Ikeilte vs others for Sony RX100

[scubamarketing]

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a Sony RX100, so now I'm looking more closely at housings.

Since I work for (and teach through) both Ikelite and Sea & Sea dealers, I'm assuming I'd get some kind of discount on either of those.

The Ikelite MSRP's for $550, has fiber optic capability for strobes, and supports external lenses.

Nauticam seems to be the popular option on here, but it looks to go for almost twice as much.

I had an Ikelite housing for a video camera back in the late '90s and it worked great, a little bulky, but worked fine. It looks like they've done a decent job at reducing bulk on their RX100 housing.

So what makes a Nauticam housing $400 (or more, assuming I get some kind of discount) better than the Ikelite housing? It looks like the Inon UWL-H100 works with both and strobes would work with both, so I could always upgrade (if it's an upgrade) to the Nauticam housing later and keep most of my accessories, right?

 

[fbk]

Just my opinion but having had an Ikelite housing before I would not use another one if it was given to me for free. The controls were clumsy, after a while the dial turning knobs didn't engage properly and slipped, the buttons used to trap water, impossible to hold with one hand let alone operate, it was basically an unergonomic brick of polycarbonate with holes drilled in it. The Nauticam housing I have for my current camera on the other hand, is an ergonimic work of art, no they aren't cheap but there is no comparison. I can't comment on the lens interchangeability but why bother buying twice? Try to handle both and compare for yourself but if it were me I'd just spend the extra 400 or whatever bucks and not even give it a second thought.

 

[Shasta_man]

Knowing nothing about that specific housing or Nauticam, I would also note that controls on Ikelite are pretty rudimentary. I have used them for video and it's not so bad as it is pretty much on or off, but the fiddling for a still camera would benefit greatly from good controls.

 

[cleomagic]

I have a Sony RX100 with a Nauticam housing. I have owned cameras in the past with Ikelite housings. Before pulling the trigger, I want down to Backscatter and spent time with the camera in both housings before deciding to pull the trigger on Nauticam. Why? I found the Nauticam much more stream lined and easier to use. It fit better in my hand and was significantly smaller in size. In the past, I found the Ikelite buttons become stiff and clumsy over time. In some cases, the pads would where out on a button, and I could no longer press the button on the camera, anymore. Very frustrating when that occurs in the middle of a dive! So, since I figured I was going to have this camera for a while, I would do it right and purchase the Nauticam. It has been 1 1/2 years, and still love the Nauticam housing.

 

[00wabbit]

I can only speak to the rx100 v1.

I bought it and bought the ikelite housing. I practiced with it in the living room with my gloves on. I didn't like how it interacted with the cameras buttons and sometimes the zoom switch would disconnect from the camera. With the rx100 you will need to shoot manual more often so you need to have good access to features.
I ended up returning the housing and biting the bullet to get the nauticam housing. It is so much better. The camera just drops in and the buttons all work and
are in logical places. I can operate the camera even with my large dry gloves on.

I also added the nauticam easy tray with left and right handles so I can hold the camera very steady for video. Getting both handles ( not just the left) is important so you can switch hands with the camera while operating your bc etc.

---------- Post added September 5th, 2014 at 06:26 PM ----------

As for why it costs more. It's machined aluminum not plastic. Every button and switch is replaceable and rebuilda or. The housing has an electronic leak detector inside that is audible and lights up an led on the back of the housing. It's just made better and works better. I am sure they put a bit more money into the internal gearing system to control the camera dials rather than the cheesy friction wheels on the ikelite.

 

[PatW]

I have used both Ike and Nauticam housings. Ike makes an inexpensive, functional housing. In my opinion, the Ike housing was a bit clunky, the controls were functional but not really precise and the ergonomics were ok but not great.

Nauticam housings are more compact, they are more robust, the ergonomics are superior and the control is excellent. All of that comes at a higher cost as one would expect.

if you can, go to a retailer specializing in underwater photography. At such a place you can handle the various housings. Seeing and handling the equipment makes for a more informed decision.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Ikelite uses a generic cube piece of polycarbonate for many cameras, then drill holes and put pokers thru them and aligns each one to reach the buttons on the camera. Due to the frequent great distance those poking sticks are required to extend, they frequently go out of alignment, and if your camera doesn't sit exactly centered inside that giant box, many buttons would be out of alignment.. Plus, they don't do any fancy offset buttons, which would spread out crowded buttons on the camera so that it would be easier to operate underwater.

I've had used ikelite housing on my old DSLR, lots of bending of the button extenders, slipping lens adjustment knob if it wasn't aligned 100% correctly, etc.