Got canon G 12, now need to choose housing

[farsidefan1]

I live in Utah and can't find housings for the camera to look at and compare so I need some help from those of you that have some experience with the different housings. I understand that the canon built housing is smaller and lighter than the other choices but it does not allow the use of a ttl strobe. I had been thinking of getting an inon s 2000 strobe to go with it but I think a through the lens systm might be the way to go. Initially I was not going to get a strobe at all but after reading that the built in flash is only good to about 2 feet I have had second thoughts. Also I have read that a strobe is the single best way to improve photo quality. Most my photography will not be macro. I like sharks and big stuff that is more than 3 feet away most of the time. Now and then I will take the picture of the odd sea horse or shrimp but those will be the exception, not the rule. I have tried not to let photography get in the way of my diving in the past so I had a point and shoot (mini reefmaster) for the last 5 yrs. I just have the shots as memories. I'm not entering any contests (yet). The pictures are not as good as I would like hence the upgrade (that and the fact I drowned my mini in Roatan last May, ah well, 5 yrs was enough).
The Ikelite says it will work with ttl with any of the ikelite strobes, However I'm not sold on those strobes.
I have not yet investigated either of the 2 other housings that cost over $1000, (Ikelite is $650. and the canon can be had for as low as $169.). Cost is not a big factor if the thing works well. I go on about 3 trips a yr. and get in 20 to 30 dives per trip so I can't go out every week and compare photos (yes, I'm envious of those of you living in Florida or similar situations).
Given that kind of usage I'm open to suggestions as to what housing you might recommmend. Thanks in advance.

 

[Gilligan]

Some things to consider:

1. The Inon S2000 does not work with a hard wire cable so is not true TTL. It is S-TTL or manual. It works with a fiber optic cable so you must use the camera's strobe to fire the Inon S2000. You would need one (or two) of the Inon Z series strobes to use the hard wire connection.
2. I have the G12 and the Canon housing. I am satisfied with it and my Sea & Sea strobe. If you plan on adding wet-mount lenses then IMO the Canon housing is not the best choice.
3. An external strobe does not necessarily give you more distance. To get the big stuff over 3 feet away you would need dual strobes, and powerful ones at that, as well as long extending arms.
4. Depending on the clarity of the water you will dive in using the RAW mode for non-strobe shots will yield the best results as you can adjust the white balance in post-processing. Maybe that will satisfy you versus two powerful strobes?


Keeping it simple and cost effective is the Canon housing and an Inon S2000 or Sea & Sea YS-01 or YS-02 strobe along with a tray/arm setup.

Going for the big bucks is an Ike housing (or other high end brand) and dual Ike or Inon strobes (true TTL type), tray and dual arms and add-on wet mount lenses.

 

[farsidefan1]

Thanks for that input. I really don't want to become one of those divers with dual strobes. It just seems like it would hamper my diving. I want the camera to be secondary to diving so I probably won't be going with the wet lenses either. As long as the s2000 would synch with the camera I think the one strobe is all I want to hassle with. My concern with a non ttl sysem was that it would not adjust to the required amount of light needed. I will shoot in raw (based in large part from what you have said and done in prior posts). Do you just guess at how much light is needed for a given situation? Or does one make all the adjustments post picture? I gues my biggest concern is that since I can't go out and practice every day or 2 till I figure it out. I would like to be able to take relatively decent pictures quite quickly. Thanks

 

[Wisnu]

you should be able to use S2000 (mine is D2000) in S-TTL, quite accurate lighting for most cases; although personally I prefer manual.
Please note, Canon G12 soes not allow TTL in manual mode. Hence, the S-TLL only work in A, or V priority - which is not the best setting for UW.

 

[Gilligan]

Wisnu gave you some good info on the M mode not being able to S-TTL. It doesn't matter to me because my Sea & Sea YS-27DX (discontinued model) strobe is manual so I don't have the S-TTL settings.

Also note that the G12's strobe has a pre-flash in some modes and no pre-flash in others so any strobe you buy should be capable of both settings, which most do.

And yes, manual strobe settings are guesswork but it does not take long to find the "sweet spots" with it along with F stop and Shutter Speed settings. Take note that Wisnu stated in his post that he prefers the manual strobe settings over the S-TTL ones.

I use the M mode for strobe shots and the Tv mode for non-strobe shots and save them respectively in the C1 and C2 settings.

Lately I have been using the JPEG setting for the strobe shots and RAW for the non-strobe shots. Maybe I am just getting lazy on the strobe shots using JPEG instead of RAW . I think it is because I am satisfied with the JPEG results with the strobe shots.

I do my post-processing in PS CS4 except for adjusting the white balance on the RAW shots, which I do in the Canon DPP software, convert to JPEG and finish up in PS CS4. I just prefer the Canon DPP for the WB adjusting over CS4.

 

[Dabaras]

One other aspect to consider is the reliability of the two housing choices. The Ikelite housing has a better record on reliability than the Canon, although the Canon will work fine as long as you take care of it.

 

[diverken374]

Great choice with the Canon G12. I had mine with me on the Palau trip unfortunately was unable to take it underwater as I opted for the Fix housing that did not make it intime. I now have the Fix housing that is very compact and appears quite sturdy and feels good to hold. I opted for the Inon D2000 strobe. I can't give you any feedback re how the package performs underwater yet however it will get it's first test in Cozumel in November. I have quite appreciated the advice from Gilligan regarding settings and processing images. I am fairly technically challenged so this should be quite a learning experience! Cheers!

 

[Gilligan]

If and before you choose between a FIX and a Recsea which are both about $1100. go to the backscatter.com website and look at all the photos of the two housings. A diver here in Bohol tells me the Recsea has better ergonomics than the FIX. I can't say because I don't have either of them.
Perhaps you can ask that question here if you are interested in either of those housings?

 

[farsidefan1]

Hey diverken, good to hear from you. I gather things on the Aggressor were a bit crazy after I left the next week to dive with Sam's. Interesting characters make for interesting times. Hope to dive with you again someday. I flooded my little point and shoot mini reefmaster hence all my questions here. Don't be a stranger. Jay

Gilligan, I keep vacillating between wanting to keep it simple (canon housing - no strobe - had you been on the Aggressor with Ken and I you would have some appreciation of my aversion to big rigs lol), to wanting at least a single strobe. Although manual sounds like the way to go for those who dive all the time and can find the sweet spot I only get out 2 or 3 times a yr. so the auto is tempting (if it is truly auto, I have my doubts after some reading, sounds like I still have to be creative and get lucky at times). Ikelite housing with their arm try and strobe is tempting because it sounds simple to just get an integrated system that is built to work with each component. But I hear some complaints about the ikelite strobes. I just bought the underwater photo guide by Mr. Edge. I'll read it while in Alaska and see if I can come to a conclusion. Your pics look great by the way. I'm especially impressed by your ambient light stuff as that is what I see myself doing as often as possible. I appreciate all your input. If you have other thoughts please continue sharing.