what housing should I get with an S100?

[CT Sean]

Just ordered the RecSea Housing too....so thanks for that

I sent the Ikelite Housing back as I was bitterly disppointed in its RAW clumsy operation.

I'm torn with this decision right now - I like the idea of better housing support down the road with Ikelite as I expect to have this S100 for quite a while but i do prefer the ergonomics of the canon housing (the aluminum housings just aren't an option for me any time soon)

I see these underwater housings on e-bay, they run half the price of a brand-name.

Example for a Canon S-100
Meikon Site
E-Bay listing $115 vs Canon Brand on E-bay $220

They look similar in photos/features, but only find a few posts on dpreview.com about them.

Anyone heard or seen these housings?
I realize they're not on-par with deeper rated housings, but for shallow dives might be an alternative to the canon brand?

I agree with Interceptor. Not worth the risk. Sure you might get lucky, I'm sure once in a while those Hong Kong based auctions are actually worth it. That 100.00 savings isn't gonna look that great anymore when your $350ish camera is flooded

 

[lenny26]

I have a canon housing for my s95, and although I like the ergonomics better then Ikelite I wish I splurged and got a RecSea housing. Not having control of the back ring makes for very painful process.
Big benefit that I see of the Canon housing is that I got the Inon adapter for it and can use most of their wet lenses if I choose too.

 

[hui]

Also looking to get a S100 setup. Narrowed it down to 2 housing..recsea or fix, can anyone offer advise on how to select the housing?

 

[jeffreydc]

Also looking to get a S100 setup. Narrowed it down to 2 housing..recsea or fix, can anyone offer advise on how to select the housing?

For what its worth I bought the canon housing for $200 after agonizing over the decision to buy the Fix or Recsea myself. It works great and I have access to ALL the functions on my S100 including the ring. I also like that it is clear so I can catch a leak before it gets bad. I cant imagine spending almost 5 times what I paid on a housing for this $300 camera.

 

[peeweediver]

hui:
I chose the FIX based on prior issues with Cannon housing, but more for compatibility with wide-angle wet mount fish-eye lens. It was twice the price of the camera, not 5 times. I have used it in our quarry and really liked the ease of manipulating the dials on front and back. I only chose FIX over Rescea because I do happen to like having the button options on the back (my own odd preference). I had been saving for a while so spending extra on the housing was always part of the plan. After all my reading on this board I concluded that there was no right answer and that I would just buy what i wanted and never look back. Making my first big trip with it in November and really looking forward to it. Good luck. Don't agonize over the decision because if you've decided to spend the money, both FIX and Rescea will be great for you. Besides, all scuba equipment in the world is build in one Chinese factory anyway. Actually, both of these housing are built in Japan.

Rob

 

[jeffreydc]

hui:
I chose the FIX based on prior issues with Cannon housing, but more for compatibility with wide-angle wet mount fish-eye lens. It was twice the price of the camera, not 5 times.

Rob

Hi Rob,

I meant nearly 5 times what I paid for the Canon housing. Im still a noob to diving and underwater photography so for me it would just be a waste. Im sure by the time if and when I decide to take this hobby further there will be much better cameras out there and at that point I would gladly spend extra on a better housing. Im sure the Fix and Recsea are great housings.

 

[Matt S.]

Hui,

I chose the FIX housing for my S100. Backscatter has the FIX housing for $599 right now. The Recsea is still about $900 everywhere I look. The price difference made the decision easy, since when the are priced the same they seem to be equally as good in most reviews.

I was actually able to take that price in to my local underwater photo retailer--lucky to have such a shop--and they matched the price for me.

 

[Nemrod]

Hi Rob,

I meant nearly 5 times what I paid for the Canon housing. Im still a noob to diving and underwater photography so for me it would just be a waste. Im sure by the time if and when I decide to take this hobby further there will be much better cameras out there and at that point I would gladly spend extra on a better housing. Im sure the Fix and Recsea are great housings.

If Canon housings were on par with Olympus housings then I would agree, however, IMO, based on some experience, a Canon housing is a future leak not yet happened. Not to mention the functional differences. Perhaps you should look into a Sea and Sea type snap shooter.

N

 

[James R]

I am 0 for 3 on the Canon WP-xxx housings. I should have stopped at the first one. I will take the blame one one of them, though, but still. My Ikelite for my SD970 has been great...never flooded and very easy to use (buy it cheap - yes, I know, shameless). My new camera (RX100) is going to be in a Nauticam, which is from what I have been told but can't personally confirm, exactly like the Fix (read: same mfgr, different name on the box).

A friend of mine has the G12 in the Fix housing, and has changed to port to one with 67mm threads for easy wet lens use. Very very nice setup he's got! Can't go wrong with the Fix if you have the budget. I like it better than the Recsea, but just personal preference. Both are top-notch.

 

[Sevenrider860]

For what its worth I bought the canon housing for $200 after agonizing over the decision to buy the Fix or Recsea myself. It works great and I have access to ALL the functions on my S100 including the ring. I also like that it is clear so I can catch a leak before it gets bad. I cant imagine spending almost 5 times what I paid on a housing for this $300 camera.

Is there a new Canon housing out? My Canon housing has access to the front ring, but not the rear ring. The Canon housing was my first housing. Using the built in flash with external diffuser I was able to get many great pictures with the S100.

I just ordered a Fisheye FIX housing because they went on sale. This housing provides access to both rings.

Brian