Abstract: An underwater still camera is disclosed having a watertight body with a back-loadable light-tight chamber, a lens, a shutter, a cocking lever for bringing the shutter to its cocked position, a push rod for releasing the shutter. Preferably the shutter, the cocking lever and push rod are all disposed outside the camera body. A retaining pawl is slidably and pivotally mounted inside the camera body and is cooperable with a toothed wheel carried by the transport spindle for blocking the rotation thereof under the control of a rotatably mounted intermediate spindle carrying sprockets engageable with perforation carried by a film and at least one stop or ratchet tooth cooperable with the retaining pawl. This arrangement permits use of a single film cartridge in an underwater camera originally adapted to receive a film pack.

Abstract: The present invention relates to apparatus for photography under water, and is directed generally to the complete or partial elimination of the fluid-tight bushings inevitably necessitated for the controls of such apparatus, by transferring to the exterior of the fluid-tight casing of the apparatus, the various devices necessary for the control of exposure of the light sensitive material. The diaphragm of the camera lens is arranged in front of the lens, outside the fluid-tight casing, and is therefore under water when the apparatus is immersed. This permits the variation of the aperture and the exposure time without need of access to the interior of the casing. Also, the lens is produced in the form of a thick meniscus with a concave inlet diopter, the convex diopter of the whole unit being added by the liquid immersion medium itself. This lens has the advantage, apart from the transfer of the diaphragm to the exterior of the casing, that it has great resistance to pressure.