stumbled across some older equipment on craigslist. advice?

[theu1991]

hey guys, last time i was scouring these boards was when i was considering buying a gopro hero 1. i ended up buying it and have had a lot of fun with it.

i started enjoying underwater photography a lot and i was thinking about upgrading to a more "serious" camera, but didn't want to spend too much (yeah, not really possible but whatever).

i stumbled across a craigslist add with a bunch of ikelite photography gear. the lot came with a camera housing, strobe, a huge lense, and a bunch of other things.

i ended up buying it for $50 and figured i'd look into the camera specifics after purchasing.

well, looks like this model housing fits a minolta maxxum 7xi camera. the camera came out in 1991 and can be purchased for about $20-40 online.

i've got a few questions...

would this camera be a fun, cheap little set up or not worth any more of an investment?

what type of picture quality am i looking at with this camera?

is the camera worth splitting time with my gopro?

i'll attach some pictures of the bargain. let me know what you think!

 

[toddthecat]

Well being a 35mm camera you're always going to have to pay for film. If you don't have a darkroom (who does these days?), you'll be paying to have them developed. Some people prefer 35mm. You already got the housing. Might as well buy the camera cheap and try it out. $20-40 is nothing in the scuba world...

---------- Post added July 25th, 2013 at 06:46 PM ----------

The case alone was pretty well worth it

 

[theu1991]

thanks for the input, todd.

i think i'm going to give ikelite a call in the morning when they open because i think i'm missing two parts (the gear sleeve and zoom clamp) that are in the manuals.

i think i would have to buy a lense for the camera that i purchase as well. i'd probably be looking at around $120 for the entire setup.

 

[toddthecat]

Found one with a lens on ebay for $40 shipped BIN. Not sure if you'll be able to get missing parts from Ikelite since it is older gear but doesn't hurt to ask. You can always be a do-it-yourself kinda guy though! I had a guy come in who made a customer GoPro mount on the top of his pneumatic speargun. It's raised so he can still use the sights. The video looks like a first person shooter. He made it out of some scrap metal he had and the flat mount that came with the camera. It was awesome.

I'd say it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. GoPro is cool for video but not really ideal for still photography. If you want to get into entry level photography this would be a neat side project. If you like it then move on up. Sky is the limit when it comes to UW Photography equipment...

 

[Larry C]

Before you invest further, clean and check the o-rings & attach the strobe so the cord is watertight and undamaged. Wrap up a two lb. weight in rags and tape it securely to the base plate and take the rig underwater. Also make sure you find out what lens the port is appropriate for. If the lens is an autofocus prime lens, you may not need a gear and sleeve. If you do, they'll cost well more than you paid for everything else if you can find one.
I recently bought a couple of old film housings and cameras to go with them and have been playing with them, although I've yet to shoot underwater or have any shots developed. I can tell you two things I was told by a friend who just went digital.
1. I'd never go back to film.
2. You'd better get the picture right the first time.

 

[toddthecat]

2. You'd better get the picture right the first time.

That's no joke

 

[theu1991]

Before you invest further, clean and check the o-rings & attach the strobe so the cord is watertight and undamaged. Wrap up a two lb. weight in rags and tape it securely to the base plate and take the rig underwater. Also make sure you find out what lens the port is appropriate for. If the lens is an autofocus prime lens, you may not need a gear and sleeve. If you do, they'll cost well more than you paid for everything else if you can find one.
I recently bought a couple of old film housings and cameras to go with them and have been playing with them, although I've yet to shoot underwater or have any shots developed. I can tell you two things I was told by a friend who just went digital.
1. I'd never go back to film.
2. You'd better get the picture right the first time.

really appreciate the info, larry. the setup came with some original- still in the unopened bag- o rings that i can use. i was planning to jump in my pool with it to try it out but i didn't have enough day time to put everything together.

i'm going to give ikelite a call and see what they say before putting any more money into the setup. i'll let you guys know what they say.

sidenote... is there anyone to use that strobe with a gopro setup? it's a ikelite ai substrobe

 

[toddthecat]

sidenote... is there anyone to use that strobe with a gopro setup? it's a ikelite ai substrobe

Nope. You won't be able to link the strobe to the GoPro to flash the moment it takes a photo. In fact, there currently exists no strobe light that connects to a GoPro, regardless of the GoPro model. You've just got to use a constant light source.

 

[theu1991]

Nope. You won't be able to link the strobe to the GoPro to flash the moment it takes a photo. In fact, there currently exists no strobe light that connects to a GoPro, regardless of the GoPro model. You've just got to use a constant light source.

interesting. i didn't know that. i'll do some reading up now on strobes and underwater setups... i don't know too much about them to be honest

---------- Post added July 26th, 2013 at 10:32 AM ----------

OK, so after further research I think I made a mistake.

I do not think that the housing is restricted to only a Minolta 7xi camera.

The housing is officially titled the "IKELITE SLR-AF/MD CASE". There is an eBay listing that says it can be used with Nikon cameras.

The official model number is 6767.7-02-0296. Anyone know what cameras could be used with it?

---------- Post added July 26th, 2013 at 06:47 PM ----------

well, i ended up jumping in my pool with the setup today. there is a hairline crack in the housing that lets water trickle in.

i don't have the time to fix it so i'll throw it back on craigslist for the next bargain hunter to pick up (disclosing the issue, of course).

thanks for the help guys