Opinions on DSLR housing?

Gymrat76 · 14th July 2008

Dear photographers,

Anyone care to comment on DSLR underwater housings? I'm *toying* with the idea of upgrading to a Nikon D300 from my current Canon G9 and need opinions on a housing.

I've seen many housings, from Ikelite to Nexus to Subal, and the prices of the latter two are simply

Was considering Ikelite cos of the cost (<$2k for housing without ports) but have been told to go with something better like the Sea & Sea. But in what way is the S&S better than the Ikelite? Worth paying almost 2x the price?

Some opinions would be appreciated!

bighead · 14th July 2008

Aluminium vs Engineering Plastics. The 2x price is jus material difference ... bt I feel the alu hsg are much more sturdy. And threads on aluminium are stronger than plastics, at least for the ports ...

howeikwok · 14th July 2008

Adding on to what i commented on fins. gotta figure in costs of ports as well. the glass ports with alu body will be about double the price of ikelite's ports. Depending on how many lens you figure to shoot with now and in the future, that will increase the price of the total package as well.

h2o · 16th July 2008

Generally the ergonomics of housings like S&S, Nexus or Subal is better. I think it is important to have a feel of the the housing. How easy it is to use the functions of the camera via the housing. Handling can be rather personal so if you can, it is good to play around with the different housings.

Gymrat76 · 16th July 2008

Thanks guys for your 2 cents. Will do more homework before I select a housing.. leaning towards Sea & Sea or Nexus for the time being, but the price is really

bighead · 16th July 2008

I think most important is the camera itself. If you plan to use it for a long time, den the investments in the housing will make it worthwhile no matter hw expensive it is ....

maswu · 16th July 2008

srry for hijacking TS thread, but if i want to get a housing for my canon 40d, which brand and where is the best place to buy? TIA

swee sin · 16th July 2008

Originally Posted by bighead

I think most important is the camera itself. If you plan to use it for a long time, den the investments in the housing will make it worthwhile no matter hw expensive it is ....

but now i think most ppl tend to change camera quite often ...

New camera with new feature keep replacing the old model ...
and most housing is dedicated to it model only ...
so, do invest in expensive housing really a wise choice??

bighead · 16th July 2008

i think most upgrades are purely for shooting on land. The D300 is a good upgrade from the D200 (bigger LCD screen, better noise levels). Other upgrades may not be useful at all for underwater. the D700 and D300, other den sensor size, I dont see the benefits.

antacid · 16th July 2008

shooting FF underwater opens a whole new can of worms. i would rather stick to cropped sensors.

Gymrat76 · 17th July 2008

Originally Posted by antacid

shooting FF underwater opens a whole new can of worms. i would rather stick to cropped sensors.

care to enlighten what those worms may be? wide is wider (as opposed to 1.5x crop), so what is the issue?

antacid · 17th July 2008

first, your macro lens becomes a little shorter because you lose the crop factor. but that's no problem, cos you can buy the 180mm/3.5 for less than $2,000.

second, you will have to shoot at smaller apertures on FF to achieve the same DOF on APS cameras. and like any serious photographer, we all know that diffraction sets in at small apertures and has a detrimental effect on sharpness. however, i think diffraction effects are not as bad as some people like to think. but i think the difficulties come when you're trying to pump out enough strobe power to light up that nudi 1m away at f/32. 1m away because now you've got that huge-ass 180/3.5 to get a closer image!

third and most importantly, when you go ultra-wide, edges become really mushy and it's a challenge getting proper edge and corner sharpness. at the minimum you will need a large dome and the appropriate extensions. the guys at wetpixel are still trying to figure out working solutions for that. quote from eric cheng "you have to deal with shallow(er) depth of field for the same field of view, and funky edge and dome performance"

i used a small dome port that wasn't really built for that lens, and the edges were mushy like porridge. goes to show how important it is to have a proper dome set up.

it has to do with the characteristics that come with a larger sensor, and virtual images created by the dome and stuff like that. i won't pretend that i understand all that's happening, but it's essentially exponentially more expensive (wow, cool alliteration! i wasn't even trying) to get outstanding WA shots on a FF than a cropped sensor. it's not impossible, just harder and more money involved.

Gymrat76 · 17th July 2008

Thanks john! I vaguely remembering you saying something about that on MSN last time in passing. Good to know

14th July 2008	#1
Gymrat76 Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,591	Opinions on DSLR housing? Dear photographers, Anyone care to comment on DSLR underwater housings? I'm toying with the idea of upgrading to a Nikon D300 from my current Canon G9 and need opinions on a housing. I've seen many housings, from Ikelite to Nexus to Subal, and the prices of the latter two are simply Was considering Ikelite cos of the cost (<$2k for housing without ports) but have been told to go with something better like the Sea & Sea. But in what way is the S&S better than the Ikelite? Worth paying almost 2x the price? Some opinions would be appreciated!

14th July 2008	#2
bighead Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 361	Re: Opinions on DSLR housing? Aluminium vs Engineering Plastics. The 2x price is jus material difference ... bt I feel the alu hsg are much more sturdy. And threads on aluminium are stronger than plastics, at least for the ports ... __________________ The rule is there are no rules.

14th July 2008	#3
howeikwok Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bukit Timah Posts: 1,203	Re: Opinions on DSLR housing? Adding on to what i commented on fins. gotta figure in costs of ports as well. the glass ports with alu body will be about double the price of ikelite's ports. Depending on how many lens you figure to shoot with now and in the future, that will increase the price of the total package as well. __________________ Canon 50D/60mm & 100mm Macro/Tokina 10-17mm FE/Nexus Housing Inon Z-240

16th July 2008	#4
h2o Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 446	Re: Opinions on DSLR housing? Generally the ergonomics of housings like S&S, Nexus or Subal is better. I think it is important to have a feel of the the housing. How easy it is to use the functions of the camera via the housing. Handling can be rather personal so if you can, it is good to play around with the different housings.

16th July 2008	#5
Gymrat76 Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,591	Re: Opinions on DSLR housing? Thanks guys for your 2 cents. Will do more homework before I select a housing.. leaning towards Sea & Sea or Nexus for the time being, but the price is really

16th July 2008	#6
bighead Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 361	Re: Opinions on DSLR housing? I think most important is the camera itself. If you plan to use it for a long time, den the investments in the housing will make it worthwhile no matter hw expensive it is .... __________________ The rule is there are no rules.

16th July 2008	#7
maswu Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Singapore, Balestier Posts: 551	Re: Opinions on DSLR housing? srry for hijacking TS thread, but if i want to get a housing for my canon 40d, which brand and where is the best place to buy? TIA __________________ LightSide Shooter flickr

16th July 2008	#10
antacid Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York, Singapore Posts: 1,188	Re: Opinions on DSLR housing? shooting FF underwater opens a whole new can of worms. i would rather stick to cropped sensors. __________________ www.colouredshots.com Kodak film disposable camera

17th July 2008	#12
antacid Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York, Singapore Posts: 1,188	Re: Opinions on DSLR housing? first, your macro lens becomes a little shorter because you lose the crop factor. but that's no problem, cos you can buy the 180mm/3.5 for less than $2,000. second, you will have to shoot at smaller apertures on FF to achieve the same DOF on APS cameras. and like any serious photographer, we all know that diffraction sets in at small apertures and has a detrimental effect on sharpness. however, i think diffraction effects are not as bad as some people like to think. but i think the difficulties come when you're trying to pump out enough strobe power to light up that nudi 1m away at f/32. 1m away because now you've got that huge-ass 180/3.5 to get a closer image! third and most importantly, when you go ultra-wide, edges become really mushy and it's a challenge getting proper edge and corner sharpness. at the minimum you will need a large dome and the appropriate extensions. the guys at wetpixel are still trying to figure out working solutions for that. quote from eric cheng "you have to deal with shallow(er) depth of field for the same field of view, and funky edge and dome performance" i used a small dome port that wasn't really built for that lens, and the edges were mushy like porridge. goes to show how important it is to have a proper dome set up. it has to do with the characteristics that come with a larger sensor, and virtual images created by the dome and stuff like that. i won't pretend that i understand all that's happening, but it's essentially exponentially more expensive (wow, cool alliteration! i wasn't even trying) to get outstanding WA shots on a FF than a cropped sensor. it's not impossible, just harder and more money involved. __________________ www.colouredshots.com Kodak film disposable camera Last edited by antacid; 17th July 2008 at 04:40 AM.