Frank,
We know each other (I shot photos at the Dive Pirates Ball a few years back) and know your GOM (Gulf of Mexico) FLower Gardens and oil rig dives are tougher than some conditions.
I have several Ikelite users who've been out on your boat and who didn't flood their SLR housings.........
Any housing can flood and 99.999% is user error or the silly rinse tank people INSIST on using and LEAVING their camera unattended in it....They run to it like their housing just came out of hydrochloric acid
(Can you tell I HATE rinse tanks?)
I did a search on "Recsea flood" and got this list:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/search.php?searchid=11280420
You can do the same here with any brand (including Ikelite.) Too many folks fear being honest and looking themselves in the mirror admitting they caused their own flood.
I sold Aquatica in the past and have seen and used many housings in 43 years of diving. I've seen all brands flood with many the user never knowing in time because he can't see in it........Not saying each brand doesn't have features people want and will pay more for.......JMHO.......
I don't know how you hand and retrieve folks camera rigs on and off your 110' bouncing boat and I'm sure it IS challenging. Plus too many folks have enough crap strapped on their Battlestar Galactic SLR rigs to make them very unwieldy out of the water. Gotta' be a nightmare sometimes.
I'm also sure you train your crew but I recall one post where a guy's Aquatica or Sea and Sea housing flooded when hauled aboard by the port and it twisted off (!!!) dropping his wide open housing back in the drink I fault the shooter himself for handing it UP to the boat mate port first, too.....(I don't know if this was Frank's boat, so apologies if people thought I meant that.)
The Sony RX100 camera while fast focussing and a 1" sensor isn't nirvana. I've played with one and it can produce great photos like many other cameras today.
All the endless droning about changing this setting or that setting in the short time most have UW is BS too. 99% of folks talking and debating specs on here don't have a decent in focus variety of pics to prove they know squat either......
Any housing is just a box with o-rings keeping your camera dry assuming you know how to seal it and handle it.
I personally will vouch for everything I read about Frank's boats and services as being safety oriented and well run. I have friends who have used their one boat out of Key West and the GOM.
We just disagree on Ikelite as good value choice for any digital camera housing
YMMV
David Haas
www.haasimages.com
We know each other (I shot photos at the Dive Pirates Ball a few years back) and know your GOM (Gulf of Mexico) FLower Gardens and oil rig dives are tougher than some conditions.
I have several Ikelite users who've been out on your boat and who didn't flood their SLR housings.........
Any housing can flood and 99.999% is user error or the silly rinse tank people INSIST on using and LEAVING their camera unattended in it....They run to it like their housing just came out of hydrochloric acid
(Can you tell I HATE rinse tanks?)
I did a search on "Recsea flood" and got this list:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/search.php?searchid=11280420
You can do the same here with any brand (including Ikelite.) Too many folks fear being honest and looking themselves in the mirror admitting they caused their own flood.
I sold Aquatica in the past and have seen and used many housings in 43 years of diving. I've seen all brands flood with many the user never knowing in time because he can't see in it........Not saying each brand doesn't have features people want and will pay more for.......JMHO.......
I don't know how you hand and retrieve folks camera rigs on and off your 110' bouncing boat and I'm sure it IS challenging. Plus too many folks have enough crap strapped on their Battlestar Galactic SLR rigs to make them very unwieldy out of the water. Gotta' be a nightmare sometimes.
I'm also sure you train your crew but I recall one post where a guy's Aquatica or Sea and Sea housing flooded when hauled aboard by the port and it twisted off (!!!) dropping his wide open housing back in the drink I fault the shooter himself for handing it UP to the boat mate port first, too.....(I don't know if this was Frank's boat, so apologies if people thought I meant that.)
The Sony RX100 camera while fast focussing and a 1" sensor isn't nirvana. I've played with one and it can produce great photos like many other cameras today.
All the endless droning about changing this setting or that setting in the short time most have UW is BS too. 99% of folks talking and debating specs on here don't have a decent in focus variety of pics to prove they know squat either......
Any housing is just a box with o-rings keeping your camera dry assuming you know how to seal it and handle it.
I personally will vouch for everything I read about Frank's boats and services as being safety oriented and well run. I have friends who have used their one boat out of Key West and the GOM.
We just disagree on Ikelite as good value choice for any digital camera housing
YMMV
David Haas
www.haasimages.com