23 replies to this topic

[dhaas]

Steve,

You hit the nail on the proverbial head. Low volumes of high complexity products DOES NOT equal high volume low complexity products.....

In America we want the BEST quality for the LOWEST price and then we bitch about it not being perfect...But as your own instruction deatials reveal, more $$$$ doesn't usually equal a better mousetrap. In the instructions, and IMHO actual use.

I also hear a lot of people recommending this and that design feature in a housing as being a great idea. Then you know what? Build yourself a housing and report back to us all how well it works! I only know of one guy doing this, Marc Furth, and he spends a LOT of time doing this. So for him it's cheaper, and a labor of love, too. Last time I checked I haven't noticed anyone getting the $$$$ to start their own housing and / or UW strobe company

I mentioned before a quote a long time ago from Chris Newbert, famed UW photographer who used ancient Ikelite SINGLE SHOT (as in no motor drive) housings for some of his Canon F1 cameras. He made beautiful images with them and when a customer of mine asked him at a dive show what housing he should buy for his Nikon N90s camera, he said (and I quote):

"A 50 cent o-ring on controls is all that is keeping water out of any of these boxes. And they all use the same glands, control shafts, etc. So you can spend more than an Ikelite, but for most shooters, why?"

That customer is still using Ikelite housings to this day.....

So, YMMV

dhaas

P.S. - If we ever get to dive together, you'll be amazed how little time I "maintenance / service" my housings / strobes.....I use them, not abuse them but don't obsess about these tools....

[Pedda]

I've been a happy/proud Ikelite owner since 2003 with nothing major to complain about. Personally I'm not sure if I would get any better pictures if I changed to a double or triple the priced alu housing. I rather spend the money on buying more and better lenses.

But one thing I've noticed that the service I get from Ikelite depends on whom I'm talking to there. It's a BIG different between the answers of my question to Ike depending on which staff whom is answering. Don't want to mention any names but I sometimes get the feeling the some of them don't read my mail before they give a strange and non informative answer. While some of them gives the best service I ever encounted.

My D200 housing is at Ike for service to fix two problems at the moment by the way. I never had any problems what so ever with my D70 housing, but even if now have problems with my D200 housing still I feel that it's better in every way then the D70 housing.

Edited by Pedda, 12 October 2006 - 11:38 PM.

[ce4jesus]

The Hubble anyone? I work for a medical company and even with the tight FDA controls over the company there are products that make it to market which have an endless litany of problems. Most of these issues are due to an anesthetic testing environment. IE...how many housing manufacturers would put their housings in a wash tub being tossed about against other housings for the ride back to shore? Most of us wouldn't dream of leaving our gear in that. With that said, you can't under-value good customer service when its you with the flooded housing.

[cdoyal]

My D200 housing is at Ike for service to fix two problems at the moment by the way. I never had any problems what so ever with my D70 housing, but even if now have problems with my D200 housing still I feel that it's better in every way then the D70 housing.

What's wrong with your D200 housing? Just curious.
Chris