Case, Strobe, and Arms for Fujifilm F550EXR

[sascha.tietz]

Hey,

I just got a new Fujifilm Finepix F550EXR camera for my birthday and I am loving it! It's a great combo with lots of zoom (since I use the camera above water as well) and takes pictures in RAW (for U/W). Anyway, I saw that Ikelite doesn't offer a housing for this camera, but Fujifilm itself does (WP-FXF500, Waterproof Cases & Marine Items | Fujifilm Global). But I am not sure ...

(a) how good Fujifilm housings are? Friends of mine bought the Canon-made ones for their G12 and now need a new camera since it flooded. :-(

(b) which trays and strobes are compatible with the Fujifilm housings? Their own UW strobe "UW 120" (probably out of production now) got some bad reviews, but I am not sure which other manufacturers would fit.

I am just getting into UW photography, so I don't need the most fancy equipment, but I want a strobe that allows me enough flexibility to grow my skills the better I get at it and that get's the job done. Most diving is in Monterey CA, so visibility is usually not great ... will therefore probably do a lot of macros.

Thanks!!
Sascha

 

[nudibranco]

I have had a FUJI underwater case for an F30 and F31 and they were great in reliability and ergonomics...!

 

[sascha.tietz]

Thanks nudibranco! Did you use an external strobe with it? If yes, which one?

Thanks!

 

[dtreid]

HI,
You have a great resource in Monterey, Backscatter is located in monterey and all they do is underwater photography equipment. I think that any of the housings made with polycarbonate are as good as the operator. There were some issues with some extra plastic in the o-ring groove of the canon housings that caused the leak; but I have not heard of any from other manufacturers. That is the least expensive way to go. www.digideep.com is another source for who makes a housing for your camera.
Backscatter can help you with a strobe. You will need a strobe that has the ability to use a fiberoptic cable and Inon and Sea and SEa are the only ones I know of. Of course our tray and arms will work on any of those housings.

Good Luck
Terry
Ultralight Control Systems
Ultralight Control Systems