.08 (and V1.09) allows the camera to use Infinity focus when shooting video, so all objects beyond 1m will be in focus depending on ambient light conditions and aperture setting.  See below for more details about minimum shooting distance when using Infinity focus setting.
• When the camera is set to Infinity focus setting, the Continuous AF Photo and Continuous AF Video settings will be turned OFF and cannot be enabled.
• When shooting video in regular AF or Macro focus, the camera will adjust and lock foc