The trouble with dSLR, which housing?

[Nemrod]

Whilst waiting for Fisheye to announce their S90 housing (as rumored) my general aggravation for lack of a suitable new P&S and quality housing to come along with the features I need has me, like twenty years ago, repeating history as I find myself looking at digi SLRs .

No, this is not really a bash SLR thread but would seek discussion of the pros and cons and real life experience with various SLR housing for the smaller APS-C digi SLRs such as the Canon T1i. Some examples I find are as follows:

1. Sea&Sea RDX 500 Sea & Sea USA - Underwater Photography Cameras & Video It is plastic but is high quality and compact, allows optical sync, support of a well known and established company and the price is very competitive, weakness, it is plastic, does that matter?

2. Patima 450/500 available per Patima in the 500 version also: Patima Housing for Canon 450D XSi [pat.pdch.450d] - $1,500.00 : Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros . Pros it looks to be aluminum. Cons is price and support?

3. Watershot: Watershot, Inc. Pro is this thing is beautiful, Con is that it does not have a power on and off switch so that is a NO GO! They need to put a power switch on the housing, plain and simple! Also, a new company.

4. Seatool also available for the 500 series cameras: Seatool 450XSi

5. Epoque: Epoque World : products-digitalhousing ERX-C1010 Does this even exist?

6. And of course the plastiky Ikelite: Underwater Housing for Canon 450D & 500D Rebel Cameras Pros, it seems about 90% of sub 2,500 dollars rigs are Ikelite due to the low cost and generic availability and good support which are good things but, Cons, also it seems they have a little more bulk, I have heard of domes falling off underwater for example and their lack of support for optical sync is a deal killer, also they creak and squeak which makes me nervous.

I may have missed a few but these are the ones I have researched and or actually seen. Lens for me would be the Tokina 10-17 which I already have in Canon mount, dual Inon D2000 that I already own. Probably a Canon T1i, seems decent, kinda small, plastic feeling, has live view. Are these digital SLR cameras durable?

Anyways, this discussion might be useful to those entering the SLR world, whether I do so or not is unknown but others may benifit.

Of course there is the rumor of a pro grade housing for the tiny Canon S90 and if that happens and it supports wet lenses, well, who knows, rumors are like smoke in the wind. I could probably design in TURBOCAD and build my own but the cost of a one off would be several times that of a good digi SLR rig.

Cameras I have owned and used underwater, several homemade rigs, Nikonos III, Nikon F in Ike, Nikon FM in Ike, Aqua Video JVC and of course my cheapo Canon 570 currently in use.

N

 

[jdcpa]

I think you have pretty much proven the point that you can't have it all.

Each housing has it's pluses and minuses.

FYI: Ikelite has redesigned it's port locks. I have not heard of any hands on reviews, but the new design looks to be a huge improvement. Of course, still no optical connection.

Maybe you can develop a chart for others to use with all the features each housing has and the ones it does not, and of course most will be interersted in the price, including ports, ttl converters and the like.

 

[Maddog59]

Nemrod,
I know your pain mate! I struggled with this dilema for about 6 months before I finally went with the G10 and the main reason I went that way was the weight factor when I travel. Large international airlines are fairly accomodating about weight and size restrictions but when you hit the smaller regional and island hopper flights around the world the excess baggage cost can kill. I have even had an airline take my baggage off flights and not tell me untill I arrived at my embarkation point for a 2 week live Aboard trip in New Guinea even though I had paid the excess baggage! The pilot said it was too heavy!

So as to your question about which setup I would look at how much travel you do and the overall physical size of each setup. I like the Patima Housing I have, the build quality is astounding and the strength and size is awsome. I had a look on the Patima website (http://www.patimahousing.com/) and according to their specs your housing with camera and lens would be about 3.2 kg in air and .3kg negative in water. As for backup and service I'm pretty sure Reef Photo's are agents for the Patima range.
As for the durability of the camera I think the're like most items these days and are built for a life span of about 4 -5 years with normal use and maintainance. I tend to go for high end models of whatever I buy because I think they last better and have a better build quality than the lower end consumer market.



Peter

 

[Maddog59]

By the way Nemrod the Patima has 2 x Optical Fibre connections and 2 x Nikonos style sync plugs


Peter

 

[scottfiji]

Nemrod,

If I were you, I'd look into choice #1 and choice #2, and I'd focus on looking into the port locking mechanisms, ergonomics of the aperture/shutter speed dials, any difference on ability to access controls (e.g. - access to the C/S/M switch on my D300 is very important imho), weight of the housing, and total cost including dome port, dome port cover, extension ring/post base and focus ring.

I'd be less considered about difference in material or support between S&S and Patima.

hope this helps, good luck with your search

Scott

 

[Nemrod]

Nemrod,

If I were you, I'd look into choice #1 and choice #2, and I'd focus on looking into the port locking mechanisms, ergonomics of the aperture/shutter speed dials, any difference on ability to access controls (e.g. - access to the C/S/M switch on my D300 is very important imho), weight of the housing, and total cost including dome port, dome port cover, extension ring/post base and focus ring.

I'd be less considered about difference in material or support between S&S and Patima.

hope this helps, good luck with your search

Scott

Thanks all for the info. I would want to stay with the compact dSLR and housing below 2,000 dollars for the base unit housing, realizing that ports etc will add additional expense. I would shoot the Tokina 10-17 almost exclusively so there would need to be a dome which gets into the six inch vs 8 inch vs Plexiglas vs optical glass etc.

Maddog, my problem, and only real problem with the G10/11 is the inability to shoot wide angle which is my primary and really only interest. I just don't do the macro thing. But, it is rumored that Fisheye will offer a S90 housing that will support wide angle wet lenses which would be a super compact rig. If--they do----. It is that "if" that has me taking serious at long last the SLR after a twenty year plus SLR hiatus. The airline problem might not be to bad with a small SLR. I would not have all of the arms and trays and huge strobes. Even though I have D2000s the S2000 are really tiny. I think a compact SLR system could be done that would travel fairly light. The S&S RDX500 does not appear much larger than a G10 Ikelite housing.

Yes, I think y'all are right, it seems number one and two are the best bets at the moment for a versatile, compact SLR system.

N

 

[Maddog59]

Thanks all for the info. I would want to stay with the compact dSLR and housing below 2,000 dollars for the base unit housing, realizing that ports etc will add additional expense. I would shoot the Tokina 10-17 almost exclusively so there would need to be a dome which gets into the six inch vs 8 inch vs Plexiglas vs optical glass etc.

Maddog, my problem, and only real problem with the G10/11 is the inability to shoot wide angle which is my primary and really only interest. I just don't do the macro thing. But, it is rumored that Fisheye will offer a S90 housing that will support wide angle wet lenses which would be a super compact rig. If--they do----. It is that "if" that has me taking serious at long last the SLR after a twenty year plus SLR hiatus. The airline problem might not be to bad with a small SLR. I would not have all of the arms and trays and huge strobes. Even though I have D2000s the S2000 are really tiny. I think a compact SLR system could be done that would travel fairly light. The S&S RDX500 does not appear much larger than a G10 Ikelite housing.

Yes, I think y'all are right, it seems number one and two are the best bets at the moment for a versatile, compact SLR system.

N

Sorry Nemrod,
I think I didn't make myself clear! I wasn't putting forward the Patima G10 outfit that I have, I was really just trying to give some info on the build quality and craftsmenship that has gone into the G10 housing and some of the resons why I went the P&S route. I agree that the compromise of W/A is a problem if that is your area of most interest. And is best solved with a Digi SLR system. But from what I've seen the compact SLR housings that Patima make are just as well built and optioned as the G10.
I've built housings commercialy for over twenty years and this is without doubt the best built unit I have ever used or seen. And the cost is just astounding for the workmanship and materials used. (Optical Glass, Poly coated Annodized Aluminium and Stainless throughout.) the company is actually an aerospace manufacturer and just does housings on the side because the owner is a keen Diver/Photographer.
Also the Patima Housing will fit the Nexus ports as well!
I must also admit that I am a little biased against Ikelite because my background is as a Plastics Engineer (there are a few issues with Polycarbonate and UV degredation) and the price of Ike stuff in Australia is usally pretty high because of the exchange rate with the US Dollar but they do build good stuff as well.
So, I hope you can come up with a system that suits your needs and budget. I will continue to watch with interest to see what you go with!


Peter:mooner:

 

[scottfiji]

Thanks all for the info. I would want to stay with the compact dSLR and housing below 2,000 dollars for the base unit housing, realizing that ports etc will add additional expense. I would shoot the Tokina 10-17 almost exclusively so there would need to be a dome which gets into the six inch vs 8 inch vs Plexiglas vs optical glass etc.


N

Your very welcome.

FYI, I tested the Sea & Sea Dome ports, glass & Acrylic and 6 inch vs 8 inch with my tokina 10-17mm, which I did to help myself understand the pros and cons of each one - you might find my results useful.

 

[Nemrod]

Maddog, I was in Phoenix for the "Lights" and they went right over my house, a video camera would not have done any good as the triangle shaped objects were defined by the lack of star field and desert sky glow. The "Lights" is a misnomer and a perfect example of government misinformation and double speak, a true Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole, except, I saw them. I agree with your observations on the plastic, it gives me hives. I have purchased too many high dollar plastic, Plexi, Lexan, etc items that broke, cracked, crazed to want to spend 1,500 dollars on one to put a 800 dollar camera in but at the same time such housings would probably outlive the useful life of the camera? I may just go with the Fisheye S90 housing to be announced soon and wait another year for an SLR or------not. Thanks, your thoughts are appreciated and valued.

Scottfiji, that is an excellent report. Sounds like you had good results with the Plexi 6.5 inch domes with the Tokina? I had a 6 inch Plexi port on my Ikelite/FM rig, I think I had a 14mm fisheye full frame. It would be nice to be able to use the smaller domes for portability.

Thanks for the thoughts on the Patima, it does appear to be the winner thus far in this discussion, aluminum, well known manufacture, uses a variety of ports and very good price point.

N

 

[Maddog59]

Maddog, I was in Phoenix for the "Lights" and they went right over my house, a video camera would not have done any good as the triangle shaped objects were defined by the lack of star field and desert sky glow. The "Lights" is a misnomer and a perfect example of government misinformation and double speak, a true Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole, except, I saw them. I agree with your observations on the plastic, it gives me hives. I have purchased too many high dollar plastic, Plexi, Lexan, etc items that broke, cracked, crazed to want to spend 1,500 dollars on one to put a 800 dollar camera in but at the same time such housings would probably outlive the useful life of the camera? I may just go with the Fisheye S90 housing to be announced soon and wait another year for an SLR or------not. Thanks, your thoughts are appreciated and valued.

Scottfiji, that is an excellent report. Sounds like you had good results with the Plexi 6.5 inch domes with the Tokina? I had a 6 inch Plexi port on my Ikelite/FM rig, I think I had a 14mm fisheye full frame. It would be nice to be able to use the smaller domes for portability.

Thanks for the thoughts on the Patima, it does appear to be the winner thus far in this discussion, aluminum, well known manufacture, uses a variety of ports and very good price point.

N

Nemrod,
I saw with a smile the announcement by Fix at Dema of the new s90 housing so your decision should be easy from here.


Peter