Sea & Sea v. Ikelite

[SM Diver]

All things considered except for money, which has the better housing? I am going to be using a Sony DCR-PC330 camcorder. All my housings in the past have had the manual controls. Are the electric controls as nice as I think they would be?

Any other options for electrically controlled housings?

Best place to purchase the housing?

Thanks.

 

[ike]

Following URL presents some thoughts about electronic controls:

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/qelectronics.html

 

[SM Diver]

Following URL presents some thoughts about electronic controls:

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/qelectronics.html

Thanks for the link, Ike. However, it's not very compelling to hear Ikelite's reasons to buy an Ikelite. It's kind of like posting, "Which is better, Chevy or Ford?", and getting a link to the Ford site as to why I should buy their product. Little too much bias there, but thanks.

 

[ike]

I thought the URL explained only mechanical control issues regardless of installation in Ikelite or Gates housings for example. I did not realize the second half discussed size and weight comparisons of our housings.

 

[alcina]

My two cents...both have pros and cons.

I have used Amphibico for years and never had a problem until a few weeks ago. Amphibico fixed it immediately and it was no big deal. Excellent customer service from Joe.

Ike has some awesome information. Yes, he sells housings, but don't dismiss his ideas - he offers tremendous customer support and offers advice freely. I personally think customer support before and after purchase should be a consideration.

Ike's housing are excellent from the ones I have seen being used. Had an instructor with one and it was used daily for months with no problems at all. I have one of his for my SLR (not digital ) and it is coming up on 8 years old - still wonderful...even if I don't use it much!

Anytime you have electronics and water you are looking at problems eventually. You have to really watch the condensation and leaks as if you get any you can easily fry the electronics...in a mechanical housing only the camera will be fried

Mechanical housings have more o-rings = more places for potential leaks. Many are user serviceable, so check before you buy. Electronic housing have fewer o-rings so fewer places to leak, but a leak can be more damaging. You know about the mechanical ones coz you've had them before.

Which is right for you? You'll have to consider how you are going to use it, if you are willing to pay the price to replace an electronic arm if it goes down not under warranty or insurance etc. I would have to think that a mechanical housing can take more of a beating than an electronic one where the wires might jiggle loose, but I am only thinking out loud here...

I insure housing and camera for flood for my electronic ones; not sure if you would need to do that for mechanical though maybe the insurance company wouldn't replace the housing if the camera got ruined and the new camera didn't fit the old housing?

I love my electronic controls. I am not sure which way I would go if I ever need to change systems...both have so many positives and most of their negatives seem to be equal, if different.

BTW - B&H has always given me good customer service and has always been able to provide the information I needed to make a good choice.

 

[SM Diver]

My two cents...both have pros and cons.

I have used Amphibico for years and never had a problem until a few weeks ago. Amphibico fixed it immediately and it was no big deal. Excellent customer service from Joe.

Ike has some awesome information. Yes, he sells housings, but don't dismiss his ideas - he offers tremendous customer support and offers advice freely. I personally think customer support before and after purchase should be a consideration.

Ike's housing are excellent from the ones I have seen being used. Had an instructor with one and it was used daily for months with no problems at all. I have one of his for my SLR (not digital ) and it is coming up on 8 years old - still wonderful...even if I don't use it much!

Anytime you have electronics and water you are looking at problems eventually. You have to really watch the condensation and leaks as if you get any you can easily fry the electronics...in a mechanical housing only the camera will be fried

Mechanical housings have more o-rings = more places for potential leaks. Many are user serviceable, so check before you buy. Electronic housing have fewer o-rings so fewer places to leak, but a leak can be more damaging. You know about the mechanical ones coz you've had them before.

Which is right for you? You'll have to consider how you are going to use it, if you are willing to pay the price to replace an electronic arm if it goes down not under warranty or insurance etc. I would have to think that a mechanical housing can take more of a beating than an electronic one where the wires might jiggle loose, but I am only thinking out loud here...

I insure housing and camera for flood for my electronic ones; not sure if you would need to do that for mechanical though maybe the insurance company wouldn't replace the housing if the camera got ruined and the new camera didn't fit the old housing?

I love my electronic controls. I am not sure which way I would go if I ever need to change systems...both have so many positives and most of their negatives seem to be equal, if different.

BTW - B&H has always given me good customer service and has always been able to provide the information I needed to make a good choice.

Thanks, I didn't mean to dismiss Ike. And it is impressive that he is here on the board, which leads me to believe he'd be able to contact and give advise.

I have never had an ikelite before, so my decision to go ahead with the Sea & Sea was based in part on my experience with other mechanical housings. One thing I found with an old housing is the arms don't always match up just perfectly, and you sometimes have to play with it a little to get it going. The other thing is the bulk, at least with both housings I have had. The Sea and Sea I bought it quite compact, accomplished in part because it is electric (pictured here: http://www.seaandsea.jp/products/video/vxpc300/img/vxpc300.jpg )

Parting with the $1580 for the housing was the tough part. That hurt, but I really wanted to try to the electronic set-up. Oh well, there is always eBay if I am disappointed.