Know of any package deals or recommend a dealer?

[hankthecowdog]

After reading all the threads I'm inches from putting together this combo. Played with a friend's G9 yesterday and I love it. I do mostly macro with my S500 and canon case, but I've flooded out 2 cameras and had other close calls, I never come up with a reason so I've kind of lost trust for canon housings. So I'm rocketing past my budget in hopes I will be less likely to flood out on my second day on a liveaboard or third day of a two week trip...arg. I remember on that day I would happily have paid anything to have my camera dry.

Canon G9
Ikelite housing
DS-51 strobe

I know zero about strobes. Is this my best choice considering that I'm trying to keep the dollars down? I want to save money but I don't want to save it buying something that is going to suck.

 

[paradicio]

This is the package deal that I got:

Ikelite | 6147.09 TTL Housing w/ Canon PowerShot G9 | B&H Photo

Of course you have to get the strobe separately, but it works out pretty well. I've got 2x DS-51 strobes and I like them a lot. One thing to keep in mind with the DS-51 is that the narrow beam makes edge lighting a little difficult. Not impossible, just tougher than a strobe with a wider beam (like the DS-125).

 

[NTSilver]

Hank
I called Helix Camera.
http://www.helixcamera.com/home.html
I wanted to get the WA lens with my G9 and ikelite housing and was not clear about whether I needed a flat port or not. I was also confused about the TTL and whether I needed anything additional there. They were very helpful and have very good prices. Comparing to paradicio, looks like I saved about $50 per item. They do not offer any kind of package as they feel their prices are already competitive. I got the DS125 strobe and am very happy. Thinking about adding another soon.
http://www.helixcamera.com/home.html

 

[alcina]

Never let me be one to discourage shopping, but I would be extremely doubtful that your floods and close calls are due to manufacturer faults. It sounds very much like there is a gap in your set up routine if this is happening to you repeatedly. And it won't matter which housing you end up with if this is the case.

Virtually all floods are due to user error of some sort.

You can't go wrong with the system you are looking at as far as it being a great system and I would talk to the guys at Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros as they can not only set you up with whatever you need, they can also talk you through your options and various choices for the best system for you.

Regardless of if you buy this or another system, I would totally revamp whatever you are doing when you set up your rig to help minimize the possibility of future repeats of unfortunate events!

 

[Dusty2]

You won't go wrong with helix camera, B&H, or adorama for your purchase. I have purchased from all three and find them very fair and honest and not out to sell you a bunch of over priced accessories like many of the mail order sites, Nor will you regret the choice of Canon especially when it comes to macro work. I too had problems with Canon cases and I am very fanatical about maintenance and care so sorry it wasn't operator error.

The ikelite cases are built like tanks and your chances of flooding one are very scarce but this comes at the cost of size and weight. Not to mention the hole in your budget. However the extra cost comes with a rock solid warranty that will replace your camera as well as repair the case if it fails due to defect during the warranty period. Canon has none.

As for extra lenses, I have found that ad on lenses for point and shoot cameras are pretty much a waste of money. due to the underwater case a wide angle usually gets blocked and macro lenses are just not needed with canons already superb macro.

If you want to see what you can do with this setup check out my web site. http://www.underthesound.com

 

[alcina]

... I too had problems with Canon cases and I am very fanatical about maintenance and care so sorry it wasn't operator error.

It would be great to have some actual information on what went wrong and what caused the floods. I have and use Canon housings and see many of them come through each week. I also see a great many Olympus and Fuji housings come through. None have problems with leaking that are due to the brand (bar one older model Olympus housing that is no longer readily available, and if memory serves, Oly actually fixed in later production).

Almost all of the floods I've seen, including those from pretty much every major manufacturer including Ike, have been user error, whether that person realised it or not. Sometimes we have not been able to determine exactly what went wrong, but realise it was still "user error" as the housing was perfectly fine. Heck, when I flooded my Subal it was user error - the housing port was kicked by another person in the water. Definitely not Subal's fault

Specific information on what defects to look out for would be a great help to everyone.

Fanactical doesn't mean you can't still miss something or that there wasn't an intrinsic flaw in the process. Poopie happens, as they say, even with the most careful attention to detail.

The ikelite cases are built like tanks and your chances of flooding one are very scarce

Ikelite makes a fantastic product that you can't go wrong with. Flooding is still an issue of the user in the vast majority of cases and Ike's build isn't really the determining factor.

...Canon has none.

Canon has been, by the reports here, extremely good about repairs and replacements for cameras. I think there is a link in the Sticky that directs you more information on how to contact them should the unthinkable happen.

Although I keep adding more information to this thread it isn't intended to dissuade you (or anyone), your initial choice of the G9 in an Ike housing is a great combination and will certainly allow you some wonderful opportunities to capture nice images and grow as your skills and interest develop.

 

[hankthecowdog]

Hi Alcina

Thanks for your help.

I have no doubt that something I did or didn't do caused each flood. A hair, a grain of salt or sand, too much or not enough silicone, some kind of kink in the o-ring. But whatever the cause, it was always too subtle to find evidence afterwards. I was sloppy up to my first flooded camera, I was a neat freak to my last one, examining things with a magnifying glass before closing it up and the second flood happened after less use. Each time I later took the case down filled with toilet paper for a totally dry dive.

It bothers me to no end that no amount of preparation can guarantee a flood free housing. I guess I just sign up for that when I take a camera under water. But it just seems to me that the design of the canon housing leaves no margin for even the tiniest error. Is that a given with all housings? I'm too new to all of this to know, but it would be my error to not try a beefier looking housing. If you know it to be no less susceptible to tiny errors on my part, please say.

Wish canon would give me a deal on a trade for the G9, but they only want to trade my ruined camera for the next generation of elph and for more money than used on e-bay. So I now have an ebay replacement as back-up camera.

Anyhow I'm hear to learn. Thanks for the tips, I will add them to my tool box.

I'm making another assumption that flash coming off the shoe is better than a flash triggered off of the camera's flash. I save camera battery, heating inside the housing, and less complication. Am I correct in thinking this?

What speed and size memory works best? Are the heavy duty batteries actually better?

Dusty2 thanks for the advice on the add on lenses. Will hold off.http://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/

 

[Dusty2]

I'm not saying that canon housing are bad but there are weaknesses in the design that lend themselves to failures. First is the case clamping setup. Only one plastic clamp and a plastic hinge is not a solid setup also the seals depend on a side seal rather than a solid face to face seal. another is the lighter case build. They only rate them to 130 feet and that is pushing it IMO. I know lots of people that have canon cases and cameras that have had no problems but they are casual users that don't do that much diving. That is what their cases are designed for and for the most part they work fine. However when you start talking a $400+ dollar camera you just can't afford an inexpensive case that may cost you that camera and ruin an expensive vacation as well.

The Ike cases are not bullet proof and no case is idiot proof. Like the man sez it's not a question of if you will flood your camera but when. I have never had an ikelite case leak due to a hair or salt Cristal or even fog up. The Ike design is much more forgiving than most. The case is almost 1/2" thick at it's weakest point and the back is almost an inch thick with two heavy stainless steel cam over clips that put a great deal of pressure on the seal. Also you can easily see the seal contact areas to insure there is nothing that would cause a leak. Every control on the Ike cases is solid metal with very nice machining with a solid professional look and feel. No plastic knobs or levers or plastic lens bezels. They rate it to 200 feet and I'm sure it would hold beyond that. Although I will never go anywhere near that depth It is nice to know I have that margin of safety.

I guess it comes down to how you use your camera and how much risk your willing to take or what you can reasonably afford. I do 150+ dives a year and take several thousand pictures. I will not dive if my camera is not working so a cheap case is not an option.

As for memory You need at least 1 gig and the faster the better although regular memory will work fine just may take a little longer to write a photo on high res. I use 2 gig in mine and it's good for over 300 shots at max res with room for some movie clips as well.

As for batteries have at least two if not three fully charged and ready and yes the larger the capacity the better. Plan on changing batteries after each dive or you will see the dreaded low battery warning just when that great shot comes along. And no you don't have to buy canon batteries you can find aftermarket ones on ebay.

The same goes for your strobe. Have at least 2 sets of batteries. They may say you can get 200 or so shots on a set but remamber the more shots you take the longer you wait between shots.

 

[Geoff_H]

They only rate them to 130 feet and that is pushing it IMO.

...

I guess it comes down to how you use your camera and how much risk your willing to take or what you can reasonably afford. I do 150+ dives a year and take several thousand pictures. I will not dive if my camera is not working so a cheap case is not an option.

I dive a similar amount to you and use a Canon housing on every dive, never had any problems. Been down to 50m a couple of times and down to 40m several times... don't think the 130 feet rating is really "pushing it".

I have no doubt the Ikelite cases are better built, but they are really big (far too big for my liking) and extremely expensive compared to the Canon........

It is different strokes for different folks, but I would be careful of saying the Canon housings are not good when there are many satisfied owners who dive all year round and take a lot of underwater photos.

 

[alcina]

Unfortunately, all housings rely on orings and it's easy to miss something or having something go snafu. I actually really like the Canon housings for their forgiveness on sealing - I've had some hire cameras (I currently have several A570s in Canon housings in our hire range) come back with all manner of cruddies on the orings and no floods (knock wood). I know that amount of nasty on my Subal or Amphibico (video) housings would likely spell the F word...but who knows, sometimes I think it's just gremlins, honestly!

I, too, love the size of the Canons. They are perfect for our needs and so far, even being in hire they've been nice and sturdy. I've got two Canon housings that have been in hire for over 2.5 years. The Ike's are great, but just too bulky for my needs and we don't really have any rough and ready conditions that require a bulkier, more solid build.

Memory is so cheap now, get a decent sized card. 2Gb is a good bet. I have el cheapos and expensive ones, all of them seem to do the same job in camera, but I don't personally do a lot of video, so that may be a factor. Download to the computer seems pretty similar no matter which card, too, but I have to say I have not sat here timing it.

Spend the money on good batteries. Check out Thomas Distributing - lots of members here get their batteries from them and they are meant to have good prices and customer service. I like to have one set in camera (or strobe) and at least one back up set, just in case. When I'm organized, I'll also have a full set on the charger at home ready for me to dump the used ones and head straight out again. Rechargeables are the way to go here. I have 2100-2700's and I'd definitely keep buying anything 2500 and above only...the 2100s are pretty good, but there is a definite difference when moving to 2500+.

With the Canon A series, one set of batteries will give you two 60+ minute dives with the lcd on and using the internal flash for most shots. Usually If you can safely change batteries between dives go ahead, especially if you've been shooting more than you think is "normal", if your flash is taking longer to recycle (handy hint for the A series, click your flash down one notch - it helps save power and helps prevent you blowing out very close subjects) or if you think the next dive will be photo heavy.

HTH