Waterproof housings S95 and S95 tips

[uberdude]

Hi All,
I have just purchased an S95 and Canon housing, I'm yet to get the combination in the water . I notice there are a few brands of housing and am curious about the + and - of various housings. Someone mentioned in another thread about the flash being limited in close with a Canon housing. I would be interested to hear opinions and comments regarding positives and negatives of various housings, including use/ of strobes etc. I would also be interested in hints or tips for s95 use underwater. Research is one thing but first hand feed back and advice is gold. Everything from favorite settings to hard learnt lessons. Thanks for your time.
Uberdude

 

[Nemrod]

Exactly what is the question? Yes, the Recsea housing is far, far superior in ever way to the OEM housing and is worth every red cent times three. It is simply no contest, the OEM "case" is just that, hardly a real underwater housing, just a wet case, very light duty, limited in lens versatility, completely plastic. The Recsea is a professional grade aluminum housing similar in construction to what is used by very high dollar professional SLR systems by people who make a living with cameras underwater, it is a true, pro grade housing. The new FIX95 housing is also a very fine housing, just not as versatile with it's fixed 52mm threaded mount, otherwise it is every bit as good as the older FIX90 houisng or the new Recsea95 housing.

Do a little research and go through some of the threads, your questions have been answered a dozen times at least.

Another thing, I realize many people refer to a housing as a case, I think that is incorrect. A "case" implies limited use, limited functionality, weather proof for protection from the elements. An underwater camera "housing" implies a heavy duty piece of equipment designed to withstand the rigor of years of use at great depths and provide flexibility to utilize a variety of system equipment, lenses, strobes etc. IMO the Canon OEM rig is a case, the FIX and Recsea are housings.

The + and - of the various rigs for the Canon S series are:

Recsea95 -- pro quality, all controls including rear ring control easy to use, very versatile and can mount virtually any accessory lens ever made and use them effectively. The internal strobe works fine and the housing can mount strobes and trays easily. Most endearing quality, VERSATILITY.

FIX95 -- pro quality, all controls usable easily, versatile housing, some limitations with fixed 52mm port mount. Internal strobe works great and can also mount trays, strobes. Most endearing quality, QUALITY.

Ikelite -- more heavy duty than Canon OEM, cost effective compromise, can use some 67mm accessory lenses effectively to various degrees, internal strobe not so good, can mount trays, strobes etc. Not all controls are available, especially lacking is the important rear ring control. Most endearing quality, SUPPORT, made in USA by a company that supports it's customers.

Canon OEM -- wet case, light duty, spotty record for leaking and seeping. Canon mount the new Inon LD series wide angle lens and AD macro lens. Internal strobe is shadowed. Single attach point requires Inon kit to support heavy trays, strobes, accessories. The rear ring control is notably missing. Most endearing quality, CHEAP.

I don't believe in cook book settings.

N

 

[PatW]

The thing is that using the internal flash on a camera underwater is problematic. The reason for this is water almost always has some particulate matter. If you fire a strobe in the same position as your "film", the particles act like little mirrors and reflect light back to the image. This phenomenon is called "backscatter". Backscatter can be minimized by using an external strobe off to one side. So using an external strobe is a really good thing.

Yes, there are housings that are better than the Canon housing. Some of them will allow you to use all sorts of wide angle lenses or macro lenses. Unfortunately, these housings are not cheap. For the G12, they are over $1,000. At that price, it is tempting to just go out and go full bore and get a DSLR and housing for it.

I am not saying that the pricey housings are not better than the Canon housing. They are. But one can take excellent shots with the Canon housing. Gilligan, who uses a G10 I think, has posted a number of photos. He has taken really excellent shots and that is with a Canon housing and an inexpensive strobe. A good photographer can do a fine job with modest equipment. Once you add a strobe, your system will be very similar.

I would say stick with your Canon housing for now unless you can return it for a full refund. Even then with the S95, I don't know if I would go above the Ikelite.

Now Backscatter (which is a very good store and they can give you good advice) has an S95 system with S95, wide angle lens (which is really handy), fix housing and strobe for $2300. So you can see the extra cost. Is your skill level up to eploiting this system? It makes no sense having a system that is far more capable than your are. I am not denigrating your skill level. I don't know what it is. But I have seen people go out with great equipment that they could not really expoit its capabilities.

 

[slowhands]

The Canon is a Point and shoot camera, a very good one, but not in the same league as a Digital SLR camera. It is very good as a travel cam, being very small. It's housing is very small too, no matter the brand. So if you are an average diver who wants to fly to dive spots, it's really a good match. It's just fine for the average diver but not for photo freaks, OK?

My take is there is little point in spending thousands of dollars to house it and doll it up with super cases and add on lenses because it still has slower shutter delay and focus delay and poorer image quality than just about any DSLR. Unless you enjoy doing that sort of thing, which is fine, but to me seems like putting chrome and mag wheels on a Corolla. Not my thing.

I know it's going to be obsolete in a couple of years and am very reluctant to spend a lot of money on something with a short life. I love the little camera as a travel camera in the Canon case. It will get about 80% of the shots I'm interested in, not the difficult ones, but I accept that for its compactness.

It seems like a lot of divers agree, because when I travel in Asia, I see a lot of these and G10, G11, and G12s. Most divers have an external strobe but seldom bother with a wide attachment. The hard core guys bring their DSLRs with mega rigs. They also get better shots in return for their investment in money and their inconvenience.

So I'd say keep it simple and see if you really need anything super grade before you spend the money.

 

[Nemrod]

Oh hogwash.

Take a look at this link with photos taken by member Girrelator for an interesting comparison of SLR vs S90.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189548@N05/sets/72157625638236968/

I used to shoot a Nikonos and also a Nikon SLR 35mm, yeah, I can tell the difference when I project them with my old Carousel projector on my wall vs a digital P&S, no contest. At normal print sizes and web display, the vast majority of people would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

N

 

[PatW]

Nemrod,

I would not say Hogwash about the difference between a DSLR and a point and shoot. They are two different tools. I have been in quite a few situations with my G11 (which is an excellent camera) where I have been frustrated because it just does not have the capability of my Nikon D300. It happens with reasonable frequency.

Whether one should go DSLR or Point and Shoot is pretty much what your goals and aspirations as far as photography are.

I do not think that anyone is disputing that one can take very nice photos with a point and shoot. I think Slowhands was just saying that it does not seem to make sense to put a large number of dollars into a point and shoot system when for a bit more, one could get a more capable DSLR system. I agree with Slowhands on that one.

Of course, fooling around with a DSLR system underwater has its problems. The whole system is much larger. It is heavier (and takes up more baggage space and weight). You are stuck with one lens for a dive which means. That means if you have a macro lens on, you can forget photos of sharks (unless you like shark eyeballs). I bet when I do migrate to a DSLR system, it will seem that when I put on a macro lens, every shark in the ocean will come over and torment me by posing.

If you have fairly modest photographic goals, a point and shoot is the way to go. The system is compact. It can take very good photos. If you want to take nice shots of your diving and not get immersed in photography, this is the way to go. I would think that for something like 90% of people with underwater cameras, a good point and shoot is more than enough. If you are a photographer and want to take your photography underwater, you will probably not be happy until you get a DSLR.

It is a matter of two different tools. They do two different jobs. Which job do you want done?

 

[Nemrod]

Pat, that is exactly what is being debated and you are only carrying it forward, unfortunately, I simply do not care to continue the debate, put your heads back in the sand.

The OP asked what the "+ and -" were of the various housings and I laid them out directly, he did not ask for a debate as to what made "sense" or a definition of "nice" as to photos.

Money is not the problem with me, I could buy any camera I want and put it in any housing I want with any lens I want. I will stay with what I said.

Same day, same camera system, same water, similar subject and framing, with and without an accessory lens, Canon A570IS.

Canon P&S, dual Inon D2000, bare port, required shooting distance to frame, 10 to 12 feet:

Canon P&S, dual Inon D2000, Inon UFL165AD fisheye lens, required shooting distance to frame, 4 feet:

Fact, no matter how much whining and complaining, reducing the amount of water between the camera and the subject greatly improves a photo.

N

 

[slowhands]

Oh hogwash.

Take a look at this link with photos taken by member Girrelator for an interesting comparison of SLR vs S90.

compact vs dslr - a set on Flickr

I used to shoot a Nikonos and also a Nikon SLR 35mm, yeah, I can tell the difference when I project them with my old Carousel projector on my wall vs a digital P&S, no contest. At normal print sizes and web display, the vast majority of people would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

N

I think you missed my point. I love the shots you are getting with your S90/S95. You really have a great setup and know how to use it to its maximum potential. Not many divers could and that's to your credit. And I think the S95 is a great little camera. I have an S90, virtually the same camera, and use it often. I've shot some great shots with it, because I had it along since it is so convenient to carry.

But I've found that it's too slow to catch many fast moving fish, that on tiny macro it does not allow me to see what I am really focused on when very close and that it does not have the true high ISO capability of say a Nikon D7000. That means I will miss some shots. Can I live with that? Yes, most of the time , as a tradeoff for not having to shlep a much bigger rig that would probably do the job better.

The original poster has 50-99 dives. I'm a PADI Divemaster and I assist people at that level a lot. I answered from that perspective. I suggested he keep it simple and develop his diving and photographic skills a bit before buying a setup that may be beyond his skills. So this is not about you with many, many years of diving and underwater photography experience. It's about someone new to all this, who has different skills and needs.

 

[Nemrod]

It is all good.

The reason I am not shooting a dSLR is because I am not currently happy with any of them, spoiled by my Nikonos and old Leicas and Nikons of yore and of course the transporting issue. I am thinking that Canon will soon enter the "reduced" size camera fray. They have hinted strongly at a new smaller frame pro grade or up graded SLR that is smaller and lighter than the current Rebel bricks. I cannot see how Nikon can continue to resist the segment either since it is clearly here to stay. I like to carry my camera on a strap slung behind my shoulder for surface use and the SLRs they make now just do not do that well, to big, to heavy and to fragile. If I made a living with my camera or was a super amateur then I would jump in now but but that is not the case and I think there is some interesting things just around the corner, fingers crossed. Meanwhile, the current crop of pro-sumer P&S camera like the G and S series and the new Oly XZ1 will have to do.

I think it is Fuji has a new auto focus design for P&S cameras that is as fast as a dSLR.
I don't know if it is on a consumer camera yet but you guys realize that the higher end P&S and the lower end dSLRs are on a collision course for the photo enthusiast segment. Only good things can result.

N

 

[uberdude]

Guys,
Thank you for the opinions, all of them were keenly read. Nemrod your expose on cases was exactly what I was after. PatW and slowhands your debate and musings again are appreciated. You are exactly right about cost versus usage, and user experience. I am new and I would like to play before committing ($700 is a big committment for some!) to better gear, and most of my diving is travel diving, out of a backpack so size does matter ! I think for me cost of the case/housing is an initial consideration. If I like what I see a better housing would definitely be a consideration, but first I will dip my toe in the water. The S95 will give me some great latitude for varying setting which most P&S cameras don't have.

Where I live is "Outback Australia" we can't just duck down the store and sus out the latest and greatest so your opinions and guidance are much appreciated.
All the best
Uberdude