Ike or Canon setup

[Seanluge]

So Ive narrowed down the setup I want to get to 2 options..

Canon S95 with Ike housing and Ike DS-51 - around 1350$ at backscatter

Canon S95 with the Canon WP-38 housing and the Sea and Sea YS-01 1250$ at backscatter

I'm leaning more towards the Ike setup.. what does everyone think?

 

[LI Diver]

I have a G9 and bost the Ike and canon housings. I find that when I'm going diving and want a camera along I bring the canon housing because it is so compact and does a very god job but stays out of the way. When my whole focus of the dive is about the photo's and the conditions are right I bring the Ike housing and strobe. The TTL metering and bulkhead flash connector of the Ike housing does make a difference once mastered.

 

[PatW]

I have not used a Canon housings. There have been issues with them with leakage (and these can be rectified if you know what to do, I understand).

The Ike housing is larger, more robust, and has pseudo TTL flash. So it has decided advantages over the Canon housing. Size and weight are not big issues to me. They are to some people. The price difference would seem to me to be minor.

 

[flareside]

Why the DS-51? You're not going to get real TTL out of it because you have no hot shoe so why have to deal with an electrical cable. It would seem like the YS-01 would work the same with both housings and is far easier to connect.

 

[Seanluge]

I just heard that it's better to use pair Ike products together.. but I called backscatter and they also suggested getting the canon housing with the YS-01

And what do you mean by "real TTL"

Would the canon housing with the YS-01 setup be able to use TTL?

 

[flareside]

I just heard that it's better to use pair Ike products together.. but I called backscatter and they also suggested getting the canon housing with the YS-01

And what do you mean by "real TTL"

Would the canon housing with the YS-01 setup be able to use TTL?

Matching Ike products? Yes in the upper end of the product lines, most specifically with cameras that have hot shoes. But in the lower end (i.e. p&s cameras) it really has no benefit and can actually work against you. You will notice the strobe you chose uses an electrical connection rather than an optical connection like the YS-01. On cameras with hot shoes, the electrical connection allows the camera and the flash to work together for true TTL, as in the camera and flash directly talk to each other to know how much light to put out. But this is only possible with a direct, hard wired connection.

Most non-Ike strobes use an optical connection and work by what's known as sTTL, essentially pseudo TTL. (As I understand it) circuitry in the flash is making its best guess on how much light to put out by bounce light off the object. I'm probably not the best person to explain it but I can say it works very well and it is the system that the better portion(*) of the members here on the forum use so it's nothing to fear. It is just something you will need to do a little reading up on. And it's the method you would be using with either the S&S strobe or the Ike one anyway as the S95 doesn't have a hot shoe.

(*) Many also use straight manual mode too but that is a little more of a practiced art.

 

[Hotpuppy]

Well, I personally am not amused with Canon housings. I think they are intended for waterparks, snorkelers, and non-diving uses. That's not to say they won't stay watertight to 135 FSW... they will, they are just very touchy and you'll eventually flood yours. They are also unserviceable.

Ikelite is significantly better built, can be serviced for a reasonable fee, and supports external flashes by wire.

I'm shooting a G9, Sea and Sea YS-120 Duo TTL (in manual) and Ikelite case.

I took the G9 to Hawaii at Xmas and the canon case flooded, the Sea and Sea cable which was new flooded and ruined a TTL adapter. $150 to have the camera repaired. The Ikelite is a piece of dive gear and if I have any questions it's easy to get them on the phone to ask. Ikelite's cables are well made and don't have obvious design defects like Sea and Sea cables.

The servicing aspect is a big deal. You cannot send a Canon case in to have the o-rings replaced and have it tested. You can send your Ikelite case in and for $100 they will replace all the o-rings, make sure it's assembled right and pressure test it to 200 FSW. Cheap insurance with the price of Cameras.

 

[ozziworld]

The comments have already been made regarding the TTL and sTTL considerations here. The S95 w/o a hotshoe is simply better served by an optical cable and sTTL.

Bulkiness for me is an issue not just travelling but even when doing Macro as the smaller rigs can fit into tighter surroundings to achieve better shooting angles and composition. In the case of the S95. The size of the ike housing is not as bulky and clumsy as the G series ike housings. So not that big an issue I think.

What has not been discussed is the system of lenses and accessroies that each housing is able to support.

The ike housing with 67mm (built-in) is practically the same price as the canon with and Inon LD adapter. So what you really have to look at I think is what you want to achieve with the set-up and the lenses available to do it.

I think the Macro lenses for either set-up is about equal.

For Wide angle, I think the Inon LD allows the UWL10028LD plus dome will provide you with the widest available lens arrangement without any compromise. This to me would be the deal maker in favor of the canon housing.

INON Attachment Lnes [Lineup]
INON Mount Base [Overview]

On the strobes - I prefer Inon and Sea n Sea over the ike DS-51 only because I would be considering the canon or other housings in the future and optical is my preferred connection for greater flexibility when upgrading to another camera/housing set-up in the future.

Having mentioned my preferences - I must say that I have had ikelite products as far back as 1989 and their reputation for after sales and service are absolutely the best in the industry. If their products fit exactly what your needs indicate then they would be the choice to go with. One of the SB members Dhaas has tons of experience with the ikelite products and the photographs to back it up.

The camera in this digital age is ''future trash'' so put more emphasis on the selection of lenses, strobes and arms that fit your requirements now and the future. Then choose a housing/camera to drop into all of that.

The most important thing is to put the camera/housing/lenses/strobe to use and start taking lots of photos.

 

[Seanluge]

Thanks so much for the great advice guys I really appreciate it.. I understand now what you meant flareside about the real TTL, thanks for the explanation.

I made up my mind on getting the Ike housing with the S95 and the YS-01 strobe.. I should be putting it to use in Cozumel this summer!

 

[Hotpuppy]

Thanks so much for the great advice guys I really appreciate it.. I understand now what you meant flareside about the real TTL, thanks for the explanation.

I made up my mind on getting the Ike housing with the S95 and the YS-01 strobe.. I should be putting it to use in Cozumel this summer!

Let me throw another thing out.....It's common to be "married" to the camera. Just consider that the bulk of the cost you are about to incur is going to be for the case and the strobe. You may want to consider a camera upgrade as well.

If you are completely happy with the Camera, then by all means get a case and add a strobe. However, before you commit $$$$$ to a case, realize the camera may only be $$ or $$$. I'll give you an example. I have a EOS 40D on land and a G9 in the water. I want to shoot dSLR in the water. A case is $2000 by the time you buy the case, ports, and dome. The case is body specific and can't be used on other canon bodies. Thus I have to think real hard about the 40D before I put that much money into a case for it. It's a great camera, but I may dive something else when I finally get to it. Because I know I eventually want to dive my slr, I will upgrade my flash next to a TTL flash from Ikelite. I currently dive a YS-120 DUO TTL.

Lastly - don't be afraid of used Ikelite cases. Just factor in $100 to have it serviced. The real value in Ikelite cases is that you can have them serviced just like your dive gear on a regular basis.