looking to buy digital camera/housing under $1K

[Dee]

When I was looking at housings for my Oly C-4040, I agree with Finesse's pro's. The con's I felt were the overal size and the cost. At the time I had to wait to afford a strobe so getting the tray with the Ike wasn't a consideration. Plus the type of tray I wanted was vastly different than what was shipped with the Ike housing.

Since I prefer manual strobes, Sea & Sea specifically, the Ike strobes weren't in the running for me for a future purchase. So it was an easy decision to go with the Oly PT housing.

 

[Travisc]

There are many setups you can get for less that 1K including memory and accessories, the big question is how far do you want to go with it.

a sony DSCP8 can be had for $350 a housing for $200, the P10 is only another 100 for 5mega-pixel.

an Olympus C50 is $450 5megapixel, housing for $150 and your at $600

Or the Olympus C5050 can be had for $550 with a $150 housing,

And cannon has their offerings too. My suggestion would be to go look at the cameras and see what feels right to you. Or find someone in your area that has the cameras.

Travis

 

[nlbford]

Finesse once bubbled...
Ikelite Pros and Cons

Cons .... a bit larger than the PT and it is more money BUT you get a tray included with the housing vs having to buy one


Pros .....
1. Very well built utilizing a thicker polycarbonate housing
2. Greater depth rating as a result of above (More resistance to pressure changes)
3. Bulkhead for greater strobe adaptability
4. Knobs on controls allowing better cold water / gloved hand use
5. "Stay" depressed features allowing one hand control of some camera functions.
6. Customer service way beyond most ... and if you have trouble you can speak directly to the manufacturer ..... Others you have to go through a dealer


I currently have two Ikelites ..... They are great housings !!!

just my .02

I can't really speak to the other brands, but I can second this post.

I have used many Ikelite products over the past 10 years. 2 video housings, 1 SLR housing, 3 strobes and various parts. All soundly made and reliable. When it comes to customer service I haven't really had ANY company perform as well as Ikelite when it comes to that factor - and I don't just mean underwater housings, I mean from all the products I have bought.