Housing Size Comparison - Ikelike Compact vs. Seatool DSLR (XTi or 400D)

[BurBunny]

I've been asked about the SeaTool DSLR housing a lot recently since I wrote the "I Was An Idiot" thread, and thought a good follow-up would be to post some pics showing the Ikelite compact camera housing (in this case, for the Fuji F810, but they're using basically the same casing for most of their compact housings) and the SeaTool XTi/400D housing.

SeaTool is a newer housing company which started by making really tiny housings for video cameras, and are just getting into DSLR housings. The XTi was their first, they now have the Nikon D200 out, and they're in development for the Canon 40D.

Let's start with the front view of both housings, the Ikelite housing for the F810 and the SeaTool housing for the Canon 400D/XTi. Since they can both fit on the same tray, the accessories (strobe(s), arms, etc.), will be identical - so I just photographed the housings themselves. The size of the rest of the rig will be up to you - one arm or two, how long, what strobe(s), and so forth.

I have the 60mm macro port on the SeaTool housing, and to make it fair, two Inon UCL-165AD macro lenses on the F810 housing (since that's what I shot with when I was shooting macro before moving to the SeaTool). The two housings are set up for similar shooting conditions with these ports/lenses atached.

As you can see, they are pretty much identical in width and height. (If you're wondering, the blue in the Ikelite housing is painter's tape - my flash block broke a bit ago and this helped keep down the backscatter from the onboard flash, leaving a gap just large enough to trigger my Inon fiberoptic cords - the reason I used this tape is it's easily removable at a later point.)

Now a view slightly above so you can see the depth. The SeaTool housing is slightly deeper, but not by a great amount - most of it is the window for the viewfinder, which I have a "pickup viewfinder" addition, making it a bit deeper

Next the view from the top looking down on both:

I thought it would also be helpful for you to see them stacked in front of one another to see the width is almost identical - in fact, the F810 housing is slightly wider. In this pic, you can just barely see the top of the flash portion of the SeaTool housing behind the F810. The rear knob looking higher than the SeaTool is, however, a bit of an illusion - the sofa and book were not perfectly level. They're on the same plane:

Finally, to give you overall perspective on size, both housings with "medium sized house cat" next to them

As you can see overall, the two housings are almost identically sized, with the SeaTool being very slightly deeper, but height and width are in line with one another. This is remarkable considering the size difference between the F810 camera and the Canon XTi. That's the amazing part of the SeaTool housings.

So for those considering moving to DSLR, size of the housing itself doesn't need to be a barrier any more.

And no, I have absolutely no financial interest in SeaTool or either of their two US distributors (Reef Photo or Backscatter), nor am profiting in any way here. I'm just in a unique position to be able to provide this info to others looking to make the switch.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have questions.

 

[alcina]

Nice to see some real world side by sides. This has now been added to the Sticky

 

[pakman]

wow that's a tiny cat!!! :mooner:

 

[f3nikon]

Please note that Ikelite does not represent all of the compact camera U/W housings. Canon, Olympus and the others have the majority share of all compact/rangefinder/P&S cameras U/W housing, U/W housings, which are more form fitting to the camera (less wasted space) than the Ikelite housing.

Ikelite is using a “one size fits all” generic rectangle box to help keep the cost down; there is a bunch of extra space because their box has to accommodate the largest to the smallest P&S cameras. The camera manufacturer’s U/W housings are custom molded to fit THEIR camera flawlessly and making their U/W houisngs to be HALF the size or less than the Ikelite.

Also misleading is the long “add-on” lens bolted in front of the Ikelite U/W housing which does not come with this unit.

 

[BurBunny]

Of course Ikelite doesn't represent all the housings on the market.

However, there were 2 key reasons I chose to use the Ikelite compact in this example:

1. Because they are a standard size, it would be easy for people to recognize and be able to compare sizes. If someone is using an OEM housing, likely they know the difference in size of their housing to an Ikelite, at least in a rough way, and therefore can interprolate these pictures to suit their own circumstances; and

2. I had the Ikelite

This was not intended to be a comprehensive comparison - just a tool for those looking to change from a compact to a DSLR to have in hand and help the process. I think most rational people on this board understand that.

 

[f3nikon]

Fair enough I just want to make it clear...

“If someone is using an OEM housing, likely they know the difference in size of their housing to an Ikelite”

That is “IF” someone has even seen an OEM housing and is just shopping around for comparison, we do not want to deceive them into thinking that ALL U/W compact housing are the same size as the Ikelite, when they are not. Ikelite is not a standard size its the largest size in terms of VOLUME.

 

[Allison Finch]

Well, to be REALLY fair, show the price comparison. Might make a slightly larger Ike XTi housing more attractive. Once you pack it, there isn't as much difference as one would think.

 

[BurBunny]

Well, to be REALLY fair, show the price comparison. Might make a slightly larger Ike XTi housing more attractive. Once you pack it, there isn't as much difference as one would think.

The above pictures compared the *compact* (point & shoot) Ikelite housing vs. the SeaTool XTi housing. The Ikelite XTi housing is quite a bit larger than the SeaTool version. Yes, it's less expensive, but the size difference is pretty significant. Size to pack, size in the water, and for me the most important was size in the hand.

I like Ikelite products, and have respect for the company, but for the DSLRs, they're just too large for me.

Sorry, don't have an Ike XTi housing available, or I'd provide comparison photos there, too.

 

[Gudge]

Sorry, don't have an Ike XTi housing available, or I'd provide comparison photos there, too.

On the trip we did to Bunaken/Lembeh in September somebody put their 350D/Xt in an Ike housing next to Mary's 400D/Xti in Seatool housing on the camera table. The Ike housing is more than "slightly larger" than the Seatool housing. I took a picture and one person I showed it to who uses a 350D/Xt in an Ike housing had to be told that the the 400D/Xti in Seatool housing was actually the housing, they thought it was the camera by itself because the size difference was so big.

Before anyone says that comparing an Ike housing for a 350D/Xt and Seatool housing for 400D/Xti isn't valid because they are different cameras I'd just like to say that the cameras themselves are almost identical in size and some camera housings (Sea & Sea for instance) for the 350D can be modifided to take the 400D.

 

[AndyT]

Amber and Gudge

Thanks for posting these comparisons, they are really useful to someone like me who is seriously considering moving to DSLR in the near future. No matter what dimensions you read in a brochure or an a website, the pics say it better.