Highly tactile shutter release

An operating mechanism for an underwater camera housing, comprising:

• a shaft adapted to allow, in use, the shaft to pass through an aperture of a wall of an underwater camera housing;
• a seal provided on the shaft,
• the seal, in use, sealing the shaft to the aperture of the wall of the underwater camera housing in a substantially waterproof manner;
• a first pressure device mounted on the shaft and positioned, in use, outside the underwater camera housing;
• a second pressure device associated with the shaft and positioned, in use, within the underwater camera housing;
• the first and second pressure devices each comprising respectively a first lever and a second lever,
• the first lever, in use, pressed by a hand of a user and the second lever rotates and contacts a shutter release mechanism of a camera within the underwater camera housing;
• a torque adjustment unit located between the first pressure device and the second pressure device such that in use any feel of resistance to movement of the second pressure device is increased when felt on the first pressure device,
• the torque adjustment unit comprising a sequence of gears including
• i) a first gear mounted on the shaft which provides a first axis,
• ii) an idler second gear mounted on a second shaft which provides a second axis, the second shaft mountable on an inner surface of the housing, the second gear having a first gear part and a larger second gear part,
• iii) a third gear rotatably mounted on the shaft,
• the first gear engaging the first gear part of the second gear, and the third gear engaging the second gear part of the second gear, the second lever mounted on the third gear.

An operating mechanism for an underwater camera housing, comprising:

• a shaft, the shaft in use passing through a wall aperture of an underwater camera housing;
• a first lever mounted on the shaft and positioned, in use, outside the underwater camera housing;
• a second lever associated with the shaft and positioned, in use, within the underwater camera housing;
• the first lever, in use, pressed by a user and causing the second lever to rotate and contact a shutter release of a camera within the underwater camera housing;
• a torque adjustment unit located between the first lever and the second lever,
• the torque adjustment unit comprising a sequence of gears including
• i) a first gear mounted on the shaft,
• ii) an idler second gear mounted on a second shaft, the second shaft mountable on an inner surface of the underwater camera housing, the second gear having a first gear part with a first number of teeth and a second gear part with a second number of teeth, the second number greater than the first number,
• iii) a third gear rotatably mounted on the shaft,
• the first gear engaging the first gear part of the second gear, and the third gear engaging the second gear part of the second gear, the second lever mounted on the third gear.