Hello Everyone,

I just got a 5D mk2 which I will now use to replace my sony F828.
The thing I like about this camera is that is does 1080p video as well as take pictures.

I am considering the Ikelite housing but hold a reservation. The housing I have for my F828 had some annoying quirks and I am hoping others can give me feedback on their more recent experiences.
The annoying things were the shutter button arm missed the button. I had to modify to make work properly. The friction swivel for changing the camera modes (Camera to video to play etc) never seemed to be strong enough to rotate it. I had to supplement with two way tape to make effective. And the case was a huge cube, so had a lot of air and required a large lead weight to submerge.
That said, the price is right given I only dive once or twice a year these days. And I need a clear view of the screen for the video. Appreciate feedback on current SLR ikelite housings.

I think I will have to upgrade my strobe to take advantage of the eTTL function. Would appreciate any strobe advice for backlighting large things (fan coral, sharks, turtles etc.)

Thanks in advance for some feedback!

Todd

I have had 2 ikelite housing had some minor issues with the first housing( the spring on the shutter release coming off, fixed by ikelite promptly) and now have one for my cannon 40D I think they are good value for money the and a reliable system with very good after sales service, they also have the ttl built into the housing ,if you were to get the ike housing you would be better off with the ike ds 160 as they work with the ikelite TTL and also pretty powerful ,with good coverage fast recycle time and have long battery life I have the ds125 and love it, am looking at getting a second strobe which will probably be the ds160 ,also as far as wieght goes i currently am using a cannon 60mm lens with flat port am using stix floats on stobe arm and have put dense foam in the cavetyy in the the ikelite arm tray diectly under the housing, which has made it slightly negative with 1 stobe ,hope i have ben of some help
Steve:-)

Hi everyone,  my name is Ronald and i have been lurking in this forum for quite some time.

I started with a Nikon Coolpix 4300 with Fantasea housing and moved up a couple of years ago to a
Canon Ixus 65 with Canon housing and Fantasea tray, nano flash & nano aimlight (i still own this set and as it is so compact not planning to sell it)

About a year ago i bought the Canon EOS 450D and as soon as the Ikelite housing was out in the Netherlands i
bought the housing with a single DS125 (the DS160 was not available yet at that time)
I use the kitlens (EF-S 18-55 IS) with the #5503,50 dome port and the
60mm Macro lens (EF-S 60mm macro) with the #5502 flat port.
For land use only i also own a EF 70-200 4L IS

I have seen some remarks that the kitlens is no good but my experience is that it is a very versatile lens and very usable in the not so
clear waters of the Netherlands and when stopped down a bit, quite sharp, not L grade materiaal but not bad either.
So defenitely worth to consider when buying an EOS 450D or now the EOS 1000D

Untill i have the money for a second DS125 or DS160 i am considering to use my Fantasea Nano flash as a slave to my DS125 when taking macro shots
to prevent shadows on one side, has anyone here experience in using a dedicated TTL flash in combination with a slave ?

The idea that scuba-1 came up sounds interesting to me as i find the complete set underwater a bit to negative for my liking and would like to counter that

also as far as wieght goes i currently am using a cannon 60mm lens with flat port am using stix floats on stobe arm and have put dense foam in the cavetyy in the the ikelite arm tray diectly under the housing

Perhaps you guys can point me in the direction for that kind of foam and floatstix.

No exotic locations yet, so i can only give you guys some foto’s from the Netherlands

Hope you guys can give me some feedback and feel free to ask.
Regards,
Ronald

you can get the stix floats system from   http://www.4gdphoto.com/    the arms i was told are fine in the water but may move a little out of the water because of the weight of the strobe,i have ultralight arms amd they tend to move a little out of the water as well ,you can get the stix floats for the ultalight arms as well the ams the stix floats and arms are about $45 u.s and the clamps are about $55 u.s which is pretty good value i will probably try the stix system on my new ds160 when i get it i have the floats for my ultralight arms and they are great ,will make some more enquirers about the clamp system for the stix before i buy thru ,the foam for in the tray is just the dense foam found in kids floaties the one made for 2-6 year old you just cut it to fit the cavity its not much but every bit helps
hope i have been of some assistance Steve:-)

todd - 04 January 2009 11:46 AM

The annoying things were the shutter button arm missed the button.

The friction swivel for changing the camera modes (Camera to video to play etc) never seemed to be strong enough to rotate it.

And the case was a huge cube, so had a lot of air and required a large lead weight to submerge.

I have the new housing for the MkII and I dont think you have to worry. I’ve had Ikelite housings for 300D and 400D and I know the problems you mention. They are fixed. If you use the right ports the hosing and camera will be neutral och sink.

By the way. Video under water with MkII is fun, but complitely different from taking stills with DSLR.

Hi, new member here.  We are from Oklahoma City.  We have used a D30 and G7 in Ikelite housings with dual Ikelite strobes on both—DS51s on the D30 and a DS125 and D160 on the G7.  We switch the strobes around as well.  We use Ikelite flat ports and we also use an Ikelite 8” dome port.

When Canon made the announcement to upgrade the Canon D5 to a Canon D5 Mark II that was my signal to upgrade the G7 to the new D5 Mark II.  I have the camera and am waiting for Ikelite to ship the new housing.  Our plans are to get two new DS160s and use the G7 with the two DS51s as a loaner for a dive friend of ours.

Claire is hung up on macro and uses the Canon EF 100 f/2.8 USM macro on the D30.  When she lets me use the D30 I have used a Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 lens.  When I got the new D5 Mark II, I also bought the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 compact marco.

To this point, I am really impressed with the new Canon 24mm lens.  It produces some of the best images I have ever gotten from a DSLR.  I am anxious to see how this lens will perform in the 8” dome port in the water.  I have great expectations for this lens.

I love the new D5 Mark II.  Having spent the last three weeks playing with it and testing it out.  My initial impression of the new D5 is very good.  I have run some tests on ISO settings up to 6400 and have been really impressed with the lack of noise.  I am reserving judgment on this issue until I get test prints [20 by 30] color prints at ISO settings of 100, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200.  In years past we have blown up lots of prints and used them for display purposes.  To this point the D5 seemingly blows away the D30, but again I will wait and see what the prints look like before I jump to any conclusions.

I am anxious to get the new D5 in the water in mid-March.

HI, I am a Canon user too… I am currently looking for a housing to take my first underwater pictures. My first digital was the 10D which I sold a few years ago. I am currently using 1DS MarkIII and a G10. (I still have an 30D which I use as a backup)
My lenses range from 17mm to 500mm (all Canon L-lenses), my absolute favorite lenses are the 70-200 f2.8 and the 100 Macro. But this might change as soon as I take my camera underwater

I am still skimming the net for housings and strobes… but I have not made up my mind yet. I currently hesitate between the Sea and Sea or the Aquatica housing for the 1DS.

Concerning the strobes I hesitate between INON and IKELITE.

dSLR rig: Canon EOS 450D aka Digital Rebel XSi (in Sea & Sea RDX-450D), 60/100mm macro, 10-17mm FE
Compact rig: Canon G10 in DC-28 housing

Hey, I joined this forum a few years back when my interest in UW Photography first ... developed; sorry about that.
I’ve since created a successful portrait business and have been hanging out to get my cameras in the water for years.
Yesterday I received my Ikelite Housing with 6” dome for my Canon 5D MK2, and a DS160. I’m mainly looking at shooting portraits of kids, and fashion type stuff in pools - as an expansion of my current business; but cant wait to get my dive gear serviced and get back in the ocean too.

Got a pool booked this weekend so i’m pumped.

No doubt I’ll be back on here asking for help soon.

Cheers.

ah geez, i forgot to mention lenses.
I have the 16-35mmL II which doesnt fit in the housing because it’s diameter is too large. Apparantly the old version is 77mm not 82mm. wanna trade for the old version??