ocrmaster:
CompuDude
can you summarize the issues with the ikelite systems? I am planning to get one soon.
The only problem is I really have nothing 100% comparable to ... compare it to. My previous experience with Canon housings with with an SD550, a MUCH simpler camera.
Off the top of my head, here are the top 10 things I DON'T like about the Ikelite housing so far. There may be others, and not all of these are really concerns worth noting, but here you go:
1) Turning the camera on and off. I realize this is going to be a PITA due to Canon's idiotic decision not to put a simple power button on the camera itself, but I have yet to figure out Ikelite's method. It has a "windshield washer" sort of thing that supposedly flicks the front panel back and forth to turn it on and off. But it won't move mine. Perhaps it just needs to be adjusted. Currently, I just turn the camera on before inserting in the case, and leave it on until I get out (it does go to the low power standby setting after a time, so it's not TOO bad). Not a huge issue, but it annoys me. How does the Canon housing deal with this?
2) The zoom controller does not self-center. My old Canon did. So you must be very careful when zooming, and carefully return the control to center yourself, rather than using it instinctively the way you can with the bare camera (or my old canon camera and case). Also, you must be sure the control is centered before attaching the camera or the little arms that flick the control up and down will be out of position and you won't be able to use it.
3) Changing mode is difficult and has very little tactile feedback. My old case was only marginally better... I knew that three clicks left or right on the mode dial took me from u/w scene mode to video. On the Ike case, you have to watch the dial while changing modes. Which is even worse because this camera has so many more modes. That's life with an infinitely-spinnable mode dial, however... my old camera had fixed positions that made this easier. Too easy, in fact... I accidentally changed modes all the time with that camera, so this is better in some ways, at least. I'm curious how the Canon case does in this regard?
4) The infamous wheel button. Yes, it allows me to rotate the wheel to set white balance, etc. But because the same knob pushes the button under the wheel, and (again) there is no self-centering spring, you have to pull the knob out and let it go to push the button. Very annoying when you have to press it several times to cycle through the flash modes! Pull, release. Pull, release. Pull, release. God forbid you have a moving subject and need to change modes quickly!
5) The flash diffuser plate: Works quite nicely. But it is held on with just a ring with two tiny springs that slips over the lens barrel. Friction holds it in place. You can pop it off accidentally FAR too easily... and there is no retention cord. I intend to make one, but I really shouldn't have to for a $300+ shell. I nearly lost the diffuser on my first dive out. In fact, I DID lose it, while exiting the water onto the boat in surge! It was pure dumb luck that another diver coming up behind me saw it floating down the water column and grabbed it, because I didn't notice... I was busy trying to haul myself up onto the swimdeck on the boat. For what this thing costs, a little thread connected to an attachment point really should have been included. The FAR cheaper Canon case that I had before (and I assume yours) had one, after all.
8) The lanyard. This case is CLEARLY intended to be used by pros who will buy a strobe and a handle attachment plate at the bottom. There is NO place to connect a lanyard... and the skinny rubber strap is a joke that scares the hell out of me. Why can't there be some location I can attach a nice strong lanyard so I can clip it to a retractor or line to keep it attached to me? Everyone I have spoke to said the same thing: "I just loop a lanyard/retractor/whatever around the tray's handle." "What do you mean you don't have a tray? How do you attach your strobe?" I don't have the tray because I don't have a strobe. Yet. Now I feel I need to get the stupid tray first just so I can have a secure method of keeping the camera attached to me. (Another $60ish)
9) A screen glare sheild, such as the one the Canon case has, would be nice, too. Makes the screen much easier to see on land, when light is glaring off the back. Not a big deal at all (smallest by far), but again, I notice the lack only because the cheaper Canon case actually had a nice one.
10) Size. Again, I'm coming from a TINY camera in the OEM shell that is streamlines to that model only, so it's not an entirely fair comparison, but the size difference really is dramatic. The Ikelite shell is like holding a brick in your hand. Not as heavy (it's perfect underwater), but almost as aerodynamic. And on land, it's actually is very heavy, making it far less attractive to use as a "water-resistant" shell for use on land when simple water spray and such are the only concerns.
I'm complaining, but overall, I like the case. It's CLEARLY far superior and far more substantial than the Canon case, and I feel very safe with it. The latching mechanism and shutter release is a thing of beauty. The o-ring trapping and ability to inspect the same is incredible, and there are no plastic hinges to trap sand and salt. But it's not perfect.
